Maybe Microsoft was right all along...who knew!!

[mistagamer]

I recently purchased a 40" Samsung 1080p TV over the weekend. While at the store negotiating the price down on the TV, I was adamant about the salesman verifying the TV having the ability to accept a 1080p signal over it's VGA connection since we all know the flack and issues regarding the 360's limited 360 output options. Well he stated that most, if not all the newer 1080p TV in production from here on out would be able to accept 1080p over component and vga. Furthermore, he went on and on about the quality of the Samsung and how he had one and was getting 1080p over VGA from his computer. To me, and of course I didn't want to tell him that he didn't know what he was talking about, but it sounded a bit like a salesman telling me what i wanted to hear to get me to buy the TV. So, i pushed him to allow me to look up the specs online for the TV and what amazed me was, it clearly stated on the website that not only did the TV accept a 1920x1080 @ 60hz signal thru VGA, it also noted that you could get a 1080p signal over component.

Well this satisfied my needs. I get home plug up, my 360 thru component switch my system output in the dashboard to 1080p, hit the info button on the TV to see what signal it was getting, and low and behold, GLORIOUS 1080p @ 60hz over component. Just to make sure, i put in a dvd, hit play, and watched the signal drop to 480p, which it should have considering the 360 doesn't upscale over component.

I quickly hook the 360 up thru the VGA, switch the resolution in the Dashboard to 1920x1080, hit info on the TV and it tells me the signal is 1920x1080 @ 60hz. Put in a dvd and hit info again and the signal is still 1920x1080 @ 60hz. I really hadn't noticed the difference between a 480p and the upscaled image until now. I was impressed. Now all that's left is to get the hd-dvd (same store was selling them for $178.00 with King Kong incl) drive so i can have a true HD movie experience.

I say all that to say, maybe Microsoft is right, maybe hdmi for the time being isn't necessary and wont be for gaming in 1080p and HD movie viewing thru their console in the future. Although this was only verified on the Samsung, but maybe the 1080p being limited to hdmi connection was only for early adopters of the 1080p technology. I thought I wouldn't buy a 1080p tv anytime soon. Hell, i've been gaming on my widescreen lcd monitor just fine. But this deal was too good to pass up ($700 off the price).

Anyway, it seems, according to the salesman who turned out to be absolutely right, that the subsequent generations of 1080p TVs will be accepting a full 1080p signal over component. I know mine does! So fear not future 1080p purchasers...this 1080p connection restriction may be a big myth...for now!

p.s GEARS OR WAR NEVER LOOKED BETTER!!!! Now i'm going to get PGR since i missed out on it and it's now $19.99...

[Mbbest]

1080p@60?? Are you 100% sure?? over component??? I didnt know that..i think it was 1080p@30 max

[ian]

i use this tv and i am getting 1080p over vga.
http://www.goodmans.co.uk/productdet...language=en-GB

[Fishface]

yeah samsung is the tv to get if you want a 360 MS and Samsung have cooperation together i also got the Samsung 1080P 40inch they pwn. Together they created the Game Mode.

[mistagamer]

1080p@60?? Are you 100% sure?? over component??? I didnt know that..i think it was 1080p@30 max

i'm positive!! pleasantly surprised might i add...

[MATRIX 2]

Not really fishface, samsungs game mode, isn't that great, it enhances contrast/color, can make games look worse.

[mistagamer]

Not really fishface, samsungs game mode, isn't that great, it enhances contrast/color, can make games look worse.

i dont even use the game mode unless i'm going thru the VGA. Seems like it only makes a difference for the better thru VGA.

DVDs looked better thru VGA because of the 360's upscaling capabilities. Some games look better thru VGA (especially the games that have a native color over saturation). The downloadable movies over Live Marketplace all look better thru component.

[DMB14]

Ya know I thought Sony's TVs were the best and without doing the research I bought a Sony SXRD a while ago that only accepts 1080p through HMDI. Sounds like I should have gotten a Samsung...

[thekingofkings]

I recently purchased a 40" Samsung 1080p TV over the weekend. While at the store negotiating the price down on the TV...

How much is this TV regularly? How much did you talk them down? Was it LCD or Plasma?

[Scotracer]

Ya know I thought Sony's TVs were the best and without doing the research I bought a Sony SXRD a while ago that only accepts 1080p through HMDI. Sounds like I should have gotten a Samsung...

Don't assume anything with Sony. Do the research first. Aren't you a member of PX360? if so, you coulda asked me a question over there as to whether it accepted 1080p through component/VGA!

[mistagamer]

How much is this TV regularly? How much did you talk them down? Was it LCD or Plasma?

I ended up getting it for $1700...with a regular price listed at $2400 it's an LCD. Well bestbuy's price was $2300.

[JordanL]

You know that 1080p and 1080i are virtually indistinguishable below 47" screens, right?

Additionally.... how did you know the framerate?

(FYI, I'm not saying the 360 isn't capable, yada yada yada... etc...)

[DMB14]

Don't assume anything with Sony. Do the research first. Aren't you a member of PX360? if so, you coulda asked me a question over there as to whether it accepted 1080p through component/VGA!

Yeah, I am. I think I looked into it a little bit and I was under the impression that 1080p over VGA was definite, but my TVs VGA input sucks. Max res. is 1366x768 and it doesn't even fill the whole screen.

[MATRIX 2]

Not really jordanL, it depends on viewing distance, for 40 inch 1080p set more than 6-8 ft away, you lose the benefits of 1080p.

[Fordgasm]

Are people confusing 60hz to 60fps?
Seems to be a little confusion between the 2 in this thread.

[Fordgasm]

Not really jordanL, it depends on viewing distance, for 40 inch 1080p set more than 6-8 ft away, you lose the benefits of 1080p.

Viewing distance does matter but I'm pretty sure Jordan is right about 47" being the minimum screen size for 1080p.

All,
The following figures relate to getting the most detail from the screen and is based on average good vision 6,6 (20,20).

You should sit with the eye-screen distance slightly greater than this value.
Select the screen resolution and measure the height of the image. Now multiply this height by the quoted value. This will be the distance between the eye and the screen.

1080p 3.2 x
1080i 4.5 x
720p 4.8 x
576p 6.0 x
480i 10.0 x
432p 8.0 x
432i 11.3 x This is a 16:9 picture displayed on a 4:3 screen. This leaves black bands at the top and bottom of the picture. So the image height is smaller than full screen.

You can test these figures for youself. If you have to go much closer you may need to see an Optician or Opthamologist.

I would like to stress that these recommended viewing distances represent the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM you should use to be able to fully resolve the resolutions listed.
Based on these figures, only 1080p is able to provide better then the MINIMUM viewing angle required for a cinema experience of 26 degrees.
I have to say that I find these recommendations VERY conservative, and much closer viewing distances can easily be used with good quality displays and replay systems. And that’s a good thing, as home cinema would be imposable at this point in time otherwise.

[gcubed]

Are people confusing 60hz to 60fps?
Seems to be a little confusion between the 2 in this thread.

yes they are. I would hope it can display at 60hz. At least its progressive. An interlaced signal at 60hz is headache creating

[A7MAD]

40" is the minimum but does suffice for 1080p visuals, it is noticeable...

No one should take my word for it, read it up @ AVS forums or google it...

mistagamer,

Samsung make great HDTV's and I'm told many times over that Sony use Samsung screens for their HDTV's...

What model Samsung LCD do you own exactly?

[Aleman]

Samsung rocks. You're getting pretty much the same picture (for LCDs at least) that you'd get with a Sony except for hundreds less. Sony and Samsung have a joint venture for LCDs and they make them in the same factory.

As far as 1080p goes, yes, a lot of new 1080p LCD sets accept 1080p over component and VGA (I know for sure that Samsung, Sony, and Westinghouse all do).

[justintheman99]

My TV supports 1080p over Component and VGA and it is an Acer, even cheaper than Samsung I presume.

[Graham]

You know that 1080p and 1080i are virtually indistinguishable below 47" screens, right?

Additionally.... how did you know the framerate?

(FYI, I'm not saying the 360 isn't capable, yada yada yada... etc...)

Yeah, like viewing distance has nothing to do with it I'd expect a statement like that from a total noob, not you JordanL!

[JordanL]

Yeah, like viewing distance has nothing to do with it I'd expect a statement like that from a total noob, not you JordanL!

I'm talking realistically here Graham.

The restrictions which make 1080p better than 1080i on smaller screens make it unfeasible to use them properly in a home entertainment setup. The investment required between the two is rediculous. I wasn't kidding, there is cirtually no reason to buy a 1080p set under 47", and I don't see how that is something which you find comical.

[Graham]

I'm talking realistically here Graham.

The restrictions which make 1080p better than 1080i on smaller screens make it unfeasible to use them properly in a home entertainment setup. The investment required between the two is rediculous. I wasn't kidding, there is cirtually no reason to buy a 1080p set under 47", and I don't see how that is something which you find comical.

Who's laughing? Not everybody who wants a "cinematic" experiece has a room capable of supporting a 47"+ TV. So, what choice do they have but to get a smaller set?

Case in point is a colleague at work who has just bought a 40" 1080p TV for his lounge, which is positively tiny inside his tiny flat. It dominates the room, but that's what he wanted because he has a Home Cinema PC set up with lots of 720p and 1080p material, and plans on getting a HD-DVD player and a PS3 for Blu-ray. His viewing distance is close even for a 40", but all that serves to do is show how good 1080p material looks, certainly compared to 720p that's for sure.

Home entertainment setups don't have to include huge TVs to support huge resolutions. If the resolution is there and you sit close enough in a normal comfortable setting, you will get the benefits of that resolution. What is unfeasible about that? Sure, it might not give the true cinematic experience and wow-factor of an 80" set viewed at twice the distance (so appearing the same size), but not everybody has a big room they can just dedicate to entertainment. That's the reality of it right there.

[JordanL]

Who's laughing? Not everybody who wants a "cinematic" experiece has a room capable of supporting a 47"+ TV. So, what choice do they have but to get a smaller set?

Case in point is a colleague at work who has just bought a 40" 1080p TV for his lounge, which is positively tiny inside his tiny flat. It dominates the room, but that's what he wanted because he has a Home Cinema PC set up with lots of 720p and 1080p material, and plans on getting a HD-DVD player and a PS3 for Blu-ray. His viewing distance is close even for a 40", but all that serves to do is show how good 1080p material looks, certainly compared to 720p that's for sure.

Home entertainment setups don't have to include huge TVs to support huge resolutions. If the resolution is there and you sit close enough in a normal comfortable setting, you will get the benefits of that resolution. What is unfeasible about that? Sure, it might not give the true cinematic experience and wow-factor of an 80" set viewed at twice the distance (so appearing the same size), but not everybody has a big room they can just dedicate to entertainment. That's the reality of it right there.

I wasn't saying that everyone needs to get 47+" TVs, I was saying that people shouldn't pay the extra for 1080p over 1080i if they are buying one under 47" in a normal arrangement.

1080p on small screens will of course provide improvement over 720, but the difference between 1080i and p on small screens unless you are unhealthily close is nearly indistinguishable.

[Aleman]

1080p on small screens will of course provide improvement over 720, but the difference between 1080i and p on small screens unless you are unhealthily close is nearly indistinguishable.

The problem with that argument is that you can't buy a TV that truly supports 1080i but doesn't support 1080p, unless you go for a CRT, but those only go up to about 34 inches and most can't actually resolve all the lines of resolution anyways.. Most "1080i" TV's are actually native 720p so you're not getting all the resolution.