26 inch HD TV for gaming?

[sirbrad]

Hi all, been lurking here for a awhile but just joined to ask this question. I would like to buy this 26 inch HD TV for gaming. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4529476 as it is has a DVI output.


Enjoy the drama of widescreen high definition (HD) with one simple purchase. 26" screen fits almost anywhere; built-in ATSC tuner delivers HD without the need for a separate set-top box. All priced attractively. Wall-mountable to save space.

26" HD TV
Built-In ATSC (HD) Tuner; no need for a separate set-top box
PC Monitor compatible with HDMI & DVI input
Resolution: 1280x768
Accepts: 1080I/720P HDTV signals
Contrast Ratio: 600:1
Brightness: 500/cd/m2
Widescreen Apsect Ratio: 16:9
Terminals: HDMI, Component, DVI, S-Vidoe, AV inputs
Dimensions with base W26.18" x H22.24" x D7.72"
Weight with base 35lbs.
Dimensions without base W26.18" x H19.49" x D3.94"
Weight with base 29lbs.


Question being would this big of a TV work for gaming or would the resolution be distorted? I have read many times that 19 inch is the best for gaming is this true? How about 30-50 inches?

I never got to try anything over 19 inches, so basically I would like to know if it will all be good, and just be oversized but yet fill the entire screen? That would be awesome, and much more immersive as opposed to using these tiny monitors still. I think games are 4:3 or something like that, so would be bars on a 16:9 aspect ratio in games? I hope not. Thanks.

 

[sirbrad]

It seems as though the picture on this is absolutely pristine in the store, and it is even connected via a component cable, which seems to be less quality that DVI, or HDTV? I also noticed while looking at LCD (monitors) that the text seems to be blurry on almost all of them. Is this because they are not hooked up to a faster connection, or do the stores simply have them all out of whack and not dialed in correctly?

Also someone said about "bigger pixels," but since the monitor is bigger shouldn't everything just equal out? Provided you have a good enough video card to handle the higher resolution, it should just be a nicely enlarged version of a crystal clear 19 inch. Bigger pixels but bigger monitor to compensate. Is this right? Also do monitors have settings to force full screen, or will some just have black bars? If you set the same resolution as the monitor's native resolution on your video card, will all be good?

 

[Cody_7]

Well, that is a good HDTV for the money. It's resolution is 1280x768, which is the same as a 19" LCD, only not as tall (obviously, because it's widescreen). It's contrast is 600:1 which isn't the best, but for the price it's probably as good as you can get (Many HDTV's are 800:1 or 1,000:1).

I think what was said about "bigger pixels" was reffering to the resolution. A 26" HDTV i've used had a resolution of 1366x768, which means there are more pixels on it than the TV you are looking at, therefore the pixels on your TV would be slightly bigger, becuase there's less of them (Not a big deal though!)

I think you will be very pleased with that TV, it's a good choice for gaming for the money.

 

[sirbrad]

Yeah after very intense and long research, that is the best overall deal I found so far. Anything else close to that is about $850 and up. I am just hoping it provides a clear picture with HDTV, or DVI. I tried hooking up my other TV to my PC and the picture and text was not that good. However I was limited to a lower card and an S-Video cable. Not bad, but not great.

I am sure a higher end card which I now have (7900 gt) and a DVI connection to it will be drastically better, I hope. I don't want to go much bigger than 26" because I will be using it for PC gaming, and would have to sit back about 6 feet to see the whole screen lol. Heck I might have to with this one!

 

[Cody_7]

Yeah, the 7900 is a good card to have for an HDTV.

Both DVI and HDTV (Red, Blue, green compnent connection) will have perfectly crisp and clear quality just like you were using a regular computer monitor. I also once used an S-video cable to hook up a TV, and the S-video connection is blurry, and just all around bad.

I'm not sure if DVI offers better quality than HDTV, but they are both crisp and prestine.