Who plays their Xbox/Ps2 games on an HDTV? please share

I’m thinking about getting a 40-50" LCD/DLP rear projection for Xbox/PS2 progressive/HD gaming as well as for Xbox360/PS3 HD gaming.

I’m looking at the Samsung DLP 42" (HL-R4266W) as well as a new Sony LCD 42" (KDF-E42A10) coming out in the next couple weeks.

Looking for personal experiences on any DLP/LCD rear projection sets. I know 480p games aren’t going to look that great but I’m more concerned with 720p+ games but obviously want the best quality for 480p also.

Any thoughts? Much appreciated.

How many current gen games even support 720p? The only ones I can think of are Soul Calibur 2 and Freedom Fighters. I don’t know of a single PS2 game that supports 720p and I’m not even sure it can output at that resolution. My HD isn’t LCD, so I can’t really help you on your original question, but I don’t think you should worry too much about the current gen stuff. 720p is going to be standard on Xbox 360, and I’m sure it will be the same for PS3.

I believe the only PS2 title that supports HDTV is the current Gran Turismo, and I read that it was 1080i.

K

I have a 46" Samsung DLP, and I’d highly recommend it. It’s a really great TV that looks as good as sets that go for twice the price.

I don’t think any PS2 games support HD. This site has a nice sortable list of the HD support for each platform.

There aren’t a lot of 720p games for the Xbox; HDTV Arcade lists about 30, including some pretty good titles, like the recent Tony Hawk stuff, X-Men Legends, MX Unleashed, and my two 720p games, Amped 2 and Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. They do look pretty amazing. Even the 480p games look better, though you do really start to notice the jaggies on a large HD screen. I’m really looking forward to the next gen consoles, just for HD support and anti-aliasing.

Playing in wide screen is also nice, particularly in driving games.

As Kevin mentioned, GT4 supports 1080i.

Personally, I didn’t care for playing console games, even in 480p, on my 55" HDTV. The lack of anti-aliasing was too distracting and I didn’t care for image distortion in the games that don’t support widescreen. After six months or so I switched back to a 27" WEGA for my gaming. I welcome the increased HDTV support that next generation will bring.

Those complaints would likely be alleviated on a smaller television, though.

Love my 56" DLP, but if the game doesn’t support progressive it’s fairly painful. Games that do support progressive (xbox:everything, ps2:precious little, gcube:used to be a bit more than ps2, losing ground) look fantastic, and the few that support more like X-Men legends are even better.

Hook up a PC with DVI out rather than VGA if you really want to be blown away. Stuff like Doom 3, Far Cry, and Half Life 2 have not been experianced properly unless it’s on the big screen, sitting in a big reclining lazy boy, with thumping 5.1 surround sound that pisses the neighbors off.

Glad to hear the DLP getting some props.

Ben, what model name is that 46"

thanks!

I actually prefer the LCD rear projections over the DLP’s, mostly because I’m one of the people who can see the stupid rainbow effect. It’s much better on current DLP sets, but it’s still there. They also show too much detail (if that makes sense) and reminds me that I’m watching a digital image. LCD’s are a bit softer and just look better to me, but it’s completely up to the individual person to say which one is better for their eyes. It’s hard to go wrong with Sony or Samsung and they’re pretty damn inexpensive now for the quality you get.

It’s the HL-P4663W, though I think they’ve already replaced it with a new model for this year. They’re all good, or at least all the ones you’ll find in stores now are. The picture is so bright and crisp and the colors are so vivid, it’s kinda hypnotic. Certainly a big step above my old set (which was a crappy cheapo 27" CRT).

I only get a handful of HD channels, but several of them (especially Discovery HD Theater) have good programming. DVDs also look awesome on this set. Do you have an upconverting DVD player, by chance?

I’m waiting for true 1080p projectors to go from the 30k they are at (Sony Qualia 006 mmmmmmmmmmm) to the 3-5k I think would be reasonable, until then my analog widescreen CRT is good enough.

I dunno, unless you are using your TV as a monitor, is there really anything that’s going to use 1080p in the next, say, ten years? TV broadcasts won’t be in 1080p. High def DVDs won’t be, either. Are any of the next gen game consoles supporting 1080p? It seems like a feature without a clear purpose, at least for the probable lifetime of my current TV.

PS3 is supposed to, I believe.

Those few that have the 1080p sets are saying that the output is better because the resolution is higher, even though, as you say, the input is not 1080p and is only later upconverted to 1080p.

All right, that makes sense, I guess. After all, my DVDs look considerably better when they upconvert to 720p. Even so, it doesn’t seem like a make-or-break feature to me. Certainly not something I’d wait for, or pay thousands of dollars extra for, or both.

Hey Ben, what all have you played on the Sammy DLP? Some users report “video game lag” cause of the digital processing the Sammy uses. Like a small 100-200ms delay that causes some problems in precision games.

To be honest, I tried the 42" Sammy DLP today in store with my own Xbox using Halo 2, SSX3, NCAA 06, Soul Calibur… all looked great with no noticeable lag but I just wanna hear your experience. I’ve read the 46" is better quality and worth the small price upgrade so I’m probably gonna go with it.

Apparently, that lag is a prodlem on some of the early Samsung DLPs (the ones with the “HLN” prefix), but not on any of the current ones. I have never experienced any sort of lag, either in broadcasts or in games. I have both a PS2 and an Xbox, and play a fair number of games on each (most recently, Forza Motorsport, Psychonauts, Amped 2, Steel Battalion, PGR2, et al). I’ve never had any problems with any of them.

I think the 46" gives you the best bang for the buck, really. It’s a large TV, and in retrospect I’m really glad we went with it over the smaller (32") LCD that we were considering. Now when I sit in my living room, it’s like being at the movie theater.

If yours is a set that has lag (mine, which is a HLP-5063W, does), it’s only noticeable on super-precision-based games that run in 480i. Anything 480p is instantly a-okay, and 90% of 480i games are still fine, it’s that small set of games like Hot Shots Golf or the dancing minigame in GTA: San Andreas (note, the minigame, as the rest is perfectly playable) that might get lagged.

So Thierry, I know you’re a pretty hardcore gamer (I know that word sounds stupid, but you get my meaning), so as a person who sees that Sammy DLP lag, you would still recommend the TV for gaming… particularly considering Xbox 360/PS3 will have no interlaced games (as well as I doubt I’d play any 480i games on the set anyhow).

Any other details about your gaming experience with a Sammy DLP, good/bad/ugly would be very much appreciated.

And I assume you do most of your console gaming on this TV?

Thanks in advance, this has been very helpful!

I have a 40" LCD rear projection from Panasonic (this one), and would never go back to CRT console gaming. The Xbox and Gamecube are crystal clear through component, and the select few games that exceed 480p are a treat. Regular 480p games are fine to my eyes. I do not have the PS2 hooked up via component because I find it makes the games look worse for the most part.

I’ve considered trading up to a newer set, but I’m actually pretty happy with the one I have. It does 720p and 1080i, so I figure I’m pretty well set for the coming gen unless 1080p magically becomes standard. It’s clear already that anyone not using an HDTV will be missing out on some of the bells and whistles of the next round of consoles.

One of the benefits of being the eternal bachelor is you have a little extra coin for things like televisions, so I can chime in on this thread too.

The Sammy DLP is a pretty awesome gaming output device for its (relatively) cheap price.

I like it for the exact reason Robotpants does not which it is an extraordinarily crisp and bright picture. You sit at nearly any viewing angle even in streaming sunlight and the thing is just bright. This sharpness seems to shine a bit more in games whereas it may be viewed as a drawback for some movies, etc. Also the newest 3rd generation Sammy DLPs apparently have fixed some of the annoyances of the earlier gen ones as mentioned. The lag for one is a non-issue, the 3 blinking lights of death, and ballast failure all seem to be minimized in this latest model. I did have the dreaded 3 blinking lights so that cost me about $200 for a replacement DLP lamp but I have an earlier generation model too.

Either way, a game like Legacy of Kain for Xbox which supports 720p native is just awesome, not to mention the Sammy DLPs are essentially 40" or higher monitors since they all accept VGA input standard. Seeing some of your favorite PC games at 1280x720p native on a 50" screen is something rather impressive to behold as well. (Though getting a good keyboard/mouse setup in front of a large TV is a trickier issue)