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Input lag on HDTV - oh my! :(

AnitaPeterson

AnitaPeterson

Diamond Member
Howdy folks,

Is anyone here using their HDTV as a giant monitor? 'Cause that's what I'm doing, but my latest acquisition has disappointed me immensely.

For the last six years, I've been using a 42-inch Vizio HDTV as a monitor, connected to my HTPC in the living room. Other than OTA, I don't have TV service (I'm an early cable "cutter", heh!), and I'd say about 95% of the media content I enjoy comes through the computer.

Now, the Vizio is an excellent device, but I've been dreaming about a larger screen for almost two years now. And then, it seemed like my dream can finally come to fruition: There was a 58-inch Hitachi HDTV at Costco, being liquidated for the very low price of $599.

I bought one, and took it home. What a disappointment! Yes, it's working fine, and once I calibrate it, the image should be good... but the input lag absolutely kills it. Whenever I move the mouse, the cursor takes what feels like half a second (!) to move as well - not only you can't really play anything on the machine, but even simple tasks (like opening folders) become tedious.

Since input lag is a relatively unknown phenomenon outside HTPC enthusiast crowds, even though there's a growing database on the net, it's hard to keep track of all the models put out by various manufacturers.

So, does anyone here have a HDTV in the 50-60 inch range, which works well (no input lag) with a HTPC?
 
Yes, I'm using a 58" cheapo chinese TV (TCL brand).

The trick is to look for the settings that turn off all the fancy processing modes. Like, turn off the smoothing, anti-judder, blah blah fancy effects to make movies better, that just adds delay.

I'd suggest looking for a CNET review, they'll typically give you the right settings for this. And typically their ideal movie settings still work great for PC usage.

I use my TV to play a very demanding game when it comes to timing: Pinball FX2. That game will punish you if you have any lag, but works great on my TV when I set the TV to turn off all the fancy stuff.
 
If the TV is half decent, it should have a "PC" mode, or at the very least a "gaming" mode.
 
Thanks for the input (!)

Yes, I DID disable all the fancy image processing functions 120 HZ rate, noise reduction and so on... That's the most upsetting part: it looks like there's not much else I could try to improve things...

No "Gaming" mode that I can see, either 🙁
 
Your best bet is to return it and get a TV known for low input lag. You can find info on one of those AV websites... Can't remember the name
 
Try the rest of the hdmi ports.

For some strange reason my Samsung's manual suggests that I connect my PC to HDMI2. Well my primary pc is there, but the rest of them seem to work fine on the remaining HDMI ports as well.

Also call me crazy but you could try a vga to vga (if your tv supports it), or vga to component cable. Maybe analog will be faster. You will have to transfer the sound differently though.
 
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if you have frame interpolation on etc, that will slow it down. also, most tv's have a "game mode" to reduce lag
 
I tried all the HDMI ports, and no less than three different computers. One of them wouldn't even display anything on the 58", no matter what resolution choose beforehand.

I went as far as trying the VGA port (ugly, but functional), but the input lag is present even with VGA!!!

Also, there's no "Game" mode on this TV... In fact, the menu is so basic, I think my 2005 37-inch Viewsonic has better options.

Oh, well... looks like I'll need a new TV 🙁
 
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I tried fighting games on TVs and they all lagged so bad. I have no idea how people pull off all those "combos."
 
You should probably return it and get a bigger vizio, I got a 60 inch vizio to use and I have no issues with it
 
Oh also check if a new firmware is available.

You never know, maybe there will be some more enabled options, or better lag.
 
This is why I wonder about the actual usefulness of 4K @ 60Hz through HDMI instead of DP. We know how much input lag can be introduced even in dedicated monitors. Something like a TV where it's not even a primary consideration, will most likely be a lagfest.
 
I am using my 84" 4K TV for gaming. The easiest way to fix it is turn off everything.

A better solution is to use game mode (or PC mode) if that available, and then fine tune the picture in that mode.

Otherwise, switch off everything, and then slowly tune on the function you want one by one, and find the balance point between picture quality and input lag.

It cost me few hours to test it, fine tune the pictures and colours. But once the hard work is done, you can enjoy your dream gaming experience.

I own 3 flat TVs, 42" Plasma, 52" LED, 84" 4K TV, all of them are OK for gaming (with proper setting). If your TV has no game mode (or PC mode), and make games unplayable even with all functions off. You may contact the manufacture to ask for help. Or consider return it if possible to get another better model.
 
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Just to set the record straight, I ended up returning the Hitachi and buying a Sony KDL-55W802A. It was on sale, as an open box. A bit smaller than the Hitachi, but it's got one of the lowest input lags on the market at this screen size.

I use it in Game mode, after careful calibration and turning off various functions (like 120 HZ and so on). Perfect image. Don't need the smart functions, and 3D is a gimmick.

I can't stress enough how useful the input lag database site (as posted above by Makaveli) turned out to be. In fact, I'd recommend anyone interested in buying a TV for HTPC purposes to consult this site before making any decision.
 
AnitaPeterson said:
Just to set the record straight, I ended up returning the Hitachi and buying a Sony KDL-55W802A. It was on sale, as an open box. A bit smaller than the Hitachi, but it's got one of the lowest input lags on the market at this screen size.

I use it in Game mode, after careful calibration and turning off various functions (like 120 HZ and so on). Perfect image. Don't need the smart functions, and 3D is a gimmick.

I can't stress enough how useful the input lag database site (as posted above by Makaveli) turned out to be. In fact, I'd recommend anyone interested in buying a TV for HTPC purposes to consult this site before making any decision.
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Sorry to hear about this experience but good to hear you finally fixed it. I used avsforum.com to find information on input lag but it's limited to htpc gamers and is hard to find for every model.
 
Yes because its 5ms to 16 ms That causing the motion blur and choppy performance,, with vsyonc off.. yuck

gl
 
AnitaPeterson said:
Just to set the record straight, I ended up returning the Hitachi and buying a Sony KDL-55W802A. It was on sale, as an open box. A bit smaller than the Hitachi, but it's got one of the lowest input lags on the market at this screen size.

I use it in Game mode, after careful calibration and turning off various functions (like 120 HZ and so on). Perfect image. Don't need the smart functions, and 3D is a gimmick.
Click to expand...

I've been using a 55" Sony KDL-700 something series (bought 5 years ago) - 120Hz gaming and 3D FPS zombie games are absolutely amazing on it. The smart functions are definitely a let down, but you should try out the 120Hz and 3D at least.
 
Sony's are typically the best at input lag currently and the newest Samsungs are mostly good from what I've seen, you have to dig, but you can find a lot of this type of info at avsforums.

good luck, finding a good "PC TV" is still a hard task, looking for decent input lag and 4:4:4 compatibility when the stats are often unadvertised makes it a pain.
 
my TV input lag is noticeably lower using a VGA cable than HDMI, also the native res with VGA cable seems to be the best possible...

but it's an old basic LG 42" (from 2010 or so)
 
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