kyzersoze11

i am looking to get a hdtv and what are some cheap ones. i am looking to use my xbox/xbox 360 (when i get it)

Brian Shannon

You will need to define what is "cheap" to you. If you are looking to only play xbox on it then you are wasting whatever money you put into it as there are very few games that are in 1080i.

Giantrobo

I'm kinda in the same boat. I need to upgrade my TV and it will be mostly for DVD's and XBOX with cable down the line. So I guess video games would limit the choice due to potential burn in right? Even if few games are in 1080i wouldnt they still look better on an HDTV?

gmal2003

Yea Im in the same boat too. When the XBOX 360 comes out (all games will be HD supported) Id really love to have a quality HDTV. I want great picture quality for my NFL games as well. I dont need the biggest TV around, but I want a nice quality HDTV. I think DLPs are the best,no?

BJacks

I wouldn't say any particular format is best; each has its advantages and disadvantages. DLP's are relatively thin and aren't affected by burn-in, and the newer generations have pretty good color reproductions and black levels (particularly compared to older models). I just saw an upcoming RCA Scenium 61" that's very impressive, although as a whole I gotta say DLPs haven't really impressed me.

If you're looking to play a lot of video games, you'd want something that minimizes or eliminates the chance of burn-in, meaning you'd prolly want to look at DLP or LCD. For screensize-to-cost ratio, DLP will give you more for your buck than LCDs, which tend to be more expensive (although the costs will drop in 2005 as more factory lines come online). This is the second time in five minutes that I'm praising Sharp in a thread, but they just released an absolutely incredible 50+" LCD line in Japan than will eventually make its way here to the States. I interviewed them about it at CES and it became the best looking set I saw at the show.

BJacks

Correct regarding burn-in: see above post for a bit of elaboration. Regarding 1080i, yes they'll look better on an HDTV, but keep in mind that because there's not a DVI connection, you're converting a digital signal down to analog and then bumping it back up to digital on the other end, resulting in some loss in quality. I assume that'll be rectified on the next-gen consoles (actually I'll ask my colleagues about that tomorrow...80% of my dept is out at E3 right now).

DVD Josh

Burn-in is practically non-existent anymore. The only ones that are really susceptible to it are Plasmas. LCDs and CRTs do not burn in, and TI has shown that you would have to have contrast and brightness at 100 for three months straight to even develop a trace of it. If you do not scortch your Plasma, you will be fine.

Burn in was once a problem, not so much anymore, so do not let that affect your decision.

BJacks

CRT-based RPTV can suffer from burn-in. For casual video gamers, it shouldn't be too much of an issue provided they keep their contrast down, but for hardcore gamers, they'd probably want to avoid CRT rear protectors.

Spiky

Ok, there's some mistakes above. Don't know if they are misunderstanding or typos.

First off and most importantly: Burn-in can be prevented by correct settings in your TV and just a minimum of care on your part. Otherwise known as: Don't leave something on pause.

CRT technologies of any type can burn-in. These are the only ones that do so. Tube is the least susceptible, and probably not an issue for a TV. Not sure which is worse: that is, if plasma or projection guns are more susceptible. But it is a real possibility for either.

LCD does not burn-in permanently. It is possible to get some ghosting, but this is temporary and should disappear by cycling the power. TI did manage to damage some LCDs by leaving them running 24/7 for months at a time in a hot room that was outside of mfgr specs. The blue panel yellowed in most of the damaged units, not really the same as burn-in on CRTs, more like heat damage to several parts of the panel. My understanding is you can damage them even faster with a sledge hammer, but I have not tested this theory. I would not recommend testing TI's way, either.

DLP/LCOS/SXRD and so forth do not suffer from burn-in at all.