Hey guys. 

First of all, sorry for making another thread, I just thought that no one was going to answer if I posted on the last thread. 

Anyways, 

I went to Wal Mart and found a (what I think) is a good LCD tv, for a good price. However I don't really know to what extent this specs are for ps3 gaming. I was told I needed to watch out for it being 1080p, but I don't know if this tv can actually handle it without upscaling. Then I told not to go anything below 3000:1 contrast ratio, and this one I think has 13000:1.

Finally, someone said that I needed a 120hz refresh rate to get a quality image, but I cant find that on the specs.

I would aprecciate your opinion on this tv, and some help.

Thanks.

Edit: for some strange reason, when I copy and paste the specs, the website i took them from just appears, so I will provide the link, and I thank you again for taking your time to answer. 

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665746294

Lets see: If you're sitting at normal TV distances then 720P would probably be better for a couple of reasons. Mainly though its because you probably couldn't discern the difference in pixel count between 1080/720P on such a small TV and the second being most games run at 720P so its best to run them at their native resolution, infact getting a 1080P set may actually be worse if gaming is a significant focus.

The reason why people have been talking about contrast ratios is likely due to the fact that games are often dark and good black reproduction is quite critical for some games, even to the point where some games are almost unplayable on a TV with poor black reproduction.

You don't need a TV that has 120hz, you could invest money in more important things than that as you're at the low end of the market already. The important point is that the image not ghost (good response) because in games you often have quite fast panning which is completely different to most movies. Also if you're sensitive to timing you may want to look at a set which has a low frame delay, you'll probably notice it most on fighting and music games especially where timing is essential.

I saw a pretty decent plasma for $598 on the site as well just FYI. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8477432#ProductDetail

A vizio and a plasma.. its like someone is trying to rip you off

On topic:

There is a model which starts with KDL its a bravia, and its by far the best picture Ive seen for video games (ive seen photos on GT)

firebrand... that HDTV is more than sufficient for gaming. You won't get the full effects of Blu-Ray, but big whoop, it still looks great and isn't worth spending double the money for a 1080p set that size.

The one thing you have to look out for when buying an HDTV television set is to see if there's some sort of "game mode", because some LCD/Plasma sets have a video lag which could range from just a few milliseconds or more, and it can affect games like Rock Band/GH where timing is crucial. I didn't see a "game mode" listed in the specs, but most newer sets come with one so as you're not buying something that was manufactured like a year or 2 ago you should be fine.

^ With proper calibration a vizio has pretty good picture quality. Picture perfect is a path of diminishing returns really and other concerns have to be considered like picture size, cost, black levels, value for money and the KDL series are definately not perfect. Furthermore I would be surprised if you actually suggested something that didn't start with Sony.

And yeah like leo-j said... Vizio's suck, plasma or otherwise. Avoid them like the plague!

If you want to go for a plasma set, you can get a 42" Panasonic 720p set for just a couple hundred more.... I've had my 50" Panasonic 720p set for a year and a half now and it's awesome for gaming... just make sure you break them in right for the first 100 hours or so that you have them and you'll never have to worry about "burn-in" or "image retention" especially with the newer models.

@ Night/OP theres a Samsung with 8ms response (not bad) and a game mode as well as a digital tuner for $30 more. Also has a higher dynamic contrast ratio which is a queer measurement with no standardisation of 30k vs 13k but I guess you could trust that both are equally padded as much as they can get away with.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10980684#ProductDetail

I would definitely not buy this. 1360x786 native and NO mention of response time (I say go for 4 ms if you are a gamer). This is a good extra tv, but not a main gaming tv. You can do better for $550 or whatever walmart is pricing it at.

Screw it, you're in the wrong place to ask. Go somewhere like AVS forums if you want the best unbiased advice.

www.avsforum.com

gogogo

Think about what you value the most and get that, you'll get the best value that way. Find out what features you want, whats important to you and ask a good question there.

@Squilliam... Samsung is a good brand too, that particular set got good reviews as well, though OP might wanna go with a newer model of the same set because it has an extra HDMI imput for roughly the same price.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9301604&type=product&id=1218080215881

Edit:  yeah go to AVS forums like Squilliam said.. that place is like the bible for HDTVs...  always read up and do some reseach before you make your purchase!  But if you're too lazy, the Samung set I posted is pretty good for gaming... just make sure you shop around, never just go to one store like Walmart and just buy based on price alone, cuz 9 times out of 10 you can get a better deal on a better set someplace else.