Blu-Ray & 720p

[Odysseus]

My wife watches a lot of (standard broadcast, not High Def) television (Direct TV) and an occasional movie on DVD.

Our vintage projection TV just went wheels up and we are trying to decide what to replace it with. We are looking (at Costco) at a Sony 46" 720p which we can buy for $1300 or a competing brand in a 46" 1080p (price is a consideration).

Since we do not watch high-def and are not particularly interested at this stage, it makes sense to me to go for the 720p, but with a couple of questions first.

Will the 720p resolve standard definition broadcasts better than a 1080p? About the same?

If it depends on the brands or models, what brands or models do a better job in this screen size?

Other than Blu-Ray DVD, is there any reason to have a 1080p? If the answer is "looking to the future", what is in the future that warrants 1080p?

Looking ahead to the eventual replacement of standard DVDs by Blu-Ray, will the 720p give a good picture from a blu-ray DVD in a blu-ray player (obviously not as good as a 1080p, but compared to a standard DVD)?

Are there any guesses as to when Blockbuster and Netflix will phase out standard DVD's?

Perhaps more pertinent, when will the studios stop putting out new movies in standard DVD format?

Thanks in advance.

[Rabidhunter]

For 46" 1080p would be ideal. I have a 32" 720p, there's no real need for 1080p in the 32" range but after 40" there would be a noticable upgrade. If it is in your price range to get a 1080p go for it, it'll be worth it. That's looking forward into the future. As far as brands go, look at some Samsung TV's. Samsung and Sony are near equals in quality, however, they are less expensive. You'll get a better deal.

[skrill]

I just got a TV at Costco (the 42" 1080p Plasma by Panasonic for $1099).

Costco carries a big lineup of Panny Plasmas -- look there, and let your budget guide you. For the range you are looking -- the Panny Plasmas will be your best bet at Costco.

Do some research on 1080p v. 720p. The difference is really not that huge -- unless you are quite close to the screen.

[Chaka]

It all depends on how far away you sit from the screen really to notice the major difference or improvement from 720p to 1080p.

Viewing distance chart

Blockbuster/Netflix will carry standard dvds for years to come. I wouldn't buy too into blu-ray will take over standard dvds remarks you may hear.

Blu-ray on 720p is a huge difference still vs standard dvd on 720p.

My only hugely biased opinion is to buy a plasma vs lcd. My personal choice and I don't want to get into debates about this. You can't go wrong with a Panasonic IMO.

[Odysseus]

We sit about 10-12 feet from the TV, so according to Chaka's chart, 1080p is marginal for us. In any case, we do not have a 1080p source. Standard DVD's are the best signal source we have and we have no plans to buy a blu-ray player until the prices come down.

The difference in price between 720p and 1080p is several hundred dollars, so is there any reason now or in the immediate future to go for 1080, and if so, specifically what is it?

[Doc_Stew]

Originally Posted by Odysseus

We sit about 10-12 feet from the TV, so according to Chaka's chart, 1080p is marginal for us. In any case, we do not have a 1080p source. Standard DVD's are the best signal source we have and we have no plans to buy a blu-ray player until the prices come down.

The difference in price between 720p and 1080p is several hundred dollars, so is there any reason now or in the immediate future to go for 1080, and if so, specifically what is it?

From your viewing distance, the jump from 720p to 1080p won't make any difference. However, if it's an affordable upgrade, then I would say do it (futureproofing).

I have a Panny plasma 768p, sit 11 feet away, and couldn't be happier

[syncguy]

Originally Posted by Odysseus

We sit about 10-12 feet from the TV, so according to Chaka's chart, 1080p is marginal for us. In any case, we do not have a 1080p source. Standard DVD's are the best signal source we have and we have no plans to buy a blu-ray player until the prices come down.

The difference in price between 720p and 1080p is several hundred dollars, so is there any reason now or in the immediate future to go for 1080, and if so, specifically what is it?

At your seating distance. i.e. 10-12 feet from a 46" set, the difference between 720p and 1080p would be marginal even for blu-ray. I do not expect to see a difference for this setup for upscaled DVDs,

However, IMO you may get a better perspective of movies if you could sit bit closer to the screen (say 6 feet). If this is the case, 1080p would be a real winner especially with blu-ray. I know that the seating distance is a personal thing and some people would prefer to sit back and have a narrower field of view.

[Odysseus]

SyncGuy, the way our viewing area is configured, it is not possible to sit closer, and even though the war dept is the principal (almost only) TV watcher most of the time, she isn't about to re-arrange things. She's happy at that distance, but thanks for the suggestion.

Also our set is in a room that gets lots of indirect daylight (during the day) and that is why I have been looking at LCD rather than plasma.

For everyone reading this thread, the other issue which has not been addressed is that of scaling standard definition sources. I have read both that 1080p does it better than 720/768p, and vice-versa. Is this just an issue that is peculiar to the the make and model of the set, or is it a 720/1080 issue?

[raginranger]

just to confirm you will be using an upscaling DVD player right? there is really no point to watch a standard def signal on a high-def tv, it doesn't make it look any better. (unless you upscale it of course)

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Odysseus

We sit about 10-12 feet from the TV, so according to Chaka's chart, 1080p is marginal for us. In any case, we do not have a 1080p source. Standard DVD's are the best signal source we have and we have no plans to buy a blu-ray player until the prices come down.

The difference in price between 720p and 1080p is several hundred dollars, so is there any reason now or in the immediate future to go for 1080, and if so, specifically what is it?

your seating distance, no need for 1080p. No future proofing etc. Save the money and get a 50" Panny plasma instead.

[NJ_RAMS_FAN]

since i have a small living room, i have a 720p 32" inch and im happy. i was comparing the 1080p and 720p on 32" inch at the store and didnt see a differance. JMO