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The PlayStation 4 from Sony is the predecessor to their latest PS5 model, and it is still a console that many gamers use and enjoy in 2022. Even those players who may have the fifth generation of the PlayStation already might keep their PS4s as a way to have a second console set up.
Otherwise, they might also use it as a separate entertainment system in a different room in the home. Whatever the case, the PS4 works in conjunction with a television to display the images and graphics that immerse players in the stories that game developers create.
Although televisions and consoles that double as home entertainment systems must work in concert, some gamers wonder if their PS4 systems can do anything to damage their televisions. Understanding the answer to this question requires us to delve into how both of these devices work, including some of the internal processes each one might use.
It is this topic that we will delve into today, and we will also explore the possibility that the performance of a PlayStation 4 is somewhat reliant on which kind of television you might use to help run it. As we get further in, we will explore whether the type or make of television that you use can cause the console to lag in any way, and if you can use the PS4 with any TV, including older models that manufacturers released years prior to the development of the PlayStation 4.
Table of Contents
Can a PS4 Break a TV?
In order to answer this question properly, we need to define just what we mean by breakage. Generally, there is no way for a PlayStation 4 to damage a television physically. The PS4 is doing most of the work for the game itself to run, and the television acts as an output device.
This relationship means that, through a series of cables, the console connects to the TV to display images. While there might be some concern of voltage spikes running along the cables and adding damage to both devices, such an event is not likely during normal play and under normal weather conditions.
However, there is always some concern in the gaming community about a phenomenon known as screen burn. Sometimes, people in the community may also call this sort of thing burn-in, but it refers to the same kind of event. Screen burn is something that is possible if a static image remains on a television screen without changing in any way whatsoever.
Typically, especially on some older forms of televisions, even this would take a very long time to occur at all. Because players may need to pause games for long periods, it is a concern that has remained in the community to this day. The additional problem of certain static frames, even when a game is active, creates more worries for some gamers.
Having said all that, most of the modern LCD displays that you might use for making connections to video game consoles use QLED technology. QLEDs do not suffer from burn-in the same way that older OLEDs did. Even with OLED technology, the risk of this happening was due to too much static imagery for too long.
Fortunately, video games are quite dynamic. If you are playing one under normal conditions, characters and other background things will move or change with relative frequency. This makes the phenomenon, even if you are using older television technologies, very unlikely.
Furthermore, such a thing would be almost impossible on newer TVs using QLED technology for the display of quantum dots. As we mentioned earlier, the main issue of which gamers should be aware has to do with current changes in the power flow.
Does the Performance of a PS4 Depend on the TV?
Yes and no. The hardware that runs the PlayStation 4 is important in determining how it can display the graphics. To a lesser extent, the capabilities of the television may play some role, too. For example, you may have a few titles that might be able to render graphics in 4K with the help of the PS4.
However, if the output device itself is not capable of the same sort of rendering power, you would not be able to view the content in true 4K resolution. At best, the console might try to upscale the image to make the quality better, which could still be more than adequate for many gamers out there.
Additionally, you may experience some graphical limitations if you are using an older television with a lower resolution power. Although the console is more powerful than such a television, and it can certainly handle higher resolutions, the output device will cap out before the console does. However, there is more to the relationship between a PS4 and its TV than just the quality of the images you see.
The rate at which the console can display individual frames is also a huge factor in the immersiveness of the games you play. Thanks to how the hardware in the console works, it can display the same framerates on any compatible television display that you might choose to use. Therefore, this aspect of the gaming process should be safe from the possible negative impacts of any older televisions.
In short, you might see a resolution cap. This can make things seem like the overall image quality is somehow worse than the kind with which you might be familiar when you play most of your games.
However, thanks to the hardware that Sony developed for the PlayStation 4, you should still get a smooth, relatively immersive experience that is independent of the output device that you need to use to display the game’s graphics. The engine in the PS4 can also upscale the quality of the textures that the television displays, although this will have some limitations.
Can TVs Cause Lag on the PS4? (Solved)
When we talk about lag between a television and video game console, we mostly refer to something known as input lag.
As the name suggests, input lag is a small time difference between you performing an action on the controller or other device and when that action completes in a game. Because the television is just an output device, some gamers may wonder if the unit itself can contribute to lag at all, particularly as the console and its hardware run the game.
Some televisions and their settings may have an impact on how much lag you perceive when you find yourself enjoying a title, though. This may have to do with some game settings, but it can also occur if you have certain things active on your television, too. A high-definition resolution television may include several post-processing effects that can help games look sharper or better on the display.
When they do go through the motions to add these effects, it can take some time to complete the actions. The television will try to make sure these things are active as often as possible for a game, and since the textures and spaces in a title change constantly, the output unit is working to make these things happen constantly.
Therefore, some lag may occur between a gamer inputting an action and seeing it happen on the screen. While some of this may be because of the PS4, much of it is something we can connect to these settings on a HDTV.
If you would like to try to increase the smoothness and eliminate lag here, you can look in your TVs settings or manual to find a complete list of all the post-processing effects that might be active at any given time. Once you find them, you can look for them in each submenu in the unit’s settings. Turning these off is one good way that you might be able to reduce much of the input lag that you might see as you play many of your titles.
Will a PS4 Work With Any TV?
All iterations of the PlayStation 4 console will work with any television that can accept an HDMI input. Most modern panel televisions have at least one port to take an HDMI cable.
Although older technologies from decades ago will not have this option, it is a safe bet that you can still use any television manufactured in the last several years to enjoy games you play on the PS4. To get the most out of the experience, we might recommend that you use an HDTV that can support higher resolutions, but this is not strictly necessary.
Can I Use My PS4 on an Old TV?
This question relates to the previous topic, but there could be a way to play your console, even on a TV that doesn’t have input ports for an HDMI connection. For this to work, you would need an adapter that you can hook up to your TV.
This adapter would add a way for the output device to accept an HDMI connection. Once done, it could display the game images from the PS4. You may still face limitations in terms of graphics, but this would depend on the make and model of the older set you are using.
Conclusion
PlayStation 4 consoles have excellent hardware that can run fun, modern games. Combined with equally modern televisions, the image quality of these games can make them very immersive. Fortunately, there is little chance of a PS4 breaking the TV in some way, outside of voltage spike problems that aren’t related to the console itself. If you do notice any performance issues, you can use some of our troubleshooting tips here to address them.