TV/Monitor recommendation (1 Viewer)

[JamesL]

I would like to hookup my Xbox and PS2 to a dedicated TV/Monitor with the following specs:

- under 30"

- HDTV compatible or able to take advantage of 480P Xbox games or higher resolution games in the future.

Any recommendations?

 

[Scott L]

Ermmmm I'd vote for a 27" wega XBR. I love how you can toggle the SVM. Despite what most people say it can make a grainy cable signal look much better (but keep it off for DVDs and videogames). Other options I'm sure that will be recommended are a Panasonic Tau or a Toshiba FST Pure.

On the 16:9 side you might wanna look at a Toshiba 42H81. I wouldn't recommend getting an HD 4:3 set nowadays with your DVD collection and the fact that many games are supporting widescreen.

 

[JamesL]

Does Sony make a 27" inch HD compatible TV - that would be great but I thought they only had 32" and bigger that are HD compatible?

 

[Masood Ali]

Samsung makes a 27" HD Direct View set.

 

[JamesL]

Thanks this 4:3 27" set may be what I'm looking for.
But I'm a little confused - Samsung has 2 listed on there website:
- TSL2795HF and TSL2793HF (HD Upgradeable listed beside it)
The HD upgradeable scares me so I conclude the TSL2795HF looks good so I go to a local retailers website and it indicates the following:
"Not only is the Samsung Tantus TSL2795H HD upgradeable, it also presents the viewer with a pure flat image that virtually has no picture distortion from reflections or glare. The progressive scan doubling system allows a "flicker free" image, and the 3D digital comb filter will go even further to create a visibly better picture quality."
again HD upgradeable and under the specs for HDTV and progressive scanning it indicates "NO" even though the above statement says: "The progressive scan doubling system allows a "flicker free" image"
So that is why I'm confused - What I want is to buy a future proof TV for occassional viewing but mainly a TV for present gaming, specifically I would like to take advantage of the Xbox's 480P games and future games that may be 1080i. Will the Tantus TV's do the trick?
Any help would be appreciated.
FYI - here is the link to the retailers website:
Link Removed

 

[DonWinzen]

JamesL, you do not need a set top box for HD when it comes to the XBOX. All you need to do is connect the Hi-Def pack (component cables) to the HD Tv and you can take advantage of the games in 480p (we are waiting for 1080i games). The description you quoted was speaking of OTA signals.

P.S. Sorry James, I missed the part where you said the vendor said "NO" HDTV which was obvious mistake on their part. Samsung states that it is an HDTV-ready monitor.

 

[JamesL]

That makes sense - therefore this Samsung Tantus TV should be ready go with current Xbox 480P games and future 1080i games.

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

I thought about getting the Samsung just for gaming, but couldn't justify spending $800 on a 27" tv.

 

[JamesL]

Donnie - I agree. Right now the cost is the only thing only me back. I really would like a set up with best PQ possible and the only alternative I can think of is buying a computer monitor and hook up via VGA but I'm not familiar with compatibility issues with Xbox and PS2 and the adapters only seem to be available online so if they don't work I'm out of luck.

 

[Masood Ali]

Yeah, for $800, I'd drop it on a nice 32" Tau or spend a little more for a 36". If you really want HD, it will make a more profound difference on TV sizes 36" and up. If you only want a 27" TV, get a Samsung/Akai non-HD flat TV for around $400, or a Toshiba near-flat one for $270.

 

[DonWinzen]

Or if you can, wait a year. The price drop since last year for HDTV sets has been incredible. I paid a little under $1600 for a 51" HDTV ready set whereas they were going for $3500 on up last year.

 

[Chris_Anders]

question for you guys: If I hook up component Cables to my 27in WEGA tv instead of my S-video cable, will I have a 480p connection? And will it look signifigantly better than the S-cable? I need positive answers in order to justify spending the 60$ on the component cable.

Thanks

 

[Masood Ali]

To get a 480P display on a tube TV, you need two things 1)Component cables and 2)HDTV-ready TV.

Chris, AFAIK, Sony doesn't make an HDTV-ready 27" Wega, so the most you'll be getting a 480i signal. Generally, on direct-view sets that size, you will not notice a big difference between S-video and component video cables.

 

[JamesL]

Another hypothetical question regarding 4:3 HDTV's.

First, if a game has 2 ratio options(16:9 and 4:3), let's say Xboxs' "Amped", can you select the 16:9 option and have black bars on top and bottom in your 4:3 viewing area.

If this works, which I assume it would, will the PQ be better.

 

[Eric F]

Prima's 30" HDTV looks to be the thing.
A true 16:9 480p/1080i/720p HDTV for $1400.
Prima America HDTV

 

[Masood Ali]

First, if a game has 2 ratio options(16:9 and 4:3), let's say Xboxs' "Amped", can you select the 16:9 option and have black bars on top and bottom in your 4:3 viewing area.

If you select the 16:9 option on a 4:3 TV, the picture would be vertically stretched to fill the entire screen, yielding a distorted image. On a 16:9 TV, the image would appear in the correct ratio. This is because the 16:9 output of most Xbox games are anamorphic.

If there was a game that had a letterboxed widescreen option, then it would display with the black bars on the top and bottom on a 4:3 display. However, the PQ would be degraded (a tradeoff for the widescreen picture).

However, if you have a TV with an anamorphic squeeze mode, then you would get a proper ratio widescreen picture with enhanced resolution on a 4:3 display.

 

[JamesL]

However, if you have a TV with an anamorphic squeeze mode, then you would get a proper ratio widescreen picture with enhanced resolution on a 4:3 display.

Would it be safe to assume that all HD 4:3 TV's have an anamorphic squeeze mode. I know the Sony XBR tv's do but I'm not 100% that the Samsung Tantus does?