Is a 1080p TV better for gaming?

[Vish]

Looking at Sony KDL32W4000 or KDL32P3020, 1st is 1080p, 2nd is 1080i.

Was wondering since the W4000 wont have to upscale/downscale the PS3 output will it produce a better image?

I know 1080p makes little if no difference on a 32" TV but its just the question if scaling will affect the picture since the P3020 is 1366x768 pixels, a 720p image will be upscaled and a 1080i will be downscaled.

Only downside is the W4000 is an extra £260 (W4000-£670, P3020-£410).

 

[Ronnie R]

1080p

Hdmi input

Sorted

True HD over 720/1080i

 

[Vish]

That's what I was thinking but wondering if likely to be any noticeable difference between them?

£260 is a big difference and wondering of worth it.

 

[oska]

I have seen the U, P, S and new V and W 32"s side by side running BluRay from a BDP-S500 and would say yes. The main difference was colour reproduction and the S, V and W were ahead on those parts but the W and V stood out over the S. The P and W are poles apart.

For gaming it would be the same and the W is definitely worth the extra. It has the new Bravia Engine 2 and 24p true cinema. A different league imo.

 

[McBunny]

do you have to have a sony ?

 

[Vish]

Thanks Oska. Surpised you don't think much of the P3020. Think I'll have to go and look at them as well.

I was looking at those Sony's because they have amazing reviews on What Hi Fi and elsewhere and are spec'ed very well. Also will be getting Sony 5.1 at some point, so they will all work well together, eg. switching each one on and off etc, lazy I know but useful.

Do you have any others to recommend?

 

[McBunny]

sony have been known to pay for good reviews

i just picked up the 37lg6000 scarlet for 615
cracking set i have now calibrated it picture is fantastic it has 4 hdmi 1.3 with deep colour etc very nice set and i preferred it to the sonys

 

[MDT48]

It's true that Full HD has less of an effect on a smaller screen, but displaying an image in a 1:1 mapped fashion will always be sharper than when it's scaled.

However, if your PS3 is your main source, you have to remember that the majority of PS3 games actually output at 720p rather than 1080p. Blu-ray is a different matter altogether though.

If you're going to be watching Blu-ray movies, a 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution with 1080p 24Hz processing is vital. Different TVs also use different pull down methods for displaying 1080p 24 content - Sony for instance uses 4:4 pull down, resulting in a 96Hz image, while Pioneer uses 3:3 pulldown for 72Hz and Toshiba uses 5:5 for 120Hz.

One of the most important things with a TV, and especially a high definition TV is picture processing. This is why companies like Philips, Panasonic, Sony etc all spend millions on improving their picture processing engines, since it's the best way to differentiate their products from the competition.

If you're not set on Sony, Philips makes pretty much the best 32in LCD TV out there right now, but it doesn't come cheap...

http://www.trustedreviews.com/tvs/review/2008/07/09/Philips-Cineos-32PFL9603D-10-32in-LCD-TV/p1

And if you're not set on a 32in set, it's worth considering a Pioneer Kuro. The Kuros are, far and away the best TVs on sale today, bar none. Plus plasma gives you infinitely better black levels and colour accuracy than LCD.

 

[Josie172cup]

sony are overated

panasonic FTW !

i baught this and its brilliant


http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/products_moreinfo3/index.asp?product_id=15660


lol i got it for 600 about a month ago :rasp:

 

[MDT48]

Yep - Panasonic make great TVs at very reasonable prices.

I flew out to Japan last year to visit Panasonic's plasma factory and talk to some of the engineers. The investment they're making into their TV R&D is staggering, which is probably why Pioneer has commissioned Panasonic to make its TV panels from now on.

That said, I was slightly disappointed with the TX-37LZD70 when I reviewed it last year, but the new 32in model is a definite improvement, so I imagine the same will be true for the 37in that you have.

At least Panasonic has finally implemented proper 1080p 24Hz support in this year's models.

Of course with IFA coming in a couple of weeks, there will be a raft of new TVs launched!

 

[Vish]

Well 32" is the maximum size I can have otherwise it'll be blocking a doorway and dont want the risk of it being knocked over.

GT5 (and GT5P for now) are my biggest reasons for a PS3 right now so with those being 1080p, a 1080p TV would be a plus. Will the PS3 not upscale 720p games anyway?

I did have a look at the Pana TX-32LZD80 and TX-32LZD85 but don't know a great deal about them.

On the processing side of things, the W4000 has the Bravia 2 engine which I've heard has been an improvement of the original Bravia engines.

MDT48, that Philips is quite a bit more than I'd like to spend tbh. Even the W4000 is pushing the boat out but if it will be noticeable better at 1080p PS3 games, then it may be worth it.

So basically, will a 1080p TV make much difference with 1080p games than a 1080i/720p TV on a 32" set?

 

[dutch182]

http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/conte...6V4000U~dept~ctv~subdept~LCDTV~brand~sony.htm

I got 2 of those in the link. 1080p is the best you can get at the moment. i have one as a games and monitor setup. and another for sky hi-def. can fault them at all. im sure there are better for the money but ive always had no problems with sony. empiredirect are a good firm to deal with also.

 

[Vish]

Hmm a tad waaaaayyy out of my budget lol

We've had a Sony plasma for 5 years now and its been excellent, altho obvs quality has increased a lot since then but always been more than happy with Sony TVs.

Just need to know how much the 1080p will make a difference?

 

[dutch182]

Hmm a tad waaaaayyy out of my budget lol

We've had a Sony plasma for 5 years now and its been excellent, altho obvs quality has increased a lot since then but always been more than happy with Sony TVs.

Just need to know how much the 1080p will make a difference?

I honestly can say ive not really noticed the difference from 1080i to 1080p. both look great to me. it's just if i were to buy a new tv i would make sure it's as future proof as possible.

Oh and empire do interest free credit i think?

 

[MDT48]

Actually GT5 Prologue is 720p, although Polyphony is promising that the full version will be 1080p. No, the PS3 will not upscale 720p games - the reason that most games are 720p is to keep the frame rate acceptable, so upscaling would defeat the purpose.

The TV can upscale your output to 1,920 x 1,080 of course, but you'll always get the best image using 1:1 pixel mapping. And that's where the good picture processing comes in, when you're not watching a native 1,920 x 1,080 source.

The Sony W4000 range is pretty good - we reviewed the 40in version a couple of months back...

http://www.trustedreviews.com/tvs/review/2008/05/23/Sony-Bravia-KDL-40W4000-Full-HD-40in-LCD-TV/p1

I would imagine that the 32in will be of similar quality.

As for not noticing any difference between 1080i and 1080p, it will depend entirely on your equipment, and whether your source and display both support 1080p 24Hz.

Basically, there is no such thing as an interlaced image on an LCD or plasma, since they are progressive displays by nature. This means that if you pump a 1080i 60Hz image into an LCD, you'll end up with a 1080p 30Hz image - there's no scanning involved so the electronics in the TV will just marry both halves of each frame before displaying them.

However, a reconstituted interlaced source will never be as sharp as a clean progressive source, because it will probably still have gone through 3:2 pull down prior to encoding. Therefore you'll end up with edge blur, and shimmer.

Since films are shot at 24fps, having equipment that can handle 1080p 24Hz signals means that you're watching the footage in its purest form, with no post production pull down techniques. Yes, the TV will apply even pull down techniques like 4:4 or 3:3 but that's just to eliminate the flicker that would be perceptable when watching 24fps.

Yes, 1080p is currently the best commercially available standard, but Panasonic has already shown off its 150in 4K screen. Hopefully we won't be expected to upgrade to 4K for a good few years yet though

 

[dutch182]

Actually GT5 Prologue is 720p, although Polyphony is promising that the full version will be 1080p. No, the PS3 will not upscale 720p games - the reason that most games are 720p is to keep the frame rate acceptable, so upscaling would defeat the purpose.

The TV can upscale your output to 1,920 x 1,080 of course, but you'll always get the best image using 1:1 pixel mapping. And that's where the good picture processing comes in, when you're not watching a native 1,920 x 1,080 source.

The Sony W4000 range is pretty good - we reviewed the 40in version a couple of months back...

http://www.trustedreviews.com/tvs/review/2008/05/23/Sony-Bravia-KDL-40W4000-Full-HD-40in-LCD-TV/p1

I would imagine that the 32in will be of similar quality.

As for not noticing any difference between 1080i and 1080p, it will depend entirely on your equipment, and whether your source and display both support 1080p 24Hz.

Basically, there is no such thing as an interlaced image on an LCD or plasma, since they are progressive displays by nature. This means that if you pump a 1080i 60Hz image into an LCD, you'll end up with a 1080p 30Hz image - there's no scanning involved so the electronics in the TV will just marry both halves of each frame before displaying them.

However, a reconstituted interlaced source will never be as sharp as a clean progressive source, because it will probably still have gone through 3:2 pull down prior to encoding. Therefore you'll end up with edge blur, and shimmer.

Since films are shot at 24fps, having equipment that can handle 1080p 24Hz signals means that you're watching the footage in its purest form, with no post production pull down techniques. Yes, the TV will apply even pull down techniques like 4:4 or 3:3 but that's just to eliminate the flicker that would be perceptable when watching 24fps.

Yes, 1080p is currently the best commercially available standard, but Panasonic has already shown off its 150in 4K screen. Hopefully we won't be expected to upgrade to 4K for a good few years yet though

Does a ps3 cover this with a 1080p screen to view it on?

 

[oska]

Do you have any others to recommend?

I bought the latest S series as it was great value at the time and I'm very pleased with it after owning the previous S. A big improvement as it has WCG which improves reds and greens. It makes a big difference and the P doesn't have it.

I'm very happy with it and if you can't afford the W then it is a good alternative. It's good on SD as well but on the PS3 it looks great for a 32".

There is the discontinued D series which is 100hz and also a great TV but they are still going for quite a bit.

 

[Vish]

According to Sony, GT5P is 1080p, and that's why I was interested in the W4000 due to 1:1 mapping.

I'm unlikely to watch many Blu-ray movies atm cos I'm just not been in the mood to watch movies atm, but probably will in the future, if I ever have time it'll pretty much be for gaming and watching F1.

Oska, I didn't notice about the WGC, the W4000 doesn't have it either but never heard of it being a problem so will try and put them side by side as well.

Does anyone have any opinions on the Panasonic TX-32LZD80? Its around £560 so £100 less than the W4000 and still 1080p.

 

[MDT48]

Yes the PS3 will output 1080p 24Hz when playing Blu-ray movies, and will do it pretty well at that.

Nope, GT5 Prologue is most definitely 720p, I just checked the box. As I said though, the last time I spoke to someone at SCEE they said that the full version of GT5 should be 1080p.

I have seen the Panasonic TX-32LZD80 but only at the launch of the new ranges a few months back. The 80 range is the entry level, while the 800 range represents the high end. We reviewed the TX-37LZD800, which was a very good TV, but obviously a 37in panel as opposed to a 32in...

http://www.trustedreviews.com/tvs/review/2008/04/23/Panasonic-Viera-TX-37LZD800-37in-LCD-TV/p1

I imagine that the 32in would be similarly impressive, but just with a smaller panel.

 

[MrMark]

ive just checked my GT5 Prologue and it says 720p/1080i/1080p. What version do you have?

 

[oska]

Mate, the W does have WCG. It's the Wide Colour Gamut filter on the S, new V and W series.

 

[Vish]

Mate, the W does have WCG. It's the Wide Colour Gamut filter on the S, new V and W series.

Oh right, it said WGC on S on sony site but not on W. That's good, just got to see if the difference is worth £260 tho, the Pana TX-32LZD80 is £140 more the P which I may be able to deal with lol

Yes the PS3 will output 1080p 24Hz when playing Blu-ray movies, and will do it pretty well at that.

Nope, GT5 Prologue is most definitely 720p, I just checked the box. As I said though, the last time I spoke to someone at SCEE they said that the full version of GT5 should be 1080p.

I have seen the Panasonic TX-32LZD80 but only at the launch of the new ranges a few months back. The 80 range is the entry level, while the 800 range represents the high end. We reviewed the TX-37LZD800, which was a very good TV, but obviously a 37in panel as opposed to a 32in...

http://www.trustedreviews.com/tvs/review/2008/04/23/Panasonic-Viera-TX-37LZD800-37in-LCD-TV/p1

I imagine that the 32in would be similarly impressive, but just with a smaller panel.

Isn't the 8 range the most entry level with the 80 being 2nd lowest? Its looks a pretty good set. Seems to be no mention of the 32" of the 800, do you know if its due any time soon.

 

[Josie172cup]

to be fare i play my 360 through vga on a 22'' tft monitor and the picture quality is hardly noticable between that and 1080p (just the little things like the edges of buildings and fine lines)

usually i'd say the bigger the tv the better but i dont think thats the case when competitive gaming is concerned as my 37'' is too big but brilliant for watching movies

oh and one more thing this applies to every one if you haven't seen transformers on HD go buy it now

 

[MDT48]

Nah 37in is not too big for games - I've just been playing Soul Calibur 4 on my 50in Kuro and it looked superb

Actually you're right about GT5 Prologue, I clearly didn't look at the box properly. However, I'm pretty sure that the game itself is being rendered at 720 and then being output at 1080. It's a bit like Halo 3 which was actually rendered at 640, then output at 1080.

It also does appear that Panny isn't making a 32in version of the 800 series, but there is an 8 version. I've never tested an 8 series, which leads me to think that Panasonic wouldn't want the 8 range reviewed

The last 80 series I looked at was the 46in plasma which was excellent for the money. But the last Panny LCD I reviewed as a 70 series.

And yes, the Transformers HD DVD looked superb when it launched. Haven't watched the Blu-ray version though.

 

[Josie172cup]

im not saying its bad for casual gaming but im quite hardcore lol the screens a bit big and you have to kind of turn your head to see the other side

 

[McBunny]

im not saying its bad for casual gaming but im quite hardcore lol the screens a bit big and you have to kind of turn your head to see the other side

easy fix sit further away