Samsung PS51D6900 Plasma TV for PC Gaming

dangermouse425 · 2 Feb 2012 at 11:39

Hi all,

I've been looking at getting a Samsung PS51D6900 Plasma TV (http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/tv-audio-video/television/plasma-tv/PS51D6900DKXXU) for the living room for Movies, PS3, etc.

I was wondering whether I could plug by PC (specs in sig) into it for the odd bout of 3D gaming? Specifically thinking Skyrim and Batman:AC, but potentially a bit of CoD:MW3 or BF3 once I've got them.

I appreciate it's physically possible to plug the HDMI into my card and the TV, but would it work well? What issues do I need to consider?

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I should point out that I will be sat a normal TV distance away from the screen, rather than playing it at a standard "Desk Chair to PC Monitor" distance.

cmndr_andi · 2 Feb 2012 at 12:24

Hi there,

Looking at this page, the input lag of this TV is around 16ms - so very usable for PC gaming - especially considering what kind of games you plan to play.

That review also mentions that when you use the HDMI1 slot you can enable PC mode - which means you get the 16ms input lag (compared to 32ms otherwise).

The only issues you may run into are image retention - but that is just a fact of life with a plasma TV and with current gen panels the issue isn't too bad.

Also, please bear in mind that when using 3D gaming on the TV (Nvidia 3DTV play) make sure you are using it in 720p mode - as the 1080p mode only allows 24Hz per eye (due to the limited bandwidth of HDMI).

dangermouse425 · 2 Feb 2012 at 14:08

cmndr_andi said:
Also, please bear in mind that when using 3D gaming on the TV (Nvidia 3DTV play) make sure you are using it in 720p mode - as the 1080p mode only allows 24Hz per eye (due to the limited bandwidth of HDMI).

Thanks for your reply, it's really useful to know this.

What does 24Hz refresh rate actually equate to in real terms? Will that result in flickering or some other poor viewing symptom?

cmndr_andi · 2 Feb 2012 at 14:11

dangermouse425 said:
What does 24Hz refresh rate actually equate to in real terms? Will that result in flickering or some other poor viewing symptom?

Normally when playing games the screen refreshes at 60Hz, not 24Hz. So with this setting motion will not appear as smooth. Since games (especially action games like BF3, MW3 and Skyrim) rely on a lot of fast-paced action then these games will look pretty terrible when played at 24Hz.

For playing games in "2D" mode your TV can drive them normally at 1080p@60Hz - this should look pretty good. For 3D your options are 720p@60Hz or 1080p@24Hz - due to the lack of smoothness of 24Hz then always go for 720p@60Hz - this will look much smoother (and the lower resolution will be upscaled somewhat by your TV).

dangermouse425 · 2 Feb 2012 at 15:47

Right, thanks very much, that makes perfect sense.

Thanks very much for your response, adds another reason to the list of "why to buy stupidly large TV".

PCM2 · 2 Feb 2012 at 17:20

Interestingly enough I own that TV and as a TV it is absolutely fantastic. I haven't connected up a PC to it (other than a laptop to test the ports were working) but have used it for a bit of gaming on the Wii. The input lag does bother me slightly (even in 'game mode') but I am quite sensitive to that - it is certainly noticeable even on the Wii coming from 32" CRT. How close do you plan on sitting when gaming on your PC?

dangermouse425 · 3 Feb 2012 at 12:10

Hi PCM2, thanks for the input. The sofas are about 3m from the TV, so that's probably the normal distance I'd be using it. Though if I put it in my room, then it'd be about 2m. How far would you recommend? Do you think you notice the input lag more due to your extensive experiences with a wide variety of monitors and screens, or does it just differ between each person?