4:3 Progressive scan TV questions... (1 Viewer)

[Adam Nixon]

I'm in the process of shopping for a new TV for my game systems. As such, I'm debating on whether I should cough up the extra cash for a progressive display, or if the "law of diminishing returns" is at work in this situation.

I've read the other threads on progessive-enabled games, but I couldn't find the answer to one particular question -- will a 4:3 television switch the display to a 16:9 mode when a progressive scan signal is detected? I'm currently looking at TVs from Toshiba (great price breaks on these), the Sony Hi-Scans, and the Panisonic Taus.

I'm not really concerned about DVI/HDCP decoding, or 16:9 game support -- this television set will be used for games and DVDs. As such, do those of you with 4:3 sets notice a significant improvement and is it worth the extra cash? OR -- will I be shelling out money for a feature that offers marginal improvement and distorted game images as well?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[Gary King]

It depends on the TV.

I have the RCA MM32110 (a 32" 4:3 progressive scan display). It doesn't offer the anamorphic squeeze, so 16:9 signals are displayed full-screen (but all Xbox games support 4:3 progressive scan).

When a 1080i signal is connected, it letterboxes the signal, which loses some potential resolution, but it's not that noticeable due to the size of the TV.

Since anamorphic squeeze isn't supported on my set, the only way to get full-resolution DVD is to use the 800x600 VGA inputs (a 16x9 DVD can be letterboxed in an 800x600 frame with no loss in resolution).

I find progressive scan to be a *huge* improvement.

 

[Adam Nixon]

Well, I must admit I am leaning toward the Toshiba due to its price drops. I fully expected 1080i to be letterboxed, it was the 480p I was concerned about. Chances are, I'll probably end up buying one -- I'd just like to make sure that at least 480p doesn't wind up being 16:9 each time I boot up a machine.