LCD/Plasma/CRT/DLP - questions

[ridgeracer]

Thanks for the reply Lyris. I dont mind it being there at all as long as I know its not just my TV

Cheers
Adam

[concretesnail]

quick question about plasma as i just started mine in the main setup.
1; why does a 1080p 24fps image not sill the screen? I was trying to watch terminator salvation and had to turn off 24fps but all the bumph says it does 1080p 24fps.

2; does anyone have any advice re wall mounts. i want to get it off the stand to increase the viewing distance and get my ice wooden unit back as the panel is too heavy for the glass and too wide for the frame.

[Lyris]

Not sure I understand question 1 - can you rephrase?

2. I've never wall mounted a TV, but I believe they all have standard mount holes, so I don't think there's much else to say other than "go for it".

[concretesnail]

sorry i'll try and rephrase.

when i ran the terminator salvation bluray, and the ps3 was set for 1080p @24fps. the image didnt fill the screen. it appeared in the upper left quarter of the viewing space. once i turned of 24fps on the ps3 it filled the iamge resized itself and filled the screen. according to all the info with the plasma it accepts 1080p@24fps through hdmi and shouldnt have been an issue.
if it is any help the unit is a th50px700. i've had it for a while but i have now only just started to use it in my main setup as the pending arrive of a little-un means im having to move the house about a bit. before i was using a 'w' series bravia at 1080p24fps no problem.

[Decider-VT]

I was almost set on buying the Sony KDL-22EX302 for desktop gaming but the 32" model in the same range allegedly has 40ms of input lag, enough to make FPS games feel "weightier" in the opinion of the reviewer. With that in mind a friend suggested Sharp LCDs, as they offer almost lag-free gaming in their "Game" mode. I found the Sharp LC22LE320E on Amazon but I just can't find any reviews of it anywhere. It seems to have everything I'd want in a TV of that size- has anybody heard anything about it?

[Lyris]

That is really weird. Is the problem repeatable? Do you have any other 1080p/24 sources you can try out on the th50px700 to see if it happens with those too? Maybe also try changing the video output settings from Y/Cb/Cr to RGB in the PS3 video menu (press Triangle while the disc is playing) and see if that helps?

Decider-VT: I haven't reviewed that specific TV, but I did review one of the pricier Sharp Quattron models. I didn't like it much but yes, it had low input lag in Game mode which was one of its redeeming qualities.

But, if you buy one of these, you can get better black level and guaranteed low input lag (I've measured it) - may be too big though: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsu...0100813815.htm

[concretesnail]

i have tried a few different blurays with different settings and as soon as playback starts with 24fps on the screen gets windowed into the upper left corner. the only bluray it will play in full screen is the isle of man TT bluray.
i have tried changing the video outputs but to no avail as it doesnt matter which colour format is used, it is still windowed.

the only other hd source i have at the moment is the xbox and that is running @ 1080p and only have issues with some trailer video going purple.

[Decider-VT]

Thanks for the advice, Lyris. That Samsung is a bit too big for what I'm intending to use this potential purchase for (desktop gaming, next to my PC monitor). I checked out the Samsung panels in John Lewis on Saturday morning after reading your recommendation and I was surprised at how much their current models have improved on the ones I was familiar with before. I'm still not mad about their piano-black styling but the 19" model that was set up for use with the in-store PS3 seemed to be nice and responsive.

A Panasonic LCD also caught my eye when I was there (TX-L26X20B) and I saw that there is a corresponding 22-inch model (TX-L26X20B) available online. Unfortunately reviews of these models appear to be a bit thin on the ground. Is it safe to assume that they would perform similarly to the TX-37S20 you reviewed this year? The other non-plasma Panasonics reviewed on HDTVTest seem to offer low input lag but they're the edge-lit LED LCD models and the models I saw had CCFL backlighting.

I hadn't realised it when posting before but the 40ms lag I read about concerning that Sony EX screen was from one of your reviews. Is this a common characteristic of low-end Sony panels? I've only ever used an LCD rear-projection Sony set so I'm not familiar with their LCDs at all.

[Rossco]

I'm in the market for a 40" 1080p TV right now. I'm thinking around the ?600 mark. What are the best options? I'm a Sony whore so would prefer one of those and also would like the Bravia Sync remote thing on it too for the PS3. Can anyone help at all please?

[Lyris]

Is it safe to assume that they would perform similarly to the TX-37S20 you reviewed this year?

Probably. The lag would probably be about 30ms.

The Sony LCDs are all over the place in terms of lag. Some are higher than 40ms.

@Rossco: I would recommend the Panasonic TX-P42G20. It's 42 inches and about that price at Amazon. I can't think of a 40" Sony LCD that jumps out at me as being especially brilliant (although none of them are bad). Bravia Sync is where you control the other devices over HDMI using the TV's own remote control isn't it?

[Rossco]

Can't go 42" unfortunately, 40" dimensions just fits into my new AV unit! Yeh, not sure exactly how it works through HDMI as you say but my pal has it and used his TV remote to work his PS3 while watching Blurays.

[Rossco]

I was gonna push the boat out and get this entry level 3D TV but reviews seem to say it's terrible for gaming. :-( anyone had a shot with it?

Duh, didn't post the URL!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LE40C750-Widescreen-Allshare-Internet/dp/B003JEVQRK/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_i

Also, I was looking at this Sony (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-KDL40EX...AEJFM6432TM3NE) and read reviews saying the input lag for games is 60ms which is terrible apparently. I have a KDL32v4000 right now and have no problems with it but can't find out anywhere what the input lag for that is for comparison.

Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know what to do now. I didn't realise input lag for games was now an issue with TVs!?

[Lyris]

Yeah, I reviewed the LE40C750 at www.hdtvtest.co.uk if you'd like the in depth info.

Input lag is actually getting worse. I have a new Panasonic Plasma sitting here on my desk for review that lags by 47ms when the early 2010 models were all about 16-20ms.

[Rossco]

I noticed that site earlier seems to be reviewing every tv out there! Is it all your reviews?

I don't have a clue what to do now. Considering game industry is now bigger than film you'd think they'd start catering for us more. As it stands, I dont think I'm gonna manage to find a tv that suits me now. I don't wanna splash out 600-700 quid on a new tv and find I can't play games on it as well as I used to.

[Lyris]

A good chunk of the more recent ones are mine (I'm David Mackenzie, the author's name is at the top).

I think they're not really aware of the problem of input lag. Panasonic actually released a series of Plasma TVs (GT20) which was specifically marketed towards gamers (with their Nvidia 3D TV Play tie-in) and the input lag was WORSE than the normal one. The most recent 42VT20 is 47ms which is depressing. It's not enough to actually ruin the game, but it's the difference between sprinting around and usually winning, and fighting with the control pad trying to move the camera/viewpoint around quickly enough.

A lot of people claim they also can't notice lag of 100ms (Samsung TVs with Game Mode off) which frankly astonishes me, so I don't know how much this is an enthusiast thing.