Plasma, LCD, OLED, LED, best tv for next gen

Anyone have an experience or insight on this TV?
Link

My friends and I want to get a larger TV for the living area of the house we're living in next semester, and this is the current frontrunner. I wanted some opinions.

I'd be interested in hearing about this one as well. Almost picked this up over the Sony I mentioned a few posts ago and $350 is a steal.
 
First review is up of the new Sony X900B / X9005B series 4K sets
The prospect of being able to game on a screen as magnificent as the 65X9005B is enough to make us feel giddy. So we’re overjoyed to find that Sony’s 4K hero only suffers with 33ms of input lag. Compared with the fantastic 10-20ms lag times found on some of Sony’s cheaper TVs this year we guess 33ms looks a little high. But 33ms is still low enough not to significantly damage your gaming skills, and is actually very respectable indeed for a TV having to employ the sort of huge processing loads required to upscale HD gaming feeds to the screen’s 4K resolution.

Pretty much the same as last years X900A model and about half as much as the new Samsung curved model.
 
First review is up of the new Sony X900B / X9005B series 4K sets


Pretty much the same as last years X900A model and about half as much as the new Samsung curved model.
Looks like this is the best set of 2014 so far?

Wish it wasn't so expensive.


...This year is so frustrating for me.

I'm finally ready to buy a new TV to upgrade my 4 year old 50inch Samsung Plasma but the VT60's are all but gone except for huge markups, w900a only comes in 55in and I really want a 65in. But nothing out seems to have that sweet spot of picture quality, black levels, lag time, price and size.

I really should of just bought a 65in VT60 last year :(
 
It's the menu that has the input picture in a small box in the top left. I believe it has all the Viera apps there.

So you just want the full screen displayed then? That's easy :

After you select the input screen and get a full screen display with nothing else, press the Home button and select Settings from the top menu. Change the Power ON option to "Always this home screen".
 
So you just want the full screen displayed then? That's easy :

After you select the input screen and get a full screen display with nothing else, press the Home button and select Settings from the top menu. Change the Power ON option to "Always this home screen".

It's still doing it. Here's the screen I am talking about:

panasonicvt60_large12.jpg

Anyway to bypass that info screen when I turn the TV on?
 
It's still doing it. Here's the screen I am talking about:



Anyway to bypass that info screen when I turn the TV on?

Try selecting "Home Screen Selection" first, select Full Screen TV (far left on my set), and then change the Power ON option in the settings menu.
 
Is there anyone reputable online even selling them right now??

Look for a post I made a page or two ago, I linked to the guy I'm buying my set from. I had a pretty good experience working with him and he's definitely not a scammer, I think he has a couple VTs still if you're willing to pay for shipping.
 
Is it possible that fps motion sickness is more common with LCD Tvs because of image retention and whatnot?

Recently replaying Metroid Prime to find I'm having motion sickness that I didn't have before when I had an old CRT.
 
Panasonic VT60

Someone told me that there's a setting where the camera can detect if someone is in front of the TV and it'll auto standby when they leave the room? Sounds like a killer feature but I can't find where to activate it! :/
 
Looks like this is the best set of 2014 so far?

Wish it wasn't so expensive.


...This year is so frustrating for me.

I'm finally ready to buy a new TV to upgrade my 4 year old 50inch Samsung Plasma but the VT60's are all but gone except for huge markups, w900a only comes in 55in and I really want a 65in. But nothing out seems to have that sweet spot of picture quality, black levels, lag time, price and size.

I really should of just bought a 65in VT60 last year :(

I'd wait a year before buying the sony. It's not good enough to justify the price imho.
 
First review is up of the new Sony X900B / X9005B series 4K sets

Pretty much the same as last years X900A model and about half as much as the new Samsung curved model.

I think I'm going to get one.

One question: I was checking the official specs and it lists separately HDMI PC input (only up to 1080p) and video signal input (up to 4K). Surely you can connect a PC through HDMI 2.0 (as soon as GPUs become available) to play in 4K? I haven't really paid attention to TVs for a long time and it doesn't make any sense to me not being possible but who knows... It would be really disappointing to spend that much money on a TV and not really being able to use it.
 
Is it possible that fps motion sickness is more common with LCD Tvs because of image retention and whatnot?

Recently replaying Metroid Prime to find I'm having motion sickness that I didn't have before when I had an old CRT.

Is the LCD TV the same size as the CRT was? Because if the LCD is bigger it is filling up more of your peripheral vision and that can definitely lead to increased motion sickness.
 
Is the LCD TV the same size as the CRT was? Because if the LCD is bigger it is filling up more of your peripheral vision and that can definitely lead to increased motion sickness.

It turns out moving back a little made it more manageable. I still think it might have something to do with the TV itself though.
 
I think I'm going to get one.

One question: I was checking the official specs and it lists separately HDMI PC input (only up to 1080p) and video signal input (up to 4K). Surely you can connect a PC through HDMI 2.0 (as soon as GPUs become available) to play in 4K? I haven't really paid attention to TVs for a long time and it doesn't make any sense to me not being possible but who knows... It would be really disappointing to spend that much money on a TV and not really being able to use it.

you can, but it wont be 4:4:4, it will be 4:2:2. So no, you wont get full color resolution (nor will you for any 4k content with current 4k screens) so they cant really say they have full pc 4k support.

Hopefully they release a version without the hideous speakers on the side. So ugly, so useless.
 
you can, but it wont be 4:4:4, it will be 4:2:2. So no, you wont get full color resolution (nor will you for any 4k content with current 4k screens) so they cant really say they have full pc 4k support.

Hopefully they release a version without the hideous speakers on the side. So ugly, so useless.

So again it looks like it's better to wait before to buy a new 4K TV...this, the doubt about the rec2020 support...
 
Yeah I would rather buy a good 1080p set now rather than a non rec 2020 compliant UHD panel. Hopefully next year will have more complete sets, some maturation is needed for UHD still.
 
you can, but it wont be 4:4:4, it will be 4:2:2. So no, you wont get full color resolution (nor will you for any 4k content with current 4k screens) so they cant really say they have full pc 4k support.

Hopefully they release a version without the hideous speakers on the side. So ugly, so useless.

It's incredibly bazaar Sony suddenly uses css as a metric for what constitutes "support". It's like saying BR's aren't 1080p cause they're all 4:2:0. There is no standardized expanded color space for 4k yet, these first gen LCD's couldn't come close to displaying all of it anyways, and HDMI 2.0 can't even handle 12bit 4:4:4 rec2020 @ 4k/60Hz, so I don't really understand their motivations.
 
you can, but it wont be 4:4:4, it will be 4:2:2. So no, you wont get full color resolution (nor will you for any 4k content with current 4k screens) so they cant really say they have full pc 4k support.

Hopefully they release a version without the hideous speakers on the side. So ugly, so useless.

Well IMO 4:4:4 wont make a difference unless you sit uncomfortably close to the screen and that is not what tv:s are made for. Another thing for PC monitors.

The speakers is actually one of the resons I looked at this model. Really like the look and while I still will be using my Klipsch RF83 system my girlfriend will love to have good sound without having to deal with it.

I will most likely pick the 65" up after that review. Was only waiting for a good review that measured it against the old one with quantum dots and if the pq was a downgrade.
 
It's incredibly bazaar Sony suddenly uses css as a metric for what constitutes "support". It's like saying BR's aren't 1080p cause they're all 4:2:0. There is no standardized expanded color space for 4k yet, these first gen LCD's couldn't come close to displaying all of it anyways, and HDMI 2.0 can't even handle 12bit 4:4:4 rec2020 @ 4k/60Hz, so I don't really understand their motivations.

its a bit different with computers as if you aren't delivering a full 4:4:4 RGB, you are compromising the quality of whats being displayed, and as computers often rely on sharp text and lines (word processing,CAD work, ect) it would be wrong for them to claim full PC support at 4k.

It'll be noticeable to an extent, especially on sharp colored text, as it will look a bit fuzzy and have almost a rainbow halo around the letters. But in no way would it be unseable.
 
so I am confused which one of these I should get

Vizio

or

Sony

Or if you guys have a better suggestion for one thats 650$ (including tax) Max .
I searched for reviews but can't decide
 
So, my friend is gonna dump his old fat-ass CRT TV in 2-3 months now. I have been looking at TVs with him for a long time and I have educated him the difference between Plasma, LED and LCD. He is dead set on a LED TV for various reasons:

- Thin.
- Colorful and bright
- No heat
- Pricing.

Of course, he is a gamer. He has those consoles : NES (7 I think lol), SNES, N64, GC (with GBA extension), Wii (one hacked, one legit), WiiU, PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4 and Dreamcast.

As you might imagine, the main problem is to be able to play retro console on that TV and today's TVs doesn't play along very well with older consoles. I googled a bit the issue and most people goes "keep your old TV!". Except that in his case, that is NOT an option. His current CRT TV is a 27" or 29" I believe and his room is already jam-packed with stuff, we barely can even move. Moving it somewhere else in the appartment is no option either.

So, I was looking at this converter:
Composite, S-Video, and HDMI® to HDMI® Converter and Switch w/ HDMI PAL NTSC Support - Monoprice
That could very well do the job, retro gaming-wise. Does GAF have anything to say about this idea?

For the hacked Wii, we could buy an adapter for it to use Component instead of composite. Or HDMI. That should be cheap enough. For the actual retail game he possess, like I said to him, he can always use his WiiU.

HDMI-wise, we looked at switches. This one particularly. He has to connect, on HDMI, these devices: the analog->digital converter above, the switch above, TV Box, WiiU, PS3, PS4 and a DVD player with a HDMI-output.

So our plan was to get a 32 to 36" 1080p 120Hz LED TV. Those aren't legion... in Canada. In US there are a TON of it. Budget: Less than 1000$CAD (TV alone).

Reasons not to choose a plasma TV: No plasma for the size, even if we chose the minimum width: Too big for the distance he will play from the TV, his room will become even hotter than it is now (usually hangs around 27-28oC all-time), power consumption, much thicker than LED, etc.

Also, he won't buy his TV online but will buy the switches, converters, cords and etc online. Brand he has in mind for the TV: Samsung and LG. Maybe Toshiba. Smart TV is optional because he already has a laptop and PC in his room. No 3D. I take into consideration that the TV will 3 HDMI outputs and 1 component/composite output by default.

So what does GAF think about overall plan? Is there anything I should think about before he makes his decision? Better ideas or suggestions?

Thanks guys!

Note: Stuff I ask of you is bolded!
 
so I am confused which one of these I should get

Vizio

or

Sony

Or if you guys have a better suggestion for one thats 650$ (including tax) Max .
I searched for reviews but can't decide
Choose a different Sony TV because that particular model seems to have light leakage. I don't know much about the Vizio unfortunately. I suggest going to a local store to see the TVs in person before buying.
 
I am a newbie when it to TVs , how bad is Light Leakage problem? does it affect the experience ?
is it a common "expected" problem or a defect that is not necessarily will appear in all units ?
 
I am a newbie when it to TVs , how bad is Light Leakage problem? does it affect the experience ?
is it a common "expected" problem or a defect that is not necessarily will appear in all units ?
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1513305/sony-2014-w600b-w800b-w850b/150
(Scroll down there is a picture of the light leak)

I'm not sure if it's a bad batch, but I would check it out in person before buying. Most Best Buy stores should have a floor model set up at this point.
 
Choose a different Sony TV because that particular model seems to have light leakage. I don't know much about the Vizio unfortunately. I suggest going to a local store to see the TVs in person before buying.
Unconfirmed judging from the reviews.

I recommend seeing and light leakage is mostly a matter of luck too, could be horrible on some W650A's sadly, mostly fine in others. Same for this year models probably.

Should outperform a vizio if all checks out fine. Sadly they're not W705B's which are not available there but they can be good enough.
 
- Thin.
- Colorful and bright
- No heat
- Pricing.
Thin, Colorful and bright SHOULD NOT be things you should be aiming for.

Color accuracy, maybe, colorful usually means decalibrated. bright... Do you want an IPS screen? Nobody is buying IPS.

As for thin? it's a fat screen TV, I never understand how thin is never thing enough, but that's one of the reasons we're stranded with shitty edge lit strategies. Higher end this year being full array, that's right, they're less thin and so much fucking better for it.

Lots of uniformity issues also come from the TV being too thin, as it's too much stress on the frame who is unprepared to support the screen evenly across it's hook points, more stress=brighther, it's even happening on OLEDs actually. (well, not possible to be seen on blacks obviously, but happening nonetheless.

Those don't signal well informed purchasing at all.
Of course, he is a gamer. He has those consoles : NES (7 I think lol), SNES, N64, GC (with GBA extension), Wii (one hacked, one legit), WiiU, PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4 and Dreamcast.

As you might imagine, the main problem is to be able to play retro console on that TV and today's TVs doesn't play along very well with older consoles. I googled a bit the issue and most people goes "keep your old TV!". Except that in his case, that is NOT an option. His current CRT TV is a 27" or 29" I believe and his room is already jam-packed with stuff, we barely can even move. Moving it somewhere else in the appartment is no option either.
Tell him to get a XRGB-mini and a Sony TV.

Samsung and LG are out, input lag is too big, so yeah, Sony or Panasonic seem to be the only ones caring.
So, I was looking at this converter:
Composite, S-Video, and HDMI® to HDMI® Converter and Switch w/ HDMI PAL NTSC Support - Monoprice
That could very well do the job, retro gaming-wise. Does GAF have anything to say about this idea?
Nonono, XRGB-mini.

No modern TV takes 240p for what it is because it's a hack of 480i. Treating it like 480i will fuck up stuff like interpolating shadows and effects.
For the hacked Wii, we could buy an adapter for it to use Component instead of composite. Or HDMI. That should be cheap enough. For the actual retail game he possess, like I said to him, he can always use his WiiU.
Composite to component/hdmi? FUCK NO, don't do that.

Buy component cables for the Wii will you?
HDMI-wise, we looked at switches. This one particularly. He has to connect, on HDMI, these devices: the analog->digital converter above, the switch above, TV Box, WiiU, PS3, PS4 and a DVD player with a HDMI-output.
Most of the TV's you'll be buying have 4 hdmi ports, screw the switch,boot the DVD player out of the equation, PS3 and PS4 read that stuff anyways.

Otherwise, switch its cables for component which it should support.
So our plan was to get a 32 to 36" 1080p 120Hz LED TV. Those aren't legion... in Canada. In US there are a TON of it. Budget: Less than 1000$CAD (TV alone).
There are no good TV's anymore under the 40/42" area.

Consider a monitor.
Reasons not to choose a plasma TV: No plasma for the size, even if we chose the minimum width: Too big for the distance he will play from the TV, his room will become even hotter than it is now (usually hangs around 27-28oC all-time), power consumption, much thicker than LED, etc.
What's the distance from the screen?
Also, he won't buy his TV online but will buy the switches, converters, cords and etc online. Brand he has in mind for the TV: Samsung and LG. Maybe Toshiba. Smart TV is optional because he already has a laptop and PC in his room. No 3D. I take into consideration that the TV will 3 HDMI outputs and 1 component/composite output by default.
You have to think that solution you described very carefully because as I pointed above it seems to be all over the place.

You're pinning yourselves into a dificult set to work with. Samsung is crap when it comes to input lag, LG is not a lot better, Toshiba tends to be better but it's image quality/quality assurance tends to be a little behind, their assistance in europe at least, is utter crap.
So what does GAF think about overall plan? Is there anything I should think about before he makes his decision? Better ideas or suggestions?
If XRGB is not an option go for a GBS-8220, sync stripper cable and scanline generator.

Other than that, avoid switches as much as you can so look for a TV with 4 hdmi ports rather than 2 or 3, and boot that DVD player out of the equation; if you only have 3 or need another HDMI port then make the PS3 component before you go into switch-happy-land.

You also might want to look into second hand TV's as for the same price you're looking for them new you might be buying something upper class. As I mentioned before 32" screens have actually decreased in quality in recent years, a higher end screen with 2 years will still be better or at least evenly matched with ours, always keep an eye on input lag too.

Another plus at looking back not forward with TV's is that VGA connectors are a very rare thing to have these days, and it can come very handy specially for retro gaming purposes. 2 years ago even a crappy TV had VGA.
 
Thin, Colorful and bright SHOULD NOT be things you should be aiming for.

Color accuracy, maybe, colorful usually means decalibrated. bright... Do you want an IPS screen? Nobody is buying IPS.

As for thin? it's a fat screen TV, I never understand how thin is never thing enough, but that's one of the reasons we're stranded with shitty edge lit strategies. Higher end this year being full array, that's right, they're less thin and so much fucking better for it.

Lots of uniformity issues also come from the TV being too thin, as it's too much stress on the frame who is unprepared to support the screen evenly across it's hook points, more stress=brighther, it's even happening on OLEDs actually. (well, not possible to be seen on blacks obviously, but happening nonetheless.

Those don't signal well informed purchasing at all.

He's dead-set on a LED TV. He will NOT purchase a Plasma TV. Of course, the mount will be purchased for the size of the TV. I might have badly worded my stuff with colorful colors and brightness. While I informed him that Plasma as the better color accuracy, he still like how colors shows up on a LED TV. The brightness plays a role, I guess. Not thin as "thin as a piece of paper" but, you know, the usual thin-ness of LED TVs.

I am not trying to ditch your advice, I'm only explaining my reasonning.

Tell him to get a XRGB-mini and a Sony TV.

Samsung and LG are out, input lag is too big, so yeah, Sony or Panasonic seem to be the only ones caring.

Nonono, XRGB-mini.

I forgot to mention about input lag in my original post. I wanted the TV to have a Gamer Mode. Good to know that only Panasonic and Sony only cares about input lag.

*looks up RGB mini*
No f*ing way in hell he will buy a 400$ piece of hardware to play his old consoles. Knowing him, as long as it shows up on screen, he'll be more than happy. In fact, I'm the same. Exemple, he still downloads low-res 700MB DVD-rips and think the quality is good. *shrug*

No modern TV takes 240p for what it is because it's a hack of 480i. Treating it like 480i will fuck up stuff like interpolating shadows and effects.

I'm aware that it's an upscale madness. However, like I said, as long as it shows correctly on the TV and that he can play them, he'll be more than happy. He has low standards.

Composite to component/hdmi? FUCK NO, don't do that.

Buy component cables for the Wii will you?

OK. Got a place where I can buy one in Canada?

Most of the TV's you'll be buying have 4 hdmi ports, screw the switch,boot the DVD player out of the equation, PS3 and PS4 read that stuff anyways.

Otherwise, switch its cables for component which it should support.

I don't know but, here in Canada, most TVs I've looked at have 3 HDMI ports,

There are no good TV's anymore under the 40/42" area.

Consider a monitor.

Are you crazy?! 30"+ monitors are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Anyway, he is deadset on a TV. I guess, I'll make him consider a 40"

What's the distance from the screen?

5 meters approximatively.

You have to think that solution you described very carefully because as I pointed above it seems to be all over the place.

You're pinning yourselves into a dificult set to work with. Samsung is crap when it comes to input lag, LG is not a lot better, Toshiba tends to be better but it's image quality/quality assurance tends to be a little behind, their assistance in europe at least, is utter crap.If XRGB is not an option go for a GBS-8220, sync stripper cable and scanline generator.

Other than that, avoid switches as much as you can so look for a TV with 4 hdmi ports rather than 2 or 3, and boot that DVD player out of the equation; if you only have 3 or need another HDMI port then make the PS3 component before you go into switch-happy-land.

You also might want to look into second hand TV's as for the same price you're looking for them new you might be buying something upper class. As I mentioned before 32" screens have actually decreased in quality in recent years, a higher end screen with 2 years will still be better or at least evenly matched with ours, always keep an eye on input lag too.

Another plus at looking back not forward with TV's is that VGA connectors are a very rare thing to have these days, and it can come very handy specially for retro gaming purposes. 2 years ago even a crappy TV had VGA.

For the GBS-8220, it seems a better solution to the way-too-expensive thing that is the RGB-Mini. So, it could be interesting to look at. But looking it up, I think it has only Component input which will need to a composite to component cable before even inputing. To be honnest, for him, it'll be more than an hassle. And the GBS-8220 doesn't even have a casing :\

For the DVD, personally, I'd say "Yeah, you're right...". For him, he will NOT play blu-ray and DVDs in his PS3/PS4. "Console discs drives are for games only even if it can read other things". So, he needs his dedicated DVD player. Anyway, we'll need the switch anyway because even if the TV has 4 inputs, we still need to connect the PS3, PS4, WiiU and TV Box. Knowing him, he'll want that DVD player connected. So... Switch we go.

For the "second-hand" part, he is also dead-set 2014-model TVs. He wants to buy a brand-new TV. I looked some more at current TVs and you are right, there are not a lot of TVs with VGA anymore. What happened?! I guess that now that all laptop have HDMI-out and they figured that VGA was worthless.

All in all, you might say "Why do you even ask?". At this point, I can say that, first, I did not know that Samsung and LG were horrible input-lag wise and that Toshiba was middle of the road. ANd you are right that I should buy component cables for the Wii instead of endlessly converting. See? That was helpful.

The remaining question is... how we'll handle retro gaming. Seriously. I might just as well call him and make him bring one of his NES and SNES to try on our Toshiba 50" LED we have here (not used for retro gaming) to see how he'll react. Also, he does not play his retro consoles a lot, but want them to work in case. In fact, I'm the one who retro-games a lot when I'm at his place. Haha. I mainly play N64, SNES and GC though).

So, in summary:

Brand for low input lag:
Sony, Panasonic.

HDMI devices and/or consoles:
5 (PS3, PS4, WiiU, DVD player and TV Box)

Component device or consoles:
1 (Wii w/GC BC)

Composite :
1. NES, SNES, N64 and Dreamcast. SNES and N64 will be the most played but no more than 1 console will be connected at the time. Also note: VHS player might be used at some point because he has a VHS-using camcorder he uses to record some event in town or family souvenirs.

Thanks and that's about it for now.

I will be contacting him now.

EDIT

After further testing, with my own N64 on my Toshiba 50" LED, I can definitely see why a XRGB-mini would be desirable. The image quality BS. Before I turned the Game Mode on, there was a noticeable input lag. After turning it on, I couldN,t feel any lag anymore. The game Goldeneye 007. I told this to my friend.

My friend told me that he definitely wants a 32". Of course, the stretching will be less obvious on a smaller TV. Even if I told him that it looked like BS after testing myself, he thinks that 400$+ for XRGB-mini was extremely expensive and seem to have crossed out the idea.

Also, he let me know that bigger TVs (on his mom Plasma TV - because yes, he lives with his parents), he had headaches. So, he definitely wants a 32" TV and as soon as I mentionned "He said you should consider a monitor", he flat out said "No way."

I guess at this point, what's the best 32" LED Sony or Panasonic TV is there that could be bought in person?
 
He's dead-set on a LED TV. He will NOT purchase a Plasma TV. Of course, the mount will be purchased for the size of the TV. I might have badly worded my stuff with colorful colors and brightness. While I informed him that Plasma as the better color accuracy, he still like how colors shows up on a LED TV. The brightness plays a role, I guess. Not thin as "thin as a piece of paper" but, you know, the usual thin-ness of LED TVs.

I am not trying to ditch your advice, I'm only explaining my reasonning.
It's not a plasma argument at all, it's a thinner TV being a plus argument.

The less thin an LCD is the better it usually it is; which is why I focused on LCD and the backlight instead of plasma, plasma has no backlight because it's self emiting.

Even with edge lit apparatus, the thiner it is the worse it performs typically because that's like a mass produced sandwich it's also why people try to loosen up screws and massage the affected areas, it's all because the manufacturer though the consumer wanted a few milimeters/tenths of an inch off.

That was my vendetta with thin, don't focus on that.
*looks up RGB mini*
No f*ing way in hell he will buy a 400$ piece of hardware to play his old consoles. Knowing him, as long as it shows up on screen, he'll be more than happy. In fact, I'm the same. Exemple, he still downloads low-res 700MB DVD-rips and think the quality is good. *shrug*
That's only because he never invested in quality.

If he did, or from the moment he does he could never go back. From what you said though I can detract that most of those consoles aren't using proper cables, it's a shame.

Look at this:

http://www.chrismcovell.com/gotRGB/rgb_compare.html

Hoover on images for shit quality equivalent.

That looks even worse on a HDTV.

Anyways, the problem is CRT will have better quality than the HDTV if you don't recreate it.

I did mention the XRGB-mini because your friend has a retro collection that does seem to be worth it, but if he is not willing to go there, he has the games anyway so emulation is not illegal as long as he only runs the games he has so he might as well build a retro games machine that uses emulation+game controller adapter (or knock-offs with USB interface), buy a Retron 5 when it's out as that'll assume duties for a few consoles and accept it's controllers, turn a hacked Wii into a retro gaming jukebox.

and since I've talked about retro controller adapters, some dude specializes on them, for both Wii and Original Xbox/PC.

All of which can be good retro machines for emulation.

If the XRGB-mini is too expensive you can always look into the mini-slg+GBS+sync stripper solution. a "sync stripper" of sorts can be a scart to component converter scan scaler, but never opt for a 1080i/1080p upscale solution.

In fact this is universal, never go for internally upscaled stuff as they might not upscale all that well and always add 33 ms of extra lag for essentially nothing. lag is additive, so it's not so much that lag is a problem as it is that 33 ms and 33 ms there can add up.
I'm aware that it's an upscale madness. However, like I said, as long as it shows correctly on the TV and that he can play them, he'll be more than happy. He has low standards.
Tell him to up his game a little, I'm still purchasing stuff every month so I get the quality I can pull out of my Wii on component to, say, the NES (NES to output RGB is a nightmare), and he'll have a buy lots of cables.

But he'll eventually thank you for it.
OK. Got a place where I can buy one in Canada?
You'll be able to buy them for sure because they're even officially available from Nintendo, albeit official stuff is universally expensive for no good reason.

Cheapest ones on ebay should suffice, while you're at it they're also really cheap for PS2 and they're worth it; will also work with a PS3 if you need to free a hdmi output, but I'll advise to look for thicker cables because the thiner it is the more meant for SD content rather than HD they'll be. Which is mostly a non issue for Wii and PS2.
I don't know but, here in Canada, most TVs I've looked at have 3 HDMI ports
This production year most models are doing the switch to 4 hdmi ports. But I already understood I was thinking of more expensive TV's than he is too so you might be right.
Are you crazy?! 30"+ monitors are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Anyway, he is deadset on a TV. I guess, I'll make him consider a 40"
More than a TV? Color me shocked.

I was thinking of a Benq GW2750 though, not +30" per say, close... and 1080p (which at some point when it comes to monitors turns out to be not very top tier at all).
5 meters approximatively.
5 meters could accomodate a 65" according to viewing distance recommendations, you sure he doesn't/can't want to go higher? if it's due to price he can consider a projector.
For the GBS-8220, it seems a better solution to the way-too-expensive thing that is the RGB-Mini. So, it could be interesting to look at. But looking it up, I think it has only Component input which will need to a composite to component cable before even inputing. To be honnest, for him, it'll be more than an hassle. And the GBS-8220 doesn't even have a casing :\
That's true, the GBS-8220 is not a complete solution though, it's a module solution.

A complete implementation version of it with casing would be this:

http://arcadeforge.net/SLG-in-a-Box/SLG-in-a-Box::71.html

The module version something like this:

http://bencao74.blogspot.pt/2011/11/installation-pictorial-of-diy-scaler.html

If the TV is not to be wall mounted he can use the VESA hook points and plexiglass to bolt these on the back, like this. with 4 hook points on the back pretty much anything can be hidden.

For US/canada I'd probably recommend buying a Scart/RGB converter to component and then feed that component to a GBS-8220 (as it'll behave as a sync stripper), as said previously without upscale being crucial, and then feed the GBS 8220. also bare in mind the most important step really is the scanline generator in order to defeat the TV soft upscaling (meant for movies) algoritm so in the GBS 8220 video out you should have a SLG generator, the cheapest one is mini slg.

Cheapest one will probably be this one, this one is also not that expensive from the dude that does retro controller adapters for Wii/PC, and it's more full fledged for it but will cost $50 (USD) with shipping, shame because it would be $30 otherwise. But if you're buying the controller thing perhaps you'll only pay postage once.
For the DVD, personally, I'd say "Yeah, you're right...". For him, he will NOT play blu-ray and DVDs in his PS3/PS4. "Console discs drives are for games only even if it can read other things". So, he needs his dedicated DVD player. Anyway, we'll need the switch anyway because even if the TV has 4 inputs, we still need to connect the PS3, PS4, WiiU and TV Box. Knowing him, he'll want that DVD player connected. So... Switch we go.
*growls* No chance for a Receiver even?

Well, if it has to be then go for a mechanical switch of sorts (meaning you have to tell it to change rather than the switch "sensing" it, as automatic switches are usually lossy. The same is true for scart/component switchers.
For the "second-hand" part, he is also dead-set 2014-model TVs. He wants to buy a brand-new TV. I looked some more at current TVs and you are right, there are not a lot of TVs with VGA anymore. What happened?! I guess that now that all laptop have HDMI-out and they figured that VGA was worthless.
They're axing everything "old", S-video is also out and for US it was a mighty fine way to plug things if the option to it was composite (composite blends sync and color information into a channel with terrible results, s-video has sync and "luma"/color separated, so while colors are not separate the detail is all there). scart is better but it's non-standard for US.

Speaking of which, for the Scart/RGB adapter he'd probably need this, being canada based. Specially while he doesn't invest in better cables. PAL consoles all bring an adapter like that with composite cables.

Anyway, if he wants retro gaming on a budget I'd put VGA (otherwise he'll need an adapter for VGA to HDMI) and 1080p over picture quality on a side by side basis.

Also, don't scratch monitors altogether, they can lag very little and always have VGA still.

That reminds me, you have a database here:

http://www.displaylag.com/display-database/
All in all, you might say "Why do you even ask?". At this point, I can say that, first, I did not know that Samsung and LG were horrible input-lag wise and that Toshiba was middle of the road. ANd you are right that I should buy component cables for the Wii instead of endlessly converting. See? That was helpful.
Some LG's are not bad, Samsung usually is. But nothing is a golden rule of thumb. The higher priced they are the more lagged Samsung and LG will always be though which is why people looking for a balance will just discard them altogether and say it like I said.

It has to do with their motion compensation engines mostly and the fact they are not gaming focused at all, but the less reliant on them they are the more snappy they get for games.

Toshiba isn't focused on gaming either, but managed to have some TV's doing less than 20 ms, which is a test that takes ghosting into account, it's "good" even if the rest of the TV isn't super. It's next only to some Sony models and PC monitors. Panasonic is a little over that but their image quality engine is pretty much there always.
The remaining question is... how we'll handle retro gaming. Seriously. I might just as well call him and make him bring one of his NES and SNES to try on our Toshiba 50" LED we have here (not used for retro gaming) to see how he'll react. Also, he does not play his retro consoles a lot, but want them to work in case. In fact, I'm the one who retro-games a lot when I'm at his place. Haha. I mainly play N64, SNES and GC though).
I see, we'll if he does value them though I'd invest, I'd say 20% of what is play on a day to day basis is retro, not more. (and I don't often get very far cause I've already beat all those games), but I still try to have them up and running to a notch.

I'd say instead of giving the step all at once he should reserve a budget per month for it, I'd put the scaling thing going if I were him and go from there.
Brand for low input lag:
Sony, Panasonic.
Check the database instead, that way you can pinpoint models, because it varies a lot across brands. Look for low input lag and hdtv (to get rid of monitors) if you will. I'd also say 1080p always, 720p is worse for scaling because it has less pixels, can't double 480i/p vertically and that introduces constraints. (even for 240p)
1. NES, SNES, N64 and Dreamcast. SNES and N64 will be the most played but no more than 1 console will be connected at the time. Also note: VHS player might be used at some point because he has a VHS-using camcorder he uses to record some event in town or family souvenirs.
Dreamcast benefits a lot from having a vga cable/box, snes from RGB and N64 from S-video.

And then the scaler if he's willing to assemble it.
After further testing, with my own N64 on my Toshiba 50" LED, I can definitely see why a XRGB-mini would be desirable. The image quality BS. Before I turned the Game Mode on, there was a noticeable input lag. After turning it on, I couldN,t feel any lag anymore. The game Goldeneye 007. I told this to my friend.
Yes, that's a normal thing to happen... It's not just scaling (although I'd say it's a big culprit too) but cables matter a lot more on a HDTV than on a CRT.

From this:

Mk64+composite.jpg


To this:

MK64+s-video.jpg


PAL N64's have to have modified cables because we lack RGB (nobody purchased RGB cables for SNES and nintendo axed them to spare a few dollars, typical nintendo) and also lacked S-Video official support in europe (only appeared in european TV's around... 2000?) so our cables have to be internally amplified just so the image is not too dark.

For US models S-video is supported and mighty cheap comparatively. Well worth it, even for CRT's let alone modern TV's.

So, S-video helps a lot obviously, at least you'll get rid of interference and dot crawl and gain definition and "pop" it won't solve how low-res it is but it'll look 10 times better.

This for the N64, usually the best cables you can get are not S-video, but they're usually good enough.
My friend told me that he definitely wants a 32". Of course, the stretching will be less obvious on a smaller TV. Even if I told him that it looked like BS after testing myself, he thinks that 400$+ for XRGB-mini was extremely expensive and seem to have crossed out the idea.
Try to pitch him the LG 42BL6300+gbs-8220+scanline generator and a scart to rgb converter pack.

I just checked and that LG not only has good input lag for a cheap price ($600 usd) it also has VGA/RS-232 through a mini jack, and most TV's in that range lack it. It's also 1080p (a lot of toshibas aren't).

Tell him it'll look like this with proper cables, but it'll look sufficiently like a CRT even if he uses the cables he has for the time being.
Also, he let me know that bigger TVs (on his mom Plasma TV - because yes, he lives with his parents), he had headaches. So, he definitely wants a 32" TV and as soon as I mentionned "He said you should consider a monitor", he flat out said "No way."
That might have nothing to do with inches.

Plasma relies a lot on hertz because otherwise the image would be as tiring as a good old CRT. What I'm saying is... They flicker.

Flicker tires eyes.

It was a non-issue with 2000 Hz rates later plasmas had, but I'm assuming that not to be the case, 300 Hz at most if he gets headaches, perhaps less.
I guess at this point, what's the best 32" LED Sony or Panasonic TV is there that could be bought in person?
I'm not seeing any model worth purchasing from any brand in 32". The less bad would be Sony 32W650A but that's a 2013 model and probably not very easy to purchase anymore. It was also not class leading like the 42W650A, worser chips, 32" is not a good choice as of now, they're hampered products, there's no high range... only crap.

Sony screen output in US/canada is fucked up, sadly, so you'd have to go 60", for a W850B to get something good this year, we have those in 42" here in the pal lands and comparatively way cheaper than the 60" model obviously. To make things worse the W705B model is missing so only the W605B can be purchased which are not bad but are not great either. W705B being the best gaming TV money can buy this year.

That leaves, from what I'm seeing, Toshiba, but you have to up the game in inches to avoid 720p, and the LG 42LB6300. Which is surprisingly a good performer and has vga.

I think panasonic hasn't fully rolled out their 2014 line because I know very little of it, DT60 were not bad performers as were other models, not a whole lot to go wrong no stinker models, but they're also not very cheap and none are "class leading".

I'm rooting for him to get the LG model because it has VGA and that's a step less for plugging the scaler solution we talked about, one step mean meaning cheaper.
 
Some more 4K reviews...

Another review of the Sony X900B/X9005 4K TV
With [Scene Select] set to “Game” on the KD55X9005B, our Leo Bodnar tester reported a lag time of 41ms, which nevertheless is among the lowest you can get on a UHD television. Before you turn your nose up, please remember that this used to be considered an excellent result for gaming responsiveness before the arrival of those crazy-fast Bravias.
Because [Game] mode works by keeping picture processing to a minimum, we did notice more instances of posterization, but we wouldn’t swap for another preset (certainly not [Cinema] mode which had a lag of 128ms!), as we believe a low input lag is of the utmost importance for an enjoyable gaming experience. For PC gamers, [Game] mode also provides 4:4:4 chroma reproduction.


And the Samsung non-curved 8550/7500 4K TV
Samsung doesn’t seem to be trying its hardest to appeal to gamers, at least as far as its high-end UHD offerings are concerned. Like last year’s F9000 series, placing our Leo Bodnar tester on the middle flashing bar on the 55HU7500′s screen returned an input lag figure of 69ms in both [Game] and [PC] modes.


And the first review I've seen of the new Panasonic AX800 edge-lit 4K TV

Strange that only one of the HDMI inputs will accept a 4K signal though it does also have a DisplayPort 1.2a input.
 
A lot of the points in the reviews for the 2014 models make me disheartened. I sorta wish I had jumped on a W900A when I had the chance. Holding out hope for some of the higher end Vizios, otherwise I'll just have to stick with my old CCFL 42" for another year.
 
Why does it take so long for them to know what tv is the best this year. Half of the year is almost already gone. Cnet use to be updated on TV's really fast, or do they always take this much time.
I need to know what TV to get this year. I'm getting a new place in the next 2-4 months. I can't decide what TV to get :(
 
Any of you guys run cable through walls for a wall-mounted TV? I'm looking at this:

http://www.powerbridgesolution.com/oneckconnectorkit.html

which seems like a pretty okay option, except for the footnote where they say Cook County, IL and NYC, NY are the two places where running type-NM building cable through the wall aren't allowed, and I just so happen to live in Cook County. Some research seems to suggest that all electrical needs to be run through conduit here, so I guess maybe I could just run a conduit tube through the wall then run this powerbridge thing through it?
 
So I've been tinkering with the settings on the Sony W653 that I'm using as a display on my PC, and I really don't think I can get it to look right next to the EIZO Foris FS2333 I have sitting right next to it. I have no doubt the EIZO produces colors better no matter circumstances, but I feel like getting myself some proper tools to make the 42'' TV look at least half as good next to it. I ran some pictures I side-by-side and got it to look adequate, but I'm thinking of putting some money into proper calibrating tools.

I'm currently eyeing the Spyder 4 tools by Datacolor, specifically the Spyder 4 Elite. At 200€, it sits at deep-end of my budget for a calibrating device - for home use, as a first timer anyway. Does anyone here have experience with these things, or similar ones by other manufacturers in the 140-200€ range? I'd be interested in calibrating the Sony LCD TV, looking at the EIZO monitor again for good measure and checking on my ZT60.
 
Any recommendations for a 32"-40" 1080P TV? I'm upgrading from a basic 32" LCD TV. Something that has image processing features for interlaced games (mainly 480i) would be a plus. This Sony TV apparently has all the features I want, if this article is correct.
 
I am very much into twitch shooters and fighters can anyone recommend me a tv with sub 30ms input lag and the best picture possible. The cheaper the better.
 
Samsung UNF8000 or UNF9000?

What's the big difference and which one is better? All I care about is good picture quality for movies/cable. No gaming, No Plasma.
 
Samsung UNF8000 or UNF9000?

What's the big difference and which one is better? All I care about is good picture quality for movies/cable. No gaming, No Plasma.
8000 is 1080p and 9000 is 4K. 8000 has a native 240 panel.

The 9000 has a really shitty 4K upscaler, unlike Sony, so between the two id get an 8000.
 
8000 is 1080p and 9000 is 4K. 8000 has a native 240 panel.

The 9000 has a really shitty 4K upscaler, unlike Sony, so between the two id get an 8000.

Abe's of maine website. They have it for the lowest price. Is that website any good?

Also, is there another LED/LCD TV you would recommend over the 8000?
 
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