The best TV for a gamer on a budget.

Ok, so I'm going to buy a new TV this month and I want to know a couple of things. However, I only have about $600 to spend, so no HDTV or progressive scan-liquid crystal-shrinkie dink-colorform display talk! :p

I'm currently using a 27' stereo TV with composite AV inputs. I was thinking about going the S-video route but I'm curious about component video. How big a difference is it over S-video? Is it found on TVs in this price range?

Also, what brands are the most reliable? The TV I have is a Magnavox (cost me $367 10 years ago) and it's a true workhorse. I want something that will last and handle my gaming need for years to come. I'm looking for something about 32'.

Suggestions?

I know that Chibi Nappa is the resident techno guru here but any and all imput is appreciated. :)

In the 600 dollar range, you won't find a 32" flat, so the best of the 32" curves IMO, is the JVC D-Series. It's got component and s-video inputs, a decent speaker system and looks spiffy enough. Great picture too. They seem to be pretty reliable as well since I've never recieved complaints about them from any of my customers.

Sounds good. What's the actual cost (and where do you work)? :)

Holy crap, that TV rules. JVC makes some quality stuff for cheap. The TV I have right now is a JVC and it's great, but I'd reeeeeally like to have an S-Video input for the 4 consoles I have that support it. Thanks for posting that link. Hopefully, I'll be able to buy something like this in the near future.

Whoops, just saw the link! :)

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Originally posted by Melf
Sounds good. What's the actual cost (and where do you work)? :)

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Sears...sorry bout the shameless plug via a link :) It was the only place I could easily get to a link with prices and such.

NP. The link was perfect, as it has the model and item numbers.

Just curious: At what price do flat screens start? This JVC you mentioned seems like the way to go but I'd hate to buy it and see a better tV for $100 more.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Melf
NP. The link was perfect, as it has the model and item numbers.

Just curious: At what price do flat screens start? This JVC you mentioned seems like the way to go but I'd hate to buy it and see a better tV for $100 more.

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Well, these days, 32 flats start at about 800.00 (Try thisand this)...If you want my honese opinion, for gaming purposes a flatscreen is not significantly better. 525 lines of resolution is 525 lines of resolution and a flat screen really only offers less glare and less picture distortion in the corners to set it apart. Nothing in the quality, contrast, color, etc departments.

At the 800 dollars someone would spend on a 32" flat, I would say buy a JVC D-series or something similar and make sure you spend the extra money on good quality audio and video cables....ooooooorrrr get a 27" HDTV like this samsung here if you can live with a 27"

I'm not too sure how much they go for these days but I'm rather partial to the Sony WEGA series (pronounced VEGA). I was about to spend $500 on a 27 inch POS two years ago but the guy talked me into a 20 inch WEGA for the same price. I felt scammed at the time and thought about using my 90 day return policy when in the store. After one week of gaming on the thing I can honestly say that I got my money's worth. Plus, the thing's in my bedroom so 27" is overkill for such a small space. My TV is going for under 400 now and I think the 27 is about 600, not sure. They are flat and as I understand the 27's have composite, s-video, and component.

Hmm... $800 is a bit out of reach for me. The WEGA sounds nice and I'm willing to sacrifice the size difference from 27' to 32' if I can get component video. It seems I have more and better options than I had initially anticipated. :)