Thinking about taking the LCD HDTV plunge, but how will the classics run?

[VACRMH]

Found this (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8275047&type=product&id=1171058029183&ref=10&loc=01) and I think this may be the right priced TV i'm looking for. But like most everyone here I have a ton of older games to worry about not working right. I know lightguns won't work with this kind of TV, but what's everyone's experience with running old games on TVs like this?

I'll be taking a few older systems (7800, NES) to test it out at the store, but I wanted to hear how it's been for everyone else.

[mr.soul]

When I play old games on my LCD screen, the only real problem is that the picture is too clear so it makes everything look jaggier and less smooth. It kind of brings out the flaws in the graphics. Also, set it to 4:3 instead of keeping it in widescreen when you're playing.

[VACRMH]

When I play old games on my LCD screen, the only real problem is that the picture is too clear so it makes everything look jaggier and less smooth. It kind of brings out the flaws in the graphics. Also, set it to 4:3 instead of keeping it in widescreen when you're playing.

Sounds good :) What about a delay? Ever have that problem?

[skaar]

My Sony HDTV has a game mode that reintroduces the "smoothing effect" of older TVs - in other words, it blurs it up so the pixels aren't so pixely.

It sucks. I've gotten used to the big pixels. Clarity is preferred - I can live with the jaggies.

The GBA player on my gamecube through component cables on a 60" screen is quite hilarious.

[samael64]

I haven't found the graphics/pixels to be jarring, but have noticed that there is a distinct hum in the background when playing my Genesis through mono rca cables.

[Cornelius]

No big problems for me either (on a 42" sony LCD rear projection). The one thing is that I have to pull consoles out on the floor so the cords will reach my preferred sitting location. If you can manage that and don't have to sit too close you won't have a problem (might want to remember this in the store, as I'm guessing you might be a little close). Oh, and I hooked my SNES up w/ S-video and I think I may be getting an artifact from it... kind of looks like a criss-cross pattern everywhere. Not sure if it is the TV or cable, because the cable is an all in one bought for a PS2 or GCN or something.

[Clownzilla]

Classics play fine. The :jaggies" didn't annoy me after a few days.

[Superman]

I've only played a SNES on an LCD tv, but I didn't notice any problems with it.

[Kamino]

skaar; i had to turn that shit off on my sony crt.
Vac; I tested a few systems on my hd. For the reference, i have a 42" grand wega projection lcd. I get ZERO lag on this unit. My megadrive looks fine on it; oddly, ps2 kinda sucks.
Any 2d games i toss at it look just fine, including 2600. Xbox looks OK, cube looks ok, ps2 just plain sucks on it.
Oh, and I can't get my odyssey 2 to sync on it, but those things are shit. :)

[cyberfluxor]

That's not a 1080p, back away from it now!

[Kamino]

That's not a 1080p, back away from it now!
what takes advantage of 1080p besides ps3?
also, looking at that link, when you play older games, the 4:3 mode is pretty close to the size of a 27". be forewarned.

[Trebuken]

If your serious about retrogaming and your looking at a 32" you should go with a CRT despite their being too heavy/big etc...

[smokehouse]

If your serious about retrogaming and your looking at a 32" you should go with a CRT despite their being too heavy/big etc...

Quoted for truth.

I have a Sony Wega 32” just for that reason. For the most part, most modern digital TV’s make older systems look like ass. My high definition 51” Hitachi makes my games look terrible (especially my Neo Geo for some reason). HDDVD on the other hand looks great...




BTW...I also have a Samsung 27” in storage for when the Sony takes a dive (this should be a while though).

[VACRMH]

If your serious about retrogaming and your looking at a 32" you should go with a CRT despite their being too heavy/big etc...

I do have alot of older systems, but I want the best of both worlds ;)

My friend did a bit of research on the TV I wanted and it looks like there's a bit of lag for some stuff, so I doubt i'll get it. We'll be going to best buy tomorrow with some old consoles and some fighters/shooters to see if there's any noticeable lag.

Is 1080p that important?

[Cornelius]

Is 1080p that important?
In general, and if you are asking the question, then no it is not important. If you are considering it, it would be worth looking up some reputable charts to see if it will matter at your TV size and viewing distance.

[mario2butts]

I owned a very cheap, crappy LCD HDTV awhile back. Older 3D games, like most Playstation games, looked decent, but anything 2D looked like utter shite. You might fare better with the Sharp since its a respected brand, but playing low- res games on a hi- res digital display isn't really ideal, since the display must scale the image, creating lag, blur, and general ugliness.

The most commonsense solution would be to roll with two displays, a CRT SDTV for anything 480i and lower and an LCD/DLP/whatever HDTV for anything 480p and up. Or, if you're determined to consolidate all your gaming to one display, consider trying the XRGB-2, 2+, or 3 upscan converter. These upconvert low res games to 480p better than any TV scaler out there. I use an XRGB-3 with my DLP front projector, and to me the image looks BETTER than on a CRT. But I'm probably in the minority on that (I like my games massive, with emulator- like crispness and no scanlines ;)).

BTW, to test if that LCD has any input lag with low- res sources, try using the lag calibration test in Guitar Hero II. If you get a high number, steer clear unless you enjoy getting your ass kicked in high speed action games!

[cyberfluxor]

what takes advantage of 1080p besides ps3?

A couple of my computers can easily push 1080 which a few donzen of my PC games take advantage of, mainly RTSs. It's mainly considered an investment though as technology moves into the HDTV direction.

[norkusa]

Sounds good :) What about a delay? Ever have that problem?

Delay is a killer if you're into music/rythm games like DDR and Beatmania. The timing on those games is so strict, you'll notice a major difference in play if the tv is only off by 1/10 seconds. I can't even play IIDX or Pop'N any more because the lag on my new hdtv is so bad. I hear the only hdtv's that don't have any lag with music games are Sony Bravia's and Wega's.

And I can't play PS1 games on my PS2 with component either. PS startup screen looks fine but as soon as the game loads, the graphics are all garbled up and the game is basically unplayable, so I gotta switch to composite to play em. Guess some TV's can handle PS1 with component, some can't. :-/

[Cinder6]

I have a Panasonic TH-50PX60U (50" widescreen) and I'm pleasantly surprised with how old games look on it. 2D games somehow look clear, yet smooth (doesn't make much sense, really--it's like the edges are somewhat blurred, but the rest isn't). Not as smooth as you'll find on an SDTV, but still much better than I was expecting.

As for 3D games, those take the biggest hit (which I'm actually not surprised about). Gamecube games, if stretched, have color bleeding issues (I'm running component cables), but otherwise look fine. PS1 games look really pixelated, moreso than NES, SNES, Genesis, and SMS. PS2 games...I forget. I've been playing them on the PS3, which upscales and smooths, and looks fantastic.

[VACRMH]

Well, after reading all of this I started to think "Why do I need this TV again?" it looks like most if not all of my systems will take a hit in quality, except if I get a PS3 or 360 someday, both of which work on CRT anyways.

So I guess i'll stick with CRT, but I may get a new one soon because this TV is going to hell.

Thanks for all the help :)

[DOL_001]

I also decided to get a CRT TV instead of LCD since I have around 4 systems with light gun games. Plus for the price of an LCD TV, I could get a CRT TV with a much larger screen size.