The age old question about TV resolution.

[Vincentdante]

The age old question about TV resolution.

Hey guys, this question is somewhat simple but there is something I want to clarify. Sometime next year I am currently planning to get a PS4, it is quite a ways away I know. But I had this thought that went with it, maybe it is time to throw away my old 1080i TV and go for full 1080p to play this nice new system on. I have done some research and I understand the differences between progressive and interlaced resolutions. I am also a PC gamer so resolution is a familiar topic.

However on the topic of television itself I was hoping to hear from someone that might be more familiar and to note if the upgrade was actually worth it? Or if the differences are so small that I should just stick with my old 1080i display and keep the cash. Thanks for your time.

 

[Aaden]

Well, even though the difference between 1080i and 1080p may be noticable, the overall image quality may be far superior to your current TV, depending on how old it is. Distribution of background lighting, colors and black levels have made huge progress in the past couple of years, higher refresh rates can make the image much smoother and steadier. Besides getting a new TV is always a chance for a size upgrade or adopting 3D.

Or to make it short: You should not base your decision (solely) on resolution, but also consider how much the overall image has improved since you got your TV.

 

[Vincentdante]

Fair points, thanks for bringing that up because I would have assumed a screen was a screen otherwise. Well it is over 7 years old now (I got it a few months before the original Wii was launched) and it was a very cheap 19" HDTV compared to what the prices of HDTV were like back then, which were needless to say a lot more expensive. So I can probably assume that there are much better TV's out there than what I have.

 

[sidspyker]

19" HDTV

:huh:

Yeah get a bigger one and 1080p

 

[Vincentdante]

:huh:

Yeah get a bigger one and 108p

Haha not beating around the bush are ya , I appreciate the honesty and if it is substantially better I shall probably do that, I'm not rich or anything so when I upgrade my tech I really make sure I'm getting my money's worth.

 

[Aaden]

Stick to Samsung or LG and make sure it's a LED TV. Look out for discounts, regular prices are often way too high. My brother recently got a >50" 3D TV from LG for less than €800.

 

[Vincentdante]

Stick to Samsung or LG and make sure it's a LED TV. Look out for discounts, regular prices are often way too high. My brother recently got a >50" 3D TV from LG for less than €800.

Yeah that was the consensus elsewhere also. I was looking around to see my options and this caught my eye as an inexpensive option. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9158647.htm#pdp

Just for reference this is the TV I use now. http://www.bargainstock.co.uk/Product.asp?pid=743 (Goodmans GTVL 19W17HD)

 

[dragonbird]

Just be careful what you watch if you buy one of these...
http://arstechnica.com/security/201...ome-with-users-viewing-habits-usb-file-names/

 

[Vincentdante]

Just be careful what you watch if you buy one of these...
http://arstechnica.com/security/201...ome-with-users-viewing-habits-usb-file-names/

Aww man DRM in TV's? what the hell. I'll just get a non-smart TV without internet capabilities then, I only want it to play games on anyway really. Tbh I didn't pay much attention to the features anyway. It was cheap, had good reviews and ticked all my boxes.

 

[Aaden]

Can't comment on any individual offers, sorry. Neither do I know enough about current TVs in detail to make a qualified statement, nor do I have any idea what prices are like in the UK. I have a general idea of what is good and what's important, but not enough to recommend any models - much more so, because they all seem to release about a million new models every month, have special models for specific retailers and only few months old models tend to disappear. A huge mess.

 

[GuyNwah]

Aww man DRM in TV's? what the hell. I'll just get a non-smart TV without internet capabilities then, I only want it to play games on anyway really. Tbh I didn't pay much attention to the features anyway. It was cheap, had good reviews and ticked all my boxes.

Nah, that's not DRM. It would be DRM if it interfered with your ability to use the TV. It's spyware. Even worse, it transmits the information it steals from you in the clear.

LG is a leader in this dubious category of devices that phone home and send your data when they do. Their Blu-Ray drivers did this too.

They claim what they are capturing is "viewing" data, not "personal" data. Bullshit. If it's on my computer because I put it there, it's b***dy well personal.

Then they claim that you agreed to this in the terms and conditions that came with the TV, and your only recourse is to return the TV to the retailer and demand a refund because you refuse to accept the terms and conditions.

Finally they claim that they will provide a patch that disables this misfeature, only they claimed that back in November and here it is April and there is no patch.

Shibal nom, LG.

 

[Vincentdante]

Thanks for all the information so far everyone, I'll keep shopping around. As aaden said it really is a huge mess, I see that quite clearly. One option would be to just get that TV anyway and not use any of the internet BS but then I would be supporting that nonsense Guy mentioned, though I have a feeling that much like the games industry LG are not alone in such things. I found a few Samsungs I like the look of as well. But in one review I heard that the screen quality on that batch was a lottery, which rang a few alarms.

 

[dragonbird]

Well, if vincentdante has had his question answered, do you mind if I hijack this a little bit?
Do people actually BUY 3D TV's still, or was it just a passing fad? I'm noticing fewer in the shops than say a year ago, and was wondering if the bubble had burst on that one.

 

[Vincentdante]

I think the fad just died tbh. Sure many manufacturers still push it as do many cinemas, but as far as I can see people have only spoken negatively about the experience and technology in general. Of course this is from my own experience and research online, I might be completely wrong with the mass market.

Heh the salesman who served me while I was browsing my local electronics store yesterday tried to sell me a 3D TV, nope not happening.

And yeah I think I have plenty of knowledge now. This can become a general TV thread if the mods wish. I learned after all of this that LG and Samsung really are the best brands, but are both absolutely terrible in different areas. So which is the lesser evil it comes down to. And taking Geralts philosophy to heart I'm gonna start reading reviews for this Sony http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9158805.htm ;D

 

[dragonbird]

It's really pretty important to see them in the shop, once you've sorted out the technical requirements. They all use different methods of "improving" the image, and different people have different reactions to those methods - you may think some are great, some suck, it's subjective. And check them from the correct viewing distance for you. Again, some work better when you're close, some from further away. And viewing angle, reflection from windows - all of the stuff that may (or may not) be important for you personally.

I was wary about Sony for a long time - between the rootkit incident and their general lack of direction, they stopped seeming like a good company to buy from. But they do seem to be getting their act together now, so yes, worth a look.

 

[Aaden]

It's really pretty important to see them in the shop, once you've sorted out the technical requirements. They all use different methods of "improving" the image, and different people have different reactions to those methods - you may think some are great, some suck, it's subjective. And check them from the correct viewing distance for you. Again, some work better when you're close, some from further away. And viewing angle, reflection from windows - all of the stuff that may (or may not) be important for you personally.

I was wary about Sony for a long time - between the rootkit incident and their general lack of direction, they stopped seeming like a good company to buy from. But they do seem to be getting their act together now, so yes, worth a look.

Be aware though that the viewing experience in a shop is often very different from your home experience. Not only is it easy to under/overestimate size (depending on how the TVs are placed in the shop), but the image may also look very different due to the lighting in the shops and their habit of maxing out contrast and brightness to make it look flashy, saturated and awesome - settings that look absolutely horrible in living room conditions. In the end, I guess it's still a bit of a gamble, no matter how thorough your research.

 

[Vincentdante]

Be aware though that the viewing experience in a shop is often very different from your home experience. Not only is it easy to under/overestimate size (depending on how the TVs are placed in the shop), but the image may also look very different due to the lighting in the shops and their habit of maxing out contrast and brightness to make it look flashy, saturated and awesome - settings that look absolutely horrible in living room conditions. In the end, I guess it's still a bit of a gamble, no matter how thorough your research.

I must say I am very glad I started this thread, I had no idea about a lot of the things I have learned since. Before I was prepared to just walk into a shop and say "That one looks good, ring it up please."

 

[dragonbird]

Be aware though that the viewing experience in a shop is often very different from your home experience. Not only is it easy to under/overestimate size (depending on how the TVs are placed in the shop), but the image may also look very different due to the lighting in the shops and their habit of maxing out contrast and brightness to make it look flashy, saturated and awesome - settings that look absolutely horrible in living room conditions. In the end, I guess it's still a bit of a gamble, no matter how thorough your research.

Agreed, especially regarding over-saturation. But the one thing you can be pretty sure of is that if the TV you're considering looks crap in the shop, it'll probably look even worse at home.

 

[Cs__sz__r]

If you haven't a t.v. yet I'd suggest an OLED, not quite as good as LED but safer in terms of burnt images. And if your like me and play and watch in a crypt, it shows up better in darkness.

The smart and 3d bullshit is bullshit, fancy gimmicks are all. As far as brand I quite enjoy Samsung.

 

[Vincentdante]

If you haven't a t.v. yet I'd suggest an OLED, not quite as good as LED but safer in terms of burnt images. And if your like me and play and watch in a crypt, it shows up better in darkness.

The smart and 3d bullshit is bullshit, fancy gimmicks are all. As far as brand I quite enjoy Samsung.

Indeed, I was going to pass on smart features altogether except that I'm finding it very difficult to find a decent TV for sale (non 2nd hand) without that :-
OLED eh? I'll take a look thanks.

EDIT: I should point out I did find and consider this Samsung, http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9158702.htm but I was put off by comments about this brand having cheap screen on some of the units making the quality you get a lottery.