Best TV for PS3 and X360 gaming?

[Sketcz]

I currently have a 2007 model of 32 inch 720 Samsung LCD HDTV. Given it was Black Friday I was browsing Amazon looking for an upgrade. All the TVs now seem to be 4K with Alexa built in, and very expensive.

I just need a TV to play PS3 and X360 on. So I thought it about time I get the best I can before they become impossible to find. I bought a fancy Sony Trinitron CRT right before they stopped making them, and I'm glad I did!

I searched online and found one topic on this. The TVs recommended there are not easy to find for sale, even used on eBay:

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/in-search-of-a-2019-tv-for-ps3-gaming.3048092/

I'd like recommendations of very specific models which are regarded as being the best for PS3 and X360.

LAG: I never took into account lag when buying my Samsung. I was young and naïve. So this time I want one regarded as the best for low lag. It needs to be optimised for playing games, since that is all I will ever do on it.

MY REQUIREMENTS:

Price: £300 or less delivered. I might stretch higher if it's ****ing amazing and comes highly recommended. Is the kind of TV which I want even in this price range?

Size: 42 inch, up to 50 inch maximum

Resolution: 1080, since I already have a 720 LCD

Extras: I'd prefer multiple HDMI ports, preferably 3; one for each console, and my gaming PC; plus VGA, composite, component, RGB SCART, and S-Video. I never use them, but nice to have, am I right?

From what I've seen modern TVs lack everything but HDMI.

I realise I probably need to go down the used / second hand route, since these won't be found new. So be it. Please feel free to link to eBay auctions or Amazon pages if they exist.

Most importantly, please give a specific model I can hunt for.

Many thanks.

[wakka]

You can definitely get TVs that are 1080p or even 4K for for <£300, like this:


https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8294832


How good they'll be is open to debate, as reviews are hard to find for sets this cheap (probably not amazing though, especially at scaling lower resolution content).

Hard to say for me what the input lag on these sets would be, I think you'd have to do some digging and researching on a per-set basis. Probably would be OK in most cases, maybe ~20ms which is more than fine for the vast majority of gaming and probably at least similar to (and likely to be better than) your current Samsung.

In terms of inputs, you're pretty much only going to get HDMI these days as you say. It's always possible to plug in an HDMI scaler like an OSSC to add analogue inputs, but that'll be another £150 to £200 on top.

If I were you I'd probably look at second hand sets, like used late generation Panasonic plasmas - the 2012 series are referred to as the UT50, ST50, GT50 and VT50 respectively (UT50 was the lowest tier, VT50 the highest), so you could start there. They all have an excellent, accurate picture, 1080p resolution, low input lag of ~16ms, and most of the inputs you want - HDMI, component, RGB SCART. They don't get massively bright though by today's standards, so aren't suited to very well lit rooms.

I actually have a 50" Panasonic UT50 going spare, which was my primary TV from 2012 till this summer. I'd be willing to let it go for well within your budget, but it would need to be collected as i'm not really sure how I would ship it. If you're anywhere near South London, maybe we could work something out though. Just a thought!

[saif]

In terms of the analogue inputs, if they are not required right now, I'd probably say not to be too bothered by it and get an OSSC (or similar) late on if you do need. They will probably get better and cheaper.

There are tons of TVs within that budget range (I just had a quick look on Currys) and you should be able to find input lag info but keep an eye out for "game" modes. I would say a new one is probably better as TV tech moves on all the time.

[Escape-To-88]

I still use a Pioneer Kuro for all my console gear. I liked it so much I picked up another for my games room. Cost me about £50 for a 42" model. The only thing that I've seen look as good is the new OLED TVs. For older content like 360, PS3 etc. My 1080p Freesync monitor highlights too many jaggies etc. I'd personally avoid 1080p for a couple of gen old consoles, I'd argue they look better at 720p. Same goes for something like the Super NT, looks far better on my 720p plasma than on my 1080p sets, especially if you want to use scanning filters.

[Sketcz]

Cheers for the advice all.

I actually have 3 CRTs for retro consoles.

You can definitely get TVs that are 1080p or even 4K for for <£300, like this:


https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8294832


If I were you I'd probably look at second hand sets

I actually have a 50" Panasonic UT50 going spare, which was my primary TV from 2012 till this summer. I'd be willing to let it go for well within your budget, but it would need to be collected as i'm not really sure how I would ship it. If you're anywhere near South London, maybe we could work something out though. Just a thought!

Good idea with the second hand sets. Currently bidding on a Sony Bravia KDL-50W829B which is only 20 minutes drive away from me (sadly I'm quite far from London - but thanks for the offer!).

The Bravia is LCD, which I think I prefer - since I've heard that plasma screens can suffer burn in when playing games. How've you found it with yours?

I'd personally avoid 1080p for a couple of gen old consoles

I had been wondering this! The PS3 and X360 are supposed to be able to output at 1080. I've only ever run mine at 720 since that's what my TV had.

So from your experience, some games when output at 1080 don't look as good? Is this due to how the games were coded - as in, they were not optimised for 1080, and so the hardware forces them out at resolution and it diminishes the quality? With the PS3 and X360 will one see any performance dips at 1080, which aren't present at 720?

Sorry for all the noob questions - I'm late to this party by several years, so am having to play catch up.

[wakka]

No worries regarding my Panasonic set, it was just a thought.

Re: your question on burn in on plasmas, I never once had a problem with it with mine in 8 years of daily usage. I think the problem is pretty overblown, especially when it comes to later sets. That said, you do mention connecting a PC. I would be hesitant to use one as a monitor personally, as that does seem like a situation where you might have static elements on screen long enough to be a problem.

I do personally much prefer the picture on plasma to LCD, which is why I didn’t upgrade till OLED technology matured. Escape to 88’s suggestion of a Pioneer Kuro plasma is a great one, as those are also wonderful TVs. In terms of pure picture quality I don’t think you can go far wrong with a late model Pioneer or Panasonic plasma - as long as you are using it purely for games on PC and not as a general purpose monitor.

[Sketcz]

Indeed, the PC is used basically as a fancy console to run games off Steam, GOG, and Epic.

What are your reasons for preferring plasma over LCD? Less motion blur/ghosting?

[wakka]

Indeed, the PC is used basically as a fancy console to run games off Steam, GOG, and Epic.

What are your reasons for preferring plasma over LCD? Less motion blur/ghosting?

Deeper blacks, richer colours, and a warmer, more natural picture are the primary reasons I prefer plasma to LCD. The viewing angles tend to be better too.

Ultimately I just find the picture quality much better than 99% of LCDs, especially those of the same era (I can't really speak to modern high end LCDs as I'm not that familiar with them, and they're not too relevant here as they're £1000+ sets).

If you're only using the PC for games you should be fine with plasma.

The main downside of plasmas that I would point out is that they don't tend to get as bright as LCDs. If you mostly game in a brightly lit room in the daytime this could be an issue. If you mostly game in a darkened room in the evening, it shouldn't be a problem.

[Sketcz]

If you mostly game in a darkened room in the evening, it shouldn't be a problem.

I game at any and all times! Though I have proper light blocking curtains for during the day.

Thanks for the recommendations on plasma - if someone who plays games prefers them, then I won't write them off due to "burn in" comments.

[Baseley09]

The 100% best option for you is a Pioneer Kuro or latter day Panasonic plasma.

Tbh tho if you have the room, the native resolution of PS3 and xbox360 games is barely HD often, a widescreen CRT would look good.

[nonny]

I currently have a 2007 model of 32 inch 720 Samsung LCD HDTV. Given it was Black Friday I was browsing Amazon looking for an upgrade. All the TVs now seem to be 4K with Alexa built in, and very expensive.

I just need a TV to play PS3 and X360 on. So I thought it about time I get the best I can before they become impossible to find. I bought a fancy Sony Trinitron CRT right before they stopped making them, and I'm glad I did!

I searched online and found one topic on this. The TVs recommended there are not easy to find for sale, even used on eBay:

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/in-search-of-a-2019-tv-for-ps3-gaming.3048092/

I'd like recommendations of very specific models which are regarded as being the best for PS3 and X360.

LAG: I never took into account lag when buying my Samsung. I was young and naïve. So this time I want one regarded as the best for low lag. It needs to be optimised for playing games, since that is all I will ever do on it.

MY REQUIREMENTS:

Price: £300 or less delivered. I might stretch higher if it's ****ing amazing and comes highly recommended. Is the kind of TV which I want even in this price range?

Size: 42 inch, up to 50 inch maximum

Resolution: 1080, since I already have a 720 LCD

Extras: I'd prefer multiple HDMI ports, preferably 3; one for each console, and my gaming PC; plus VGA, composite, component, RGB SCART, and S-Video. I never use them, but nice to have, am I right?

From what I've seen modern TVs lack everything but HDMI.

I realise I probably need to go down the used / second hand route, since these won't be found new. So be it. Please feel free to link to eBay auctions or Amazon pages if they exist.

Most importantly, please give a specific model I can hunt for.

Many thanks.

I would have offered you my old Samsung HU8550 which is a 2014 model, but its 65"... I was looking at putting it up for sale around the £350 mark having just upgraded.

It's 4K native and has 4x HDMI, 1x Component, 1x Composite which ticks your boxes.

The downside is its an Australian TV model so the TV Tuner works but picks up the channels in the wrong order and you have to favourite them and re-order manually (or use an external device for TV) and it doesn't fully support HDR and all that new fangled stuff.

Sounds like its too big for your needs though as size is probably a deal breaker.

[Sketcz]

Thanks for the offer. I don't use terrestrial channels at all - they're all a bit terrible compared to Netflix.

However, 50" is my limit on size, since that is the width of the sturdy cabinet which shall hold it.

I've been tempted by the Pioneer Kuro, reading up on it, and Plasma TVs in general after Wakka's explanation. Though driving distance is also a factor. So currently I'm bidding on a Sony Bravia 50W829B which is near to me. It's LCD as opposed to plasma, but it seems decent?

There's also a TX-P42ST30B Panasonic plasma, a little further away - but the extra 8 inches on the Bravia is winning me out here, for the moment.

[nonny]

Thanks for the offer. I don't use terrestrial channels at all - they're all a bit terrible compared to Netflix.

However, 50" is my limit on size, since that is the width of the sturdy cabinet which shall hold it.

I've been tempted by the Pioneer Kuro, reading up on it, and Plasma TVs in general after Wakka's explanation. Though driving distance is also a factor. So currently I'm bidding on a Sony Bravia 50W829B which is near to me. It's LCD as opposed to plasma, but it seems decent?

There's also a TX-P42ST30B Panasonic plasma, a little further away - but the extra 8 inches on the Bravia is winning me out here, for the moment.

Yep no worries I figured if you were saying no more than 50" there was a good reason! I think a Bravia is definitely the way to go then, I've got two 32" 1080p models and they're a great performer for gaming. Best of luck with the bidding.