"Lag" on HD TV's

MikeMan

Hey guys I have a TV-related question, figure I'll pipe in to see if y'all can help me.

I'm in the market for an HD TV around 2 grand or so. It'll be for my whole family, but the kicker is, I am of course a big videogame buff and I like me some Halo and such. Now, I've played on LCD's (at least I think they were LCD's) before that had a noticeable lag between the display and the game console. So for instance the TV will take up to a quarter or almost half a second before the it displays the input. This is, of course, quite disconcerting when you're playing videogames, and renders some fast-paced games unplayable.

I've also played Halo on my friend's DLP 55 inch and noticed lag, though not an insane amount; it was still enough to be annoying.

How do I look out for that? I don't want to drop 2 grand on something that I won't be able to play videogames on.

Any input would be appreciated.

Limp moose

i recommend pioneer or LG 50 inch plasmas. Easily within the 2grand price range and we have both in my house. They play halo like a champ.

Seydlitz

Although LCD's do have a slightly lower speed refresh than a plasma, the effect you're talking about is much more likely to be because you're feeding the signal into a amp which is upscaling the picture - great for DVD's, rubbish for gaming because you get the lag affect. As long as you're putting the input signal straight into the back of the TV, you should be fine.

Personally I'm a big fan of the Sony Bravia - I've got a 46", and its pretty nice.

saltiness

I've heard of some Samsung DLP's having lag even when the console is plugged straight into the set.

embrik

All I can or will do is recommend a Sharp Aquos LCD, as that's what I've got. I have NO LAG whatsoever with my XBOX360. I run the sound through a receiver, but the video goes straight to the TV through component cables. I have run the video through the receiver too, but I found the picture quality suffered a bit... however, no lag there either.

desperaterobots

I have a Samsung 32" LCD and experience zero lag. Is this even much of a problem for new models? Some TVs also have 'game modes' which might help. My samsung does, but I'm actually not sure what it does since it looks pretty much the same without it switched on.

MikeMan

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll check some stuff out.

In the meantime, if anyone else has any stuff that I should watch out for, feel free to chime in.

Jasconius

I can confirm the Samsung DLP lag, it's a known issue with some of their models. I've played a Wii on one, unplayable... up to around a .5 second lag which in Rayman is... unforgiving.

MikeMan

Jasconius wrote: »

I can confirm the Samsung DLP lag, it's a known issue with some of their models. I've played a Wii on one, unplayable... up to around a .5 second lag which in Rayman is... unforgiving.

Yeah, come to think of it the friend who had the 55 inch DLP that I played halo on had a Samsung. It had noticeable lag.

Fireflash

embrik wrote: »

All I can or will do is recommend a Sharp Aquos LCD, as that's what I've got. I have NO LAG whatsoever with my XBOX360. I run the sound through a receiver, but the video goes straight to the TV through component cables. I have run the video through the receiver too, but I found the picture quality suffered a bit... however, no lag there either.

Same here, but for some reason i get a small lag on ps2. Enough to be noticeable in GH3

Pheezer

My 32" Samsung is likewise lag free from what I've noticed.

Vrtra Theory

While it isn't the only factor that can introduce lag, I recommend checking the response time on the sets you're looking at. The vast majority of new LCDs now offer 8ms response time, which is typically "good enough." On plasmas, reponse time is not an issue (lag on a plasma indicates some other problem).

DLPs are often touted as an improvement over LCDs in regards to blur/lag, but that varies widely when it comes to individual sets. Samsung's DLPs in particular (for example, Samsung's 50" HL-T5055W, which I'm guessing is similar to your buddy's) - has a 16ms response time. That's probably part of what you were seeing - anything above 8ms is a return to the old days of LCD blur/lag, which you want to avoid.

The Fine Motion setting that some Sharp Aquos LCDs offer will have a 4ms response time, although I've read it darkens the picture slightly.

Gihgehls

I just want to point out that pixel response time has nothing to do with image processing lag, which is what most people refer to when they say "HDTV lag." Your set could have a 2ms pixel refresh, but the image processor could be delayed as much as half a second. The best way to avoid this is to turn off ALL but the most basic image adjustments. Turn off noise reduction, turn off image filtering/sharpening. Also, be sure your are sending your set a signal in its native resolution, as resizing will induce more lag.