26" 1080p vs 32" 720p

[dr dgaf]

I am looking at getting a new TV strictly for gaming with my xbox 360. Now my question is, will i really notice a difference between these two size TV's. 26" LED/LCD 1080p and 32" LCD 720p. While playing i am sitting about five feet away (yeah a lil close lol). For the two TV's i have picked out i am only looking at a $30 difference. I do realize the LED is JUST a backlighting. So if you guys could help me out at all i would really appreciate it. Thank you very much.

[MJA]

I think under 40" u will not

amazon got a good deal on the Panasonic VIERA TC-L32C3 for $299 = free shipping no tax

[jagabo]

For most material you won't notice a difference from 5 feet away. But the 1080p display will give a better picture if you sit closer. Ie, if you use the displays like a computer monitor, sitting ~2 feet away, the 1080p will be sharper. Partly because of the higher native resolution but also because you can get pixel-for-pixel mapping with many 1080p displays. 720p displays rarely have a native 1280x720 resolution, usually more like 1366x768. And they usually lack a pixel-for-pixel mode. So what you see on screen is almost always scaled from the input resolution -- resulting in fuzzy or jaggy artifacts. That's not so much of an issue with movies/tv but it is a problem with computer use (and gaming) because there is often small sharp text or other details.

[yoda313]

And they usually lack a pixel-for-pixel mode

I don't know if this will matter for the poster or not but if you have a vga input on the tv does that count as pixel for pixel? I have a vga input on my 32" westinghouse 720p tv and I can get 1320x768 using the hd-vga cable for my xbox 360. That has yielded excellent viewing on my set for the 360 for my perspective.

Just an fyi on that single issue.

[jagabo]

Yes, a lot of them have pixel-for-pixel mapping if you use the VGA input and can set the source device to the TV's native resolution.

[deadrats]

here's the practical answer, for gaming with a xbox360 you should pick the 32" 720p tv; 360 games are hard coded to 720p30 with 2 sample AA, a few games are coded for 720p or 1080p but for the most part, in order to maintain performance and a consistent gaming experience, 720p30 is usually chosen, thus the extra 6 inches will come in handy (i know i would love to have an extra 6 inches).

if you're planning on picking up a xbox720 when they are released sometime next year (M$ has promised that they will hit the market by mid 2012), you would want to spend some extra dough and pick up a 32"+ 1080p because from the sound of it the 720 should be something to see.

[yoda313]

f you're planning on picking up a xbox720 when they are released sometime next year (M$ has promised that they will hit the market by mid 2012), you would want to spend some extra dough and pick up a 32"+ 1080p because from the sound of it the 720 should be something to see.

going offtopic here I thought both Sony and Microsoft were holding pat till 2014? When the Wii U was announced that was the prevailing wisdom that the big boys would wait for their systems to fully mature before going to the next cycle.

[deadrats]

going off topic here I thought both Sony and Microsoft were holding pat till 2014?

according to this it will be released at the 2012 E3:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/AMD-XBox-720-Xbox-720-Avatar-Graphics-Neal-Robison,13095.html

it seems that sony isn't about to be left behind and the PS4 release has been pushed up to 2012 as well.

[deadmeow]

That is a difficult choice. Remember if you have 1080p, you can take advantage of 1080p, and 720p. Choosing 720p gives you only that choice. For me, an important factor in choosing my LCD TV (for video/gaming/etc.) was having a VGA port. You may find you have less lag over a VGA port than HDMI connection on some televisions.

The most important thing is to have the most options in whatever you buy, and be happy with it.