PC gaming on plasma?

[Rangoon]

I'm getting close to taking the plunge to plasma. I am working on my next build, and plan to put two GTX 570s in SLI. I would like to get a 1080p plasma of 42"-50" as my primary gaming display, while keeping my 27" LCD (not LED) as an option for web browsing, general use, and as a 2nd display for games (to place 2D elements, of simulators, for example).

My gaming computer is in the basement, which I am able to keep very dark (you know, like a lair ). I think this will keep the glare issues to a minimum. Any advice here on whether this is a good idea or not? Would I be better off just getting a higher-resolution LED LCD? Any plasmas out there that are better for PC gaming than others? I have heard good things about the S2, but I'm guessing one of the newer models is better than that now.

Thanks!

 

[Arkaign]

1080p is 1080p is 1080p in terms of resolution, provided the TV has a 'PC' or 'Gaming' mode which turns off the overscan thing (you end up having to make strange custom resolutions to make the screen fit in that case).

Plasmas are okay for gaming for sure, TBH there's not a huge difference between a good LCD and a good Plasma these days in overall quality. Things that Plasmas used to have trouble with, being power hungry, hot, and super heavy, have lessened considerably, ditto LCDs that had exceptionally poor blacks and other issues as well.

Pick up a recent (released in 2011+) well-reviewed set that you can preferably test in-store with a direct-connected 1080p source (a notebook is a good thing to bring if it has hdmi output), and you're gold.

 

[ElFenix]

i prefer plasma for watching tv on (especially over those horrendous 120hz weido motion LCD sets), but screen burn in still scares me. not to say LCDs don't suffer image retention, but plasma seems a bit more susceptible.

 

[Pacman4]

Don't think u can do any permanent screen burn on a Panasonic plasma, but just in case, maybe limit gaming sessions to 3hrs or so, take a break for 5-10mins and come back.
I don't burn any TV logo's into my old plasma, so I don't see why a modern one wouldn't be able to handle sensible gaming sessions.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

I don't think PC gaming is any different from console gaming as far as the display goes, and I game on my 50" Panasonic plasma every day (PS3, Wii), sometimes for up to 8 hours at a time. I get worse burn-in from movies than I ever have from games, but a quick run of the anti-image retention function built into the TV and any burn-in is completely gone. I don't actually get burn-in very often at all, and most of the time I just turn the set off or watch something else and don't even worry about it. Burn-in is a complete non-issue.

If you're gaming from your couch then viewing 1080p on a screen larger than 27" is good. But if you're sitting at your desk, then 1080p on anything larger than 27" is going to look horrible. I can't even stand pixel pitch lower than what my 24" 19x12 monitors have. Consult this article about HDTV viewing distance for more detail to help you make up your mind.

 

[Mopetar]

i prefer plasma for watching tv on (especially over those horrendous 120hz weido motion LCD sets), but screen burn in still scares me. not to say LCDs don't suffer image retention, but plasma seems a bit more susceptible.

I felt the same, but play games for long stretches occasionally on my plasma and haven't had any issues. There will be some temporary burn-in in areas where there was a static image, but it clears up completely after throwing a movie on or anything with frequent color shifting.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

One thing you really need to take into account when using a TV for gaming is input lag. For the most part plasma tv's have little to no input lag. While some LCD tvs i've seen have almost 30-40ms of input lag. Be sure to find reviews that measure input lag before buying a tv for a gaming display.

 

[tommo123]

i game (although only console so far) on my samsung plasma and it's great. so much better than my old LCD or even my dell 3007 monitor

no probs at all but once batman AC is released here on steam (still locked out dammit!) i'll start PC gaming on it as well.

this is my 1st plasma and i head about burn in. i use the TV as a monitor and noticed that after a few hours things from my desktop 'linger' but dissapear quite quickly and are completely invisible when watching a movie or something. only with a light background do you notice it.

to have something burnt in totally (or last a very long time) then from what i've heard - you'd have to leave an image on there for over a day solid with the display set to very bright so no chance of this happening without doing something stupid

 

[RussianSensation]

Plasma is great for gaming - Nearly instant refresh rate (since plasma is a gas), outstanding black levels and color makes plasma's image quality generally superior to anything we can get in the PC LCD monitor space, even compared to 30 inch high-end LCDs. This is because LCD/LED technology is actually inferior to Plasma in overall image quality. The major downsides are 1080P resolution vs. 2560x1600, possibility of burn-in over prolonged gaming (but this is not that much of an issue with newer models) and higher energy consumption. Also, gaming on a larger screen is nice too . Go for it!

I would say Panasonic currently makes the best Plasmas, followed by Samsung. imho LG brings the best value though - their 60 inch plasma can probably be found for $900-1100.

LG 50 inch plasma for $700
LG 60 inch plasma for $1000
* If you buy the LG before 11.59pm today from Newegg, you have 60-day return if you change your mind.

Amazon also has the 60 inch model for $999 with free shipping as well as the 50 inch for $728.

If your budget is $1400-1700, then I'd start looking at higher-end Samsung and Panasonic models.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

i prefer plasma for watching tv on (especially over those horrendous 120hz weido motion LCD sets), but screen burn in still scares me. not to say LCDs don't suffer image retention, but plasma seems a bit more susceptible.

really no need to worry about burn in with current plasmas, there will never be any permanent damage, only image retention if you're prone to leaving the screen on for hours on end. But even then that will go away with just a few minutes of changing the screen, and many modern sets will have a tool built into it to do that for you.

My Panasonic plasma will also rotate pixels to prevent retention, this is ok for movies and games, but can get annoying for text as it will blur just enough to be noticeable when the screen is transitioning from one pixel to another. Combine that with the fact that plasmas will be less power efficient and I would never recommend a plasma for a 24/7 general purpose computer monitor, but when used just for gaming they truly do destroy LCD.

 

[ElFenix]

i stand corrected

 

[Subyman]

I've been gaming for a year on an LG 50" plasma 1080p. I've had no problems at all. I've done 10+hr gaming session with no problems. It is an incredible experience to play PC games on such a large screen with deep blacks. Dead Space was very creepy I don't recommend using it as a monitor though. Use it only for games and you will be very pleased.

 

[jacktesterson]

I use a Plasma in my everyday desktop and have for 4 years now (tv is that old but still awesome picture) .... no burn in. I'm typing this on it.

As far as TV goes, this thing is way better picture for Text especially than my 37" LG 1080p bedroom TV.

I love my plasma. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another over a LED/LCD. Just the superb picture quality.

 

[edplayer]

do any plasmas tvs have 120Hz refresh rates?

 

[jacktesterson]

do any plasmas tvs have 120Hz refresh rates?

600Hz

 

[edplayer]

600Hz

Is that the refresh rate? I see "sub field drive" listed on some Panasonic TVs. Are you saying that they can accept inputs at up to 600Hz?

 

[Grooveriding]

If I had to choose, I would go for plasma 100%.

I've tried gaming on my LCD HDTV and don't like it, the pixels are just too big, it doesn't translate well coming from a small pixel and high resolution monitor.

I've gamed very briefly on our plasma and it is definitely superior, rich colours and a fast refresh rate. If it weren't for not being able to buy the plasma I have anymore and just not wanting to ruin it with burn-in, I would game on it.

Agreed with Russian on manufacturers, Panasonic is the best with what is available these days. I believe the G series are the ones to look at.

Still mystified at the popularity of LCD HDTVs. Plasma is superior in IQ and cheaper. The main drawbacks are they're very heavy, can suffer burn-in, they use a ton of power, will heat up the room they are being used in and only give a good image being kept away from sunlight.

 

[edplayer]

and the 42ST30 is on sale for $535 at Panasonic right now

http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/TC-P42ST30

 

[hawtdawg]

I have a 65 inch panny st30 that has a 6950 equipped htpc connected. I've used it like a pc monitor on a regular basis for months including some skyrim and bf3 gaming marathons. I've experienced no image retention that was visible on anything other than a completely black screen, that was gone the second i put a show or movie on. For reference, the tv menu does the same thing, so its hard to even call it image retention. Actual burn in is probably not even possible with these newer plasmas. Don't let it scare you. I was worried about it at first, but it is seriously not a big deal. Just make sure you break it in using some color slides or something for the first 100 hours or so. Also there is no perceptible input lag either.

The st30 is the best bang for buck tv out currently. Don't let the price trick you, the pq is fantastic and is better than all but the most expensive led tv's.

Also, don't buy a plasma from anyone but panny or Samsung. Both make great ones that no one else, including LG, can compete with currently.

 

[Zorander]

I upgraded last year from a 40in Samsung LCD (1366x768 resolution) to a 55in Panasonic plasma (1920x1080 resolution). I forget the model number (VT-something?). I've been using it mainly for video streaming and games (the ones that work with my Logitech Rumblepad2). Breath-taking picture that never gets tired even after owning it for more than a year.

 

[Malaz]

If I had to choose, I would go for plasma 100%.

I've tried gaming on my LCD HDTV and don't like it, the pixels are just too big, it doesn't translate well coming from a small pixel and high resolution monitor.

I've gamed very briefly on our plasma and it is definitely superior, rich colours and a fast refresh rate. If it weren't for not being able to buy the plasma I have anymore and just not wanting to ruin it with burn-in, I would game on it.

Agreed with Russian on manufacturers, Panasonic is the best with what is available these days. I believe the G series are the ones to look at.

Still mystified at the popularity of LCD HDTVs. Plasma is superior in IQ and cheaper. The main drawbacks are they're very heavy, can suffer burn-in, they use a ton of power, will heat up the room they are being used in and only give a good image being kept away from sunlight.

Agree with this. Just like to add that the burn-in time on newer panasonic plasma tvs is about 48+ hours. I work in an electronics store and at least this is what they're sales rep has told us who work there.

 

[NoQuarter]

Is that the refresh rate? I see "sub field drive" listed on some Panasonic TVs. Are you saying that they can accept inputs at up to 600Hz?

600Hz is sort of a marketing gimmick. Since the pixels are directly illuminated by glowing plasma, the plasma is constantly excited (refreshed!) to keep the pixel lit up. Through some magic math where the screen is divided up and the plasma 'refresh' rate is added together you get 600 refreshes per second, so marketing says hey, 600Hz refresh rate. But this has nothing to do with the input rate or frame display rate so it's a mostly useless number as most plasma TVs will still only input/display at 60Hz unless they're 3d (which requires 120Hz) - but whether those will accept a 120Hz non-3d signal I have no idea. Also remember any TV that says '120Hz' but doesn't say '3D Ready', can only input 60Hz and interpolates up to 120Hz.

Plasma's do have a CRT-like response time advantage over LCD though. Also because the pixels are illuminated by the plasma, you can have deeper blacks than LCD's since (most) LCD's work by blocking the backlight as best they can.


Personally I would go plasma for any sort of gaming purpose. Even though LCD's are much better with ghosting than they used to be, once you compare it side by side with plasma/CRT you will see there is a clarity during movement on plasma that LCD still doesn't have.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

yeah 600Hz is a marketing term used to compete with the equally redonkulous 240 or even 480Hz LCD TVs (LCD pixel response times are too slow for even a true 120Hz).

From what I understand, whats going on is the plasma screen will be refreshed 600 times a second to prevent image flicker since the plasma response time is an order of magnitude faster than LCD pixel response time. So for a 60Hz source each frame will be refreshed 10 times for a total of 600Hz, etc.

For gaming I would also have to recommend Panasonic as their plasmas will not only have excellent picture quality and overall value, but most importantly they'll have one of the lowest input response times for any HDTV.

 

[Rangoon]

Thanks for all of these helpful replies.

One thing I'm confused by is Moving Picture Resolution. I'm taking a serious look at the Panasonic line. The TCP42S30 (and the 50" version) both have only 900 lines of moving picture resolution, yet are 1080p. I'm not exactly sure what this means. Does it actually have 1920x1080 physical resolution? Or 1920x900 and but it can display through techno-magic 1080p images?

The ST and GT series of the same displays are 3D, and happen to have 1080 lines of moving picture resolution. Any insight on this? Some of you guys have recommended the G (assume GT?) series, so I will look at prices for that. Maybe the 3D element will be nice to have after all, at least for movies. Will the GT/ST work well with 3D in games? I understand there are a few titles out there now that feature that (Batman, Metro2033, etc. ).

Thanks again!

 

[jacktesterson]

All I know, even if my Plasma is older one, It still has a way better picture than the LG 37" 1080p and Samsung 42" 1080p LCDs (both less than 1 yr old) in my house.


In 2012, I will upgrade my Motherboard/CPU and buy a new Plasma for 1080p, probably 60" or up...

Big Screen Gaming FTW.