Upgrading to HDTV... Need some help from those who have done it already

Ok, so I finally decided to quit being cheap and I'm gonna put some serious buck on a shiny new TV, playing DMC4 on a 20" CRT and drooling over high-res screenshots aftewards was too much for me to take.

After a little research where I found no good answer to my specific questions, I decided to give my own post a try. Anyway, here's the scenario: The room where the TV is gonna be is approximately 9ft from wall to wall, I'll be sitting some 6ft away from the TV, so I certainly won't go anything above 40" and could settle for a 32" (also there's pricing to take into consideration and I'm not exatly on the money printing business). So my first question is: Is 40" too big or 32" too small for such distance?

I also heard that Plasma TV's aren't good for gaming and I should go for an LCD screen. Any thoughts on that?

Now the classic issue: resolution. I've read a lot about it but it only caused more confusion. Anyway, I own a 360 which I bought before they came with the sweet HDMI port. However, it's disc drive is starting to fail (actually, it fails more oftenly than it works) and I'm considering buying a new one. So I'd have how to output 1080p. But, is it really worth the trouble? I mean, I read that only a handful of games are displayed in native 1080p on the 360, most games that have "1080p" on the back of their boxes are actually upscaled to 1080p. How does 1080p upscaled fares in comparison to native 720p? And the most important question of all, can I really see that much difference in a 32" or 40" screen?

You can still do 1080p via component.Games that are upscaled to 1080p really dont look that much better but you can see the difference in native games.if you are going to get a 1080p television makes sure its atleast 40 inches,otherwise it will be hard to tell the difference.

You can still do 1080p via component.Games that are upscaled to 1080p really dont look that much better but you can see the difference in native games.if you are going to get a 1080p television makes sure its atleast 40 inches,otherwise it will be hard to tell the difference.

gamegod

Yes and no. Most TV's don't support 1080p through component cables only 1080i. In all likleyhood you would need an hdmi cable to get 1080p.

I got a great 32" Toshiba LCD HDTV from Best Buy for under $700. It has jaw dropping visual quality that just makes me shake with glee whenever I am playing video games on it. I'd reccomend checking Best Buy and seeing if they have this TV in stock. I don't know the model number, but hopefully the description will help.

But whatever you do, do NOT get a Dynex. I replaced my old TV with the supposed HDTV and it was terrible. The picture was god awful and it sounded like it was coming out of a tin can. I would stick with Sony or Toshiba if I were you. Good luck with the search.

buy this

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8746422&st=Samsung+550&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1205537541429

great all around TV...great picture, features, size

and its not too expensive for what you get

ok, i study hdtv's religously no joke and know a ton about them. First thing is, you wont find a tv under 42" that is capable of full 1080p resolution, and if you happen to get struck by lightning and find some stupid company that did make one with that native resolution there would be absolutely no point in buying it because the human eye is not nearly capable of viewing the enhanced detail benefits if it were in 1080p. Also, you again probably will not find a plasma hdtv in this size range because the way they are made is more catered (sp?) to tv's 42" and up.

With that being said, i would say settle in between 32 and 42 and go with a 37" LCD. Model sizes typically go by 5" increments but there are some variations. The main thing you want to look for though is official editor reviews talking about how good the black levels on the hdtv are. I dont know what your budget is, but Samsung has by far the highest editor and consumer reviews with just about every model. Samsung used to also be the leading seller in hdtv's but that may have changed now that vizio is raking in huge sales with their budget models. I know vizio is the number 1 seller for lcd's but as far as hdtv's all together go im unsure.

The reason black levels are so important though is because a lot of low end budget hdtv's settle for poor black levels which results in this, when the sceen is supposed to go black you instead see a glow from the light behind the tv or details are not brought out as much as they should because the black levels are weak. Trust me, when you see a 2 tv's side by side one with good black levels one without you will understand what i mean.

If youre looking to spend somewhere between 500-800 i would highly reccommend a vizio because they have great customer service, they are based out in california, they are their own company (not made by sony or anything) and ive had absolutely no problems with my lcd with the exception of 3 dead pixels, but those are found on almost all lcds at some point and plus thats 3 pixels out of however many are on my 42" 1080p tv, which is thousands im sure. If you can spend more than 800 then i highly reccommend a samsung. I personally own a vizio and its black levels are relatively weak but i only notice them at night when im playing a movie in my pitch black room. The colors are going to look very vivid and great on either tv so it just comes down to how much you want to spend.

You can still do 1080p via component.Games that are upscaled to 1080p really dont look that much better but you can see the difference in native games.if you are going to get a 1080p television makes sure its atleast 40 inches,otherwise it will be hard to tell the difference.

gamegod

Wise words indeed. I feel as if the whole 1080p fiasco simply makes the buyer feel at ease as it seems to improve visuals when, in theory, the human eye can hardly notice the difference. Its just the fact that knowing 1080p supposedly improves visuals puts you at ease in believing that you are seeing a difference. I bought a Toshiba Regza 37" 1080p HDTV as a) Toshiba are a very good brand and are very reliable and b) I just wanted to get a 1080p T.V so I no longer had to worry wether or not I was getting the best out of my games visually. You can still get a 32" 1080p HDTV for relatively cheap and even if you can't, 720p is a massive leap from standard definition. HD is the way forward regardless. I'd recommend a Toshiba, Sharp or Sony. Plasma TV's are better for fast moving games as they reduce motion blur however they do suffer from image burn and the longetivity of plasma tvs are alot shorter. So, for general gaming, I seriously recommend a LCD HDTV that is 32" or above. I hope this helped you.

If you can I would seriously recommend saving up that little bit extra and go for the 37". I firstly brought a 26" Samsung and was neither happy with the T.V or size. That meant a couple months of saving for a 37" and I have to say I'm glad I saved up for those extra inches as they make all the difference. Hopefully you will be happy with your purchase regardless and will go on to enjoy gaming in HD, the way games are meant to be played :P

Thank you guys for the feedback, I read what you had to say, and have my mind pretty much settled. A Samsung 32" or 37" that is, as it turns out, I don't need (and most likely can't achieve) 1080p. Now for how big I want my screen is gonna depend if the extra 5" can fit my budget (I have the money to buy a 32" now, gonna have to wait a little longer for a 37"). As soon as I have my sights on a specific model, I'll post here as a "thank you" note ^^edhc44

Imo if ya have to wait a little for those extra 5" do it. I went hdtv a year or so ago (62" DLP) and the big screen screams immersivness my only regret now is I didn't get the 72". The 5" will make a big difference , for me it would any way.

i seriously would like for somebody to show me the link to where they are getting these 1080p hdtvs at sizes of 32" and 37" because there is no reason for 1080p in that size and they dont make 1080p for that size. somebody prove me wrong, and no 1080i is not the same as 1080p, in fact its more or less the same as 720p.makchady

http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?0&category_oid=-23578&use_category=true&page=ProductList&category_oid=-23578

There you go. Quite a few 1080p HDTV's around £600-£700 in 32-37" screens.