So, I'm getting a HDTV.

[Kitsune]

Now, I have spoken at some length in the past about my feelings on spending thousands on a television and the insanity it implies.  I stand by those things.  However, I plan to market a low-cost media center HDTV PC solution to some of the retirement neighborhoods in my city, a pre-configured setup with a tuner and antenna hooked into the PC to pull down free HDTV from the airwaves and record them without the monthly cost of HD cable or a Tivo.  I think it'll go over well; Media Center's easy enough to use that even technophobes should be able to handle it.

But anyhow, the TV I mean to be using in the bundle is this.  I'm getting one to take around for demonstrations with the PC, so when I'm not taking it on the road or demonstrating it in my front office, I figure I may's well plop it in my living room.

This is far from a top-o-the-line TV, as I'm aiming more for affordability than super definition; no 1080p.  Viewsonic says it can do 1080i, though I have no idea as to how when its resolution is 1360x768, so 720p looks like what we should be aiming for.

Right now my consoles are a Wii and a PS2, both hooked into a receiver with component video, and I have a satellite receiver feeding through a second-gen Tivo, which in turn uses s-video to the receiver.  The receiver has no HDMI ports, and the TV has only one.

My roommate has big-ass Bose speakers around the room, so the audio surround sound base is well-covered, we're just a bit lacking on the video end.  The DVD player is on the old and cheap side and neither the Tivo nor the consoles are high-def.

All of this scattered information leads to two questions:

1. What pitfalls should I be wary of in getting standard definition consoles working on a HD screen?
2. What can be done to get the best video on the least money?  To frame that question in the proper perspective, a replacement or addition of equipment in the hundred dollar range is easily doable; buying a new $1000 receiver is not.

Any opinions from those souls who have braved the HD maelstrom would be appreciated.

[stray]

This is far from a top-o-the-line TV, as I'm aiming more for affordability than super definition; no 1080p.  Viewsonic says it can do 1080i, though I have no idea as to how when its resolution is 1360x768, so 720p looks like what we should be aiming for.

Nothing wrong with not caring about 1080p. Especially in a 32".

Numbers you should pay attention to though are contrast ratio and response time. You should look for something better if you can. Especially something with more inputs as well (if that thing only has one HDMI, then you're going to be upset about it sooner or later.... That is, if you want to keep this TV for a semi-longterm/longterm period).


As for your main questions, the PS2 and Wii can do 480p ws, which can look good enough. Not all PS2 games are going support progressive or widescreen though. Even some new ones. Some of those games are actually going to look worse than they do on a standard television (not as bad standard def video would though). Second, the non-widescreen games will have to be played with black bars on the side in 4:3 mode (or you can stretch it to fit the screen, but that'll look like shit in my opinion).

[Arrrgh]

However, I plan to market a low-cost media center HDTV PC solution to some of the retirement neighborhoods

You want old people to read PC text off a 32 inch? At what distance? If you blow up the text to a huge size then you're not going to get many lines of text on screen at 720p.

[Sky]

Hey, you're insane for spending thousands on your tv. Can you help me with my business?

No.

[Kitsune]

You want old people to read PC text off a 32 inch? At what distance? If you blow up the text to a huge size then you're not going to get many lines of text on screen at 720p.

1360x768 resolution on a 32 inch screen with a high DPI font seting in Windows can get some pretty big, clear text.  Not a lot of lines of the big text, yeah, but fitting more text onscreen is useless if the owners can't read it.  And fortunately the text in Media Center is pretty huge, as it's meant to be displayed on a television.

Hey, you're insane for spending thousands on your tv. Can you help me with my business?

No.

This doesn't have anything to do with business, the media center PC base is covered and stupidly simple: plug in VGA cable, plug in audio cable, run through the THX calibration DVD, done.  This is solely about  my living room and the consoles therein.  So help me out, you insane fucker.