HDTV Gaming - size/distance

in general i would advise staying with the standard non 3d 60hz televisions. people have been known to experience significant lag when using 120 or 240hz models.

led or ccfl backlighting...pick whichever you want.

plasma is better on contrast but its had a very poor history in terms of longevity. the old models used to require a recharge every few years. i'd suggest staying with lcd technology (yes the ones lableled led are really lcd technology too).

correct i would say 40, 42 or 46 should be fine. i am typically between 4 feet to 6 feet away from a 40 and it works great. fps games can be overpowering at first but from a few more feet away (your distance) it should be more in the non perepheral vision than it is for me.

i would recommend sony televisions. an alternate would be samsung. i've used lg products in the past for non-tv electronics but from what i hear they have horrible customer service. avoid vizio and olevia (and similar) like the plague unless you are okay with a throw away tv in a few years.

i agree a htpc would be better. keep in mind that you could just use a desktop pc for more room and hide it in a closet or media center. this would give you the best bang for the buck as micro atx boards and cases do not offer exactly what you might need.

keep in mind the ranges on some wireless mice and keyboards as well unless you plan on using wired versions. i've heard some new versions do not have great range. i know some of the older styles with the rechargeable bases and rf wireless not bluetooth had ranges up to 50ft or so (tested myself on a mx1000 logitech set) so perhaps you want to look into that.

reading text on televisions is a little harder then it is on a small monitor due to the size of the pixels. it appears "less clear" due to the fact that they are much larger however i've never had any games where text was unreadable. you get used to it and having a big screen more than makes up for something so minor. not really even a con i would say.

i agree that they may have fixed some plasma issues but from what i've heard... i wouldnt suggest it. it might be a few years old but the information i go by came from a family member who was a tv tech for 20+ years up until a year ago.

keep in mind that if the television breaks for whatever reason finding parts can be very hard. i know sony stocks parts and samsung may as well. most of the cheap brands are almost impossible to find parts for.

you can get a 60hz led 46 inch sony model for about $650. thats pretty darn cheap. someone i know just bought one a month or so ago.

as i said before... with 60hz you shouldnt have any problems with input lag. its the 120/240hz models and 3d models which this seems to affect. i can personally vouche that my sony bravia works perfect.

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if i had to get another television i'd buy a sony in an instant. the only other television which catches my eye is the samsung models with clear-view bezel which makes it look bezeless which is really nice. however i would have to do alot of research to make sure the models were up to par. myself, i wouldnt look at anything but those two. but that is just what i would do, what you do is your own decision.

i would also buy lcd and avoid plasma like the plague. even if you can get them for $50 to 100 cheaper. keep in mind some of those plasmas are still only 720p or 1080i.

i've never really looked into it myself but what you say does sound like it might be true to an extent but what i always thought was that the television lagged due to the process of adding the extra frames in.

however if that is true remember that even if you went out and bought the best video card you could some games are so demanding that you will not get 60fps. now factor in future proofing your system for a few years... how likely are you to stay at 60fps for a few years before you have to upgrade? now if anything under 60fps causes a visual lag like you believe wouldnt it be a better choice financially to get 60hz instead as there will be zero issues and you do not have to upgrade your system to the extreme?

as far as visual improvments... not worth all the hype as its not really an extra frame of video... its just a frame added by the television. now as for 120hz computer monitors which do accept 120hz input then sure there could be an improvement in smoothness. however its not worth the tradeoff in image quality as tn panels are completely bottom tier. well that and the fact i explained above... are you really pushing 120fps? ...or even over 60fps on new games?

Hello,

the discussion here is interesting. As far as I understand it, 120 Hz gives smoother output, which results in an input lag thanks to the TV hardware putting extra frames in, right? Now for movies that is completely irrelevant and it is probably better to get 120 Hz. The input lag is different from response times. 120 Hz with fast response time is great for movies, regardless of the value of the input lag. The input lag makes itself manifest while gaming - a lot of people have problems with games like Guitar Hero or FPSs on sets with high input lag. So for gaming, 120 Hz is probably not a good idea. Some HDTVs also have special gaming mode that should reduce the input lag by actually switching off some advanced TV hardware features. Also, there are different modes for 120 Hz PC monitors, with 120 Hz used for 3D and a separate "2D" gaming mode.

For HDTV gaming it might be better and cheaper to get 60 Hz, as ssddx notes, or get 120 Hz model, if movie quality is paramount, with really working gaming mode that limits the input lag, but it is my understanding that one of the possibilities how it can be managed is actually switching off of the 120 Hz mode. Is that so - can anyone gaming on a 120 Hz set confirm gaming with 120 fps with V-Sync on? Even if that is the case, there are already couple of next-gen games out that push the limits of top-end cards, and it is hard to achieve constant 60+ fps without some serious details tweaking.

Thank you all for your help, and especially ssddx. If I go for HDTV for gaming, then it is going to be a 60 Hz model with fast response time and small input lag. I take note of Sony models, although I still prefer LG and Philips for price/size/features ratio and I will definitely consult the experts here as far as the actual models are concerned.

ComfyGamer