I just got some $texas back from the government and I'm looking to get a new TV for my living room. My current TV is a 40 inch Sony Bravia and has served me well for the past 3 years. My living room isn't that big though so I don't wanna go more than 46 inches for the new one. After looking into some TVs it seems that the 120 Hz is about ~$150 more than the 60 Hz. My question for you guys is, would you say it is worth it? I haven't seen a 120 Hz tv in action (that I know of) and I'd like to keep things less than $1000.

4/5/2010 7:40:24 PM

For the most part, no it's not. As far as I know, no 2D TV's will take a 120Hz source so really they interpolate the extra frames using linear motion estimation algorithms (meaning when you turn on the "smooth motion" or equivalent feature, each subregion of the picture will be interpolated in a straight line from one frame to the next), which makes for a less "juddery" picture, but painfully unrealistic motion.

The only real benefit to 120Hz is being able to watch a 24 fps source without pulldown.


That said, the newer TVs will also incorporate other advancements in technology since the last generation of TVs, so you can expect better colors and contrast. If you want a really good picture though, try plasma.

4/5/2010 7:57:36 PM

go for the 120hz, its worth it

[Edited on April 5, 2010 at 8:00 PM. Reason : sda]

4/5/2010 7:59:43 PM

Tough call but Id probably go for it. Once you get used to a new TV (after a week) you wont notice a thing. But if you were to have the two next to each other its noticeable -- but not really if you get one and dont go back to the other.

4/5/2010 8:04:37 PM

i would save my $$ and just get a 50" plasma

4/5/2010 8:07:15 PM

It's useful if you watch a lot of movies, because 24p is divisible by 120, but not by 60. Basically it makes movies look better because the television doesn't have to do 3:2 pulldown processing.

It has nothing to do with content being created at 120 fps.

Basically what Limpy said already. But it DOES make a very noticeable difference on 24p content (which is what ALL major movies are recorded in)

4/5/2010 8:13:58 PM

Quote :

"But it DOES make a very noticeable difference on 24p content (which is what ALL major movies are recorded in)"

I've gone through about 100 Blu-Rays with Netflix so far and a lot of them are in 30/1.001. I'd say it's about 5% 60i, 25% 30p and about 70% 24p. On the other hand, TV is almost entirely in 30p or i. If you watch a lot of movies, I'd say it's good to have, but not a must-have. It certainly takes a back seat to color accuracy and black level in my opinion.

4/5/2010 8:26:54 PM

I watch lots of movies on movie channels in HD/on demand but not really too much from DVD/Blu-Ray. I do game quite a bit though via HDMI. How different is gaming?

And also I'm planning on sticking my old 40 inch in my study so that I can game on it when my roommates/girlfriend/whoever are watching TV or if I just wanna watch something else... how much will it fuck with my head if I am switching between a new 120 Hz tv and the 3 yr old 60 Hz tv?

4/5/2010 8:51:01 PM

Probably not very much. As has been stated you're only going to see a real difference in 24 fps movies.

4/5/2010 9:27:36 PM

Assume you are committed to the LCD route? Plasmas don't have to worry about that sort of thing if its a key driving point. Try this one for a 46": TC-P46G15. Usually drops to $1000 or less during a sale (got mine late last year with a Blu-Ray player for ... $1050 IIRC).

[Edited on April 5, 2010 at 10:31 PM. Reason : .]

4/5/2010 10:31:06 PM

120Hz is worth it. I wouldn't really define the motion as "unrealistic' on the more moderate settings of 120hz (there are different levels you can typically choose).

It helps to make things smoother and easier for your eyes to track (even video games). I would recommend it if you can fit it in your budget.

4/5/2010 10:54:52 PM

^^ plasmas like panasonics have a "24p mode" where they opperate in a refresh rate divisible by 24. By default most plasmas run at 60hz for normal tv, but then when you watch blu-ray you switch into "24p mode" On panasonics g10 plasmas this is 48hz. However, there were many reported issues of flickering when in this mode. going back to 60hz mode removed the flicker, but you're back to the 3:2 pulldown issue.

Im not sure about the g15 series though so if you did want to look at one make sure they resolved the issue. It is resolved in the v10 series, which opperate at 96hz. Other plasmas also do it at 72hz.

4/5/2010 11:14:19 PM

from a technical side eliminating 3:2 pulldown is a key for getting better quality motion. However in practice this can be kinda moot - it's all in the implementation on the rig itself. Your best bet is a true A/V store that has a dimly lit viewing room to see these side by side under 'real' conditions. Avoid making a comparison of any unit that is well lit with florescent lighting.... unless of course that's what you light your living room with. Due to the color of the lighting the tv sets are calibrated to be oversaturated green/blue and WAY over contrast and brightness so they 'pop' under walmart lighting conditions.

4/7/2010 11:20:46 PM

I watched regular tv the other day on a 120hz set, and i honestly felt things looked a little funny.

Im sure a movie would be good, but just seemed weird.

4/7/2010 11:39:25 PM

if you watch news or play video games that incorporate scrolling text, 120Hz helps considerably.

4/8/2010 12:08:02 AM

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1964204

240hz LG, 47" 1080p for $800.

4/8/2010 12:04:56 PM

unavailable for shipping. Did you get one? Man I wish there was a frys around here.

4/8/2010 12:10:06 PM

^oh that sucks... it was definitely free ship when I checked it earlier today

4/8/2010 2:34:26 PM

There are no TVs on the market with 240 Hz refresh rates. They are "120 Hz" with a 240 Hz backlight. "120 Hz" because they don't accept 120 Hz signals. So really they're 30 or 60 Hz with 120 fps video processing and a backlight that can be adjusted 240 times per second (which has no real advantage other than it sticks a bigger number on the advertisements).

4/8/2010 6:23:22 PM

yeah, well my plasma is 600hz!

4/9/2010 9:27:04 AM

I can't tell if that's a troll or you're an idiot.

4/9/2010 11:36:42 PM

^ it's at troll, but that's how they've been marketing the plasmas.

4/10/2010 12:01:19 AM

Quote :

"There are no TVs on the market with 240 Hz refresh rates. They are "120 Hz" with a 240 Hz backlight. "120 Hz" because they don't accept 120 Hz signals. So really they're 30 or 60 Hz with 120 fps video processing and a backlight that can be adjusted 240 times per second (which has no real advantage other than it sticks a bigger number on the advertisements)."

if that's the case, then why do 240Hz TVs look so much better with scrolling text?

4/11/2010 1:46:26 AM

Samsung & Sony both have true 240Hz HDTV's, yes they just add an extra frame to 120Hz, but they are not the backlight (240Hz effect) like LG, Toshiba, Vizio, etc...

[Edited on April 11, 2010 at 2:14 AM. Reason : ./]

4/11/2010 2:12:28 AM

That makes sense, seeing as both Sony and Samsung are supposedly using 240Hz technology for 3D effects.

4/11/2010 8:48:43 PM