Advice needed for a new HDTV for Xbox360

[MACO]

I'd like to take advantage of the HD capabilities on the 360 but only need a small TV for my games room that doesn't cost the earth. Has anyone specc'd out or bought one already that they can recommend.

Also as my main av setup etc is downstairs I'm probably going to get one of those gaming Inspire Xbox 5.1 set ups purely for the 360. Anyone got one and should it be compatible with the 360. Optical cable?

[Lyris]

My answer is always the same for someone who wants a very, very good HDTV on a budget. Sony S-Series. Available in 26 and 32" sizes, the 32" being about 1200 pounds online. The 26" should be just what you need.

It has a VGA input, Component in, HDMI in, and I think 2x RGB SCART as well as a few Composite and S-Video inputs. Spend quite a bit more and you'll get something with their WEGA Engine which basically makes crappy sources (overcompressed digital TV signals) more watchable. If you're only using it for games, the S-series should do.

The Sony LCDs are in a class of their own as far as I'm concerned.

[krispyk]

I would have to agree with Lyris.


I saw the new 32 inch S Sony today in Comet running a Hi-Def feed and it looked stunning!!!!

From what I have seen you can get the 26 incher for about ?800 ish.

If youre on a budget alot of Forum Members have the new Samsung and rave about them although I know some people have had some issues with them (Lyris for one!).

[MACO]

thanks for the info. Is this the Samsung? LE32R41B. What was the problem with it Lyris?

[Lyris]

Yes, that's the one. The Samsung wasn't an awful LCD, it's just that the Sony ones are all I've ever known and anything less isn't good enough. In a nutshell:

1. Bad RGB over SCART implementation - bled out of the lines
2. Composite video poorly comb filtered (you should see the comb filtering - the dot crawl removal - on the LCD WEGAs - it's out of this world). But this won't matter to most people.
3. Composite, S-Video and Component (!!) excessively edge enhanced
4. Backlight not manually adjustable, huge mistake seeing as weak black levels are LCD's biggest weakness
5. Screen tearing/shearing on 60hz material
6. All material had "green push" (over-emphasizing of green tones in picture, meaning that everything had an offputting, diseased look).

[krispyk]

I was going to get the Samsung but after reading too many negative comments about it I dont think you can go wrong with the Sony. The HDMI slot is in a bit of an odd place but after watching it for 10 minutes directly next to some of is competitors (Panasonic, JVC and Toshiba) I was very impressed.
Although I will only be using it for games I intend to keep it for 5 years at least.

VGA for X-Box 360
HDMI for PS3
Component for Revolution (hopefully)

And I am still left with 3 scart sockets to plug my Dreamcast and Saturn into.

I think once these sets become a bit more widespread they will become a firm favourite.

Although the new JVC and Panasonics get rave reviews I would be very surprised if the new Sony V class doesnt put there picture to shame!!!

Bottom line I suppose is this...

If youve got mega bucks spend 7 grand on a 40 inch SIM LCD or import a Runco LCD from the US.

If you want a decent reasonably priced set look at the Sony.

[MACO]

sounds good. could you give me a model number for that 26" bad boy. ta

[Lyris]

Entry level 26 incher is KDL-S26A12U.



I should also add that it has a built in Digital TV ("Freeview") decoder.

I think once these sets become a bit more widespread they will become a firm favourite.

Have to agree. I was shocked to find that I was the only one raving about the Sony LCDs - then I found out that that was only because I was one of the few people that actually bought once since Sony of Europe (die) took the DVI/HDMI connectors off until recently. So it looks like they've been a best kept secret until now. Just play F-Zero GX on it in 480p on one of the WEGA sets, I simply can't believe that I'm looking at a game that's only 640x480.

[The_G_Man]

I am very interested in the 26" sony s series lcd. A few questions if anyone can answer them?


1. This would be my main television and needs to do a decent picture quality with sky etc.. can this tv provide the goods?

2. Does it do 1080i ?

3. Has anyone compared the s and v series picture quality?

4. Is ?999 a good price? I cant find anything cheaper but then again I am no whizz at searching.

Cheers

[sj33]

Kinda wish I knew about the KDL-S26A12U before I bought my set actually, as ?999 was within my budget... =/

Not that I regret buying my set or anything. If ?999 is pushing thr budget a bit too far, the LG 26LX2R has served me excellent so far.
But I'm not going to make any false claims about it beating the Sony, because I severely doubt it.

[Lyris]

1. Yes.
2. Yes, it will resolve as much detail as it can from a 1080i signal. But remember the current generation of LCD panels have 768 lines so you won't see every single detail present in the signal.

4. Sounds it, go to www.kelkoo.co.uk and search for it. That'll give you a big list.

[Valken]

Yes, that's the one. The Samsung wasn't an awful LCD, it's just that the Sony ones are all I've ever known and anything less isn't good enough. In a nutshell:

1. Bad RGB over SCART implementation - bled out of the lines
2. Composite video poorly comb filtered (you should see the comb filtering - the dot crawl removal - on the LCD WEGAs - it's out of this world). But this won't matter to most people.
3. Composite, S-Video and Component (!!) excessively edge enhanced
4. Backlight not manually adjustable, huge mistake seeing as weak black levels are LCD's biggest weakness
5. Screen tearing/shearing on 60hz material
6. All material had "green push" (over-emphasizing of green tones in picture, meaning that everything had an offputting, diseased look).

I have the 26" model Samsung and I'd like to address these points.

1. I very much agree with this, it's pretty disappointing tbh.
2. I haven't even used a composite connection on mine
3. I found that dropping the sharpness which seemed to be turned waaaay up by default sorted this
4. I like the screen nice and bright but a few friends have commented on it being a little *too* bright so yeah, it would have been nice.
5. I have yet to reproduce this on a source other than an Xbox game with Vsync on either via HDMI or component but I guess a lot of people have had some bad luck with it
6. This I haven't noticed either and I think I have pretty good colour perception. Perhaps yours is better.

Overall, I'm happy with it. I daresay I'd be a bit annoyed if I did experience this screen tearing artifact but I just haven't seen it. I think for it's price the Samsung 26 and 32 inch displays are quite good.

[gIzzE]

2. Yes, it will resolve as much detail as it can from a 1080i signal. But remember the current generation of LCD panels have 768 lines so you won't see every single detail present in the signal.

With a 1080i signal a 768 line display will actually upscale, not down scale.

It will deinterlace the 540 odd lines and upscale to 768 and then on the next frame it will deinterlace the 540 even lines and upscale to 768, whilst doing this it is however downscaling the 1920 horizontal lines to fit the 1024 lines of the panel.

You can see why 720p should look better on a digital display, all has to do is scale 1280x720 to 1024x768, that's it, the ****ty deinterlacers built into the screens don't have to be used at all.

[gIzzE]

Can I ask all you guys with LCDs, what happens in a game which is really dark?

[The_G_Man]

Thanks lyris, I think it's a done deal. I cannot justify the extra ?400 needed to upgrade to the v series.

Just bring on the 360 and PS3