Complete Guide to Choosing the Best Gaming TV

A television screen is the gamer's portal to the virtual world. For this reason, it is important to make sure that you purchase the best TV for your gaming needs. Originally, I always played my console games on an old, outdated TV that I bought at a thrift store. A month ago, I was at my wits end with bad color and poor image quality. I decided to purchase a new unit, but soon found out that selecting a new TV was more complicated than I originally imagined. Here is a guide to help you choose your perfect gaming television.

Plasma vs. LCD

There are two main types of televisions - LCD and Plasma. Here are some factors to consider when deciding on a television type:

Color - Plasma screens are capable of brighter, more vivid colors than LCDs.

Screen-Burn - Screen-Burn occurs when a static image remains on a screen too long "burning" a permanent dark shadow of the image onto the screen. This issue occurs primarily in plasma screens. So, if you constantly keep your game paused for long periods of time, an LCD may be the right choice for you. While this is becoming a less common problem as manufacturers develop new technology to prevent screen-burn, you may want to keep this in mind if you are planning on purchasing a older, used plasma television.

Glare - Plasma screens usually have a glossy finish. This can make the image hard to see as light reflects off the screen. If you are a daytime gamer, you may need to go to a LCD or move your TV to a room with less natural light.

Viewing Angle - Most LCDs look great when viewing them head-on. However, as you move to the either side, the screen begins to look darker. Plasma screens typically have a wider viewing range. So, if you have a group of friends sitting around your TV playing games, those on the outside may have a harder time seeing the image if you are using an LCD.

Energy Consumption - LCD televisions run cooler than plasma screens and have a lower energy consumption. So if you're a money conscience consumer or just trying to be good to Mother Earth, an LCD is the way to go.

Size Matters

Choosing the size of your TV can have a great impact on your game play. If it is too small, you may have a problem seeing important parts in the game. If the screen is to large, you may find yourself struggling to see the entire screen at once. For example, if you are big into MMO (Mass Multiplayer Online) games like Modern Warfare 2, you may have a difficult time spotting enemy players because there is so much screen area to watch simultaneously. Personally, I have found that a 42" screen was just the right size for me.

Resolution

The clarity and sharpness of images on the screen are determined by the TV's resolution. There are typically two resolutions on the market - 720 and 1080. The higher the number, the clearer the image. Since 1080 TVs are more expensive, take a look at the display model TVs to see if you really need the higher resolution.

Refresh Rate

The refresh rate tells you how fast the screen reloads when the image changes. If you play fast-action games that have a lot of screen activity, you may want to consider a higher refresh rate. If the refresh rate is too low, you may notice some action sequences that look a bit choppy. Regardless of the model that you select, plasma screens always have a higher refresh rate than LCDs. There are three common LCD refresh rates available - 60hz, 120hz, and 250hz.

Sound

There's more to a TV than how the screen looks. Another feature to examine thoroughly is the sound. For gamers, we not only rely on the what we see, but also what we hear when playing. When checking out the display models, turn down the sound on all of the TVs except for the one that you are examining. Turn your TV's sound up a little bit higher than you would normally set the volume at home. If it sounds clear, you're good to go.