Need a new TV to read Playstation 3 text

[Elmer the Pointy]

Per the title, I want to get a new television. I just bought a Playstation 3, and it seems like all my games have tiny text. I'm sure it's very sharp and readable on today's TVs, but on mine it sucks.

Stuff like:

A B C D あいうえお　アイウエオ

is okay, but stuff like:

救急車

might as well be white boxes.

So far, I just lean forward and squint, or can understand the word/character based on context... but I got a PS3! I want my high-end graphics! So I'm looking for something with a really sharp image.

What kind of TV would people recommend? What connections should it have, what type of screen? Also, will I need special cables beyond the standard Red/White/Yellow set? Basically, how can I set up my PS3 with a TV that will make it look awesome?

Stupid question maybe, but could a PC monitor (with the right ports) be a cheaper alternative?

I can spend up to about $1000, but would like to keep the price down around $600-800 if possible. I don't need a huge-ass TV; 20-32in. would be fine.

[SephYuyX]

Depends on what size youre looking for. $1000 can easily buy you a nice 40"ish LCD TV (for ex VIZIO) Youll usually get more for your money buying a bigger TV, than you would a GOOD midsize monitor. HDMI is obviously the component of choice.

What type of TV do you have currently? An old tube box? Most any LCD TVs/Monitors will be able to show hiragana/katakana no problem, and really, as long as the source of the text isnt miniscule, most new LCDs wont have a problem showing complicated kanji.

If your in Japan, are you planning to buy over there, or import? Im not sure if youd get a better deal importing from the US with $1k, or buying over there with ¥100k.

[Elmer the Pointy]

Right now I have a tube box with a round screen.
I am planning to buy a new TV from a retail store here during all these huge sales. What I am not sure about is the difference between the types of TVs, like LCD or HD-LCD or 1080p etc
Should the TV have an HDMI port on it? Does both sound and video go through that?

I used to know everyhing about this stuff

[SephYuyX]

No such thing as an 'HDLCD', it's just a marketing thing, but what an HDLCD refers to is a 1080p res. Which those are pretty cheap now a days, so you always wanna go for a 1080p TV, or if you cant afford it, a 720p one (dont get a 1080i). Most will also have atleast 1 HDMI port on it, most have 2 to 4, and yes, both audio and video go through it.

The one thing you do want to take note of is HDMI will only work with HDMI things, like the PS3, if you have an old VCR, youll also want to make sure the TV has the old RGB, or SVid, or Component connections, which most do, as older things wont work with HDMI.

Also, dont worry about plasma TVs (but again depends what size youre looking at), LCDs are more cost efficent, and usually better if the TV is under 50"ish.

Im a real big Vizio fan as they are great bang for their buck, and not quite sure of their install base in Japan, but a quick google shows they just got into Japan this past summer? But theyre selling a 42" for ¥98k, which seems a bit too expensive to me.

[Correction]

Right now I have a tube box with a round screen.
I am planning to buy a new TV from a retail store here during all these huge sales. What I am not sure about is the difference between the types of TVs, like LCD or HD-LCD or 1080p etc
Should the TV have an HDMI port on it? Does both sound and video go through that?

I used to know everyhing about this stuff

The only thing that makes a TV hi-def is the resolution of the screen. For all intents and purposes you want a 1080p display, just choose how big you want it to be.

From there the choices are academic. LCD/Plasma barely matters, go with what you can afford.

HDMI will handle both audio and video signals for you. You can of course use a separate audio cable for a receiver but if all you have is the HDMI cable then it will work.

Neither your PS3 nor your new TV will come with an HDMI cable. Plan ahead: HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more! or in your case, visit the nearest 'we sell everything' consumer electronics store like Bic Camera.

[Guitarman]

I had heard for a while that plasma tv's i think it was, cannot play games on them. If you try, the image is burned onto the tv effectively ruining it. I don't know if this was resolved lately, but it's something to ask your dealer about. Some tv's in the US have "game ready" on their list of features, so look for that.

[Priran]

edit: nvm

[Correction]

I had heard for a while that plasma tv's i think it was, cannot play games on them. If you try, the image is burned onto the tv effectively ruining it. I don't know if this was resolved lately, but it's something to ask your dealer about. Some tv's in the US have "game ready" on their list of features, so look for that.

I've also heard it said repeatedly on bg that the burn in issue is not present for the current generation of plasmas.

[Guitarman]

Good to know. I'm in the market as well and I was worried about that.

[SephYuyX]

It still is, but only for very long periods of time.

[Elmer the Pointy]

Thanks for the info everyone

SephYuy, it does seem like the prices are higher on average here, which kind of sucks. But with all the sales and points from buying a PS3 it should even out.

I'm heading to the store to shop around, I'll see if there are any Vizio. Are there any brands out there to definitely avoid?

[SephYuyX]

Basically any brands aside from the top dogs, Song, Samsung, etc, the rest are usually garbage, LG is bordering ok though, but depends, avoid Westinghouse at all costs. Youll pay higher for the top names but theyre usually good TVs. Vizio is a nice middle ground, and actually out perform the top brands in cases. I and many others swear by them.

[Kazen]

I have a Samsung 32 inch lcd and I love it, the picture quality is amazing and you should be able to get one for 1k or under (I paid 1k for mine on sale like a yr ago).

I work in a store that sells them so I get to compare pretty easily. From what I've seen Samsungs usually have the best picture quality, better than the Sony Bravias. Vizios are ok, better than most middle ground tvs but samsung still has the picture quality edge over them.

[Kaisha]

Just be sure to check the TV actually displays a native resolution of 1920x1080.

What pisses me off are all the displays out there toting 1080p compatibility but only display a native resolution of 1368x768 (or whatever that one was). Nothing worse than a downscaled display on a large-screen.

Most of everything else has been said pretty much.

[Elmer the Pointy]

Thanks again for the help.

If anyone's interested, I ended up getting a Toshiba 37'' LCD (37Z7000) TV. Apparently it has this MetaBrain Premium thing in it that gives it the highest quality picture and makes non-HD stuff look better. This in addition to having 1920x1080 resolution. I kept seeing these giant TVs with great deals that ended up being some weird resolution, so thanks for the warning on that.

It's equipped like I wanted with HDMI ports, headphone port, RGB just in case, etc. Also it can record TV shows onto a USB hard drive, which is pretty cool.

The prices were so amazing I just kept creeping up in size. I started small, but kept seeing bigger TVs even cheaper than the smaller ones. They cut off almost half the price, and then you can forgo a number of points to further cut the price. I feel kind of dumb though, because still received enough points from the purchase to buy a PS3... should have waited a few days and it could have been free.

Only issue seems to be it has 13000:1 Contrast, which is low I guess?

Here is the TV set up on the table.



I wanted to pop in something huge on graphics immediately, but then Naomi came up with a better idea regarding how to properly christen the new television.

[Elmer the Pointy]

Here's Little Big Planet, one of the games I had a lot of trouble with. It's incredibly crisp now, I can even read everything clearly.

OK, that's all.

[Akiyama]

Awesome Elmer! Welcome to the land of PeeEssThree. =o Mario looks great, and nice TV.

[SephYuyX]

13000:1 isnt bad at all really, and as long as youre happy with the TV, it's a good choice.

Edit: Ho crap Elmer, 200k yen? Thats twice what you wanted to pay, but I guess if you were using points and got it cheaper, cant complain.

[Kaisha]

13k:1 is actually pretty damn good compared to the typical TVs I see on sale.

My PC monitor does 10k:1 and gives off enough light that I could see everything in my room at night.


And bleh....kanji......the main reason I can barely read Japanese at all in games. Was more fun in the older games where limited memory/cartridge space meant they had to stick to hiragana/katakana only.

If your TV supports it, go in on the PS3 (if it's hooked up via HDMI) and turn on the full-color range setting under the Settings display menu (or somewhere around there), it'll make the colours more vibrant.

Anyhow, welcome to the world of wide-screen gaming at 1080p! (now if only more games supported above 720p resolution......)

[Akiyama]

Yeah. The difference in WipeoutHD after I got my HDMI Cable (used the three colored AV Cables before) and changed those settings was huge... I was like "Wtf was I playing before again?"