Hi guys! Well I am thinking of buying a new HDTV, primarily for gaming, and watching HD movies..The size range I'm considering is around 37" ~ 42", .. I cant afford anything bigger ...

So basically I have a few questions for you guys...if you could just help me out here....

1) Considering the fact that I will be using this HDTV for gaming, are there any 'special features' I should look out for in a HDTV ?? Features that can enhance my gaming experience ?

2) For the indicated size range (37" ~ 42") I am not sure if a Full HD 1080p is really recommendable or not...because many people claim that in this size range, it is hard to notice any difference between 1366x768 and 1920x1080 (although I personally think I probably will be able to notice the difference )..

3) In addition to the above question...If I get a Full HD 1080p LCD, it will most probably be a Philips one, because thats all I can afford...So is it better to go for a Philips 42" Full HD 1080p LCD, or a non-Full HD LCD, from a more respectable company such as Sony or Samsung ?

4) Is it better to get a slightly bigger LCD, with 'average' specifications, or a slightly smaller LCD, with somewhat 'better' specifications (contast ratio, etc..)?

5) I have seen some HDTV's being listed as 'Analogue' .. (specifically some Sony HDTVs) ?!? Why is this ? Aren't all HDTV's digital ?

I am very confused about all this, since this is my first shot at HDTVs.... If someone can help me out with the above issues, I will be very grateful ! ...Thanks people ..

1: Look for how many High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HMDI) ports it has. This connects digital audio/video sources such as set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, personal computers, video game consoles, and AV receivers to compatible digital audio devices, video monitors, and digital televisions (DTV). The more the better.

2: Try and get Full HD 1080p. You will notice some difference.

3: Try and stick to the full HD, so Philips 42" Full HD 1080p LCD should do fine. Sony's tend to last longer though, and you might stil get a good image with a Sony non-full hd tv. Just go to the store where they have them on display. You should be able to see what they are like.

4: Depends how big we talking. if it isnt that much of a size increase, settle for better quality.

5: Not all HDTVs are Digital, but do not buy one that isn't digital. Digital is the future, and it wont be long before Analog is scrapped.

hm...thanx for your reply man...

These are the specs of the Philips Full HD 1080p LCD which I am talking about...it has a response time of 8ms, and has a contrast ratio of 8000:1...

Specs --> Click Here

I am not particularly fond of FPS games, so 8ms is fine I think...but I dont know if 8000:1 contrast ratio is good enough or not..

I saw a live demo of this Philips HDTV at the shop... it was running a test HD video,....the display looked *very* good to me... the same video was running on this Philips HDTV, and on a Sony 40" V Series non-Full HD HDTV....the Philips display looked significantly better I think..

The contrast ratio is very good, so don't worry. 8ms response time should do, i dont think there is much difference between 8 and 5. Response time is just how fast the tv refreshes to keep up with the image.

Yeah, viewing it in the shop is the best way. I think go with this Tv.

I just purchased this one from tiger direct about 4 months ago. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...&CatId=3650 The contrast ratio says it's 1500:1 but i did some snooping around and i found out that the contrast ratio number is set by the company itself. There is no standard to set a contrast ratio to. Which means that vizio can say there tv is 1500:1 and panasonic can say it's 8000:1 but the panasonic can actually have a lower contrast ratio than the vizio.

So what you really should do is see if you can find a site that will compare 2 tv's side by side and you want to look at the level of black that they can produce. That is all a contrast ratio is. I am very very very happy with my Vizio tv.....i'm playing metal gear solid 4 in 1080P right now. But I will say for movies I do notice that the black is not as deep as I would like but for the price i payed i don't mind one bit. Also LCDs have the worst black levels out of all the different types of HDTVs so no matter what you get you will not get that true black color.

1)as for your other questions like faker said the more HDMI ports the better.

2)I can notice a huge difference even between 1080i and 1080P so you have to get a 1080P tv. If you are going to buy something new you should buy the best you can get at the time.

3)You are better going with a company like Vizio at 1080P than with a company like sony thats only 720p for the same price.

4)If you can stand going smaller then go for a smaller one with better specs. Just remember that specs like contrast ratio are not the same between companies.

5)Never buy an analog TV. They are pointless. again like faker said Digital is the future so go with that.

I hope this helped a little and let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck my friend.