Game on!

Need a little bit more fun? Maybe you got one of those nice big TVs after reading the last article, and you're looking for something a little more interactive to do with it...so we're going to talk about video games.

Currently, there are three main systems for video game consoles: the X-Box 360 by Microsoft, the Playstation 3 by Sony, and the Nintendo WII. These three have many similar features, like online play and being able to use online services such as Netflix, but we're going to look at some of the differences. There are, of course, some older systems that are still popular and still in use...some 'vintage' systems are quite valuable to certain collectors...and we'll talk a bit about those, too. First, though, let's look at the big three.

TV or not TV...

Here at TBGoods, we have a large selection of different televisions available, and at times there can be a bit of confusion over the differences between models, sizes and types, so we're taking this opportunity to help clarify a few things.



Hi-Def vs Standard Definition



Nearly all large tube TVs or old projection TVs are standard definition, meaning they don't have as many pixels to them as newer high definition TVs. Pixels are the small dots that will change color to make up the picture and moving images on your TV. Standard definiton has 480 pixels vertically (up and down), regardless of the size of the TV. High definition TVs will have either 720 pixels or 1,080 pixels vertically. The more pixels, the sharper the picture will be. Commonly, these TVs will show standard definition on them by upscaling or blurring the image slightly to make use of the extra pixels. This is just like taking a small image on a computer and enlarging it to fill the screen.