HD TV advice

[Jay]

With my TV behaving increasingly strangely, I'm thinking of using it as an opportunity to move to HD.

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/3305619/-/Product.html?searchstring=KDL-32S2530U&searchsource=0

The above is winning the race so far. I've seen some good reviews, it has all the connectors I need, I can get it on interest free credit and it's within my budget limits.

Has anybody here any experience of this TV?

One thing I'd really like to know is how this or any similar models perform with older stuff. I've heard that upscaling can have a nasty effect on the output of older consoles. What can I expect from RGB (eg Dreamcast, PS2)? Composite? (eg NES)

How will the Wii look on this TV? VC stuff?

Finally, it has a DVI input. Can a VGA signal be converted to DVI? ie - my PC graphics card outputs via a standard VGA connector. Can I hook this up? Or even the Dreamcast with a VGA adaptor?

Thanks for any help.

Jay

[sj33]

A few of us have that TV, I have it myself and love it.

It has no DVI, but it does have VGA, and is one of the few HDTV's which will accept native resolution (1360x768)... this is basically essential if you want to use a PC on it.

Dreamcast over VGA also looks great.

[Strolls]

That seems like a lot for a 32" 1366 x 768 telly - but I'm only going from having bought a 1920 x 1080p 42" for c ?1050 in the last few months. Prices are falling all the time, so you can probably get the same model as mine for ?950 now. Best place to keep up on these things is AV Forums.

I wouldn't worry too much about connecting a PC via VGA - if your existing graphics card doesn't have DVI then you can get a better graphics card for ?20 and connect that way.

Since standard-def is obviously important to you you're right to be looking at brand-name tellies such as the Sony. The upscalers on expensive tellies are said to be significantly better than on cheaper sets and the most significant difference between the two classes of hi-def TV. Hi-def tellies are said to perform poorly at SD signals, but I can tell you that my Wii looks absolutely amazing through component to my Sharp Aquos - I can only think this is a testament to the Sharp's upscaler.

Stroller.

[sj33]

I wouldn't worry too much about connecting a PC via VGA - if your existing graphics card doesn't have DVI then you can get a better graphics card for £20 and connect that way.

I'm sorry mate, but I would never recommend connecting a PC this way unless they had no choice, because very few TV's can accept anything but TV-standard resolutions (720p, 1080i/p etc) over HDMI.
Very few TV's accept 1360x768 over the HDMI connection. Most TV's also have a certain level of overscan over HDMI, so even if you did connect over HDMI over 1080i, you'll still loose resolution even more.
This is why I recommend VGA, as it looks just as good as DVI when implemented properly (like the Bravia does), and would display native resolution 1:1, which I consider the most important part.

Of course, if you end up getting a 1080p TV, you might be fine connecting over HDMI, though you'll have to ensure the TV you choose allows you to disable overscan, or displays 1080p 1:1 as standard.

[Jay]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate this help.

Actually, does this TV have a standard VGA connector? "PC Input (15pin D-Sub)" - that's a standard VGA connector isn't it?

shakey jake, do you play older consoles on your Bravia? How does RGB stuff look?

Thanks again.

Jay

[sj33]

TV does have a VGA, yeah.

I've only really tried the Saturn on this TV (as far as retro consoles go), and it looks really excellent.
Blocky, but mega clear, like playing a PC emulator.

[Jay]

Excellent. Thanks.

[sadat]

Just bought this TV today, it's about £700 in the shops but much less online. Jay, they're doing a special offer thing at Dabs, got it for £530ish with free delivery having used a £20 voucher.

The whole cable thing is a little confusing though; I _think_ the best way to connect things for me is VGA for 360 and component for Wii, but that means even more cables!

Is the upscaling DVD function of the 360 through a VGA cable going to make much difference to my stack of low-def movies on this telly, or am I going to end up buying everything again?

Also, I can't see how internal speakers are going to be an adequate replacement for my present 10 year old system with speakers dotted around the room. Is the magic new technology for making sound fill your room from all directions from one spot actually any good, or am I better off getting a new surround sound setup?

[EvilBoris]

TV Speakers = Rubbish.

[sj33]

TV speakers seem to be getting worse, in fact, they're worse on LCD's than most CRT's I've seen.

A half decent speaker setup is recommended, and you don't even need to spend too much these days to get a great sounding setup, as long as your not an audiophile.

[CMcK]

I think it's a conspiracy by the CE manufacturers to sell you a manky home cinema setup.
Loewe TV's have great sound but I haven't heard any others I would recommend on that front.
Always worth hooking the audio out on a TV to your existing Hi-Fi. Or a good set of headphones for night time gaming.

[Strolls]

I'm sorry mate, but I would never recommend connecting a PC this way unless they had no choice, because very few TV's can accept anything but TV-standard resolutions (720p, 1080i/p etc) over HDMI.
Very few TV's accept 1360x768 over the HDMI connection.
...
Of course, if you end up getting a 1080p TV, you might be fine connecting over HDMI, though you'll have to ensure the TV you choose allows you to disable overscan, or displays 1080p 1:1 as standard.

Good point. I'd forgotten that I shopped quite carefully for a telly that did 1:1 over HDMI. It didn't seem too difficult to find a 42" 1080p one c the ?1100 mark that did this, but I think things may be different with 720 tellies?

Stroller.

[sj33]

Good point. I'd forgotten that I shopped quite carefully for a telly that did 1:1 over HDMI. It didn't seem too difficult to find a 42" 1080p one c the ?1100 mark that did this, but I think things may be different with 720 tellies?

Stroller.

Unfortunatly yeah, 1:1 over 1080p seems common, but it's hard enough to find 720p screens that do 720p without overscan, and even harder to find ones which do 1360x768 (which is the res most '720p' screens really are) 1:1.
Bravia's can though, which is why I recommend them to anyone wanting to use a screen for PC too.

[Concept]

TV speakers seem to be getting worse, in fact, they're worse on LCD's than most CRT's I've seen.

A half decent speaker setup is recommended, and you don't even need to spend too much these days to get a great sounding setup, as long as your not an audiophile.

I'd be inclined to agree with this. The only sound I've been happy with through direct headphone use on a television was the old LG 26LX2R model. The Bravia offers a really weak headphone channel, meaning if you're a night-time gamer you'll need to find an alternative source to route through (I use my PC's line-in for Component use - it offers a really clear signal when connecting to its headphone socket).

[Jay]

I'm sorry mate, but I would never recommend connecting a PC this way unless they had no choice, because very few TV's can accept anything but TV-standard resolutions (720p, 1080i/p etc) over HDMI.
Very few TV's accept 1360x768 over the HDMI connection. Most TV's also have a certain level of overscan over HDMI, so even if you did connect over HDMI over 1080i, you'll still loose resolution even more.
This is why I recommend VGA, as it looks just as good as DVI when implemented properly (like the Bravia does), and would display native resolution 1:1, which I consider the most important part.

Of course, if you end up getting a 1080p TV, you might be fine connecting over HDMI, though you'll have to ensure the TV you choose allows you to disable overscan, or displays 1080p 1:1 as standard.

Does this also apply to Sony's KDL-32V2500U?

http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/products_moreinfo3/index.asp?product_id=12398&ff=&ffi=#Scene_1

Seems I can bag this one for not much more readies and it seems to be the next series up so to speak.

I'm guessing this has the same features but better specs? Does anybody have any experience of this model for gaming?

Again, I appreciate any input.

Thanks.