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New HD tv for SD content?

XenoXeno Registered User regular
edited August 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
My parents want to buy a new tv so they can hook up the laptop to it. Basically, they want to watch movies/surf the net without the hassle of having to scrunch together to see the screen. Plus hook up the cable to the tv so they can watch television still. The laptop has an HDMI out, so thats not a problem.

The only problem is watching SD channels. My brother got an Aquos and he likes it for his gaming and being able to use it as a monitor for his computer. Normal channels however, look terrible. Everything has this weird smooth effect to it. Watching one channel on a normal tube television versus the LCD is like night and day. The tube is just all around better for watching tv.

1. What kind of tv is better for watching SD television? LCD or Plasma?

2. Any tv's you guys can recommend that will mimic the old tv's quality when it comes to SD content or atleast come close/the best possible.

Thanks guys.

Xeno on

Posts

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    My first recommendation is to make sure you watch the SD content as it was meant to be delivered, meaning don't try to stretch it or zoom it to fit the screen. I watch the SD content with the correct aspect ratio, which results in black bars on the sides of the screen. Sure it kind of sucks to have that, but the picture quality is acceptable. Not stellar, but definitely acceptable.

    wunderbar on
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  • Captain VashCaptain Vash Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    HD CRT's do exist, they are just rare, getting rarer.

    you might look into that.

    Captain Vash on
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  • illigillig Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    why not upgrade to HD?... if you're only getting over the air TV, then HD is available the same way... if you have cable/satellite, then you'd just need to upgrade the cable box/tuner

    illig on
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    You want something with a good scaler, but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. I had a 50'' TV growing up, one of those big box fuckers. We sat 15 feet away from it. If I had a 50'' today I would want to sit about 5 feet from it.
    Thats the HD advantage, you can get closer and have it not look like shit. Running SD content but still close? Gonna look like shit.

    Improvolone on
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Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum