The HDTV Showdown.

[Dresden]

Well, I finally decided to get with the times and purchase an HDTV. I like to be fashionably late.

I'm thinking 40 inches is a nice size, and I've seemed to have narrowed my search down to two models. A Samsung and a Sony Bravia. Problem is, I don't know which one would be better suited for my needs. I'd like to designate a new television to gaming, actually put my 360 to use.

The two models I'm debating over are as follows:

The Bravia:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666077651

The Samsung:

http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/LN40C500F3FXZA

A lot of people I've talked to have raved about the quality of a Samsung television, and I must admit it is pretty nifty, for I use a Samsung computer monitor. But, a few things threw me about the Samsung. It appears to only have 1 HDMI output, which could pose to be problematic and the Sony sports 4. Albeit, both televisions are both only 60 hertz, the Sony claims to have a Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 140,000:1 while the Samsung's is 70,000:1.

Which is a wiser buy?

Thanks guys-

Dresden

 

[V3]

If you have a receiver, one HDMI is not a problem, but if you don't it'll be a pain when say you want to add Bluray player or other devices down the road. So I would go with Sony. I think 3 HDMI is the minimum for today needs.

 

[NathansFortune]

The Sony will be better, but both of those TVs will be garbage for gaming. My recommendation to you would be to save up more money and get a better TV. I don't know how if 40" is a hard limit, but for games you can't really beat plasma. LCD only really becomes competitive at the very top end > $2000, below this price plasma nearly always delivers better bang for buck.

I would get this Samsung if you are willing to wait and save up a bit of money and go bigger, if you don't want to wait then you could check out this Panasonic. Unless you are putting the TV in a bay window or a room with a lot of ambient light (I had this problem and had to go for LCD) then the Panasonic plasma is a much better buy as it has 600Hz and a 10µs response time which makes it awesome for gaming and it has 3 HDMI inputs so no need to spend money on a splitter or receiver straight away.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Out of those two I would take the Sony. 1 HDMI is a serious no go. I'm sure it's a good TV for gaming despite the previous post and definitely a lot better value than some higher end model. If the size is big enough for you, then go for it.

 

[Bludd]

I would test both for input lag.