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Need help selecting best Big Screen TV to run this MVP game


stecropper

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Hey Guys,

I need some seasoned advice here:

I am considering getting a High Performance Gaming Desktop PC (i.e. Velocity Micro ProMagix Desktop QX6700) that has the following Graphics Card:

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS graphics with 640MB dedicated video memory; dual DVI interfaces --- it also has an S-Video connection

My question is which type of Big Screen TV (i.e. HDTV Ready? HDTV? DLP? LCD? PLASMA? etc. ?) should best work with this Graphics Card to produce the highest quality graphics with smoothest transition (i.e panning across the field).

I am not necessarily interested it having Wide Screen capabilities as Normal TV Screen size will do just fine.

Also depending on your suggestion which would be the best way to hook this up - via the DVI or S-Video connection (depending of course on the TV having that capability as well) or is there any other connection that would be better than either DVI or S-Video?

This is solely to run the MVP 2005 PC Baseball Game nothing else matters.

Thanks for any and all thoughts on this question,

Don

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Most big screen LCD have vga input so you can use that too.

Vga quality should look better than s-video.

Of course the best image is to use dvi. And since most video card only have dvi U will need a cable that covert dvi 2 hdmi.

Mainly because HD TV most likely will only have hdmi.

Btw I love your signature hehe

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baseballfans,

Thanks much for this input. It is greatly appreciated. I read about hdmi but had no idea what it was and did notice the assessories for such an adaptor cable for DVI to hdmi.

Really thought DVI was the way to go from what I read but certainly didn't understand that most HDTVs would only have hdmi and not DVI capability.

I guess no graphics card outputs hdmi thus the need for such an adapter.

Again Thanks,

Don

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baseballfans,

Really thought DVI was the way to go from what I read but certainly didn't understand that most HDTVs would only have hdmi and not DVI capability.

I guess no graphics card outputs hdmi thus the need for such an adapter.

Again Thanks,

Don

Actually some HDTV does have dvi & hdmi. But most company would rather save money and just put hdmi. DVI is really like hdmi, is just that dvi only carry video whereas HDMI carry both audio and video. VGA is pretty good because the game was not meant for HD so even if u do use dvi the quality is not much enhance.

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Baseballfans,

Well that is also very useful news. Perhaps I should just stick with any TV that would allow VGA input because from all I read this DVI/HDMI stuff sometimes works and often doesn't depending on the TV ones gets.

My main objective is just to get the largest screen (regardless of what type of TV / LCD Monitor / CRT etc) I can put this game on and maintain good quality.

Carter,

This is actually my retirement present to myself although I likely will not retire for a couple years I am in the process of building my retirement hobby setup which is totally centered around this game - plus I don't want to wait until I retire since I want all this ready for that day - so basically I am just trying to get the biggest / best setup I can as my eyes & ears begin to fade. Trust me - that is nothing to be envious of ! I honestly wish I was still out between the lines swinging the lumber & shagging down all those flys in the outfield grass ! Ah, the smell of that grass ----> Now that is something to be envious of !

Nice hearing from you partner - it's been awhile since we're communicated - actually basically since you first made that '69 Senators Uniform set for MVP 2004 --- which I still use today by the way --- and plan on doing so for years to come !!!

Thanks,

Don

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wish i could get more into this, but heres some suggestions. mainly you need to do research, but heres some starters.

Look for a tv with DVI inputs, this will get you the best quality. HDMI is better, but no mainstream video cards have hdmi-out, the card included in your computer has dvi outs. Look at lcd's, look at plasmas. Look for low response times on the tvs. Anything under 8 miliseconds will be fine. Anything more, and the motion in the game will seem a trace or ghost behind.

I'm not going to go into Plasma vs LCD, theres plenty of sites on the internet that do very good comparisons.

I'll be glad to help if you have any more questions

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marinerschas2,

That response time information is very helpful and I certainly appreciate that insight.

As far as Plasma vs LCD TV comparisons I am not really going to use this as a TV at any time but rather solely as a monitor for this game. So far from the help I've gotten from this thread it appears that any TV that accepts DVI or VGA type input will be fine since the game itself will not take advantage of any of the other high end TV specifications regardless of the graphics card capabilities. So what I think I need to look for is a large screen TV with good response time specs that accepts either DVI or VGA type input.

I truly appreciate this input,

Don

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I just bought myself a new 52 inch LCD rear-projection HDtv six weeks ago and enjoy it alot. I did alot of research to come to my purchse decision, so maybe I can give you a few pointers. As far as plasma vs LCD, plasma is generally better in a dark lit room and can struggle in rooms that are well lit. Although plasma has improved in this area considerably in recent years, they still can be susceptible to image burn-in. This shouldn't necessarily scare you from plasma, but you need to be aware of it and determine if plasma's still right for you. That said, from my research plasma generally had a better reputation for picture quality and handled fast moving objects better, so in that sense may be better for you.

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Don, I have a 42-inch plasma that I purchased from Dell, and I have a PC hooked up to it, so I may be able to help here.

The TV has inputs for HDMI, DVI, s-video, and VGA, among others. Seems to me that any worthwhile big screen TV should have these.

HDMI isn't very reliable technology and should be avoided. DVI will work for you, as will VGA. Don't use s-video for this application. Think of your TV as a very large computer monitor, not as a TV. HD is not an issue here, as the game will not be in HD anyway.

All the plasmas (any maybe the LCDs, I'm not sure) come in a widescreen format. That will stretch your game out and look strange, so you'll be setting your TV/monitor for 4:3 format to keep the aspect normal looking. That puts the black bars on either side of the picture and is a normal condition.

If you're really going to just use this TV for gaming, I'd look for a low price that eliminates the bells and whistles you won't need. You won't need a TV that's highly rated for it's ability to tune channels, for example. On that note, I advise you to pick up the current March issue of Consumer Reports because it features HDTV this month. Good information there. And any worthwhile online listing of a TV's features will spell out the inputs available on that model.

I could go on and on here, but won't. I'll be glad to answer specific questions you have. BTW, I have a DVI cable (needed a longer one) arriving on Monday. At that point, I'll have both DVI and VGA hooked up and can easily do comparisons for you. I already have MVP installed on the PC that's connected to the TV.

And don't forget, you can watch MLB.TV on that thing too. :)

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DVI is NOT common on more recent HDTVs, having been replaced by HDMI. RGB/VGA imputs are the norm also. Most HDTVs have both now. I have my computer hooked up via VGA to my Vizio 42" LCD HDTV. I have the MVP.exe hex-edited to work at 1360x768 which is better than 720P, so yes it is Hi-Def and looks great. I dont notice any deal-breaker game distortions and the game plays very smooth. My TV has an 8ms refresh.

This is on a 4 year old Dell Dimension 8250 with a P4 2.4 Ghz, 512 Megs RAM, and an ATI Radeon X800 AGP 256 Meg video card. If you are going to use your TV primarily for computing/gaming, I highly recommend a LCD to avoid screen burn-in.

My TV can now be had at Costco and Sams Club for $1200 with a great return policy, so no additional warranty needed. The 46" LCD is $1600 and the 47" 1080P is $1900. The 42"/46" Vizios max res is 1366x768.

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Sidewinder, you're right about most TVs not having DVI anymore. I had not known that. They probably don't put them in cable/satellite receivers. Mine doesn't have one. And HDMI can do some strange things. Anyway, that would require a DVI/HDMI converter to connect to the graphics card, right?

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Hey Guys,

Thanks tremendously to each and every one of you. I gained knowledge from every response.

To me it looks fairly clear now:

1) A LCD TV will likely be best because of less image burn-in concerns

2) RGB/VGA or DVI would likely be the most stable and quality / performance is acceptable

3) Make certain the TV has = or < 8ms response

4) A simple less function rich TV would likely be best since this is to act solely as a monitor for this game

I assume the RGB/VGA connection is the standard PC to Montior/Display connection used for years? Please let me know if my assumption is off.

Looks like those Vizio's from Sam's might be the way to go.

Cash#25 - Yes, please let me know how the VGA vs DVI comparisons turn out>

Once Again - Thanks Very Much,

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