$2000-2500, which HDTV to get for GAMING/DVDs? (1 Viewer)

[elMalloc]

I have xbox, ps2, and gamecube.
I have 6-8 feet max to sit back in my room.

Which hDTV is bset for 50% gaming/50% DVDs, and later on in the year when Hidef cable comes to my city, I'll worry about that too.

What sets are everyone using, I'm looking to spend max $2500.

-ELmO

 

[Masood Ali]

The Display Devices forum is a better source of info for this stuff.

 

[Scott L]

Either Toshiba or Mitsubishi, check out the HDTV threads. If you go Mitsubishi, check out the Platinum Plus series (65"). They have VGA in which is really handy.
http://www.mitsubishitv.com/

 

[elMalloc]

Checking that out, can only sit about 9 feet away max. How about the 53" PIoneer SD533HD?
-ELmO:star:

 

[Sol_N]

I have a Mits 46 " and I absolutely love it. It works great for games and DVD (progressive scan player). Xbox games that support widescreen especially look nice (Dead to rights, DOA3, Football, etc.).

You can get the unit for under $1900.

 

[elMalloc]

Thanks for that information!
Do you still get that "feeling" when watching DVDs?
At Best buy the 47" looks small but that's of course only after I see the 60-65". Also I should be measuring the distance, I was sitting about 6 feet away from a sony 57" and it was kind of pixelated in games (but not DVDs), so I was presuming the pioneer 53" would be fine at 6-9 feet.

Any other suggestions? I want quality. I feel at a smaller size (40-53") I can get more bang for my buck.

Thanks!
-ELmO

 

[Tim Markley]

For sitting that close, I probably wouldn't go any bigger than about 50". Take a look at the Panasonic 47", Mitsubishi 47" and Toshiba 50". I wouldn't even consider a 4:3 TV. Widescreen all the way! For the amount of $$ you have to spend you can get a great TV.

 

[Sean Moon]

I have a Panny 47in TV and sit about 7-9 feet from it. It is just the right size and distance for me. Progressive games are great, interlaced is okay though. 47 may look small in a store, but it is DAMN big once you get it home.

 

[Steve Bjorg]

Before buying an RPTV, checkout ProjectorCentral.com . Once you go front projection, you will never go back. Also, moving a projector is orders of magnitude easier. Of course, it presumes you either can control light conditions, or you only watch at night. I do the latter and I am still amazingly pleased.

 

[elMalloc]

What about prices though?
ANd performance...what is someone who has only 7-8 feet supposed to do? a 47" $1510 projection would work..what would a project do/cost? It would have to be the same price AND look better, or else why should I go for it?
Thanks for the info,
ELmO:star:

 

[Adam Nixon]

Not to be a spoilsport, but has anyone mentioned the burn-in potential on the RPTV's mentioned in this thread? This isn't an issue with an LCD projector or a direct view set. Unfortunately, a good portion of games are NOT 16:9 aspect ratio either.

 

[Thom B]

I've got a Mits 46" hd set with my xbox, and I love it. Seating distance is pretty close to what you're looking at. You should be able to find one for ~ 2k or less. Games look very nice and sharp.

Games which don't support 16:9 natively are stretched by the game console to fit your screen. This hasn't been noticeable to me on any of the games I've played so far. (~15 different titles)

Movies on a progressive scan player are absolutely stunning.

With the next gen consoles, burn-in is less of a concern on a properly calibrated set. Few to no high contrast static images on all of the games I've played so far. No burn-in at all with 43 hrs on JSRF, and countless more with PGR and Halo. I used Avia with the dvd kit to calibrate the console input on my set. Just use common sense. Take a break every couple hours or so and turn the set off, or switch to another source. Make sure the set is calibrated on the console input, yadda yadda yadda.

47 may look small in a store, but it is DAMN big once you get it home.

I'll second that. It's almost too big for my space as it is. I sure wouldn't want to go any larger at this point.

T

 

[Todd Schnell]

I have a Mits 55807 55" HD.
I just wanted to say we had the Mits 46" model in my house for a week before trading up to the 55"
The 55" screen is significantly larger than the 46".
Made quite a difference viewing from about 12 or so feet away in my room.



46" Mits is really sweet.
From your viewing distance the 46" would be my choice.
55" may be to large in your case.

I have been very happy with my Mits other than the red push issue.
Not a major issue with me & one of these days I'll get a red push attenuator to take care of it.
I use it for DVD & games XBox, Cube, & PS2 all connected with component cables.

Great display at its price point imo.
I really like the Pioneer Elite & some of the Sony models I checked out too, but the cost pushed them out of my reach.

Todd

 

[elMalloc]

What are some advantages/disadvantages to a 46" Mits RPTV vs a panasonic AE100 Projector at 9 feet?

My room is upstairs, 12x10. One window which has blinds, pitch black at night (of course), I would say 80-90% of pitch black in daytime (with blinds closed).

 

[Steve Bjorg]

Look at the Boxlight XP-5t. It can be had for as low as $1700, comes with a 2 year warranty, provides a native resolution of 1024x768, and at 9 feet distance you get a 69" image! That's what I call immersion. Also, LCDs are incredibly sharp when fed with their native resolution from a computer. I often use mine to browse the web or find additional information about a movie or its actors on imdb after watching the DVD. All from my couch... (I know, it's too good to be healthy )
You can find very good deals if you go for discontinued models or directly ask for bids from dealers. If you are interested in pursuing this route, I have to recommend that you take at least 2 weeks to educate yourself about the benefits and drawbacks. Read and post on the projector forum to make an educated decision. There are many criteria to base your decision on (resolution, aspect ratio, brightness, lamp life, warranty, noise level, etc.).
I can't tell you if a FPTV is the best solution for you, nor can I tell you what projector you should get (the above was just a candidate). That's something that you will have to decide for yourself. However I can tell you that the transition to FPTV only goes one way. I have yet to encounter an individual who isn't completly sold on projectors after seeing and experiencing one for themselves. For the record, I use the Sony 10HT, sit around 9' away and stare at a 100" image.