ItsGreekToMe

So I'm thinking about buying a dedicated TV for the Xbox I just bought - playing on my RPTV is making me nervous.

Anyway, from the couple of games that I've seen, it appears that if you select widescreen on the Xbox setup menu all that happens is that it crops off the top and bottom of the image to get a widescreen image. I would rather have the extra information on the top and bottom, so I'm figuring on just getting a standard TV. Does anyone know if most of the Xbox games do this, or are there some games that really are widescreen (with more image on the left and right)?

Thanks.

Cardiff Giant11

I'd say if your talking just about the current XBox, a 4:3 set would be the way to go (make sure it's one that supports atleast 480p). If you're thinking about getting the XBox 360 or PS3 and playing it on this set, I'd probably go for a 16:9 HD set since supposedely every game will support HD and widescreen natively, without cropping the image.

tenaciousdave

Not all Xbox games get cropped.

Some are made for widescreen, while others aren't.

I would say go 16:9 if you intend on upgrading in the future on not.

maingon

some games even though they say 480p , i dont think look as good as on a 4:3 tv, the only big down fall is playing first person shooters on a widescreen tv. for some reason it makes me motion sickness and i dont like it

Centurion

Because of burn-in?

The Xbox has the ability to recognize the cable you plug into it (or perhaps whether you're using the high-def or advanced pack). For instance, when I use component cables, the Xbox dashboard will ask if my monitor supports 480P, 720P, and 1080I. When I use an S-video cable, it asks simply if my monitor supports Widescreen or not.

At any rate, I still think the Xbox is best paired with a 4:3 SDTV. Most of the games are in 480 lines of resolution, thus, don't look as good on a widescreen HDTV.

Giantrobo

I've been thinking of getting a Widescreen tv too. Silly question here, does having a widescreen tv give one an advantage while playing FPS's? I would imagine a WS would allow one to see surrounding areas better.

Josh H

That would be true, but I imagine only for FPS games that supported widescreen. I'm not sure which ones do or don't, as I don't have a widescreen set myself. Someone else can probably give you a list.

SteelgearX

www.HDTVarcade.com has a list of games that support widescreen and other such things. I have a 46" widescreen hdtv and I love it. Everything I play is always in ws wether it supports it or not. You see, the difference is in your tv set. Some sets are better at stretching than others. For instance, my tv might look fine stretching something like splinter cell, whereas my friends tv Fisher looks a bit like an overweight spy. If you're gonna buy a new tv anyways why not go widescreen? They have the option of displaying in 4:3 anyway so it's always up to you how you wanna play.

Roto

A widescreen tv would be a waste of money if you are only going to use it for the Xbox. 4:3 tvs are a fraction of the cost.

If you plan on spending at least $500 on this tv, then go ahead and get an HDTV so you can use it after you're done with the Xbox. Otherwise, I'd be looking to spend as little as possible.

joshd2012

I can't see any reason to purchase a 4:3 TV anymore. Even if the TV is only going to be used for Xbox and only one game you play supports widescreen. The difference for that one game should be worth it enough to justify the purchase.

Roto

The fact that you can get one for $100 if you are only going to use it for the Xbox. The absolute cheapest I've ever seen any HD set is $418, refurbished and online only http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_re...853&PID=227502

joshd2012

Just because its widescreen doesn't mean it has to be HD. I just found this with some quick searching, so there is probably a better deal else where, but this is what I would get in this situation:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1077624908010

For $330, that is a good TV that would be perfect for gaming.

darkside

When I bought a new TV last year I went with a 32inch Wega with anamorphic enhancement. It is a regular 4:3 TV for most things, but anytime I have something that is anamorphic I can put it in 16x9 mode and it will display the widescreen image at full resolution. (letterboxed of course)

Pretty handy, excellent picture, a fraction of the cost of widescreen TVs at the time and will tide me over until I finally decide to fork over the money for a HDTV. That is not going to happen with the current prices though.

Josh H

I'd just get a cheap 4:3 since you already have one nice TV.

To be honeset, I'd just use that. No reason to really worry about burn in and what not on the the RPTV.

Just make sure it's calibrated properly, and if you're playing a game with some kind of static display (i.e. a score indicator, life bar, etc. that never moves, switch over to TV every half hour or so to prevent any burn in and you'll be fine.

K&AJones

All I can say is,"think ahead". The next gen systems are geared for widescreen. Concerning now there's nothing to worry. We basically have a "dedicated" small room for HT and gaming. I've got a Mits 48" Silver Plus series with Dish, DVD, DVD Recorder and of course the XBox all tied into a 5.1 Denon rec'r. No problems, burn in's or picture issues period!

Trust me. When you play on say a 32" or even a 36" tube and then go and play on a 48" or 52" there's no going back. I know because we have a Sony 36" XBR in the main room. I might as well go and play Unreal Tournament on the PC again. With the plasma's, DLP's, and LCD's out even more you can find some great deals on RPTV's easy. I'd give these in this order a look:

Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Toshibia and Panasonic.
Check www.hometheaterspot.com for some great info and input on sets and manufactures. Like I said, think ahead.

Kenny J.

Josh H

As for thinking ahead, note that he already has a nice TV in his HT, he's just reluctant to use it for gaming (I'm assuming for burn in fears).

Centurion

If you read my initial response in this thread, I thought the OP was referring to burn-in since he said it makes him "nervous", however, it wasn't clearly specified. As of late, you really don't have to worry about burn-in on most RPTV, unless you've got one that is old in which case it won't support the newer digital standard the industry is moving towards anyway.

Josh H

Yep, if it's new he should just use it and flip channels etc. as I said above if he's that nervous about burn in (assuming that's the issue).

If it's an old RPTV, I'd just get a cheap 4:3 for the X-box for now and save up money for a nice 16x9 widescreen set to replace both eventually.

LeRoy

I have the KD34XBR960 (16:9) and I absolutely love it! Of course I use the TV for my PS2, Gamecube, DVD Player, HD content, as well as Xbox. Most of my Xbox games support 480p and 16:9 so I personally think it's worth the investment.

Centurion

This unit produces beautiful pictures for movies and games! Nice choice.
Others might be persuaded to look elsewhere because of the bulk from this unit and because other [larger] widescreen monitors can be had for about the same price, but the picture quality of the 34XBR960 can't be touched at this size. It's a little too small for my room.

LeRoy

Yeah, I wish Sony made a 40 inch XBR that was 16:9. I'd have saved up for that. Although I bet it would be friggen heavy as hell!

Centurion

They made a 40" tube (as well as Mitsubishi who was the first to market a CRT at that size) with a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you ever saw this thing, you'd see what a monster it was. The depth of the unit seem to cover enough space the size of a 27" screen TV!!!


I can't even imagine how many guys it would take to lift this thing without a cart/dolly.

My two TV's:

Sony 27" = ~225lbs.
JVC HD-ILA (LCoS) 61" = 98lbs.

DJ_Longfellow

Get a WIDESCREEN.....easy choice.....just do it. What's the budget? What size?

JoshUnt

I would just keep playing on your current TV. Burn-in is a pretty rare thing if your TV is fairly new. According to what I have heard you would need to leave the game on for hours upon hours. I had a 53 Elite and played for up to 8 hours for several days in a row without any issues. Besides if you watch any channel enough that has a static image it can burn in also.

This is all information from a technician who fixed my TV. He said if you play for long hours then just watch TV for a few hours immediatly after to help prevent the burn-in...

Now another option is to save the cash incase you have burn-in and have it fixed