Proscan TV for gaming

[Deepak]

I am planning to buy a new TV which will also be used for gaming (but no I am not getting big plasma TV, I don't have that much money). Since Progressive Scan is a buzz word nowadays I ll try to get a ProScan TV. But now the problem is that Proscan is not such a catchword in India. I browsed through Samsung India's site but nowhere did they mention anything about Proscan.

Then on Panasonic's site I found this TV.

All it says is "Lines of Resolution 700".

Is it a Proscan TV?? To be more specific is there any Proscan TV in the range of $400-450?

 

[London Geezer]

Don't think it's a pro-scan TV. But i could be wrong. I think Panasonic only do wide-screen pro scan TVs, so that would rule this out. Again, i could be wrong...

 

[Ty]

Hmm, I thought at one point "Pro-scan" was simply a marketing term from Panasonic or Toshiba.

Anyhow I'd recommend heading over to avsforum.com to get some information on various TV models. It sounds like you should run through the paces first (e.g. how much can I afford, how large does it need to be at a minimum, is viewing angle important, what kinds of programs will I be watching - 4:3 or 16:9, etc.)

 

[Deepak]

Does "DVD component in" in a TV spec mean it is a Proscan TV? Actually various TV specs I have browsed have been vary vague, no-one explicitly says that it supports 480p.
Is there any other way to find out wether it supports 480p?

 

[Deepak]

It sounds like you should run through the paces first (e.g. how much can I afford, how large does it need to be at a minimum, is viewing angle important, what kinds of programs will I be watching - 4:3 or 16:9, etc.)

I want this:

1. ~$350
2. 480p

I registered at avsforum, they say Sony makes best TV followed by Toshiba (I was thinking about Samsung or LG) .

 

[London Geezer]

You will need to search for review sites. Panasonic does some "afforcable" models that are pro-scan compatible, same for Toshiba and Sony. but you will need to read the reviews, since it looks like even the manufacturers don't care to specify whether their products support 480p or other resolutions. Reviewers will tell you.

 

[wco81]

I don't know about overseas but in the US, the only sets which can do progressive are HDTV-ready monitors. There have been one or two Samsung EDTV models, which did 480p out of the box but with a service menu tweak, 1080i would be enabled.

There are currently no HDTV sets in the US around $550. However, they are getting down to the $800 range, maybe $100-$150 less for 4:3 sets. For 16:9 sets, it's closer to $1000.

But prices have dropped a lot and new models for this year are just coming out (at lower price points too).

There have also been Chinese brands too but looks like the Japanese and Korean brands have come down so much that the low-price appeal of the Chinese brands people are unfamiliar with have diminished.

 

[London Geezer]

There are some models which only support 480p, therefore you can't call them HDTV. Not sure which ones are there though... Best bet is to visit a nive TV geeks reviewers site and take it from there.

 

[PC-Engine]

Panasonic - 27" HD-Ready (1080i) CT-27HL14

Zenith - 27" HD-Ready (1080i) w/DVI Interface, Faroudja DCDI, and 3D Y/C comb filter - C27V36

Both can be found for ~ $500.

I'd go with the Zenith. Also it has 1080 lines of resolution while the Panasonic has 700 lines.

 

[3dcgi]

I don't know about overseas but in the US, the only sets which can do progressive are HDTV-ready monitors. There have been one or two Samsung EDTV models, which did 480p out of the box but with a service menu tweak, 1080i would be enabled.

I heard Samsung caught on and removed the 1080i option from the service menu. Now you actually need to buy the HDTV model for 1080i.

 

[wco81]

Panasonic - 27" HD-Ready (1080i) CT-27HL14

Zenith - 27" HD-Ready (1080i) w/DVI Interface, Faroudja DCDI, and 3D Y/C comb filter - C27V36

Both can be found for ~ $500.

I'd go with the Zenith. Also it has 1080 lines of resolution while the Panasonic has 700 lines.

Those are some pretty aggressive prices. Only thing nicer might be bigger screen and widescreen.

And 1080 pixels is not the same as 1080 lines is it? I know that most CRTs will not resolve the full 1920 horizontal pixels of the 1080 spec. Sony XBRs came out with a new tube which hit about 1400 and change and that is considered the highest among CRTs.

 

[PC-Engine]

And 1080 pixels is not the same as 1080 lines is it?

I'm not really sure, but that's what it said at the Best Buy site. It may be wrong, however, the Zenith uses a fine pitch tube so who knows. It's a steal at $500 though. Oh I forgot it has 3:2 pull down also.

 

[Ty]

And 1080 pixels is not the same as 1080 lines is it?

I'm not really sure, but that's what it said at the Best Buy site. It may be wrong, however, the Zenith uses a fine pitch tube so who knows. It's a steal at $500 though. Oh I forgot it has 3:2 pull down also.

Zenith has some issues from what I was reading. Check out the Sanyo. They make some of the more reliable TVs period.

I'm probably going to pick up the 34XBR960 since I can get it shipped to me for about ~1500, a steal at that price.

 

[PC-Engine]

Well you can find issues with any brand tv, especially SONY

 

[Deepak]

So what I make out from your replies is that only HDTVs do ProScan. But I read somewhere that 480p is not considered HDTV resolution (only 720p or more is), so is there no TV that supports ONLY 480p.

 

[PC-Engine]

So what I make out from your replies is that only HDTVs do ProScan. But I read somewhere that 480p is not considered HDTV resolution (only 720p or more is), so is there no TV that supports ONLY 480p.

Ok tvs with component inputs do not mean it's progressive scan capable. The only tvs AFAIK that are PS capable are HDTV-Ready and HDTV sets. HDTV-Ready means it doesn't have a built-in HDTV tuner, but can accept an external HDTV tuner. Also DVD players with upscaled HD 1080i output through component or DVI can take advantage of HDTV-Ready and HDTV sets. If you find a set that has only 480p support, it's not going to be from one of the big manufacturers not to mention you won't be saving much money if at all. Best to go with a cheap HDTV-Ready set like the ones I listed.

 

[Ty]

Well you can find issues with any brand tv, especially SONY

Sure, of course one of the issues with the Sony is that "it has the best CRT picture available".

But in terms of relative reliability, I believe Zeniths & Panasonic fare worse than even Sony. Like I said, Sanyo is actually one of the most reliable (according to CR).

 

[DeathKnight]

I heard Samsung caught on and removed the 1080i option from the service menu. Now you actually need to buy the HDTV model for 1080i.

This is true, they did catch on after a while. All Samsung EDTV sets manufactured after Sept. 2003 can't be hacked to support 1080i. I got the TNX2745FP before the revision and have 1080i enabled.

 

[3dcgi]

So what I make out from your replies is that only HDTVs do ProScan. But I read somewhere that 480p is not considered HDTV resolution (only 720p or more is), so is there no TV that supports ONLY 480p.

It will say EDTV if it only supports 480p. I know Samsung offers a EDTV model, but maybe others do as well.

This is true, they did catch on after a while. All Samsung EDTV sets manufactured after Sept. 2003 can't be hacked to support 1080i. I got the TNX2745FP before the revision and have 1080i enabled.

I actually have one of the early TXN3245FP models and it has the option in the service menu, but I've never tried it. I like the colors on the set, but it definitely has issues with the image bouncing. The image is actually a different size depending on the brightness of the screen. It's tolerable, but annoying when watching certain channels like ESPN. The service people had my TV for a week only to return it and say that was normal and something along the lines of "what do you expect when you don't buy a high end TV." Suffice to say I was not happy at that point.

 

[passerby]

Some time ago DeanoC(I think, or someone else?) was saying in another thread how devs are thinking about 720p as being the standard for next-gen, so think about that.

But don't blame me if, having spent the money, it turns out that it doesn't become the standard!