Going nuts trying to figure out which RPTV to get for games and all else (1 Viewer)

[GlenHaag]

Ok.

At this point I'm starting to lose the little bits of hair that I have left. I know I'm not posting this in the best forum as well, but hear me out.

As far as watching TV goes, 40 to 50% of it is dedicated to DVD's. 10-15% for watching sports and other TV, and the rest is dedicated to gaming.

Currently I have an Xbox, a Gamecube, and a PS2. I'm going to be looking to eventually hook up all three of them to whatever TV I choose. I say eventually, because I don't have a PS2 game that supports 480P at this point.

Ok, at this point I'm trying to decide between the Hitatchi 57swx20b, the Toshiba 65HDX82, and the Mitsubishi 65411.

Now, I've been looking across a great deal of forums trying to find out which is the best for watching standartd DirecTV programming, HD programming, DVD's, and HD gaming.

It seems like the Toshiba gets the nod from most on watching standard DirecTV programming due to it's stretch mode. The Hitatchi seems to be getting a good deal of the positives relating to it's DVD playback. The Mitsu seems to good at both, but not better than either of the others at each.

Now, let's get down to it.

One of the things that I'm really looking forward to with whatever RPTV I choose is to play games on it.

What I would like to know is if anyone has some good info, or experience with these models... or any others.

I'm just looking for something to help me tip the scales as to which RPTV will find it's way into my home theater setup.

Thanks for any assistance that you can provide.

Glen

 

[Joe Szott]

Glen,

I think they are all just fine for what you want, don't really think you would notice any difference among them once it was all said and done.

I own a Mitsubishi 48" HDTV and it is fantastic for gaming. Reason I choose the Mitsu was it has 3 component inputs and a bunch of other S-video jacks. This works really well as I have a progressive DVD player, the Xbox, and a PS2 using component cables. No one is left out. The minor annoyance with the Mitsu sets is that the "red push" from the factory is quite high and you need a little homemade dongle (RCA Adaptor) to bring it back to normal. If you know that coming in and it isn't a problem, I would say the Mitsu might be the choice.

On the other hand, if you don't want to deal with that red push problem, the Hitachi is fine I'm sure. Just check that you will have enough inputs to handle 1080i and 480p (HDTV) signals.

The Toshibas look good, but I have heard grumblings about reliability and lifespan. They are cheaper (in $), so maybe Toshiba cuts a few corners with the components inside? I really don't know, just explaining why I was hesitant to choose them for my home.

All in all, I think once you calibrate the TV with Avia or Video Essentials, any of the ones above would be just fine.

 

[Eric C. Mylonas]

Go plasma

 

[GaryP]

Well, I'll chime in with my two cents, since I own/owned similar models of two out of three that you're considering.

I currently own a Tosh 57H82 so obviously I'm going to throw my vote that way. Games look incredible and it has the added bonus of being able to handle 720p signals. For the most part, Toshiba's various stretch modes are highly regarded, which helps for those games that don't feature 16:9 modes.

For about three weeks in January I owned a Mitsubishi 55511. Unfortunately I was completely disappointed with this particular model, which is a shame because I really wanted to like this TV (sleek cabinet, tons of features). Other than an HD signal, other sources looked fairly mediocre. The biggest disappointment, hands down, were the way the various consoles looked. In particular, the XBOX exhibited numerous "jaggies" that just weren't there on either Toshiba (I owned a 50H81 before the Mits). The sometimes jagged PS2 graphics became un-watchable when fed to the Mits. If Ratchet & Clank can't look good on a TV, nothing will. I would have been willing to overlook these shortcomings, but couple that with the overly grainy look of all but the best of DVD transfers, the Mits just couldn't stay here .

Although I can say they look mighty pretty in the showroom, I can't offer much of an opinion in regards to Hitachi's current line-up. Hope this helps.
Gary

 

[Dave F]

I have a Mitsubishi 55807 and a Sony 57HW40, and had a Toshiba 50HX80. I don't want you to loose more hair , but I would suggest considering Sony as well. The Mits was the first purchase: it is great on high quality signals, but doesn't handle a poor signal as well as a Toshiba and Sony. Also, the red push is very annoying, and has lame stretch modes. The Toshiba was the second purchase. Great colors, but was kinda grainy, needed constant convergence adjustments, and showed a lot of ghosting of images. It was so bad that I returned it (and it took my store 5 months to get me a replacement!).

After returning it, I picked up a Sony 57HW40, which I would marry and live with in wedded bliss, if it only had a DVI port. Fantastic colors, rarely needs convergence adjustment, multiple color settings, and a very flexible dual picture system. The dual picture system doesn't seem so useful at first, but it just rocks for playing a game on one screen and watching a show in the second screen. It's like having 2 30" screens (and you can adjust the sizes).

-Dave

Edit: I totally agree with GaryP's Mitsubishi assessment.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

Even though you're interested in games this is a TV question at heart so I'm moving to Display Devices forum.

 

[DaveGTP]

Go plasma

That's the conclusion I came to, as well. Waiting for me to make more money & plasmas to go down a little.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I hope you've considered the burn-in issue also w/ the amount of gaming you expect to do.

_Man_

 

[Eric C. Mylonas]

Burn-in is a hellishly overrated phenomenon: If you're not an idiot with your display (e.g. cranking the contrast to obscene levels or pausing the game for hours at a time) it's of neglibible conern.

Bear in mind that this comes from a plasma owner that spends obscene amounts of time playing games on one and has not a hint of burn-in.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

And how long have you done this w/ your plasma display? A few months? A year? 2-3 years or more?

Also, it's not clear that plasma is better or worse than CRT-based RPTVs regarding burn-in. And finally, given the TVs he's considering, he'll need to pay a whole lot more for a large, HD plasma that still won't be as big as those RPTVs.

_Man_

 

[Dave F]

Also, it's not clear that plasma is better or worse than CRT-based RPTVs regarding burn-in

What Eric said holds true for rptv's: it's of neglible concerns if you are a semi-responsible adult. If you are irresponsible, you shouldn't even have a big tv. An irresponsible person will find a way to break it, be it burn-in, bumping into the screen, or whatever.

-Dave

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

So you are saying the various reported cases of burn-in problems are all the result of irresponsible users???

Yes, nobody should be leaving their TV in torch mode. But those are NOT the cases I'm talking about. Some people use AVIA or VE or S&V and still have gotten burn-in. Perhaps, they simply didn't do the white level setup properly, but dismissing them as irresponsible is a bit much, no?

FWIW, some people would also consider using a CRT-based RPTV for 40% gaming to be irresponsible.

Hey, I'd love to know that burn-in is a myth, but the evidence so far suggests otherwise.

_Man_

 

[GaryP]

Gaming on an RPTV poses no more threat of burn-in than watching network TV with an ID bug or scrolling ticker, or a letterboxed DVD for that matter. Any type of static image has the potential of burn-in, but if I worried about that every waking hour there would be no enjoyment in owning the TV. While I'm sure there are "responsible users" that have been victim of burn-in (just like there are many that have not), using the TV with a little common sense should yield nice results regarding long term usage...in most cases of course.

Gary

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Point taken although I would not really equate 40% gaming to most of those other things since probably very few forum participants would spend that much time doing any of those things. I could be wrong on this, but it certainly seems that way to me.

FWIW, I am not letting the burn-in issue keep me from doing all my viewing on my 16x9 RPTV in OAR, so if anyone w/ reasonable settings is at risk, I would be one of them. No gaming here though. For myself, I'll do something about it when I start noticing it. BUT I would NOT simply advise others to completely ignore it.

_Man_

 

[FahnonB]

Don't know what the price range is here, but if your worried about burn-in, why not go with a Sony Grand Wega LCD? As soon as I build up enough cash I will probably get one as I'm too nervous to have 6 hour gaming sessions like I used to on my 36" tube. Hell, there's a game coming out next month call Xenosaga that takes about 80 hours to finish and I might not get it because I'm afraid that there might be some kind of static life bar or something...

Fahnon

 

[GlenHaag]

Man-Fai,

The 40% of time indicates, how much time that the TV is on, that I would spend playing games on it. It might be 25% or 40%. I've never really charted it all out.

I'm looking to spend in the range of $3000 for the TV. I've never really been nervous about spending too much time with a static image on the screen. The closest I've come to that is sports games, and each time a period/quarter ends, it goes to another screen.

At this point, I'm leaning towards the Toshiba, but I'm going to look at the Sony tomorrow evening as well.

Glen

 

[DaveGTP]

Bear in mind that this comes from a plasma owner that spends obscene amounts of time playing games on one and has not a hint of burn-in.

Glad to hear this, that's what I will be doing with mine. Between my gaming habit and my fiancee's movie watching habit, it should keep the wear pretty even when I get my Panny plasma =)