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Q. I’m an avid gamer looking to purchase an HDTV. What features should I be looking for? - Luke, Nashua, NH
At this time, there are a few manufacturers who make LCDs specifically geared toward gaming. One of the latest is Sharp’s GP1U Gaming LCD. What sets this apart from other displays are the fast refresh rate, high contrast ratio, and faster circuitry for improved response times. This makes the time lag between the gaming device and screen tighter to the point of being imperceptible. Plasmas are probably not the best choice at this time due to burn-in.
Other than this there are a few things gamers should consider when connecting the console to a TV. First, don’t use the cables that typically come with the system, since they are usually for simple composite connections. Use component or HDMI if the console supports it. Component has the added advantage of being delivered with progressive scan technology. If you don’t use component and switch to S-video or Composite video, you will be seeing interlaced video, which will be noticeably less clear and gauges and numbers may not look right. So using the correct connection is really key.
I still hear that bang for buck wise, a good CRT (old tube monitor) will deliver on the best gaming pictures available, if you don’t want it too big. DLPs offer a really good picture at an affordable price too, not withstanding the space the take-up.
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As far as burn-in, plasmas do have ways to combat this. One way is to shift the picture over a pixel every so often (usually you can select the frequency and number of pixels per shift). You won’t be able to see this shift, fortunately.
The wii and ps3 have a dimming feature for burn-in protection that will activate when left idle.
Many LCDs have a “game mode” that turns off any extra (and many times uneccessary) processing that can cause lag and motion blur.
I personally have an LCD, and as for the motion blur argument, I see none…. that is, unless the game creates it!! For instance, Uncharted for the PS3 will blur when moving the camera fast. This is by design, and will happen on a CRT or flat panel. Half-life 2 episode 1/2 also use this graphical effect.