Buying new HDTV: 16:9 or 4:3 (1 Viewer)

[Theodore]

I play LOTS of video games and watch few dvd's. I can't decide which is best for me. Do games look much better on a widescreen t.v.? My budget is $3000. Any suggestions either way? Thanks very much.

 

[John-Miles]

Get a 4:3 if that is what you watch, most of the video games i ahve seen cut off the tops to go into WS mode, they dont add more picture.

if you want to know more about this topic do a search, trust me there is lots of posts out there.

 

[Jan Strnad]

Sitting this one out.

Jan

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

LOL. Jan, when I saw that you posted after John, I thought we might get another round of the debate going. Guess I don't get to be a referee this time. :wink:

_Man_

 

[Patrick Sun]

For your amusement:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=22053

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=97816

 

[Ottis Fletcher]

Wide screen is the future and full screen is the past. More and more games are in wide screen, hell all of Xbox games (except two) are in wide screen. Quite a few GC games are in wide screen along with a handful of PS2 games. If your purchasing a TV chances are it will be around for the next-next-gen consoles which every game will be in wide screen, so will TV shows and all most all of the DVDs being made. I think its a big mistake to buy a TV now a days that is not wide screen.

 

[John-Miles]

All I will say (cause i ahvent said it numerous times before) is most WS games i have seen are not wider, they simply crop the top, how is that a benefit?

 

[John Royster]

Ottis,

You may want to check your facts.

Most video games are full-screen. Very, few are widescreen. You can check the HTF video games thread in the video games software forum. Very accurate on all platforms.

 

[John Royster]

-edit- double post

 

[BrianDB]

If it is Xbox go widescreen all the way.

 

[John Royster]

True with the xbox.

Also avoid all mitsubishi models as they will not display the xbox HD (720p) games.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

In that case, you should avoid the Panny's as well.

All I will say (cause i ahvent said it numerous times before) is most WS games i have seen are not wider, they simply crop the top, how is that a benefit?

Since some of us are quite strict about OAR, what if WS is actually the intended OAR while the 4x3 version is actually open matte?

Btw, I don't do console games. Just thought I'd fuel the debate w/ a new(?) angle. :wink:

_Man_

 

[John-Miles]

But Man, if that were true you would ahve to go into the menu of thosegames and choose fullscreen mode wouldn't you? or buy fullscreen copies of the game.

 

[Joe Szott]

Well looks like we have that one nailed down. So which console is better, the PS2 or Xbox?

:0

 

[Ottis Fletcher]

Xbox has more power. Most of its games are progressive scan and 5.1 Dolby.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

hell all of Xbox games (except two) are in wide screen.

I have an XBox and an HDTV and that is totally incorrect! Only a couple of games are interlaced-only, but the vast majority of the games are only 4:3 and have no 16:9 mode!

 

[Ottis Fletcher]

Im not going to turn this into another childish video game argument, I get plenty of that here. I just know that when I set my Xbox settings to a 16X9 TV games don't look stretched and HUD details near the corners of the television isn't missing.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Uh oh! I just visited a local Software Etc today for a casual look-see and found out that High Heat Baseball will finally be coming to the X-box next week! Looks like I might end up picking up a console afterall and start worrying about possible burn-in from a few video games. :b

I know this is a bit OT, but anybody know more details about HH Baseball for the X-box? I only saw that it will do 480p and have online support.

_Man_

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Im not going to turn this into another childish video game argument, I get plenty of that here. I just know that when I set my Xbox settings to a 16X9 TV games don't look stretched and HUD details near the corners of the television isn't missing.

There's nothing childish in dealing with reality.

We keep a list of which video games have true 16:9 modes here.

ps stretching a 4:3 game to 16:9 doesn't make any HUD details disappear, it just makes everything fatter.