Folks may remember these two topics back from 2004 and 2005.   As we're nearing the end of 2006, I thought this would be a good time to see just where we are as far as our televisions go.

* What sort of television do you own today?

* Those who bought their HDTVs from the last discussion, how are they holding up for you?

* Those who haven't made the jump to HDTV yet, do you plan on doing so eventually?

Me, I finally invested the funds of $1300 for a flat-panel HDTV, the Sharp Aquos LC-37D40U.  It's a 37" LCD, widescreen 16:9 format.  I've been doing research for the better part of the year, and I've had my eye on the Aquos for a while.  Sharp seems to have an excellent reputation with their LCD makes, and when I viewed the model at Best Buy yesterday for the first time, I fell in love.  (It sure didn't help that they were playing the HD-DVD version of Corpse Bride - my god, it looked eye-meltingly gorgeous.)

I bought the set mostly for regular TV viewing/HD programming and DVD movies, but I'd be curious to see how it handles games.  The Acquos does boast a 6ms refresh response rate, and the above review states that it's "plausibly fast enough for computer applications and high-intensity gamers."  I know I'll inevitably want to try it out with the 360 and PS3, but if worse comes to worst, I'll just stick with my old 23" CRT for games.

Ok..

I missed the earlier discussion, but...

I have a Mitsubishi 73" HD, DLP 1080p...In 3 words...'I LOVE IT'

I actually had a 63" (mitsubishi as well), previously, but, due in part to the nature of my purchase plan / warranty, I returned it / upgraded.  Essentially I had a problem when the 63" displayed direct output from my pc..(DVI to HDMI), the video erratically 'jimmied' and 'shook' from this input.  It took 6 months to explain that to the TV repair dude ( an over 60 year old man with bi-focul glasses), and to get Best Buy to replace the seemingly unreparably tv...My girlfriend at the time never saw the difference, call me a 'video-phile'...in any event, the interface is great, the remote control is very similar to a classic 'Projection' TV from the 80's my parents used to have...

I do not have an Xbox 360, or PS3 (yet), but I think seeing Blueray / HD DVD on this TV will really demonstrate the true power (or complete lack there of) this TV is capable of. I'll report back my ultimate verdict,  I am optimistic, because of a two factors

1) The image quality at 1080i with a PC direct link, running 'Winamp' with the 'Milkdrop' graphic plug-in. (absolutely off the charts amazing.)

2) While I now have "Direct TV" High Def television, I previously used a local cable provider for High-Def...I left the previous local carrier due to repeated service outtages...However, when I had high def from the cable provider, the image was superb (watching HD broadcasts was superb).  I attributed this to the local cable provider supplying high bandwidth (lessor compressed) HD TV signal albeit, ultimately inconsistently....In contrast my new signal provider, Direct TV HD, broadcasts what appears to be an overly compressed signla, and generally lack luster.

Anyway, I'll report back post PS3 and Blueray tests..I've got 'high-def' hopes..

- Brandon

I took a look at my responses to the 2004 and 2005 discussions, and I think my position has softened since then.  Right now, I'm still not ready to go HD, but I have begun to see LCD sets that can handle games, so I may consider them when the time comes.  I think my HDTV deadline is whatever the U.S. release date of MGS4 is.  When MGS4 comes out, I will buy a PS3 and an HDTV.  I guess LCD will probably be my best bet, unless SED actually comes out by next November.  If it does, and if it lives up to the hype, then I will definitely want it, assuming it's not ungodly expensive.

I'm not really sure at this point...I have my 25 inch regular Sony TV right now and my current set-up really fits around it. Size is pretty important, so eventually I'll change up and splurge for a cool 52 inch LCD (they're just fun to stare at in the store), but farther down the line when I have a couple extra thousand dollars to spend on it. Plus, since I do a lot of retro gaming (NES/SNES, with the actual systems/carts), I have to do a bit of research before diving in. Wii's VC service might be cool if it saves me that hassle, though I'm not crazy about re-buying a lot of games of mine.

On the other hand, if I come across a nice 32" regular set for cheap (the maximum my entertainment center holds), I might not be able to pass the extra inches up.

I've a widescreen LCD HDTV (I think it's 27").  Does well enough for DVDs and games, it was jaw-dropping when I played my first 360 game (Burnout Revenge) on it using the VGA hook-up.  Although after having it since last December I've yet to change out the cable box for the HD one, so watching tv on it is actually none at all special.

We bought a Samsung 56" 1080i widescreen DLP in January of 2005. (HL-N567W)
Being able to play video games in widescreen in their native resolution is revolutionary.  I never tire of Discovery HD Theater, either (well, when we could get it, aaaaaargh rural zone)  I had a 20" Panasonic crappy bargain CRT prior to that.  It had one S-Video input, hehe.

Best purchase I/we've ever made, hands down.  I'd say that now is the time to upgrade to something larger, widescreen, and high-definition, if you haven't already.  All you really need is 720p to get the most out of any current game system (unless you're absolutely dying to play Gran Turismo 4 in 1080i.  I bet you wouldn't notice too much of a difference.)

For the record, our DLP set has absolutely none of the timing/lag problems that other users have complained about in the past.  We're running component out of most of our consoles, into a receiver... still able to get AAAs on DDR.  I'd say that's a pretty solid indication that the timing's spot on. ;D  Unless all of these reviewers were using the... onboard speakers on the TV.  Ugh, don't ever do that, no matter how good the TV is.

My place isn't really big enough to hold a gigantic television. As such, I'm quite happy with the 23-incher I have right now.

I have a Toshiba 30" widescreen CRT HDTV.

   I bought the HDTV just for movies and it does well with a region free Denon DVD player (which was $700). That model eliminates the pause while changing layers. (A movie ripped to your hard drive is not subject to the layer change problem, obviously - but good PC display technology is still too costly.)

   It's really big and bulky (around 120 lbs.), but the picture quality is amazing. As I said in the past (maybe here), I could see the different shades of white in shirts while 2 guys were walking down a hallway in Robocop. The distinction was not detectable with S-Video.

  EDIT:

  I didn't know what XLord was talking about with SED, so I looked it up and added it for others:

  http://www.cnet.com/4520-10602_1-5618734-1.html

  http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/08/sed- … -personal/

  http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages/better.htm

Nah. I've seen ones in stores and in other people's homes and I'm not terribly impressed. At least not impressed to the tune of thousand-dollar costs. I like digital media and DVDs well enough as they are, and those kinds of prices just to be able to see a footballer's snot-rocket on the sideline in extreme detail strikes me as ridiculous. And sound? Heck, I usually keep it low-ish most the time. What exactly does HD offer me that I'd want to see?

I still have not purchased a HDTV, however I think many of the Sony HDTVs look very good.  In general I wouldn't recommend a Sony, however my last Sony TV (Trinitron) has held up flawlessly for 7 years

cheers,

-avatar!

I haven't checked the older threads to see if I gave this same response, so apologies if this is a repeat.

I currently have a Toshiba 27AF43 (27" CRT).  Before that, I had a 27" Sony Wega, but had to return it because it was making this high-pitched whining noise pretty much all the time.  I had a repairman come out to look at it, and he couldn't fix it (some coil was loose and vibrating, which was causing the noise, and he couldn't get it fixed in place).  He said that he had seen a lot of problems with Sony TVs, so I asked him what brand seems to work the best.  He said Toshibas, because they just work (and if they don't, it's almost always something that's really easy to fix).  So, I returned the Wega and got the Toshiba.  All I was really interested in was the 16:9 mode, so I could play IIDX arcade-style, but it's far exceeded my expectations.

If I do get an HDTV, there would have to be absolutely zero lag (IIDX is more sensitive to lag than pretty much any other game), and would have to have a 16:9 mode (or be a widescreen set).  I'd also appreciate a set that doesn't suck a lot of power, which pretty much rules out plasmas.  Despite my experience with Sony TVs, I must admit that those Bravias look pretty freakin' sweet, and I've heard they have low to no lag.  Every time I go to Costco, I spend a few minutes drooling over them.

And is it me, or does it seem like networks are purposely making standard-definition TV blurrier than it needs to be?  Watching football yesterday, I could barely make out some of the scores at the bottom of the screen.  It's almost as though they are trying to sabotage standard-definition broadcasts in order to make high-definition look better.

STC cares about this kind of a thing? I'm surprised.

I have a three year old 21" SDTV with absolutely no intention of buying an HDTV until this one breaks or I have some other urgent need of a new TV. I feel the picture is certainly big and good-looking enough for me. From watching LCD HDTVs, I don't understand at all how they're supposed to look better. Especially if the signal is in standard resolution.

The most appealing aspect of HDTVs for me is small size and light weight. Also, I guess they use less power? Not plasmas and CRTs of course, but I wouldn't even consider those for an HDTV.

Not everyone on STC...
I'm hardly in front of a TV at all, so spending a grand on an HDTV would be a waste for me.

I don't watch Television Shows, I hardly rent movies anymore, and have *gasp* even scaled back on the gaming this year as well.   

My PC gets way more "face time" outta me, and while I don't even have a flat-panel or widescreen monitor, that'd be a much better use of my money.

I have a 27" Sony WEGA flatscreen TV, and I love it. I'm not in any mood or position to upgrade to HD or any of that crazy futuristic shit. I just enjoy playing my games and watching my DVDs on that perfect sized TV. It just fits.

i have a samsung 27" stereo tv that i bought as an open demo at best buy the same day i got a ps1 and FF7... still works great,, best $119 i ever spent...

... anyone want to buy me a shiny new HDTV?

(Seriously, it was worth the try. )

Why stop there? Take the whole thing: http://www.momes.net/imagier/abecedaire.gif

A-hyuck.

I agree, there's no reason to purchase a HDTV unless you actually have something that can take advantage of it.  I currently do NOT have:

Xbox 360 or
Wii or
PS3

Those are the only reasons I can think of for having a HDTV... that and that they take up less space

cheers,

-avatar!

Back in April, I picked up a 52" Mitsubishi DLP set in a moment of weakness.  Honestly, it's turned out to be a decent though not outstanding HDTV; give it a good input source, it looks wonderful.  I wish it had an HDMI port instead of DVI, but that's a comparatively minor nitpick (it only really gets annoying with my HD DVD players, but not critically so).  Not looking forward to the inevitable bulb replacements, though...it appears that I'm harder on TVs than I thought.

The set it semi-replaced, a 2003 Toshiba 34" widescreen CRT, is still rocking on though--it's just in my bedroom now.  It actually does far better with crappy SD signals than the DLP set does, in fairness...

* What sort of television do you own today?

- A generic flat-screen that I had been planning on replacing with another generic flat-screen, and flat-screen Panasonic, I think.

* Those who haven't made the jump to HDTV yet, do you plan on doing so eventually?

- Probably not until all TVs come with HDTV and I'm forced to buy one to replace our slowly breaking-down set. Otherwise, I don't watch enough TV to justify spending a messload of money on the latest status symbols.

Panasonic 21" CRT TV with a flat screen (the screen is flat instead of bulging out like most CRT TVs)

I'm not going to HDTV.  I only use my TV for video games, and HDTV sets are too expensive for the amount of usage I do the current TV for.

Did you ever try it out for games, and if so, did you post your thoughts (maybe I missed them when searching)?  I think I'm finally ready to invest in HDTV, and I'm looking at a 32" 1080p Sharp LCD that has a 6ms response rate with the option of some sort of "Game Mode" that I can only assume turns off some of the image processing to reduce lag.  I would pretty much only be using this TV for games, so I'm interested in feedback from others who use LCD TVs to play games as well.  Thanks!

Well, I'm probably not the best person to draw comparisons, seeing as how I've experienced gaming on but all of two sets. (My own and a Sony SXRD.)  I've also yet to run a HD-supported game on my Aquos (I don't own a 360, and I haven't purchased a PS3 game), but I have tried a number of fast-moving and timing-based PS2 games, such as Soulcalibur 3, Guitar Hero and DDR, and I was generally impressed.  With the prog scan on in SC3, the image looks stunning and moves with very little motion-blur (yes, there's still a bit of blur that I can make out, but it's still worlds better than other LCDs I've seen trying to run movies), and I've been able to nail every note in GH and DDR just as I have on my standard-def sets.

The set you're talking about sounds like the one that was discussed here not too long ago, the Sharp Aquos LC32GP1U:

http://altpop.com/stc/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2169 

Although both boast the Quick-Shoot 6ms response time, the proprietary Vyper Drive in the GP1U model is supposed to be a marked improvement over the D4 series.  Certainly sounds like the primo choice for gamers.

I've owned a Sony KD34XBR960 CRT tube for over two years now. I love it. It's only flaw: I'd like a bigger screen.

I'm eager to see what this next round of 120hz HDMI 1.3 enabled LCD and LCOS/SXRD sets from Sony will look and perform like as they start to roll out this month, among a few other goodies out there.

Yes, the Sharp Aquos LC37GP1U that I got it still keeping me happy.  No lag on rhythm games or DVDs when using the side inputs.  When I first hooked up my DVD player, I used the back inputs, and the video and audio weren't synchronized (so, someone's lips would move, but the sound wouldn't come out for a couple frames).  That was a mighty frustrating experience.  When I moved it to the HDMI side input, I could watch again in peace.

If you have multiple consoles, it would make good sense to get an external switch so you can have them all plugged in to the side inputs to take advantage of the Vyper Drive.  My PS3 is going through the HDMI input on the side, and the PS2, Gamecube, and cable box are running through the component input on the side.  I haven't tried any rhythm games through the HDMI input (since the music peripherals apparently don't work on the PS3), but from my experiences with the DVD player, I doubt there is any lag.

I have the same model. It's fantastic. :-D

It is.

Basically the next TV I ever buy has to live up this thing's standards, in terms of picture quality.

It's telling that this set is STILL considered a reference monitor in most circles, even to this day. Just about every leading home theater and audio video magazine or site invariably has one of these around somewhere for their review purposes.

Yes, I know if you blow something up on a bigger screen and especially if not HD...it just isn't going to look that great.

On my TV, both HD and non HD look as good as you can possibly squeeze out of them, so I only accept that excuse so far.

I'm waiting for the technology across the bords to finally settle out enough where you can buy a larger screen TV and have the same kind of amazing picture quality across the boards like the best of the CRT sets used to do.

We're slowly getting there, but CRT still has not been dethroned in terms of performance/value for the dollar. Not even close IMO.

I just won't settle for anything less.

My Sony WEGA Trinitron is still kickin' after almost 10 years. It's roughly 20 inches but it's still a fine television.

You're due for an upgrade.

If I had the money, which I don't, but if I did, I'd get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Aquos-LC32D … 502&sr=8-1

or

http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Aquos-LC32G … 62&sr=8-28

both sound very sweet! 1080p, and all that jazz... although at the moment my old CRT is doing fine Still, I imagine there must be a world of difference between my old (non-HD) CRT and 1080p!

cheers,

-avatar!

Sharp really does great work in the LCD area.

Thanks very much to Angela for pointing out the thread I couldn't find and Crash for the hands-on.

I've been doing some more digging, and I have to say that I think it's bizarre that the game mode only works on the side connections.  One of my big draws to this model is the plethora of inputs, and it kinda sucks if only two of them are any good.  So, I went to the manual (http://www.sharpusa.com/files/tel_man_LC32_37GP1U.pdf) and on page 40 (pg 42 of the PDF) it mentions that "Game" settings can be applied to any of the seven input bays.  However, it's still unclear if this is just a configuration preference or if there's actually some physical hardwired superiority built into the side connections (INPUTS 1 & 4) since the manual repeatedly suggests using only the side connections for games (check page 55 or 57 in the PDF for one such example).

Crash, have you by any chance tried applying the "Game" AV Mode to any of the rear input jacks to see if it affects anything?

I think the AV settings that you cycle between affect things like color, contrast, brightness, etc.  This is similar to the equalizer settings on a receiver (rock, jazz, classical).  On page 40 (42 of the PDF), it describes the differences between the various AV settings (e.g., the game setting lowers brightness for easier viewing).

That is why I still get a lot of use out of my component video switch.  I have the Gamecube and PS2 running through the switch and into Input 1, and the PS3 running directly into Input 4.  If I hooked up a DVD player back into the system, I might have to get an HDMI switch too.  The very thought of this sends me into spasms.

The sucky thing is that the only S-video input is in the rear.  What to do about my Dreamcast and Saturn games?

"KD34XBR960"

Thats the TV I was originally going to buy to upgrade from my old (and broken!) Philips CRT... but I just couldn't find one!!  And even then, they're quite expensive.  I currently have a Toshiba flat CRT and I ... don't even remember the model nr. of it!  How embarassing.  Its somewhere between 27" - 32" (again, embarassing!), but I love it and its a huge step up from what I used to play on, and it has a nifty widescreen-ish mode!  And its easy to TATE   The minor Problem: side-scrollers seemed to be meant for normal 'curved' CRTs, so upon close inspection the scrolling seems slightly distorted.  But the picture quality is awesome. 

As for HDTV, I have no plans whatsoever for it.  Once this set wears out, or whatever, I will be searching high and low to find another CRT.  High definition TVs seem to exagerrate the flaws of the games I play and since the newest console I imagine I will ever own is a PS2 (and the newest I want a Dreamcast), for me, it is better that the majority of my games look fantastic, rather then the two or three games, those which do HD well, looking superb (like Outrun2!  That looks killer on a big screen!!)  Also, I don't watch television at all and films rarely.

That makes sense, but I couldn't help but notice that the game mode has the "Enhanced Picture Contrast" function disabled where the standard mode has it enabled.  I wonder if it adds processing overhead.  Anyway, I called Sharp today to see what they had to say.  The guy told me that the "Vyper Game Mode" is just a marketing term and that all HDMI inputs should have the same performance.  He said that all the game button on the remote does is simply switch to the side inputs.  I didn't remember to specifically ask him about the AV Mode settings to see if they could have been related to your problem with the HDMI on the back (given that it has a different factory preset AV Mode than the HDMI on the side), but it's something to think about.