Author Topic: Folks w/ fancy new TV's: Help me :) (Read 461 times)

esteban · « **on:** October 29, 2006, 01:35:03 AM »

OK, my wife just bought us a new TV and I set it up yesterday.

Panasonic TH-42PX60U cnet review

How do you folks hook up all your video electronics to your new TV's? What's the best way I should go about things, considering I have non-HD sources? At the risk of sounding retarded, here's what I am especially curious about:

My DVD player has component video, but it doesn't apppear that my DVR / digital cable box supports anything other than composite.

My wife and I both have laptop computers and I was wondering if we could hook them up to the TV as well... how do you folks do it? Our desktop is too far from the TV, so we'd only use our laptops. According to cnet, our TV doesn't support "PC input" ... what's the proper term for this? My wife has Dell (Inspiron) and I have a Mac (PowerBook G4).

I recently bought a PS2 (for DDR games primarily!)...

Don't tell me about modding these components, since I'm not interested in that!

Also, assume that I'll be using composite / S-video if all else fails... but SNES is the only thing I have a S-video cable for, IIRC.

Also also, we won't have any fancy surround-sound system anytime soon. I use a standard receiver.

Thanks in advance! I am absolutely clueless on all this HD TV stuff. For example, I couldn't even figure out how to change the aspect-ratio on our new TV to 4:3 !!!!! Sad, but true.

FM-77 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 29, 2006, 04:26:05 AM »

Use component for everything. Never ever use composite. Does the TV support VGA?

If yes - you can connect your laptops to the TV using that.

esteban · « **Reply #2 on:** October 29, 2006, 07:11:07 AM »

Quote from: "Seldane"

Use component for everything. Never ever use composite. Does the TV support VGA?

If yes - you can connect your laptops to the TV using that.

I'll have to check!

My wife has found out this info, which may or may not be correct:
1. We need to get HDMI cables and get a new HD cable box / DVR from our cable company (since our old cable box supports composite only).

2. I'll be playing most of my consoles on an old tv, but of course I want to occasionally play them on the new tv, just to see what its like.

Bonknuts · « **Reply #3 on:** October 29, 2006, 07:42:08 AM »

Quote

2. I'll be playing most of my consoles on an old tv, but of course I want to occasionally play them on the new tv, just to see what its like.

The problem is when playing old console game with XXX x 240 res, they won't have the nice filtering by the TV that the higher res(x480) will have. The old systems appear very blocky on both horizontal and vertical res. It's like playing an EMU with no filters on 40+ inch RGB monitor. There is a device that will convert the signals to component signal and and filter them so they look crisp but not blocky on HD sets - in the $200-400 price range if I remember correctly.

esteban · « **Reply #4 on:** October 30, 2006, 03:57:26 AM »

Quote from: "Bonknuts"

Quote
2. I'll be playing most of my consoles on an old tv, but of course I want to occasionally play them on the new tv, just to see what its like.

The problem is when playing old console game with XXX x 240 res, they won't have the nice filtering by the TV that the higher res(x480) will have. The old systems appear very blocky on both horizontal and vertical res. It's like playing an EMU with no filters on 40+ inch RGB monitor. There is a device that will convert the signals to component signal and and filter them so they look crisp but not blocky on HD sets - in the $200-400 price range if I remember correctly.

I swear to goodness that I am not a fan of this cutting-edge HD technology. I want to play on this new TV, but it sounds like it will be a disappointment. I might just invest in the converter you mentioned in the future.

Now I am worried about how Jackie Chan Boxing and J-mat (XaviX) will look on this TV!

Bonknuts · « **Reply #5 on:** October 30, 2006, 06:57:54 AM »

For your older systems, I would highly recommend using s-video since they probably don't have component output. PS2, GC, Xbox, etc - should look fine with s-video because of the higher res if you can't afford decent component cables and a real component selector box - though you won't get the added progessive scan benefit that component can offer with s-video. PS2 tends to be tricky about getting progressive output signal - GC and Xbox are a no brainer.

I run my snes with s-video to my 53" HD set and it looks great a side from the blocky-ness. I just which my SGX (and MD) had an s-video mod.

Here is a site with a database for games that support progressive scan mode as well as a forum for some answers on older equipment and such - http://www.hdtvarcade.com/hdtvforum/index.php?act=home

akamichi · « **Reply #6 on:** October 30, 2006, 01:13:40 PM »

That's some good info to know. I've also been putting off buying an HD TV since I have no use for what it offers. It's also getting hard to find a decent SD TV too.

Recently, I figured I'd buy another TV to hook my retro (ie non-HD able) stuff to it, but there's nothing out there.

Joe Redifer · « **Reply #7 on:** October 30, 2006, 03:13:12 PM »

Be sure to buy Component Video cables for your PS2. They sell them just about everywhere. As an added bonus, these same component cables will work with the PS3 that you buy on eBay for $9,000 on day one.

As has been said before, any game or system that runs at 240p (SMS, NES, Genesis, Turbo/PC Engine, SNES, Neo-Geo, most N64, most Saturn and most Playstation games, etc) will be upscaled to a 480i signal (effectively doubling each pixel in both directions for a 'quadruple' effect giving it a very "blocky" look) and that will probably be converted to 768p by your TV. I recommend a normal 4:3 analog TV for all older game systems... and that includes the PS2. Most Xbox and Gamecube games run in 480p so they should look fairly good... if you have the component cables (Nintendo hates their customers and does not make obtaining component cables easy).

Your TV includes an ATSC tuner which means you should be able to pick up HDTV over the air. Tune into channels like 4.1 and 7.1 etc etc etc. I imagine your TV has an optical out on the back. Plug this into your receiver and you'll get full 5.1 Dolby Digital from the over the air TV programs.

FM-77 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 30, 2006, 08:10:18 PM »

I think PS2/Xbox/Gamecube games look much, much worse on an HDTV. The pixellated picture looks horrific - ESPECIALLY in motion. Kind of like a super, super low-res PC 3d game or something.

Joe Redifer · « **Reply #9 on:** October 30, 2006, 09:43:21 PM »

If you have an HDTV that cannot properly display 480p, then yes I would agree. I have an HDTV that can display both 480p and 1080i as they are, so 480p games look great, no pixelation and no motion artifacts. Unfortunately only CRT HDTVs can do this, and people hate CRTs because they can't hang them on their walls. They happily sacrifice image quality for their thinness. I hear SED will rival CRT image quality and maintain the thinness. I can't wait to see 'em. Then there are those newfangled laser tvs. Back in my day we didn't have lasers. Kids these days.

Bonknuts · « **Reply #10 on:** October 31, 2006, 02:38:21 AM »

Quote from: "Seldane"

I think PS2/Xbox/Gamecube games look much, much worse on an HDTV. The pixellated picture looks horrific - ESPECIALLY in motion. Kind of like a super, super low-res PC 3d game or something.

You know I've heard this before, but it appears to be limited to whatever HD sets display/converter algorithm. I've run PS2, Xbox, and GC in 480p mode - the color definition is unrivaled. I've heard of problems with games on DLPs and LCDs - mostly lag (signal to display) from the algorithm.

The Hitachi HD set(4:3 CRT) I have does an awesome job with 480i to progressive. I've been reluctant to upgrade because of all the corners the manufactures are cutting to get costs down on the newer sets and the fact that they are all 16x9 sets. If I get a wide screen set, it would have to be in the 75" range in order for the black borders not to bother me.

I run my emus to the TV in 480p mode - they look great with all the filtering and such. And I have a small 20" SDTV for regular use when I want to play the actual consoles(SGX,PCE,MD,SNES,NES,etc).

FM-77 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 31, 2006, 02:47:08 AM »

I've never seen a CRT and/or a 4:3 HDTV. In fact, I'm pretty sure they don't even sell them in Europe (well, at least not in Sweden).

What bothers me are the pixels. A regular TV (with RGB) adds kind of like a poor man's anti aliasing over the picture.

Black Tiger · « **Reply #12 on:** October 31, 2006, 09:04:01 AM »

I just got a new 720p LCD TV for playing 360 games.

Just for fun, while waiting for my PSU character to heal, I tried out my Duo RX on the split screen.

It looked like an emulator with one of those ugly stained glass type filters and was very choppy. Which is why I kept my good old S-Video Sony TV for "classic" systems.

My 480p DLP projector plays classic games(like PCE) no problem though, and 480p XBox games & VGA Dreamcast games look amazing. I lucked out since I never tested it or knew much about this kinda stuff when I bought it.

Joe Redifer · « **Reply #13 on:** October 31, 2006, 10:20:03 AM »

Quote from: "Seldane"

A regular TV (with RGB) adds kind of like a poor man's anti aliasing over the picture.

Yes! I've always referred to it as "free" anti-aliasing, but it's very true.

Quote

My 480p DLP projector plays classic games(like PCE) no problem though

From what I hear, most EDTV devices will play the classic systems fairly well. I'm not sure if EDTV sets (CRT) are able to natively display in 240p mode like 480i sets can, though.

esteban · « **Reply #14 on:** October 31, 2006, 03:22:30 PM »

Thanks for the discussion, though I feel even more clueless about the issues. I'll definitely try out the things folks have suggested