Need help buying new TV!

[Retro_player]

Hello...

I want to buy a new tv to play my videogames and I saw a used one in excellent condition.
It's a 57" sony rear projection TV in 4:3 format.
Is rear projection a good option for video games? Is the image quality good?
Is 4:3 the best option for games?
Please give me your opinions, I don't know what to do...

Thanks!

Regards!

[Anthony1]

From a retro standpoint, I would say that 4:3 is definitely the way to go. I actually have two widescreen HDTV's in my house, and I play retro games on them all the time, but I prefer to play them on my 4:3 RGB monitor.


As far as a Rear Projection Television is concerned, you need to understand that old school games will likely look really, really bad on them. A projection simply blows the image up, and that shows any and all imperfections. And with the old school games like the NES and the Turbo and Genesis and stuff like that, they don't look as good as you probably remember them. They look better on a picture tube. Plus, you have to be carefull about screen burn in, with projection TV's. You can't leave anything on pause for to long with the image just staying on the screen.

I play games on my Projection screen all the time, and I can say that if you do it responsibly, you have nothing to worry about.

Another thing that you should really consider, is are you going to want to play XBOX and GameCube games on this TV. Are you going to want to play PS3 and XBOX 2 and GameCube 2 games on this TV, when those systems come out? If you are, then definitely get one that can display High Definition.

The XBOX and the GameCube look incredible on HDTV's when they are in their high resolution modes. With the XBOX 2, PS3 and GameCube 2, it will become even more of a must need.

But if you are going to be strickly retro, then don't worry about HDTV at all.

And you also need to think how much of this purchase is strickly for video game play? If you plan on watching alot of DVD's on it, I would go Widescreen 16:9. The future of television is definitely 16:9. I think all videogames will be eventually 16:9 too.

Plus I play all my retro games on my widescreen TV's and even though the image is stretched some, to fill the screen, it really isn't very noticeable, and you get used to it quick.

So basically there are alot of factors to consider. But if this TV was strickly for only Retro Gaming, then I would get a 4:3 picture tube. Like a decent flat screen 32 inch or 36 inch picture tube. Make sure it has S-Video inputs and component inputs and composite inputs. The more video inputs the better.

[SoulBlazer]

I may be in the market for a new TV soon myself --

What's the price that HDTV's are going for these days? I'd like to get one that was at least 20 inches or bigger without going broke on it (after spending 800 on a home theratre system I don't have that much left.)

[Half Japanese]

@Soulblazer:

Best Buy has some really frigg'n sweet HD widescreen tv's for less than $1k. There is a model by Samsung and another by Panasonic. From witnessing them in person, I"d say the panasonic looks a little better, but the Samsung has a wicked "lighttouch" set of buttons on the front, must see to explain .

[Flack]

Also remember, if you're playing on a 57" television you're going to need to sit back a ways from it. The "golden" range (I believe) is twice the distance of the diameter of the screen. So for a 57" television, that's about 9 1/2 feet away.

I went the projector (not projection) route. It's not any more expensive than a projection television, you just have to have a big room to hold the screen. A SVGA (800x600, but can take higher samples but will just resample them) will run you about $1000, the next resolution up runs around $1800. There's something pretty cool about kicking back on the couch and playing some retro games on an 8 foot screen ...



Flack

[Sylentwulf]

I'd suggest poking around this site for awhile before spending that much money on a TV. It's not something you EVER want to end up regretting.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

[davidbrit2]

If you get a tube based TV, ALWAYS check the color convergence in the store before hand. This is is most easily done by opening up the on-screen menu, and looking at the left and right edges of things. If you see color hanging over the edges (like a red "border" on one side, and a blue one on the other,) then under no circumstances should you waste your money on it. I don't care how many component inputs or digital comb filters it has - if the tube sucks, the TV sucks. This examination also applies to CRT based projection TVs.

[Sylentwulf]

No, that does NOT apply to RPTV's. ALL RPTV's have a convergance adjustment built into them, and ALL RPTV'S WILL need to periodically have the convergence adjusted. If you can find a reliable auto-convergence in a RPTV, then that's a definite bonus.

If it's just a tube based 36" or less "normal" CRT TV, then there shouldn't ever be a convergence issue.

[jonjandran]

.

If it's just a tube based 36" or less "normal" CRT TV, then there shouldn't ever be a convergence issue.

My 32 inch looked like it had a convergence issue, but it was just a matter of adjusting the contrast and picture settings.
I put up with it for a year before I got my lazy butt off the couch and fixed it.

[The Manimal]

Samsung TV's have very good picture. A lot of these newer tvs have geometry problems...

[Sylentwulf]

Another thing a lot of people on this forum should do is get the Avia guide to home theater DVD.

It has a FULL set of audio and video calibration tests to set your Tint, Color, Brightness(Black Level) Sharpness, and Picture(white Level). NO tv EVER comes out of the box set even REMOTELY correct. Usually the picture and sharpness are CRANKED.

[Gamereviewgod]

I have a Samsung HD (32 inch), and it's a beauty....note that the older stuff really doesn't look all that great. It's not that the TV is bad, it's that it's too good! Every conceievable flaw imaginable will show up. The SNES version of KIller Instinct is the perfect example. Everything is SOOOOO grainy now for me that it's almost hard to play at times. I have noticed that my picture on the left looks cut off once in a while too for some reason...haven't figured out why yet though...

[The Manimal]

I've heard of that.


However, I'm more familiar with A VIDEO STANDARD (or was it VIDEO ESSENTIALS?).

[Sylentwulf]

Video Essentials, not quite as good, but pretty close.

My problem with a Projector, as you'll note in the picture you've supplied us, is that the room has to be damn near pitch black to have a good reception on the thing. I have three walls of windows in my living room, no WAY I can have a projector.

[sisko]

I have the Samsung 27" HDTV. Works like a gem. Threw my PS2 with component cables on it. and games never looked so good.

I generally shy away from rear projection TV's as their maintainance costs tend to be much higher than direct view TVs.

Also, Light Guns may not work with Rear Projection TVs (and may even cause damage to it, so says Namco anyways).

[Flack]

Video Essentials, not quite as good, but pretty close.

My problem with a Projector, as you'll note in the picture you've supplied us, is that the room has to be damn near pitch black to have a good reception on the thing. I have three walls of windows in my living room, no WAY I can have a projector.

That is a true statement. In my living room I just have a regular RCA 35" television. The projector is for the media/theater/game room. It's really not as dark as the picture looks, it's a combination of a semi-dark room combined with a digital camera that compensates.

Flack

[davidbrit2]

If it's just a tube based 36" or less "normal" CRT TV, then there shouldn't ever be a convergence issue.

Trust me, I've seen even some modern 14" televisions with really bad color alignment. It's easy to check in the store, so it's better to be safe then sorry.