Topic: TVs with "gaming mode" reduce video latency?

I just found this thread on shmups.com where some guy says that gaming mode on some TVs reduces video latency, to combat input lag. Is that right? Seems weird to me, cuz like, why wouldn't that just be incorporated as a standard feature rather than an option? Does it work? Are there any downsides?

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27502

If you're playing them on the VC on an HDTV, see if you have a mode that reduces the latency of your video input. I have a Toshiba (don't ask me the model number, some 42 inch one) and it has a "gaming mode" that lets it display non-HD signals without lag. In that mode I had no problems with lag in any game, without it I had very noticeable lag in a few. Mega Man 9 was nigh-unplayable without it.

The reason I ask is because my Samsung TV has this mode, however I was planning on exchanging it this weekend for a few reasons (connecting a Linux machine actually breaks the HD input, there's an issue with display occasionally cutting out for a few seconds on component input, and also I've decided 32" is a bit too big and I'd prefer a 26"). But if this gaming mode thing is true then I'd be willing to stick with my current TV and just get it repaired, assuming there are no alternatives at the store which also have a gaming mode.

Obviously I'm going to test it out myself later, but I'd like to hear other opinions.

I honestly don't know about that feature, but it sounds like to me is that you'll get worse picture quality, but slightly better performance. Think scan lines, if the TV doesn't need to draw all the lines at once, it'll probably be less laggy right? I'm assuming that you have an LCD TV. I use plasma myself, but my opinion is that LCD is not right for gaming, I play fighting games and SHMUPs and for lack of a better way of explaining myself, sometimes, you've gotta be able to see in frames of animation or be able to see in slow motion. LCD modes like 120Hz, I don't get because they make your movies look like they're made for TV(crap) and render most of your games unplayable. I'd say ditch your LCD for a plasma if that is what you have. Newer plasmas don't have the huge burn in issues older ones do. Unfortunately, I know squat about LED TVs, but if you have options to go with a 3D TV, I'd say don't.

Most HDTVs treat SD sources with some image enhancement technology; it varies between manufacturers, but usually for the cost of a frame or two's lag, you get sharper colours, better contrast, enhanced detail and less blurry motion. This is primarily used to make real-life video look better and doesn't really apply to things like video games, particularly the more cartoon-like ones (I'm not pandering to Wii stereotypes, that's just how it happens) so you don't really need them with games. You probably would notice a drop in quality if you tried to view an SD television channel or a DVD with game mode on though.

So, basically, an HDTV without a game mode - unless it's a fairly old one from before people noticed these things - probably just doesn't do much in the way of image enhancement anyway and consequently doesn't lag much.

I prefer not to use any canned settings and calibrate my TV myself using DVD Video essentials, that way I know what I'm getting (also educational as it teaches you what the settings actually do).

I read that the "Game mode" settings on Samsung put you into 120hz mode (without that you are in 60hz).

My SDTV even has a game mode. Honestly, I can't say on my HD or SD tv that game mode makes games any better. My HDTV doesn't really lag anyway, so it works out fine.

I'd take that with a pinch of salt. In any case, the Wii only outputs at 60Hz so there'd be no benefit to setting your TV to anything higher.

From my own limited knowledge in this area, 120 Hz modes are generally used to recreate the effect of 24Hz film from a 60Hz video source. The mathematically inclined will doubtless notice that 120 is the lowest common denominator of both 24 and 60, which simplifies the problem somewhat. All of this is, of course, totally irrelevant to games so I suggest that you turn it off if you've got it.

QFT. I was poking around my TV settings yesterday to figure out why a lot of Wii games had horrible flickering and graphical tearing. Lo and behold, turning 120hz off fixed everything.

I don't know about the Hz but the enhanced (brighter) colors in Samsung's "game mode" definitey makes some games look better, I was playing Bully for Wii and it looks better in game mode. That's not true for all games though, the color in Bully is just a little dull when comared to something like Mario Galaxy.

@sean: Yeah I prefer to turn off all the features and calibrate it myself too, I wouldn't mind getting a DVD Video Essentials disc at some point. But, I'd happily take a lower quality picture in exchange for lower latency.

@sykotek: Yeah it's LCD, I'd like a plasma but cost is an issue, and besides the store I'm exchanging at (Argos) has a pretty limited selection.

I'm gonna test this shortly anyway on Lords of Thunder (the game in question at shmups.com), I'll report back.

OK I just tested it on Lords of Thunder and then Gradius ReBirth. As far as I can tell it doesn't make a difference to latency, and I've usually got a keen eye for this sort of thing.

the best way to avoid lag is to choose a tv that's low to start with. a game mode can only take off so many milliseconds and the more processing it eliminates the worse the picture will get, so even if game mode does cut the lag by a lot it'll also hurt the picture noticeably.

if you find a tv that's fast to process then you can keep all of the best picture settings and still have less lag than other tvs do in their compromised game mode. it's also best to avoid any unnecessary "enhancements" like 240hz, 'dynamic contrast' settings, ect., and keep the picture as neutral as possible. much of that extraneous processing is what a game mode will cut, so even if your tv doesn't have a game mode you can achieve the same thing by turning all of the enhancements off. if you have a good tv that's set up well, they'll only make things look worse anyway.

All of the sets available to me are the standard 8ms so I don't have a choice there unfortunately! I tested the game mode on my Samsung further with HOTD Overkill, as it struck me that any effect might be more apparent in a pointer-based game, but I still couldn't see any difference.

8ms is the pixel response time, meaning the speed at which a pixel can change from one color to the next, not the lag time of the tv. the amount of lag is never specified.

Only two people in the world have the easy-flow elbow, and one of them happens to be named Bruce Willis.

game mode made the colors better and fixed the lag in fighting games like Street Fighter. i recommend it. it fixed the brightness and color saturation on Brawl. (on my TV in my experience...)