HDTV Display....How is it ?

  • Thread starter AlfsterTN
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AlfsterTN

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Hey guys and Gals,

I am a recent PS2 convert, and TT did the conversion for me. I HAD to buy a PS2 just to try TT as I had heard great things about it. I am happy to report that it has been worth every penny of my purchase so far. I have ridden on two wheels since age 12, and I am 45 now. TT is more realistic than most all of the sims/games I have tried over the years. I love it !

Sadly, my current TV is 15 years old, and doesn't have the greatest picture. I even bought the PS2 S video cable to hook it up, but the quality of the video display is still not up to snuff as far as I'm concerned. My question is this........... If one were inclined to go buy a new HDTV to use 1080i through component connections, how much better will the display be over my rig hooked up with S video cable ?

I am used to using a 500-600 dollar CRT monitor with my PC, and normally a new 400-600 dollar video card every two years. I am very picky when it comes to my displays. Will the 1080i through component cables going into an HDTV please me ?

Welcome any thoughts, and suggestions.

Thanks,

Alfster
 
Awesome!

But if you have a Projector, or an HDTV that takes a while to Switch between 480i and 720p or 1080i, it's a pain, because before and after every race it switches to or from HD to regular D.
 
Everytime you boot up the game it only takes about 15 seconds to go through the menus and change the mode. Then the game automatically switches modes between racing and menu browsing. My Plasma TV only takes about 2 seconds to do this.

As far as quality improvements, to me it's not that great. My TV has 768P native resolution and sometimes I will forget to switch to HD when I boot up the game and it will take me a few races to even notice. There is a definite improvement but I wouldn't buy a TV just for it alone. Now for Xbox 360 games, that's a different story.

Welcome to the forums, BTW!
 
Here's my comments.

The "1080i" in GT4 and TT aren't really 1080i. They look nowhere near quality of true HD content such as the HD channels I get from my cable company which are either 720p and 1080i. Anyway my guess is that this 1080i is merely 480p upscaled.


Aaanyway, my advice is, get an HDTV to play actual games in HD and/or to watch HD content if you have HD receiver from your cable/sattelite provider (or if you've been thinking about one). It'll probably look better than ur current TV just cuase yours is old, but GT4 and TT are not reason enough to buy an HDTV. If you have an Xbox360 or plan to buy a PS3, then get a HDTV (whenever you buy either one).
 
Thanks for the input guys. I really appreciate it. I think I want to try one out to see if I can tell that much difference.

Living in Nashville gives me the opportunity to have LOTS of businesses around me that rent these TVs out. I can rent a nice 32" -- 60" for a week for less than 30 bucks. A quick look in the store is not enough for me to decide, so I will just have one delivered and setup here, and mess with it for a week.

If there are more great games out for PS2, and especially coming for PS3, then I will definitely buy one. I just need to do some extensive testing to see which ones look the best to my old eyes....hehe

Thanks again,

Alfster
 
As a followup, I thought I would post my findings after upgrading my OLD TV to a new HDTV.

The TV has a dynamite picture with the set top box from Comcast. And the HD programming looks fantastic.

TT, and GT4, on the other hand, are somewhat of a disappointment. I have it hooked up with a good set of component cables, and I can tell very little difference when I switch it to HD as opposed to regular 480i. I have tried both 480P, as well as 1080i, which is my TVs native mode. Just now I decided to try a little experiment, and I even went back to an S video cable to see if there was a big difference, and I can barely tell it is different.

I am glad I replaced my old TV, as it needed it anyway. The HD programming is a welcome change as well. But I am not happy at all with the visuals in TT, or GT4. The switching just takes a few seconds on my setup, and I can tell it is switching modes, but at this point, there is little reason to bother switching it.

Doesn't spoil the game for me, as I still enjoy it a great deal, but I was hoping for much more. Guess that is my fault....... LOL
 
You should be able to tell the difference between an s-video connection and a component connection. As for the 1080i, to me the only difference is the colors seem a little more vibrant, but (to me anyway) the jaggies are more apparent.

I switch to 1080i sometimes, but most of the time I just play in regular widescreen mode.
 
For me 1080i eliminates the jaggies, and the picture is MUCH clearer. The poster who said it looked upscaled is partly right: most of the textures are not up to the higher resolution and there's no anti-aliasing, so increasing resolution actually enhances these shortcomings. However, on my set, 480i has an almost out-of-focus appearance compared to 1080i, and like I said, HD completely eliminates jaggies on my game. My set changes mode in less than a second, which is far faster than the game changes to the race menu anyway.
 
OK well Im glad i saw this thread cuz i was wondering about this yesterday, and little did i know but my tv has component inputs, i have always just used a/v cables, but the manual says my tv is capable of 480i, how much of an improvement is this over standard a/v jacks?????
 
out of the box i started playing on 1080i and now i wont even play the game if it's not set to that...but like it was said, its not really high definition because the graphics and rendering are still limited to the ps2's capabilities which is not HD. i imagine though that tt2 on ps3 will be incredible.
 
Well, 1080i isn't really 1080i. I mean, there's a difference, but I forget about it really easily, and even if I do remember it, I won't do it, since it's too much trouble to turn it on, and I don't like the transparent lines across the screen, and the washed out look.

I wouldn't get an HDTV just for TT and GT4. But if you can get an HD Cable box for TV, and you're going to get a 360 or a PS3, or even a Wii, you'll want it.

What I'm trying to say is, the difference in GT4/TT in 480i and 1080i isn't that big. The difference in 480i and 1080i in other things, such as TV, or the next-gen games, is astronomical. It all depends what you're going to use an HDTV for.

Your TV is 15 years old. HD is the future. If you have the money, get a decent HDTV. Trust me, you'll love it.
 
Yes I got the HD STB, and the HD channels are amazing. I was just posting a followup to the HD situation in TT, and my thoughts after trying it for a week. It does look a bit better, maybe, but not much.

Yes I read the responses, and yes I took them to heart, but since I needed a new TV anyway, I figured I may as well go with an HD set. As one poster stated, the lack of AA is what is the most noticeable to me. I'm sure the new PS3 etc will look great. Sure hope they make TT for the PS3. hehe
 

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