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HDTV PC Gaming  

post #1 of 14
5/10/05 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 
Hello all,

My question relates to the ever-elusive hope of playing pc first person shooter games at high resolutions on a big screen w/ all effects turned on max. I know what kind of computer system I need to get the maximum graphical delight out of Doom 3, UT2k4, and Half Life 2, but, when it comes to display technology, I’m unable to decide. I take it as a given that CRT monitors are more ideal for pc gaming. LCD monitors have come a long way. I have a LCD monitor I use for all pc related work, but I don’t mind getting another display for gaming purposes, even if it is only slightly better. My question to you guys is, is there an hdtv solution that is as good or better for *pc first person shooters* as compared to a high end aperture grille CRT monitor?

How would you compare 1600 x 1200 on a 20†CRT or LCD computer monitor versus a 50â€+ High Definition TV in 720p resolution??

Does one particular HDTV technology rise head and shoulders above the rest for the express purpose of gaming (this can include console gaming) when comparing DLP, LCD, Plasma, or the new LcoS???

Has anyone tried playing Doom 3 or Half Life 2 on a large HDTV using the rare 1080p resolution (and if so which video card did you to get it working on)????

Are there any large-screen hdtvs available or on the horizon that are sharp enough to replace a traditional LCD monitor for text quality and reading/surfing applications on the pc?????

If you had to choose between the two, which factor makes a first person shooter *more* immersive, screen size or image quality (of course both are important)? Another way of asking this question is: overall, between a 19†aperture grille CRT @ 1920 x 1440, a 30†Apple Cinema LCD @ 2560 x 1600, and a 65†DLP Tv @ 720p (1280 x 720), which setup offers the most immersive experience for a first person shooter/action type of video game??????

How does enabling AA and AF in pc fps games differ on a high definition tv???????

Finally, are there any new or upcoming technologies or trends (like oled) that are revolutionary enough (while only being a year or two away) for someone like me, who is only interested in using a home theater setup for pc use and playing pc first person shooters, to wait before making a purchase????????

…One of the reasons I ask is b/c of a recent experience I had playing Quake III. Hooking up an apple ibook to a friend’s 55†crt rear-projection tv was awe-inspiring at first. After a while, I finally realized that the picture quality was actually better on the small 12.1 lcd screen of the laptop, which was using a recent and powerful ati video card. Still, I want to do big screen pc gaming w/o sacrificing the sharpness and image quality of traditional computer monitors. Also, due to space limitations, front-end projectors are out of the question even they happened to provide the best gaming performance…

Thanks a Bunch :-)
post #2 of 14
5/10/05 at 8:57am
Well, its all a matter of opinion, but since you asked, I'll give you mine. Since you sit MUCH closer to a computer monitor, you need higher resolutions. Taking your example, your PC, specifically your video card, will not be stressed as much only running at a res of 1280x720 on your DLP compared to your monitor 1920x1440. Enabling AA and AF will work the same on either setup. However, since you'd be running at a lower res on your DLP, you'd have more headroom to crank up these features.

Personally, I'm a better player on my desktop than I am in my HT. However, I enjoy the experience much more in my HT, its much more satisfying.
post #3 of 14
5/10/05 at 12:00pm
The Samsung DLP RPTVs are computer friendly and will give you a big bright crisp image with PC or Xbox. I have one, but I actually prefer to play on my 1920x1200 hp 23" LCD monitor. It's really cool to play games on a big screen TV, but it's a little awkward for general computing.

Right now the best deal on a nice monitor is the Dell 24" 1920x1200. If you want to take your gaming (and general computing) experience to the next level, I would get one of those.
post #4 of 14
5/10/05 at 3:09pm
Here's a question you might consider:

How will you set up your "gaming station" when using an HDTV?

Mouse and Keyboard?? On what? You won't be comfortable with your head 2 feet away from a 50" display like how you (or at least I) sit when playing FPS. You will have difficulty setting up a room (for a display that size, you need a room not just a desk) comfortably for the application.

I think you'd be crazy to go that route JUST for FPS gaming. If you also intend to do movie watching, other gaming, HDTV watching, etc then cool, give your FPS games a whirl on it (nothing to lose). I think you'll find it's got a huge WOW factor, but if your really competitive and care more about fraggin then drooling over the background scenery, you'll probably find yourself migrating back to your desktop monitor.
post #5 of 14
5/11/05 at 8:15am
Thread Starter 
Just to answer your question, I'd put a recliner there along with a lap desk over my lap, and mouse/mousepad & numpad (for wsad). A wireless keyboard on the side or somewhere. I don't think its that uncomfertable and of course I'd be closer than most to the tv (maybe 3-5 feet :D)

The world is not enough i guess.
post #6 of 14
5/11/05 at 12:01pm
I sit 7 feet from my 48" Mits WS48413. Running games at 1776x1000 looks amazing, and I have my mouse and keyboard on the coffee table in front of my couch. Luckily my couch sits lower than most couches, so the coffee table 'feels' just like my PC desk, height-wise.

I went the wireless kb/mouse route at first, but went back to wired. Yeah, it looks stupid with 2 wires running across the floor to my HTPC (about 4 feet away), but it works a lot better.

Now the only time I connect a PC monitor to my HTPC is when I need to do some non-linear editing. Everything else: normal desktop use, web browsing, gaming....is done on the big screen.
post #7 of 14
5/11/05 at 7:50pm
I didn't want to make a new topic for this since this topic is similar, so I hope somebody can answer my question. I've already tried doing my own research, but it hasn't helped much...

I have decided that I want to take the plunge and get a nice LCD TV to do PC gaming on, but I am incredibly paranoid that it won't work. This is mostly because my older brother is a self-proclaimed computer expert that claims that hooking up a PC to a TV for gaming isn't worth it. I was hoping people could clear up some issues I am overly afraid of happening if I do in fact follow through on this dream of mine.

For reference, here are some rough PC specs and TVs I like (I'd link them but I don't have enough posts...)

PC (I'll provide more if nessecary. I'm a technology moron):

Processor: AMD 06A0 1.7 GHz
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 mb
RAM: 768 mb DDR

TVs: Sharp LC-37G4U and Sharp LC-45GD4U

Anyway, my brother claims that the space the actual game will take up will be insignificant when factoring in the size of the TV (I know it won't take up the full screen due to the different aspect ratios of monitors and TVs, but it should still be good-sized?) and will have a terrible refresh rate, and then tells me I would need to buy some Matrox graphics card that costs more than $1k. I noticed that my graphics card has the same DVI input that the TVs do, but I get a sneaking suspicion that I may need to do more than just hook the TV and PC up with a DVI-I cable. Are there any issues that I should be concerned about, or is it all in my head?

Thanks in advance for any replies.
post #8 of 14
5/11/05 at 8:16pm
Your brother is wrong, why wouldn't it take up the whole screen? If you get a 720p LCD you can select 1280x720 in many computer games and hack many others to achieve that resolution. Perhaps you can even get 1:1 pixel mapping, which looks fantastic. I use my HTPC on my 51" TV and I'm going to use it on my 100" screen with my projector. Loves it.
post #9 of 14
5/11/05 at 9:01pm
I set up my HT November of last year. I was mainly motivated by being able to play Halo 2 on it. I've since gone back to playing pc/xbox/gc games on a CRT monitor. There are a few reasons for this.

Screen height - mostly if you're going to spend this kind of money, the HT will be used for both movies and gaming. The ideal screen height for movies is for eye-level to be around the line that tops the bottom third of the screen. I find that for gaming the eye level needs to be at least center of the screen if not even the top third of the screen. This makes gameplay uncomortable for extended periods of time.

Picture detail - this will depend on the projector you use, but LCD projectors on the lower end of the price scale do not deliver good blacks. The importance of good blacks in games can't be stressed enough. No personal experience with DLP projectors, but as others already pointed out, they have their own problems on the lower end of the price scale. My take is the level of detail awareness needed for gaming is not compatible with projectors. This will probably improve along with projector picture quality as well as better resolution of the new generation consoles.

Keyboard and mouse - regardless of money and time spent, your couch setup may never be as comfortable and solid as the old computer desk and chair.

Take this as personal experience from another point of view. Also, results are usually better, but not always, with the amount of money you spend. YMMV.
post #10 of 14
5/11/05 at 9:47pm
Sarcasmo,

If you are going to spend $5k on a TV I suggest that you read the Sharp Sharp LC-45GD4U thread. It's about 1,800 posts long. Glancing at the thread, it's not clear how PC friendly it is. Get to work!
post #11 of 14
5/12/05 at 5:43am
All I can say is I have a Dell Generation 4 PC with an ATI x800 connected to my Samsung DLP and games look pretty darn awesome on it. I strictly use it for gaming, Xbox, PC etc.
post #12 of 14
5/12/05 at 9:30am
Quote:
Originally posted by Garasaki
... you'll probably find yourself migrating back to your desktop monitor.

Quote:
Originally posted by roy179
I set up my HT November of last year. I was mainly motivated by being able to play Halo 2 on it. I've since gone back to playing pc/xbox/gc games on a CRT monitor.
Sarcasmo, your brother has no idea what he's talking about!
post #13 of 14
5/12/05 at 12:04pm
Thanks for the responses everybody. I guess I needed assurance that my brother is being a jerk as usual. Still, aside from the television (I'm leaning towards the 37" one) and the computer (which should do this okay according to posts I've read), is there any special equipment that I'd need? I'm going for DVI because I've heard that Composite and S-Video isn't as good, but am I wrong here? Is the Sharp LC37G4U all that great a choice? Many thanks. I hope you can bear with my newb questions as I'm sure you get more than your fair share of them already :(
post #14 of 14
5/12/05 at 12:44pm
I'm pretty sure DVI/HDMI is the only way to achieve 1:1 pixel mapping. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. That means save the component for the Xbox.
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