Anyone playing a 360 on a non-hd TV?

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:11 pm

with the release of GRAW, I am seriously contemplating picking up a XBox 360, but I will have to use it on my crappy 27" Sony Non-HD Tube TV untill I get another TV in July. Question is, do the 360 games look much better even on a regular TV or should I hold off until I have the HD TV for the 360?

p.s. Again, I know this has been talked about month's ago at 360 launch, but I was out of that loop back then

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:15 pm

they do.

i think they look amazing on my sony.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:24 pm

Suds, your Sony is a "non-HD" TV? thanks

Sudz wrote:they do.

i think they look amazing on my sony.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:29 pm

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-36- ... tDetail.do

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:33 pm

JackB1 wrote:with the release of GRAW, I am seriously contemplating picking up a XBox 360, but I will have to use it on my crappy 27" Sony Non-HD Tube TV untill I get another TV in July. Question is, do the 360 games look much better even on a regular TV or should I hold off until I have the HD TV for the 360?

p.s. Again, I know this has been talked about month's ago at 360 launch, but I was out of that loop back then

I play on a standard TV.

Imo the 360 games generally speaking don't look amazingly better than Xbox games. They all look significantly more like what you paid for when you see them in HD.

Ghost Recon is one of the few that actually though does still look like a next gen game on a standard TV.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:51 pm

I really like my 360, but I like my HDTV more. If I had to make a choice, I would take the $500-700 it costs for the 360, assessories, and a couple games and put that towards a HDTV.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:23 pm

thats a much better TV than my 7 yr old Sony 27" Trinitron.

Sudz wrote:http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-36- ... tDetail.do

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 3:30 pm

Leebo33 wrote:I really like my 360, but I like my HDTV more. If I had to make a choice, I would take the $500-700 it costs for the 360, assessories, and a couple games and put that towards a HDTV.

I agree...I'd get the TV first, then the Xbox. HDTV is just THAT much better than regular...the TV comes first...at least that's how I handled it.

jLp vAkEr0 · Post by **jLp vAkEr0** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:05 pm

I played it quite a bit with a regular TV before finally jumping on the HDTV wagon.

While the games looked good on the standard tv(I had s-video cables) it just can't compare to a HDTV.

I can't believe how happy I am with my 23" LCD.

On the question of what to get first, consider another thing.

I'm pretty sure any TV you want right now, is gonna be cheaper 2 months from now, the 360 will still be $400.

So you can just get the 360 now and get the tv you want at a lower price later. Really boils down to how much do you want to game on the 360 right now.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:40 pm

Realize, though, that March is a GREAT month to buy a TV because it's the end of the Japanese fiscal year. Many Japanese electronics companies are clearing inventory to prepare for next year's models, and you can get a steal of a deal on a good set.

That's how I got my 26-inch Syntax Olevia LCD for $500 at CompUSA after rebates. A very, very nice set for the money, HD-ready with a built-in tuner and DVI input.

If you want to track TV prices, go to dealmac.com. There's a great RSS feed that pushes TV deals to your feedreader every morning.

Take care,
PK

bphilipb · Post by **bphilipb** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:57 pm

Pk, good looking out. That is a great website.

BB

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:08 pm

bphilipb wrote:Pk, good looking out. That is a great website.

BB

Hey, you can always count on me to be a thrifty bastard. Or in layman's terms, a cheap f*ck.

Take care,
PK

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:50 pm

Do Japanese companies all work off the same fiscal calendar?

Sony could be on a different calendar than Panasonic. That is the case with most American companies which are on fiscal calendars which end in different quarters.

And it really shouldn't affect when they come out with new TVs. Most companies show new TVs in January, at the CES. But many of them don't release them until August or September over here. Sony has several of their new models to stores here around that time.

Two biggest months for sales of TVs are Dec. and January. The stores decide how much they're willing to discount, tied to promotions. They may be more willing to discount when sales are slower. Or when they're trying to move product for the end of their fiscal years.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:57 pm

wco81 wrote:Do Japanese companies all work off the same fiscal calendar?

Sony could be on a different calendar than Panasonic. That is the case with most American companies which are on fiscal calendars which end in different quarters.

And it really shouldn't affect when they come out with new TVs. Most companies show new TVs in January, at the CES. But many of them don't release them until August or September over here. Sony has several of their new models to stores here around that time.

Two biggest months for sales of TVs are Dec. and January. The stores decide how much they're willing to discount, tied to promotions. They may be more willing to discount when sales are slower. Or when they're trying to move product for the end of their fiscal years.

Do you think I just pull this stuff out of my ass? From this story at CNNmoney.com:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/20/pf/best ... verything/

Televisions

While the blowout sales on electronics tend to cluster around the holidays, even cheaper deals on TVs can be found in the spring beginning in April, according to Stephen Baker, who covers electronics for the marketing and research firm NPD.

That's because for most Japanese companies the fiscal year ends in March. Baker says they time new-model year releases with the new fiscal year and offer discounts of up to 20 percent to clear out old sets.
<<<<<

I stand corrected that April is the big month, not March. But April is a great time to buy a TV due to the Japanese fiscal year. This analyst says it's even better than the holidays.

Take care,
PK

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 7:17 pm

But the TV companies aren't the only ones making the pricing decisions.

The retailers, even at the local level, may want a sale bad enough to make deals at any time.

For instance, I bought my HDTV at Circuit City in Sept. a couple of years ago after reading on AVSFORUM that some Circuit City stores were dealing.

I think they had it marked at $2200 or $2300 for a $2500 model as a release special. They only had had the model for a couple of days.

I talked them down to $2000 with delivery included.

They had some quantities of the previous year's model on hand. Didn't bother to ask what they were charging for them.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:41 pm

Buying an HDTV has got to be the most nerve-wracking, intimidating purchase out there for Joe Consumer (outside of car/house type stuff). I read some story where supposedly the follow-through rate for people who plan to buy HDTVs is ridiculously low (according to survey). Let's see what Joe Consumer has to face: CRT, DLP, LCD, LCOS or Plasma; EDTV, HDTV, 720p, 1080i, 1080p; Burn-in, rainbows, lag and screen doors... precisely how the f*** is my grandmother supposed to buy and HDTV?

Of course, I'm over-analyzing in that the technologies and such are mostly transparent to the average Joe, and they just decide the size they want and whether the picture is good/bright enough. Still, I don't think the HDTV shopping experience could be a bigger mess if it tried.

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:48 am

Yeah, it's really fun to try and sell them to people, especially when you work at Sears and the clientele tend to be 50+. Luckily, a lot of our customers do their homework but you still get many who haven't. This means that much of the time customers will come in a few times before they actually get around to purchasing the set.

The most difficult thing for many customers is grasping the entire concept of high definition and the several different resolutions. I try not to get into that unless it's neccessary, because usually it only will frustrate/confuse the customer but that aspect of the technicalities is almost begging to be explained as it really is the main focus of HDTV.

Also, customers are more and more weary of plasma televisions because they've heard so many bad things about them.

blueduke · Post by **blueduke** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 10:05 am

Kazuya wrote:Buying an HDTV has got to be the most nerve-wracking, intimidating purchase out there for Joe Consumer (outside of car/house type stuff). I read some story where supposedly the follow-through rate for people who plan to buy HDTVs is ridiculously low (according to survey). Let's see what Joe Consumer has to face: CRT, DLP, LCD, LCOS or Plasma; EDTV, HDTV, 720p, 1080i, 1080p; Burn-in, rainbows, lag and screen doors... precisely how the f*** is my grandmother supposed to buy and HDTV?

Of course, I'm over-analyzing in that the technologies and such are mostly transparent to the average Joe, and they just decide the size they want and whether the picture is good/bright enough. Still, I don't think the HDTV shopping experience could be a bigger mess if it tried.

That's why I've yet to purchase one. I don't have a damn clue. I feel like a toolbag when asking questions to the sales people. I'm sure they're thinking "Gee this guy is a damn toolbag!". I'm totally intimidated.

BTW, 360 on a standard tv looks very good but I'm not blown away

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:34 am

on a related note....

anyone know if I can buy a larger CRT HD monitor
that I can plug both my computer and a 360 into?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:52 am

I know I can plug our PowerBook into the TV (RP CRT) using the DVI-out plug on the computer. I'm assuming any HD set with HDMI or DVI inputs could be used as a monitor as long as the computer can output the signal in the needed format.

As mentioned here, the HDTV buying process can be damn confusing, even for people who are somewhat educated in electronics.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:25 pm

I was just thinking about it and it might make more sense for me to just get a new flat panel HD TV monitor that I can use for both my computer and the 360. The only negative is that I have to play Xbox 360 games at
my desk.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:01 pm

WAIT A SEC!!!

Did I just read that PK has an HD LCD set??? How the hell did I miss that peice of news around here???

Welcome PK. Do you have any HiDef signals or channels yet?

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:09 pm

Spooky wrote:WAIT A SEC!!!

Did I just read that PK has an HD LCD set??? How the hell did I miss that peice of news around here???

Welcome PK. Do you have any HiDef signals or channels yet?

No kidding!

PK get yourself a TWC HD DVR. I have the SA 8300HD. It's a POS (really the software is likely the real problem), but hey, I don't have a choice! Seriously though, HD DVR is where it's at. I don't think that it costs any extra at all over the regular DVR box.

I do pay extra for the HD Package, which has ESPNHD, HDNet and HDNet2, InHD (great for those OLN NHL games in HD), InHD2, and then maybe Discovery (that may be available without the package) and TNT HD (great for NBA games in HD). I know you're tighter than . . . . (insert witty PK simile), and TWC is evil, but ESPNHD, NHL in HD on InHD, all make it more than worth it for the sports fan.

You still get a lot in HD without paying extra, but it's worth the extra for those great HD channels.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:23 pm

I've had my HD DVR now for three weeks. I continually call my wife in from the other room and have her look at the clarity of the picture. I'll be like "Check out that f'n grasshopper on that leaf. Isn't that unreal?" Her response is always "Wow".

There's nothing like watching NCAA ball on ESPNHD. It's amazing. I'll go downstairs to look at the picture on my regular tv, and there's simply no comparison. All the HD channels look phenomenal, although Showtime HD isn't really anything special.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:33 pm

Showtime does a better job of presenting movies in HD than HBO.

They use OAR, Original Aspect Ratio, whereas HBO tends to crop or zoom up wider-format movies to fit 16:9.

Plus Showtime will be airing new episodes of Arrested Development.

But no their shows generally haven't been as good as Sopranos, SFU, Wire, etc.

Digital Sportspage

Anyone playing a 360 on a non-hd TV?

Anyone playing a 360 on a non-hd TV?

Re: Anyone playing a 360 on a non-hd TV?