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Readers' Submissions

Input Lag

by Jim
(Netherlands)


HDTVtest mentions that the Samsung has a major amount of input lag. Due to the lack of reviews on the 55x4500/xbr8 I called Sony's helpdesk and they told me I would not have any trouble with that on the Sony. I couldn't find any complaints on the internet about 55x4500s having input lag either so therefore I recently ordered one (It hasn't arrived yet).

I think it is a bit disappointing you did not review this aspect because for me, and many other people with a game console, it is a deal-breaker and worth the extra money. Bear in mind that too much input lag makes online gaming pointless and therefore it eliminates half of the fun of having a 'next gen' game console.





Comments for
Input Lag

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Feb 11, 2009
 My 55x4500 has arrived - Part 2
by: Anonymous


The off angle view really isn't as bad as some reviewers can make you think. For me this is a total non-issue and I think it will also be a non-issue with the Samsung. On a sticker that was placed on my screen it says the viewing angle is 31.2 degrees when looked at from 2.2 meters away. When I walk from side to side I can see the black levels shift to greenish gray a little bit but the average viewer would never notice this and I would only notice it when looking for it on a largely black screen.

I did notice one thing however that was pretty bad but I got rid of it by turning off the DRC mode: While watching the first disc of the planet earth blu-ray there is a part about the highest waterfall in the world. In that part I saw something that looked like backlight blinking but I think it went too slow for that. It was like .5 sec on, 0.5 sec off etc. It was very noticeable in the darker parts of the screen. The picture also looked comparable to a drawing on a white piece of paper that someone rubbed against the pavement so there is a big spot where pixels/colors are missing or have faded. As I mentioned turning off DRC got almost entirely rid of this and because I only saw this once after watching three episodes of planet earth I don't concider it a problem any more.

For the rest I didn't need to make any adjustments just as every reviewer has mentioned. On all other screens I've owned I had to adjust the settings because games would look too dark on the Playstation but this TV is in a class of its own.

I hope this was helpful for some and if you don't mind I'm going to stop wasting my own time now and get set for more jaw dropping, drewling smile producing sensations.
Feb 11, 2009
 My 55x4500 has arrived - Part 1
by: Jim


So my TV has arrived and I had the chance to check it out for two days now and it keeps blowing me away. This is a true masterpiece and I'm so glad I bought it. It puts a big smile on my face over and over again and often I can't believe what I'm seeing. I'd like to add another argument in favor of purchasing this over the Samsung: If you're going to spend a big amount of money on a TV you might as well go for the absolute best one out there and that will be this Sony or the Sharp with RGB LEDS.

To go back to my concerns about input lag: I measured it with a reaction time test on the internet and after playing it many times the best average results were typically like this:

on Samsung Syncmaster T220: 0.245
on Sony game mode on: 0.283
on Sony game mode off: 3.27

So the Sony adds more or less 80 ms to the Samsung's delay. Yet I haven't noticed this while dragging the cursor around the screen, with playing games like little big planet, motorstorm 2 or the killzone demo or with lip sync in movies. I guess some gamers who really count those milliseconds want to turn on the game mode but when I pressed a button to jump or shoot I thought the corresponding action took place in sync. So I'm very pleased with that.

I've also paid close attention to blooming and the off angle view. I noticed the blooming while watching planet earth where, in the beginning, the letters BBC are displayed in white. I could definitely see a white halo around them but I think that normal viewers wouldn't actually care. I did and got largely rid of it by changing lightning from 6 to 5. Now I'm happy with it and don't even feel the need of switching it to 4 and compensating that with other settings if needed.

End of Part 1
Feb 10, 2009
 Input LAG and Games Mode on HDTVs
by: Andrew Ghigo


I would say that every single TV will exhibit some input lag - how much depends on the respective model.

This is mainly due to the extensive image enhancing video processing features found on the latest HDTVs. What the games mode will do is simply bypass most of the processing to leave just the very basic in order to minimize the delay between the player action and the displayed image. This means however that with the games mode on, you will not get the very best image that a TV can deliver in favor of a faster image response.
Feb 09, 2009
 Very Minimal Input Lag
by: rob rod


I have a 55XBR8 and have noticed no difference in input lag that any other Sony I have owned. The menu is fluid, and jumping from any of the HDMI inputs to a component or Internet channel is pretty quick.

Awesome TV.. picture is amazing.
Feb 08, 2009
 input lag
by: Jim


Thank you for your kind response.

My 55x4500 will arrive tomorrow and I'm very curious about how it will perform in many aspects. Unfortunately I've found some posts on avforums.com and on a German forum in the meanwhile where some people mentioned they also experience input lag when they're not using the Game mode. Only then did I realize that having a game mode automatically means the TV will have input lag when game mode isn't engaged or why else would it be in there? I'll admit that was a bit late. I guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow to see how big of an issue it will be for me.
I understand that picture quality is much more important then input lag but I assume that many people who are looking for a high end TV own a PS3 and many of them would appreciate it when they can find measurement results about input lag somewhere. I've pointed out clearly, I think, that you don't get those numbers from Sony's customer service. But of course you know your audience better then me.

Another thought that crossed my mind just minutes ago is this: I own a HK AVR355 and will install it between my PS3 and LCD. Does this mean there will be a delay between my sound and my video? I would hate setting up the avr all over again and it already makes me nervous having to listen all the time if I did a good job syncing them. Even worse: will this mean that every time when I switch between watching TV and playing a game I have to adjust the picture AND the sound?

Thank God I can adjust lip sync by 180 ms which is approx 120 ms more then needed to sync a Samsung A950 or I would have bought something completely incompatible with my receiver.

I'll go to bed now before my head explodes but thanks for giving good feedback on the comments and I hope to hear from you again.
Jan 28, 2009
 Input Lag and LED LCD HDTVs
by: Andrew Ghigo


While it is true that this article does not mention anything about possible lag between the input signal and the displayed image - something which as correctly noted in your submission - is a prime factor for any gamer, yet it remains a fact that these HDTVs are mainly intended to deliver a great cinematic picture. In other words, the prime issue with LED LCD HDTVs is their superior picture performance.

I am not saying that a great picture performance is not an issue with gaming but surely it is not a pre-requisite. Furthermore, in my opinion, it does not justify spending the extra money on a LED LCD TV for a gaming application.

This also explains why the article focuses mainly on picture performance rather than anything else.

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