The Video Game Critic

Okay, so I was killing time at Wal*Mart today in the Electronics department, SALIVATING over the BEAUTIFUL (almost RELIGIOUS EXPERIANCE!) visions of HDTVs set up... and I notice that the SONY 19 inch model is only $399.00! I could swing that if I saved (religiously!) for 2 months...so, questions:
* Is the sony model cheap because it is crap? (the picture did indeed look a bit darker)
*Should I wait for prices to come down to where a 25" model is the same price?
*If I bought it, would it improve the quality of My XBOXone and PS2? Can I hook up older systems? And finally....
* How do you connect to HDTV? ALL my stuff (DVD,VCR,PS2) uses RCA jacks, does the HD have these inputs?
Thank you, and for all you who HAVE HDTV...
Lucky *&^%$*(! @#$^&%$*%$'s!!!!

Can't answer the Sony quality question, but personally, I'd wait on a larger set.

HD hookups are component (Red, Green, Blue video cables), VGA, or HDMI. You can purchase component cables for both the PS2 and Xbox (pretty cheap, $15 or so) and get a nicer picture for a few, select games. Check the back of the box and note if there is any indication that the game is in "480p" (usually stamped on Xbox games) or "Progressive Scan" (usually stamped on PS2 games). If this indication is present, you will be able to play these games in a higher resolution than a standard TV and there will be noticeable differences.

Notable PS2 games w/480p:

God of War I and II
Ratchet and Clank series
Resident Evil 4

Notable Xbox games w/480p

Halo 2
Fable
Ninja Gaiden (looks great)
Incredible Hulk, Ultimate Destruction (goes up to 720p, actually, even higher res)

There will be little difference with games that don't support these higher resolutions or if you continue to use RCA jacks.

First make sure the TV you're looking at supports a minimum of 720p.  You'll see some tube tvs that support 480p as "enhanced" for HD but that's about it. 

If you can find the model number we can look up a few things online for you as well to tell you if you're getting a good deal or it will be a waste.

You'll hook up your xbox, ps2 using component cables.  Both systems will play games in 480p (all xbox games and some support 720p, alot of ps2 games and a small amount will run at 720p or higher)

All tvs will come with both component and rca jacks.  If you're thinking about getting a PS3 down the road you might want to consider getting a HDTVwith HDMI port.  It's not truly neccessary today but eventually all movies will be encrypted and then downcoverted if not displayed over an HDMI cable.  Paul can speak more to this and provide better suggestions as well.

My two cents,

Bud

I can't speak to that particular Sony model but I own a 60" Sony LCD Grand Wega and I've been incredibly pleased with the picture, performance, and reliability.  So in my book, Sony is a brand worth buying at least where it comes to televisions.
Sudz