PS3 + FFXIV - TV + Misc Questions

I have a few questions regarding the ps3 version of FFXIV.

You guys/gals have been so helpful thus-far in any questions I bring to the table and I thank you.

I am looking to buy a PS3 now because my wife is in love with FFXIV and she prefers the console. I am looking on Amazon since I would like to spend as little as possible (just got xbox360 for her ffxi account (we don't use it :( ). I see several PS3's for 190.00 in - LIKE NEW - condition. I just want to know what I should look for in a PS3 if I'm going the used route. 120 GB slim + 1 controller and power cord is what I see included for most used PS3's.

Next question is about TV's.

We don't have an HDTV but I think for this game it would be worth it to get one. (we have a 60 inch SDTV Trinitron Sony 2005? ) I heard that certain TV's are better then others. For example and I'm not totally sure on this-> 720p/ 1080p you want 1080.. and 60 hz / 120hz - you want 120hz. I think that a 32 inch or 36 would be fine for us, I have a great place to mount it on the ceiling. If someone can set me straight on this as well- much appreciated. And last a good place to get a quality HDTV for several hundred dollars.

Again thx for reading and taking the time to reply.

Chow~

I have a PS3 slim it runs pretty well. As far as a TV I have a 50 inch Panasonic 720P I'm not sure I did beta on PS3. It looked pretty good.

Yes you want 1080p for full HD. 120Hz isn't a big deal over 60Hz for gaming so no need to go out of your way looking for a 120. As for PS3 price I don't know if you are UK or US or what, but I just bought one in the UK a month ago + The last of us for £160. I honestly don't even know if it's a slim or superslim or what. It's got a big enough HDD and I could play the last of us and tekken so it worked out.

USA yea

Keep in mind that FFXIV is 720p. So is two third of the PS3 game library.

But it does support 3D on select titles so you might want to get such a TV ... ;)

Avoid used consoles too. You can luck out and get a good one for cheap but you can also get a troublesome one. If it's new you can take it to SONY and request repair for free.

I would suggest a LED tv. The comparison between LED to LCD is quite drastic. Plus you'll have a PS3 which plays Blu-ray movies and you'll get the best picture out of a 1080p tv than a 720p, same goes for HD tv programming. My PS3 was hooked up to my 55" Samsung LED smart tv and it(ffxiv) looked amazing! I even brought my PC down and plugged it in and it looked better than the console. Really you need to google "tv size compared to room size." Depending on how far you will be sitting away from the tv will depend on how big you will want it for optimal viewing. 60Hz should be fine unless you play a lot of FPS games, then I would go 120Hz+. As far as PS3 models, I would stay away from the first generation (fat) PS3s. My fatty is crappy compared to my slim PS3 when it comes to load times, wifi connectivity and noise. The old slim or new slim will be fine. Good luck! And don't forget, ffxiv will be out on the PS4, so you could always hold out for that. :)

Just to clarify, LED vs LCD. "LED" TV's are still LCD screens, they just utilize LEDs for the lighting. There are also 2 kinds of LED lit LCDs, backlit and edgelit. Backlit are going to give you the best possible picture quality at the cost of size, an edgelit will be much slimmer. If you are planning to put it on a wall, edgelit is a good way to go, otherwise the price difference is minimal and you'll get the best results with a backlit. Brand matters as well, don't let anyone try to convince you a company like Vizio is a good TV with some line about refresh frequencies or sales numbers. The best cost/quality on the market for midsized LED TV's is Samsung with Sony Bravia and Pioneer leading the larger panels.

I'm sure a lot of people have an opinion on what's a good HDTV, but I've installed way too many Vizio and other offbrand TV's that didn't recognize half thier inputs, remotes wouldn't accept macro commands, or just plain wouldn't turn on, to advise anyone to try and save a buck.

Yea, from my experience Samsung seems to be the best quality and picture. I have family that swear by Vizio and they replace their TVs once every year due to dead pixels, dead TVs or bleeding issues. My TVs only grip is that when watching a high action movie with the sound all the way up, the speakers bass sometimes shakes the tv and you can hear a slight vibration. I would go for full backlit. I have a 55" because my family room is 24' long and 50"-55" is best for optimal viewing for my particular situation.

I have 2 Samsung LCD's and a Hitachi Ultravision SDTV and all 3 of them are older than any of my friends last 2-3 bargain priced HDTV's and work flawlessly. I have a few gripes about Samsung LCD panels, but they are very few: Sound is secondary for an HDTV, but I will admit Samsung's audio technology lags behind the heavy hitters; The remote hasn't changed functions or style in ~8 years (pretty minor as it works very well); and you get the impression that they build them to a price point for certain retailers.

Most electronics manufacturers build a slightly different product for major retailers like wal-mart, best buy, sears, etc. They mainly differ in minor features like audio programs, wifi, remote functions, and other things most people never even notice. Some, however are packaged in the same skin as a better model but with lower spec internals. 40" Sony =/= 40" Sony, so make sure to check the actual specs by model number before you nab the one on sale at Fred Meyer because its 100 bucks cheaper than the Best Buy one.

The real new kind of TV is 'OLED'. And OLEDs cost like an arm and an leg right now, no ?

OLEDs are similar to the older PLASMA TVs in the sense it's not using a backlight, the light comes from the elements which generate the image.

OLED main advantage is that it doesn't suck much power as PLASMA TVs did but it has all advantages that PLASMA did.

The main point of backlight driven displays vs displays which require no backlight is the black level. On non backlight sets black isn't 'gray', it's really black... ;)

yea i have a 58" OLED i got last year on one of those clearence sales after the super bowl and the black is noticeable, in a nice way i might add.

huge diference between it and my old LCD, the jump from 720p-1080p is realy nice.
working on a new sound system tho for it :X

OLED blacks are amazing, but they are definately pricey. Generally more than double the price of the equivelent backlit LED. I usually advise people to aim somewhere in the upper end of the last good technology for cost reasons.

Go with a Panasonic plasma. I have 2 samsung led lcds and neither is great for gaming. The plasma has 0 input lag which means older games and first person shooters run much more consistently.

if its just for FF14, as far as i know you need to keep your PS3 setting only kept to output 720p, if you have any other output marked the game will only output at 480, this is how it was for beta i don't know if they have fixed it yet.So getting a TV over 720 would be pointless unless you're going to change the settings everytime. Definatly get a PS3 new also. idk much about TVs i have a 32 inch LG LED backlit and happy with it, i know Vizios are very cheap but i dont know about their quality if you check out Woot.com you'll most likly see TVs pop up for somewhat cheap between now and 14 release. hope that helps

The only problem plasma displays have is the dent they make on your power bill. ;)

Besides that, only praise.

(Oh I dislike the phosphor burnout problem too, but that's manageable fortunately...)

The power consumption, heat, and panel life are all issues with plasma. And I don't see them making large advances with the technology because of the stranglehold LCD has on the market. Even if they can fix the common drawbacks of even high end plasma, I don't see them investing the time/money into it. The increased life and lower cost of ownership are great reasons to buy a quality LED/LCD over a Plasma for anyone who wants thier dollar to stretch as far as possible.

OLED also has some issues with physical wear out of the organic elements which form the image. I would say while it's better than LCD on response and black levels, it has burnout issues similar to the plasma.

Because it works similarly to a EL strip (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroluminescence) it has some sort of decay over extended use.

I am not sure how OLED goes about display refresh/update speed, but I believe the fastest ones are the high end plasmas...

Refresh rates are measured in milliseconds, only damaged or very low quality panels have noticable refresh lag as a rule. Plasma does offer the highest refresh rates available, but outside of extremely high end setups and media, its not a large consideration even for gaming.

It can be annoying and extremely noticeable when you're playing something like Guitar Hero... lol