What TV Do You Recommend for PS2/PS3 Compatibility

[auronlu]

Hello. Semi-luddite here. On the one hand, I had a computer by 1979. On the other hand, I didn't get a color TV for the first few years living away from home; Babylon 5 looked just FINE in B&W!

Around 1996, my Mom bestowed a very basic color TV on me.

It is still my TV. It is plugged into a converter I bought at Fry's, so as to connect it to my PS2. There are various problems ranging from buzzy speakers when the screen is mostly white, to lack of digital signal capability.

I received birthday money to buy a new TV, and have now recovered sufficiently from NEARLY GOING BLIND IN ONE EYE *hyperventilate* to consider TV shopping.

I've heard that if you get a good-quality HD TV and plug it into a PS2 (or 3), you'll see ugly artifacts and jaggies that are smoothed out by lower-resolution TVs.

So I should like to know what sort of TV people recommend for PS2/3 compatibility, or what questions I should be asking at the store.

I'd like:
-- HD
-- mmmmaybe a built in thingie that lets me play DVDs and Blue Ray?
-- mmmaybe a port so I can use it to show stuff off my laptop. [peers at MacBook. Are you SVIDEO or what, little computer?]

I don't want to spend huge gobs. I don't need a top-of-the-line whatsit.

Also, should I be considering LCD or what? I'm so behind on TV technology. I know NUFFINK.

Comments

[ellnyx.livejournal.com]

LCD yes for PS3.

LCD massive NONONO for PS2. Unless you have one of those backwards compatible PS3s, you can't get PS2 games to look good on LCD tvs, the TV is too high a res for the output from the machine.

I asked the same question a while back, I'll dig up the link.

[ellnyx.livejournal.com]

Here it is: http://ellnyx.livejournal.com/102882.html

So if you want to play PS2 on this new TV, unless you have a PS2 compatible PS3, you probably shouldn't buy an HD or LCD TV, or any combination of either. Currently I have:

- a very HD plasma for the PS3 (which plays all our dvds and bluray), with a high definition cable to connect the two. This cable doesn't come in the standard pack when you buy the PS3, so you might need to get one, they're about AU$60 so no idea what they are in US$....but pretty easy to get. And all PS3 games display really well.
- an old cathode ray TV (probably like the one you currently have, except in colour) for the PS2.

I know over here it's really hard to find a TV with built-in bluray or DVD slots. Your PS3 will do that anyway, I suppose?

[lassarina]

I actually disagree with not buying an LCD to go with your PS2. I bought a Samsung 42" HD LCD TV last August, and I have no problems at all with PS2 games on it. (PS1 games are a different kettle of fish.) I don't see any jaggy edges, and most games look infinitely better on it than they did on my 20" CRT. Brighter and crisper.

It's also fantastic for HD; I don't own a PS3, but my 360 loves it.

ETA: Pricepoint on my TV last year was around $1100. Looking at Pest Buy now, it looks like a 32" that is otherwise comparable to mine in terms of ports and such is on sale 20% off for a total of $800.

Like the comment below, I advise not getting the built-in player. You'll get better quality by just picking up a decent DVD player.

[ellnyx.livejournal.com]

If the Samsung does avoid the jaggy edges, it would definitely be a better buy for all-round quality and value for money. Samsungs generally have pretty good in-built speakers, too.

The artefacts might be caused by a pixel rating difference. Of the four LCDs I tried with terrible results (all the FFs and Vagrant Story with the worst results, Persona 3 not so bad), some were SD, some were HD, but all were 1080 pixels ++. Don't know if PAL games are different to the US's NTSC, too, that might be causing a display difference.

Maybe buy from somewhere that will let you return it if it is truly unplayable?

[lassarina]

I've seen jaggy edges on, say, the PlayStation era FF games and Vagrant Story, but those are there pretty much no matter what, due to the hardware/graphics limitations.

FF9 through 12, as well as the various PS2 Shin Megami Tensei games I've tried, display beautifully. Mine is a 1080i. Maybe it is a formatting difference.

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

I don't have a PS3, I'm just planning ahead since I may get one to reward myself after I finish my dissertation. (I have an odd habit of buying gaming technology when it's about to be replaced and therefore cheaper. The disadvantage is that I'm 5 years behind fandom.)

So I could get the LCD, keep the old TV in case I ever wanna replay the older stuff, but I tend to replay KH2, FFIX and up.

[cumuluscastle.livejournal.com]

We have a widescreen HD TV and the images look fine for PS2 games as far as I can tell. The trick is to make sure that you change the setting from widescreen to normal when you are playing games, otherwise obviously everything looks stretched (don't laugh - it took me awhile to figure this out. Okay, my fiance had to figure it out - ha).

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

Do you know what make/model it is?

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Don't get player-things built into a TV. Almost invariably, the TV will last longer than the integral player-thing.

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

Wisdom,this.
ALthough my VCR, originally bought used as a store display model back in about '88, only just died.