Best non CRT televisions for classic gaming?

Jonmkl

Jonmkl

Rasputin's Rose Gardener
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Posts
715
So I've got this big 42" LCD tv that I've been using less and less. The display lag on it is so bad that I won't even play SFIV on it anymore, so you can imagine how awful it is for classic games. So let's say I want something in my entertainment system I can use for more than just blu-rays, what models should I be looking at?

After searching around for some time and hearing that Sony TVs were the best bet I found this site: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/input-lag which has input lag tests on tons of TVs. However it's for the UK, and models like the KDL42W705 with it's 16ms input lag aren't available to us here in the states, the closest I can find is the KDL40W600b which more than double that lag (and is also a 40" as sony isn't selling 42" TVs here any more for some reason.)

What's worse, NONE of these TVs have VGA input for the dreamcast goodness.

Any one have any suggestions of particularly good TVs when it comes to Input Lag, XRGB-MINI support, Picture quality, VGA etcetera, that still support HD?

I realize it's always a sharp downgrade when you aren't using a proper CRT, but I would love to find some sort of middle ground.
 
joe8

joe8

margarine sandwich
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Posts
3,747
Jonmkl said:
So I've got this big 42" LCD tv that I've been using less and less. The display lag on it is so bad that I won't even play SFIV on it anymore, so you can imagine how awful it is for classic games. So let's say I want something in my entertainment system I can use for more than just blu-rays, what models should I be looking at?

After searching around for some time and hearing that Sony TVs were the best bet I found this site: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/input-lag which has input lag tests on tons of TVs. However it's for the UK, and models like the KDL42W705 with it's 16ms input lag aren't available to us here in the states, the closest I can find is the KDL40W600b which more than double that lag (and is also a 40" as sony isn't selling 42" TVs here any more for some reason.)

What's worse, NONE of these TVs have VGA input for the dreamcast goodness.

Any one have any suggestions of particularly good TVs when it comes to Input Lag, XRGB-MINI support, Picture quality, VGA etcetera, that still support HD?

I realize it's always a sharp downgrade when you aren't using a proper CRT, but I would love to find some sort of middle ground.
Click to expand...
The only TVs that are just about as good as CRT (in terms of picture quality/black levels) are OLED TVs. But OLED technology still needs more development, and it's expensive.
LCDs/LEDs are better than they used to be in terms of lag time. But plasmas are still better in that regard. I would recommend a CRT for classic games, if you can get one.
 
Last edited:
stormy

stormy

B. Jenet's Firstmate
10 Year Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
Posts
417
I recently picked up a Sony 800b model, it is no match for my Kuro but it gets the job done for games. Rather low lag as well, 22ms. Might be a bigger screen than you were looking for though.
 
M

mookie3three

Mr. Big's Thug
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Posts
203
stormy said:
I recently picked up a Sony 800b model, it is no match for my Kuro but it gets the job done for games. Rather low lag as well, 22ms. Might be a bigger screen than you were looking for though.
Click to expand...

I've got the 50" version of this. The lag is pretty good IMO. If you want low lag on an LCD, you are best to get a PC monitor with 1ms lag.
 
HDRchampion

HDRchampion

Before you sell me something, ask how well my baby
10 Year Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Posts
4,485
What size tv are you looking for?
 
Electric Grave

Electric Grave

So Many Posts
No Time
For Games.
15 Year Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2004
Posts
20,259
Lol, plasma bitches talking crap. Got 3 Sony Bravias, all 3 work flawless with everything.

Now you can end the thread.
 
joe8

joe8

margarine sandwich
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Posts
3,747
ElectricGrave said:
Lol, plasma bitches talking crap. Got 3 Sony Bravias, all 3 work flawless with everything.

Now you can end the thread.
Click to expand...
so you've got 3 Sony Bravia LCDs, is that what you're saying?
Plasma TV's used to have problems with the plasma gas running out over time, but the latest models don't do that so much. They also use more power than LCDs. LCDs/LEDs are better than they used to be, especially the better brands/models.
 
Last edited:
N

Neo Ash

NG.com Audiophile, Club Member,
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Posts
4,893
Plasma TV's do not leak...period...end of discussion. It's a myth people!
 
Electric Grave

Electric Grave

So Many Posts
No Time
For Games.
15 Year Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2004
Posts
20,259
Lol plasma. Plasma works for you? Great! Awesome, but that's not your only choice. There are better choices out there.
 
Yodd

Yodd

Iori's Flame
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2002
Posts
8,214
Are modern, high end plasma's still in production?

Every time I see a plasma these days, it's a low end beater 720p display.

Is anyone still make 1080p (or 4k) plasmas?
 
N

Neo Ash

NG.com Audiophile, Club Member,
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Posts
4,893
broken said:
Are modern, high end plasma's still in production?

Every time I see a plasma these days, it's a low end beater 720p display.

Is anyone still make 1080p (or 4k) plasmas?
Click to expand...

Runco stopped their plasma production some time ago. You can still get new plasma TV's; however, 2014 is basically the last year for plasma. It's not that it's a bad display technology. It represents the shift to thin, lighter weight, and energy conscious displays. There are new energy requirements for electronics. I think 1/4 or 1/2 of a watt stand-by modes...are being required now if not soon.

Fuck the tree huggers...I'm not letting go of my plasma.:vik: Screw the energy cost....I've got awesome black levels.
 
DaytimeDreamer

DaytimeDreamer

Southern Pounce.,
Joined
Jul 22, 2005
Posts
747
Plasmas are great for gaming cause of the low input lag but they are not that great. Recently the latest LCD-LED displays have surpassed them. Check hdtvtest, prad.de and other websites that test lag on Plasmas, LED and LCDs in general.

Burn in is still an issue say what you want. I had a Panasonic Viera 2011 model with had a break-in for the first 1000 (yes thousand!) hours of use with very low settings on brightness etc and after gaming for like 2-3 hours I could see ghosting and all that crap. They still have the best black levels though. For me they are perfect still for viewing movies, good for gaming but not ideal.
 
joe8

joe8

margarine sandwich
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Posts
3,747
DaytimeDreamer said:
Plasmas are great for gaming cause of the low input lag but they are not that great. Recently the latest LCD-LED displays have surpassed them. Check hdtvtest, prad.de and other websites that test lag on Plasmas, LED and LCDs in general.

Burn in is still an issue say what you want. I had a Panasonic Viera 2011 model with had a break-in for the first 1000 (yes thousand!) hours of use with very low settings on brightness etc and after gaming for like 2-3 hours I could see ghosting and all that crap. They still have the best black levels though. For me they are perfect still for viewing movies, good for gaming but not ideal.
Click to expand...
Apart from CRT, there is no ideal display for old-school gaming yet.
 
GohanX

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,512
broken said:
Are modern, high end plasma's still in production?

Every time I see a plasma these days, it's a low end beater 720p display.

Is anyone still make 1080p (or 4k) plasmas?
Click to expand...

Panasonic and Samsung both still make 1080p plasmas, but I wouldn't be surprised if either or both stopped production soon.
 
joe8

joe8

margarine sandwich
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Posts
3,747
GohanX said:
Panasonic and Samsung both still make 1080p plasmas, but I wouldn't be surprised if either or both stopped production soon.
Click to expand...
Don't 1080p plasmas also cost more than an equivalent 1080p LCD/LED TV? Personally, I wouldn't buy a TV with technology that manufacturers seem to be giving up on (the exception being when CRTs were on the way out, when it was more expensive for the makers to ship CRTs compared to LCDs (and people wanted less bulky plasmas and LCDs, which used less power), it wasn't that the technology was inferior). Maybe plasmas are on the way out because of environmental/power use reasons, but there could be other reasons.
 
Last edited:
grendelrt

grendelrt

Super Spy Agent
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Posts
623
The top of the line Plasma's are still consistently the best picture quality you can get each year in larger sizes (55+). This year is the last year for Samsung and last year was it for Panasonic. The major reason for phase out now is the shift to 4K, a 4K plasma would suck over a kilowatt of energy to run, let alone the cost to manufacture. OLED was supposed to be out by now, but has been a bust so far for manufacturers, LCD will still be the prevalent technology for a while. As DLP , LCD, Plasma and Projector owner I can tell you CRT is still your best bet for old school gaming unless you plan on using a expensive scaler like the XRGB.
 
joe8

joe8

margarine sandwich
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Posts
3,747
grendelrt said:
The top of the line Plasma's are still consistently the best picture quality you can get each year in larger sizes (55+). This year is the last year for Samsung and last year was it for Panasonic. The major reason for phase out now is the shift to 4K, a 4K plasma would suck over a kilowatt of energy to run, let alone the cost to manufacture. OLED was supposed to be out by now, but has been a bust so far for manufacturers, LCD will still be the prevalent technology for a while. As DLP , LCD, Plasma and Projector owner I can tell you CRT is still your best bet for old school gaming unless you plan on using a expensive scaler like the XRGB.
Click to expand...
An LCD/LED still won't match a professional CRT (like the PVM and BVM) for picture quality (color accuracy, black levels), even with the XRGB.
 
A

Alpha Skyhawk

Windjammers Wonder
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Posts
1,383
joe8 said:
Don't 1080p plasmas also cost more than an equivalent 1080p LCD/LED TV? Personally, I wouldn't buy a TV with technology that manufacturers seem to be giving up on (the exception being when CRTs were on the way out, when it was more expensive for the makers to ship CRTs compared to LCDs (and people wanted less bulky plasmas and LCDs, which used less power), it wasn't that the technology was inferior). Maybe plasmas are on the way out because of environmental/power use reasons, but there could be other reasons.
Click to expand...

The 51 inch Samsung plasma was $550 as of last Tuesday when I bought it. IIRC, LEDs of the same size were comparable to more expensive. Just a heads up, the first slim PS3 has issues with the TV over 1080p HDMI. I should be getting an HDCP stripping accessory next week that may fix this problem. In the meantime, 1080i works fine and looks only slightly worse. This won't be a problem for me in what I hope will be the long run because I've already tried my personal 60GB PS2-BC PS3 with it and had no issues, but who knows how much longer my personal PS3 will last? That's why I'm experimenting with the HDCP stripper now.

I was playing Sega Rally Revo for the 360 on the plasma yesterday. It was amazing. I used it to adjust all of my video settings. It's so colorful. The picture is freakin' amazing. I wish I played the PC version on that TV when I had it hooked up on Tuesday because it's a lot smoother, runs at 60fps, and has true 1080p. I'll do it one day. Once I get the TV where I want it and get an extra long HDMI cable, I'm going to mirror my PC's display over to the TV.

I'm getting some work done in the basement next month, so I can't get everything set up the way I want it until that's done because lots of things have to come up. Once it's done and everything's back down, I'll be all set :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top