What's the best HDTV for gaming?

Knowing which HDTV is best suited for gaming can be daunting. CNET's latest recommendations appear to favor LCD technology, with two recommended sets from Samsung and one from Sharp. Sony's own XBR line provides the LCoS/SXRD alternative, while Panasonic brings up two fine looking plasma sets.

[solidt12]

Any Sony Bravia. Samsung is good on the cheaper end and LG on the even cheaper end. If you are really a cheap bastard then get a Vizio, they are good for the money $600.

[JsonHenry]

Is a TV that has either VGA or DVI inputs. Why? Because a lot of the time those connections will support 1080p even if the HDMI/component inputs do not!

I have a Polaroid 37" LCD set. On my Xbox 360 connected through VGA I set my resolution to 1920x1080 and voila! 1080p pops right up on my screen. I know it sounds weird, but a lot of TVs are not allowed to label a TV a "1080p" TV unless ALL of the HD connections will support 1080p. You will be suprised how many HDTVs that are labeled 1080i have a VGA or DVI connection that supports 1080p.

[Seraphim]

Sony Bravia and Samsung tele's are amongst the best...

Personally the Sony Bravia XBR3 (KDL_40XBR3) is suffice for me. It has more than enough inputs including DVI... The picture is absolutely excellent, and PS360 games and Blu Ray discs look amazing in 108op (or 720p even). Also upscaling via the PS3 looks great in 1080p...

[Shadow Flare]

the Sony Bravia 40" KDL-40W2000 and its awesome. Picture's amazing, sounds great, gamings never been so good

[marison]

Only 480i, but a 28" widescreen CRT.

Very good image for the price I have payed, but I wanna a HDTV soon.

I hope SED or OLED TV turns around $2.000,00 soon.

[P4KY B]

I use an 32inch LG which does 1:1 pixels through vga so the picture is always razor sharp. And it was cheap :-)

[PS360PCROCKS]

Nice 32inch Samsung LCD here and the picture is gorgeous.

[techie]

Hey xbox360...there's a new Samsung out which I'm looking at. It's 100Hz and HDMI 1.3 (Previous 50Hz, HDMI 1.2) :P Only £600 (only manufacturers guarentee)

[InMyOpinion]

@Deep - Is it the one that also has a contrast of 15000:1? My friend has one of those and he says it's amazing. He also owns a Ps3 and works at Ubisoft but that's another story =)

[SuperSaiyan4]

Get one that you can afford first of all and secondly get one that YOU think looks better. Everyone argues over LCD and Plasma personally I say LCD because I favour the brightness and colours, less power consumption, less chance of burn-in and its thinner. However have seen a new Plasma which is rather thin actually impressive I have to say.

All in all the top makes are Samsung and Sony they use the best panels on the market S-PVA and they both make the same panel in the same factory.

However Sony using their Bravia engine brings out a bit better quality in the picture but there is a price to be paid and its normally a lot more with Sony.

HDTV's are mega cheap in USA and Canada but in Europe especially UK they have only recently come down in price but are still a lot of money especially when you convert the currency £1 is around $1.92 so a £800 HDTV (you can get a 40inch Samsung for that price) is around $1600.

[Carnivore]

My 50" Sony SXRD is the freakin bomb. Thanks Sony!!! My 360 ROCKS thanks to you....

[jwatt]

That's funny.

[FirstknighT]

Sharp just released a 32 aquos with "vyper drive" No idea what that does, but this LCD was made from the ground up for hi def gaming. It has 10,000-1 contrast, 4ms response time, and 120mh refresh rate. Cant get better than that for gaming.

[techie]

Was looking at that...but the contrast is actually 1,800:1 ...but the contrast can reach 10,000 by the TV changing levels. I think I'd prefer 8,000 out of the box (samsung)

[likeaboss302]

The Samsung is only like 1000:1 or 1500:1 at most native and 8000:1 dynamic just like the Sharp is 10000:1 dymanic.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Any HDTV will improve your gaming on the 360 or the PS3, it's just to bad all 3 consoles don't have HD (looking at you Nintendo, please make an HD version of the Wii) I make somewhat decent money so I was able to get a nice Toshiba 51 inch but I seen a couple real nice ones go as low as $400 check some out at http://bestbuy.com or http://www.halfvalue.com/au... or http://www.norcent.net/main... these guys make some cheap ones. You might also try http://www.ebay.com if you can find one with low or free shiping. But if your looking for a bargin and don't mind feeling dirty when you shop there, you can go to http://www.walmart.com

[chrno6]

Just a question: How do u make decent money when u have the metality of a 13 years old? Do you sell drugs or something?

[techie]

This is the one http://www.hiwaydigital.com...

First Samsung 100HZ i think, plus their amazing contrast 8000:1, and 3 HDMI 1.3 connections. ANd it's Samsung so it looks sweet...and their colour is always so full.

[fenderputty]

I have been really happy with the picture quality of my TV. I have a 42 inch Samsung DLP tv. It's awesome as far as picture quality and price are concerned. It has a game mode and is RGB compatible with the new 1.8 PS3 update. It also has a digital image inhancer through the HDMI connection. I found mine on sale during the holidays for $899 so, for the money, you can't go wrong.

Some info on it here:
http://www.dlptvreview.com/...

[sjappie]

a 50" panasonic plasma th50pv60 and it's awesome with my 360. Better contrast and colors than any lcd-tv I've seen and absolutely no burn-ins, even after hours and hours of hud on screen.

[eLiNeS_NIGGER]

I just got the Sony KDL32D3000 (32 inch) hdmi 1.3 but i have no idea about that?? Its 1080p, 1366 x 768. I did think that was 720p but i was wrong. £1,099 from amazon, perfect for blu-ray and hd dvd movies.
:)

[sjappie]

with a 1366 x 768 resolution. It's got to be 1920 x 1080 to be full hd 1080p. Or maybe you mean it accepts 1080p or you were scammed, wich happens a lot with salesmen saying it's full hd when it's not.

[Leathersoup]

I picked up a 47" Toshiba Regza. It's a very nice system and with built in 2.1 surround it's nice to be able to get decent quality sound out of TV if it's late at night and I don't want to wake my neighbours with my regular audio setup.

And it's the first TV I've owned that I can check my email on ;)

http://www.toshiba.ca/web/p...

[ShAkKa]

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[Armyless]

http://www.vizio.com/produc...

[Armyless]

http://www.amazon.com/Westi...

[weekapaugh]

I have a Sony 50A2000 SXRD, perfect for gaming.

[lil bush]

honestly, i dont have an hdtv, since im in high school, but im planning on getting a 32inch vizio for my room and ps3..........

[grifter024]

Got a Olevia 37" 1080p lCD pretty good a lot of connections only thing I dont like is that you got to click thru them all just to get the one you want. Good tv I am watching The Matrix Trilogy right now in HD and it is good

[DaTrooF]

its a HL-S5087W 50" dlp from samsung.
i didnt get it yet..i'm going to get it in like a month.
do you guys have any suggestion on a better tv?

[bung tickler]

ive got an older 50" samsung dlp and i love it. as far as getting the most bang for your buck a samsung dlp is by far the best way to go if you dont care about mounting your tv on your wall. plus there is zero worry of burn-in with dlp. its a great tech. i also have a rca 50" dlp... not as good.

[socomnick]

I have a hls5087w and Im regretting my purchase its a beautiful picture but its unreliable it just broke on me

[DaTrooF]

ive heard of this issue before...i'm not worried because it only hapens to some of the ppl who brought the hls5087w......i hope i'm one of the lucky ones..if i'm not,i hear it can easly be fixed..just call one of them samsung ppl and they will do something in the back of the tv,then you're all set:)
if that dont work you can always replace it.

[hellraiser501]

because of there crisper picture and deeper blacks that no lcd can match the only down side about a 34 inch crt sony hdtv is this thing is fing huge it weighs more than me and its foot print is pretty big itself but its picture is unmatchable at least by any flat panel lcd right now anyways who knows what the future will bring. (Oleds}

[HungPHAT]

depending on your funds I would check out the Sony lcd bravia xbr2 40 46" or 52" would be awesome too, sony has been having big price drops

[DADO]

I have the Samsung LNS469D it is not 1080p but most of the games are 720p and the picture looks amazing in high def.

[ITR]

Got to replace two tv's next yr so I'm looking at Samsung and Olevia.
I haven't looked at a Toshiba yet..so I might look into that one as well.

I want plasma but they die in like 2 yrs or less on avg.
I had a Sony that lasted all of 1 yr before it died and it's replacement was DOA and the third one only lived 10 months. They(electronics store here) finally just gave me a Samsung..but I sold it after I saw some slight defects in it as well.

[spacetoilet]

Hey , at least it lasted longer than most 360's.

[GameJunkieJim]

Absolutely gorgeous, and it has something that lowers the chance for rainbow effect.

I couldn't ask for a better TV.

[Coffin87]

i thought how much more can a software company suck..

ubisoft sucks as hard like rockstar games rocks!!!

[gta_cb]

i have a 32" TECHWOOD HDMI etc etc, it doesnt have VGA cos if it did i would be using it, but still looks amazing with 1080i component.

[mcintosh233]

i think at the moment plasmas are alot better than lcd's. lcd's have bad motion tracking and dark colours just blow. i think the picture on plasmas looks less pixelly as well.
burn in really isn't a problem, my bro has a 42" panasonic and he runs pc/360 fine and has suffered no permanent burn in.
i know a couple of people with lcd's (one is a samsung m87) and they are no where near the picture quality of my bro's plasma

[socalr6]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs...

[likeaboss302]

Hell yeah avsforum is where everyone should be looking for a display.

[sak500]

Mines 2 year old 50" Sony LCD HDTV 1080i rear proj as can be seen in the avatar. 6 connections including 2 components but no vga or hdmi. Thnx sony u mofos.

[Anything but Cute]

I'm looking to buy this TV (Samsung LNS4096D 40" 1080p LCD HDTV). But the question is HDMI compatablility with video games systems. Can you hook up a PS3 or XBOX 360 Elite with HDMI on these Samsung LCD TV's?

Because on my crappy visio, you can't. It only takes component cables with video game systems.

[GameJunkieJim]

But mine is a 46" DLP

HL-S4676S

[Rockstar]

This is my set, a little bit of glare and i wouldn't want to leave it on the same screen too long.

All in all a sweet set.

[evilmark220]

the graphics looks immense on the xbox 360

[Azza]

but my 46" x series bravia looks the sh!t to me..

[id dot entity]

Right. These kinda articles don't work for me. I mean... isn't the TV with the best images also the best TV for gaming?

[Russbomb]

Projecters are the best.
I got a $600 one that supports HDMI and full 1080p
you need a sound sytem thought, but the screen size is the largest you could ask for, its virtually infinite.

[PlayStation360]

no plasma or LCD can beat the size. I got mine to 108 inches. Main downfall though is the projectors must have room. If you have a small gaming space, it's best to get a plasma/LCD. My projector needs 16 feet from projector to wall to get full 108'. And it's best to use it in a darken room. So if you got the space and money, projector is bar-none the best, IMHO.

I especially love playing Oblivion, Gears, and Resistance in HD at nighttime with that sucker. Every gamer MUST experience it atleast once.

[Figboy]

if there's a best TV that suits all tastes, but i was going to get a 42" Sharp 1080p LCD set, but now i'm getting a 40" Samsung 1080p LCD set, which ultimately had better specs for the same price.

my roommate has a 46" Samsung 1080p set, and it's beautiful, but too damn big, especially for his bedroom. 40" is perfect for me and my fiance and our bedroom. i'll be ordering it this week, and hopefully getting it by next week (fingers crossed).

the first thing i do is look at price: what can i afford, and am i willing to add an additional $100-$200 on top of that price.

then i look at the brands of TV i can get within that price range.

then i compare the quality of said TVs i can get within that price range, and choose the one that i think is the best out of that bunch.

i don't really think there is a one size fits all for everyone, simply due to price concerns for the average consumer (like me), because, really, if we all could afford it, we'd get a gigantic set that supports the highest resolution possible, and who cares of the cost.

as it stands, it's just a mixture of what we're willing to pay, and the quality TV we can get for what we're willing to pay.

[Imknow1]

But I'm holding out until summer of "08" to purchase one. The reason why is that there will be a certain world event that's coming, and I'm sure that Samsung will have an hdtv that will have double the power (contrast ratio in paticular). So for now I'm tolerating (not enjoying) my 30" Westinghouse lcd. :(

[Keyser]

Get whatever you like and can afford but my 60"Sony SXRD XBR2 is a beast regardless the console.

[marison]

with 1280x720 native resolution and HDMI or at least DVI ports?

Maybe I will get one if it exists.

[sak500]

Mine's a samsung 19" 940WS. Wide screen wit 1440x900 rez @75 hz and 5ms great for gaming and watching vids but i prefer watching vids on the 50".

[Lord Anubis]

I'm surprised there are no XBR2 or XBR3 LCDs in the list. I'm looking into buying Sony's KDS 60" XBR2 SDRX

[Marriot VP]

COLLEGE BUDGET

Samsung 226bw - 22inch, 3000:1, 2ms
Xbox 360 through VGA......stunning/bright/crisp
PC through DVI............awesome

Definitely the best bang for your buck = around 300$. The HUGE problem I found with the LCD HDTVs was that the computer lcd looked like crap. Also this LCD has NO GHOSTING whatsoever. Very small to move around too in the box, this will definitely last me till 2008, until I get the itch to upgrade again.

:)

[Bloodmask]

a Samsung 50" DLP and I would say for overall price vs. the quality you won't find a better deal...This being on the low end of course.

[STICKzophrenic]

61" Samsung 1080p DLP here. It's awesome with my 360 :-)

[MikeIsOnFire84]

Thats not your living room bro..it's your grandma's.Stop Fronting.

[STICKzophrenic]

Awww darn, ya got me :-(

[Abilor]

I've got a Sanyo PLV-Z4, as recommended by CNET. It's got 720p native, and I get 99" diagonal with a throw distance of ONLY 8 feet. You can't beat that. I chose it over a Sammy 1080p rear projection, since the Sammy would have been ~2500, but the plv z4 was only 1600 at the time, with free screen and replacement bulb. That was a year ago, and the first bulb is still good. Plus, I can shift instantly from my VGA computer signal to the HDMI xbox signal with the remote, very, very handy. Also takes my HD Cable signal.

I have no idea why projectors aren't more popular; they're really hitting the sweet spot in terms of value, performance, etc.; and I'm hardcore into 1080p. It was a tough choice, but seeing my friend's 360 on a 50" 1080p LCD and comparing it with my 720p Wall Of Eye Candy, I got it right for me.

[sixaxis]

I have read a many many articles, including this one and looks like all of them are saying the best pure gaming TV in terms of fast response times and good video processing is probably our old CRT standby.

And we all remember this:

MYTH: LCD/plasma TVs look better than old-fashioned CRTs.
A popular misconception is that new-fangled LCD and plasma TVs have better image quality than an old-school cathode-ray tube TV, all HD resolutions being equal.

This is actually false. An HD CRT will almost always look better than an HD LCD or plasma TV, as CRT boasts deeper, more vibrant color. CRT TVs can also render a wide variety of resolutions, from 480i up to 1080p (if supported), without losing quality through downsampling or upsampling. In contrast, an LCD or plasma TV has a designated "native" resolution that must be hit (say, 720p); anything above or below this number will usually look muddy or blurry as the signal must be converted. This is especially true for interlaced formats like 480i and 1080i

CRT may beat both plasma and LCD in terms of picture quality, but they are enormously heavy, with larger sets weighing up to 200 pounds. The key selling point to plasmas and LCDs is their sleek size and light weight, in addition to solid picture quality.

Thinner is not necessarily better

Im not gonna post other five or more articles which are saying the same thing.

[FirstknighT]

They just discontinued the last great tube tv: Sony 34 widescreen HD xbr970. The sucker weighs 200lbs but the picture quality is better than a $5000 plasma. You can still find it at stores for around $700.

[Shaka2K6]

Sony Bravia.

[OneBubbleBastard]

Microsoft stays out of the LCD & PLASMA market...

As soon as you change the first channel you will get the SCREEN of death.. and if you combine the TV with the 360, that's as near as you're going to get to a homemade C4..

[marison]

@45

the prices for the light bulbs are too high!

But projectors are really good. All the Pixar masters use projectors for their live room.

[bombzombie]

I love my Sony KDL-70XBR3.

It looks phenom. :-)