New TV Time

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pilmat

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It's time to set up a specific rig space in my house. My wife has agreed to give me an unused corner of her office (so I'm not in the basement, don't like the dungeon feel). It is actually like an alcove, between the wall and the closet.

Next step is a new TV.

My current thinking is to wall mount the TV and then place the rig directly in front of it. This will put me about 3.5-4 feet from the screen. The TV can be up to 44" wide as there is a window I want to keep the TV away from. That puts me in the 40-46" TV range. I currently use a 46" Samsung 120Hz TV that I am happy with, but it is 3 years old now and technology has moved forward.

One of my concerns with going as big as 46" is that the details (laps, mirror, track map, etc.) will be a long way out of racing action. I feel that now with the 46" and I sit 1 foot farther from the TV now due to the TV stand.

I've read that the Sony 240Hz are highly recommended, but I've only seen them in 3D and only as small as 46". As 3D is not high on my list of features, would I be better considering a 120Hz for half the price?

Are there any other considerations I should have in mind as I shop?

I will only need 1 HDMI input, so that's not an issue. Most times I will use headphones, so regular TV audio is OK for the occasions I need audio for the room.

Price is only a consideration if I'm buying outside my needs, i.e. 3D. So I'll get whichever model I want, regardless of if it's on sale :cool:

Hit me with your 40-46" recommendations!
 
2 questions to help us give you suggestions. What racing games do you play and what platform do you play on (PC, PS3, or Xbox)?

If it's PC, I would suggest a PC monitor instead of a TV or 3 monitors if your PC video card can run them.

If you play console, then get a TV, but make sure it has a gaming mode which cuts down on the video processing as this will introduce some input lag.
 
I'm a console gamer, mostly GT5 with other stuff like DiRT3 and F1. I thought about triple monitors for the PS3, but having to buy 2 more PS3s is a put off!

I just went and looked at the Sony 40EX64 and Sharp 42LE540, both 120Hz and at a similar price. I like the extra 2 inches of the SHarp, but the picture quality looked very similar (I know store settings are far from optimal :))
 
pilmat
I just went and looked at the Sony 40EX64 and Sharp 42LE540, both 120Hz and at a similar price. I like the extra 2 inches of the SHarp, but the picture quality looked very similar (I know store settings are far from optimal :))
Click to expand...

Unfortunately those TV's don't use 120 Hz for gaming or with a PC connected. Anything with a HDMI connected only runs at 60Hz.

If it were up to me I would go with Panasonic or Samsung.
 
left888
Unfortunately those TV's don't use 120 Hz for gaming or with a PC connected. Anything with a HDMI connected only runs at 60Hz.

If it were up to me I would go with Panasonic or Samsung.
Click to expand...

Those TVs did not hold much hope after I read the reviews. Cheers for the comments.

I went with a Toshiba 47L7200U. It's a 240Hz model and the image quality was stellar in the store. The size concerned me, but with its ultra thin bezel it is a nice fit :)

Qualitative review to come...
 
WOW, the TV is amazing :)

Initially I really struggled with GT5 as the feel from the TV is VERY different from my 3+ year old Samsung 120Hz. I have been working on the 24Hr Ring with the CLK TC for this weeks WRS Time Trial, and I was ALL over the place with the new TV. First the audio was "wrong" as I'm used to a 5.1 surround and using just the TV is weird :odd:

I put on my headphones (PS3 wireless) and I was back to familiar territory. But the visual felt slow and molasses. I couldn't get the "feel" for the speed or car. I persisted at it for an hour, slowly working my way farther around the track with less mistakes. By the end of my hour and two complete laps under my belt, I was 2 seconds faster :)

Now that I have become more acclimatized to the new TV, I realize that the video quality is so smooth that everything feels a little "slower". The old TV was choppier through very fast corners where now I feel more in control of those situations as the video is very stable.

One concrete example is that I can now judge entry speed much better and hold apexes I struggled with before. There seems to be no other explanation other than the video quality is helping.

Here is a quick photo taken late last night. I have to add a surge protector and USB hub, then do a nice wiring job. (apologies to those who have already seen the pic on the TT thread:D)

Sim Rig Install by pilmat, on Flickr
 

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