how important is the hz when buying an LCD

bevo

My friend's wife is dead set against plasma so he has to get an LCD. He will be using it for gaming as much as watching tv. Does he need to get more then a 60hz set, or will that be fine for him. He's going with something in the 47" range so I don't think 1080p is really that important.

Anyway any suggestions or advice will help. I think he has around 1000$ price range.
Really if anyone could just suggest some goo bang for the buck in the 40 to 40 inch range that would probably help the most.

sageleo

I just recently purchased a samsung Ln40b550. 40 inch 1080p, but only 60hz. I paid $650.00 out the door. I can't remember the exact numbers but to jump up to 120hz was considerabley more, so for the price I'm more then happy with my purchase. I used to have a 52" mitsu dlp and its leeps and bounds better IMO.

Dirk

bevo

He is going to be playing a bunch of games on it, and that is my concern with the 60hz lcd. My plasma is 600hz so there isn't a hint of image blur, but one of my LCD isn't even able to have games played on it because the lag is so bad with the picture. I don't know if it's because my screen is 60hz or because the TV is junk.

Amherst

I have been told by a good source in the AV business that the Hz war is pretty much marketing hype, 240Hz being especially BS. No real world benefit except bragging rights.
YMMV

Lag is a different ballgame compared to refresh.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Computer LCD monitors (where gameplay fps is at a premium) are 60hz. Think about that.

Now where it makes a difference in the HT world is the 24fps standard for Blu Ray. I don't have time to fully explain, nor do I have a full understanding of the whole thing, but this'll give you enough to look it up. Essentially, 24fps is a standard for Blu Ray playback. 24 divides into 120 evenly, does not go into 60 so evenly = affects picture quality somehow

leroyjr1

I had a samsung 650 & 850 series and both had 120hz but I didn't use that feature. The 60 hz was just fine and I didn't like the camcorder look when in 120 hz mode.

bevo

what about response times? Is 5ms fast enough for gaming.

ryanjoachim

5ms is fine for gaming. For action/sports shows and games, you want a 120hz tv. 120hz removes the slight motion blur you see with those types of shows, as well as properly showing 24fps movies...which is how they should be watched.

Don't buy into the 240hz crap though.

Oh, and if you go with a 60hz, you won't be disappointed either. Just saying that 120hz has it's perks.

keeneyrm01

the 120 and 240 hz lcd give film a very unnatural look. its really designed for sports and that sort of stuff. it has extra processing to "fix" the blurred image which is fine for live tv content but really hurts when watching blu-rays.... one of the manny reasons why plasma rules lol