Zune, Xbox 360, or New Monitor??

[PCNoob2]

Can't decide.

Zune: I don't own a mp3 player of any sort right now and it is looking good to me. I've collected a pretty large library of songs and I think it'll be cool to listen to them while away from my computer like when I do homework. Plus the ability to store video and pictures is pretty cool.

Xbox 360: I've been looking at this for a while. Gears of War, Lost Planet and some other all look really good plus my friends have them so I can play on Live with them. I also hear some more good games are coming out soon. The only drawback is I don't have a HDTV in the house so I don't know if that will significantly effect the graphics or not.

New Monitor: Well, I have this monitor with a max resolution of 1220 by something. It's fine for the internet and the few games I play on my computer which has a 7600GT, btw. With a new monitor will it significantly increase how everything looks? Right now the Zune and the Xbox 360 are probably ahead of the monitor right now in terms of what I'll most likely get.

Anyways, can anyone provide some advice? Maybe someone who actually owns these things can tell me a little about them?

Thanks.

 

[borat_sagdiyev]

xbox 360. screw the monitor because it wont improve much. the zune, well....get that in a few months

 

[PCNoob2]

xbox 360. screw the monitor because it wont improve much. the zune, well....get that in a few months

Do you think me not having a HDTV will affect the graphics much?

 

[borat_sagdiyev]

meh, just a bit. im sure it will be visible, but some games look very good on standard definition too. like for example, on ps2, playing gran turismo 4 on a standard definition tv is ace

but on xbox 360 its fucking sweet to play gears of war on a 52" HDTV

 

[freestyler105]

Do you think me not having a HDTV will affect the graphics much?

Yeah, I don't have an HDTV, and it pretty much blows in comparison. I use the VGA cable to hook it up to my monitor to get HD, believe me, there's a big difference.

Also, keep in mind that most of the games are designed with high definition resolutions in mind.

This comparison of the visuals using different cables will give you sort of an idea what the differences are. Pay the most attention to the first one on the second page, 480p vs 720p (that isn't even comparing 1080p/i, the best resolutions). 480p is standard TV, and 720p is HD.
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6139690/index.html

 

[borat_sagdiyev]

720 is not HD. 1080 is

 

[freestyler105]

720 is not HD. 1080 is

No, they are both different versions of HD. 1080 is a higher resolution (1920 x 1080) than 720 (1280 x 720), but they are both considered high definition. I think 720p is more widely used.

Then you get into 1080i vs. 1080p, which becomes confusing. Bascially, it's interlaced scan vs. non-interlaced / progressive scan. Read this for more information:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449-6361600-1.html

On the other hand, standard 480p has a resolution of 720 x 480.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television

 

[borat_sagdiyev]

but 1080i/p is nicer to look at and you are 100% assured that it is natural high definition. even my 20" lcd tv has support for 1080i

 

[PCNoob2]

So even though it may not look so good as on a HDTV, it still looks good enough to play one, right?

 

[Copperhead]

well it seems like you have a monitor, and you have a 'console' to play games on--your computer. so i guess i would get the zune..or ipod, but im assuming there's a reason you didnt ask about that.

i dont know ur priorities, but id say if you like music n everything the zune would be a good choice