is it true a 720p projector can beat 1080p?

[kramer733]

Now i'm a newbie at best in the world of home theatres and movie watching. But i've been reading stuff on this forum for about 4 months daily now. I can't remember who claimed that the resolution doesn't matter as much as what other people think. He also stated that a 720p can in fact beat 1080p (for projectors) Can anybody confirm this? Also, can somebody explain to me what resolution means?

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by kramer733

Now i'm a newbie at best in the world of home theatres and movie watching. But i've been reading stuff on this forum for about 4 months daily now. I can't remember who claimed that the resolution doesn't matter as much as what other people think. He also stated that a 720p can in fact beat 1080p (for projectors) Can anybody confirm this? Also, can somebody explain to me what resolution means?

Well.... I may have been the one to say it.... but let me preface it by saying "Can" Obviously a 1080p projector will have more lines or resolution..... but Contrast, Saturation, etc... all create the final package.....

Basically people love the "HD picture" but I'd venture to say more people are blown away by the vivid colors of HD, rather than simply the lines of resolution..... even with B&W movies (like Casablanca, etc) the varying shades of gray that HD provides is more impressive (to me) than the simple lines of resolution.....

If you are in the market for a new projector, and a 1080p projector is in your price range ($1,200 or so) 9 out of 10 times it'll be a better buy than a similarly priced 720p model...... but there are some VERY NICE 720p models out there that have great contrast ratios, lumens, etc.....

For instance.... if you can find a good deal on a "like new" 1080i / 720p CRT front-projection unit...... they look phenomenal... ... but they're hard to come by, and require more "maintenance"

Good luck!

[Brain Sturgeon]

There are high end 720p projectors that can produce a better image than a low to mid range 1080p projector. The panel/chip resolution is one thing, but the light engine, panel/chip technology, associated processing technology, lens quality, and overall projector design also strongly contribute to the image quality. The Sim2 C3X and Marantz vp12S4 are two 720p projectors that produce gorgeous images that would compete or better many 1080p projectors.

However, all other things being held equal (light engine, lens, etc), then a 1080p projector will typically produce a better image than a 720p projector, particularly on larger screens (> 60" diagonals). The higher pixel density will reduce screen door effect (pixel structure), improve image sharpness, etc.

[JJ]

Back when I was considering projectors, I was told to go with a great Panasonic 720p instead of a cheaper 1080p - perhaps the differences are greater now, 8 months after the fact.

[Branden]

Originally Posted by kramer733

Now i'm a newbie at best in the world of home theatres and movie watching. But i've been reading stuff on this forum for about 4 months daily now. I can't remember who claimed that the resolution doesn't matter as much as what other people think. He also stated that a 720p can in fact beat 1080p (for projectors) Can anybody confirm this? Also, can somebody explain to me what resolution means?

regardless of projector or LCD or plasma, 720p cannot 'beat' 1080p.
720p can, at best, appear no different than 1080p, depending on equipment quality and viewing distance.

[DavePS3]

A high-end 720p DLP will look much better than a low-end DLP or LCD projo in 1080p. I sell them, I've done shoot-out's. Trust me... it's in the processing. That's why high end costs more.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Branden

regardless of projector or LCD or plasma, 720p cannot 'beat' 1080p.
720p can, at best, appear no different than 1080p, depending on equipment quality and viewing distance.

Very wrong...... 720p can't display more progressive lines of resolution..... but you are mistakingly under the impression that picture is made up of solely lines of resolution, and not black levels, contrast, saturation, etc. etc....

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by Branden

regardless of projector or LCD or plasma, 720p cannot 'beat' 1080p.
720p can, at best, appear no different than 1080p, depending on equipment quality and viewing distance.

Yup, as the others have stated, this is wrong. See my post above.

Hey DavePS3, nice avatar! That's my new projector...

[Branden]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Very wrong...... 720p can't display more progressive lines of resolution..... but you are mistakingly under the impression that picture is made up of solely lines of resolution, and not black levels, contrast, saturation, etc. etc....

yes, i'm fully aware there is more to image quality than resolution. looking through my posts one would see that i have never claimed resolution to be the most important factor in image quality.

the OP presented a rumour regarding 720p vs 1080p, and that was all i was commenting on. all things equal, 720p cannot 'beat' 1080p. i allowed for all other image quality factors to fall under an 'equipment quality' disclaimer.

[Frank Leonidas]

My 50" 720p Panasonic plasma produces a gorgeous image. I sit at least 8 feet from it and have no problems whatsoever. My friend's 46" 1080p Sony LCD makes most things (movies and cable) look like a video game. The picture is crystal clear and sharp as can be (like mine) but the overall quality simply looks fake on the LCD. This could be an argument about plasma vs LCD (or my friend's picture settings) but the natural quality of images (oohhh, those deep blacks!) on my Pany blows any other display away, IMO. If you can get a great deal on a large 720p I would say go for it...especially if it's a Panasonic or Pioneer. Another friend swears by his 42" Samsung 720p plasma. Sony can suck one. I'll never buy Sony again. Overpriced and overrated. If you ask me

[Canada]

As with almost anything quality beats quantity any day of the week. My CRT Toshiba TV that I bought at A&B Sound beats my dad's Sony Bravia, but my dad uses DVD and big into Blu ray. If I was getting a Sony I would invest a lot more and get get one of Sony's SXRD TV's.

[Rob J in WNY]

Certainly, at projection sizes, 1080p is the way to go, if it can be afforded. Many claim that there is little visual difference between 720p and 1080p at typical LCD and Plasma sizes of 40" and lower. I absolutely agree with that (so says I, the 1080p, 40" LCD owner...lol).

But, projection is generally much larger - sometimes profoundly larger. I was watching a good friend's theater room 720p projector recently (The Matrix BD), and the SDE (screen door effect) was quite noticeable. Sitting in the front row during bright, expansive background video material (such as a bright, plain sky) revealed SDE quite a bit. Also, a ton of edge-enhancement as well. A little sharpness tweak later, and the EE was gone, and the SDE reduced. However, that said, at an 8-foot projection size, the picture was noticeably short of 1080p's quality, and not as as detailed as 1080p would be. Needless to say, he's very interesting in upgrading!

Of course, I am speaking strictly from a resolution standpoint, and it is completely understandable that a high-end 720p projector can provide better PQ than a lower-quality 1080p unit in all other respects except pure line resolution.

[kramer733]

Hm.. well the most i'd ever dish out for a projector is 3000 dollars. Would a 720p ever beat 1080p at that price range? I'm only 17 but i'm saving up money at the moment for my projector/ (i'll be making a DiY screen projector at 106inch) / I want a 7.1 surround sound channel but i have no idea what to do about sound system. Could anybody help me with that as well? Currently, I have close to 1000 dollars saved. I live in Canada too.. I'll probably be aiming for the ae3000 if 720p can't beat 1080p at this price range =) Please help xD I'm so newbie!

[rogman]

Originally Posted by kramer733

Hm.. well the most i'd ever dish out for a projector is 3000 dollars. Would a 720p ever beat 1080p at that price range? I'm only 17 but i'm saving up money at the moment for my projector/ (i'll be making a DiY screen projector at 106inch) / I want a 7.1 surround sound channel but i have no idea what to do about sound system. Could anybody help me with that as well? Currently, I have close to 1000 dollars saved. I live in Canada too.. I'll probably be aiming for the ae3000 if 720p can't beat 1080p at this price range =) Please help xD I'm so newbie!

As others have said, there are many other factors that go into a projector other than resolution. If you can, compare two in the same price range. You should be able to get an awesome 1080P projector for less than 3k. I have an Epson Powerlite 1080P that I paid < $1900 for about a year and a half ago. Personally, I'd only get a 1080P projector because I want to watch Blu-ray w/out any scaling, etc.

If choosing between 5.1 & 7.1, I'd go with 5.1 unless you have extra money laying around. Better to invest in a better 5.1 system than 7.1 for the same price. Not too many 7.1 discs out there. You can always add later.

I wired for 7.1 (so I didn't have to run new cables into the wall and remove ceiling tiles, etc.) but have a nice 5.1 system that produces a very convincing surround field. Go with dipole/bipole surrounds if you can.

Since you're new to this, check out the home theater stuff at: http://www.finishabasement.com/home_theater.htm. It's not super technical but should provide an overview and some good tips that will help you decide on your components, setup, etc.

If there's anything you'd like me to add that would help you out, let me know that too. Always looking for new ideas, and ways to make it better. Thanks.

[D Rock]

I had a great 720p projector (Panasonic PT-AX100U) and was very happy with it. I bought the Panasonic PT-AE3000U 1080p projector last week and while waiting for it to be delivered started having buyers remorse. I would watch a movie on my 720p projector and think I don't need a 1080p projector thinking the picture couldn't get any better but once I got the new projector and hooked it up I noticed how much sharper the image was. I'm very glad I made the upgrade. My point of view is strictly from a blu-ray perspective since I haven't compared standard DVD's on the two projectors.

[kramer733]

Don't worry about dvds. =) I wanna convert strictly to blu ray and just start going from there. I never bothered buying any dvds REMOVED BY MODERATION.

On another note..

https://www.blu-ray.com/community/ga...folderid=1175#

What's this guy using for his/her audio system? What's the set called? My father used to be a movie enthusiast. He spent atleast 10 grand before and now i kinda want to go where he left off. Is it ok if i used some of his older equipments? Is it even possible to hook these old equipments up? They're like 10 years old. I really like how the front and left speakers look like too. Has the sound really improved that much in 10 years? I want to use the subwoofer too.

I'll probably have to get an amplifier/centre/a pair of surround speakers/receiver.

Thing is, i really don't know what the amp and receiver actually does since i'm still a complete newb. Could somebody help me out with that too?

[mabma]

Why is the suggestion of dipole/bipoles being made. My understanding is that they were designed for dolby prologic where the rear surround was mono. Am I off base with this. What are current THX recommendations? I suspected that the more accurate sound generated from non- dipole would be advantageous with the newer surround formats.

[jibucha]

Hello

This is so simple; 1080p is without exception better in every regard than 720p.

Of course, other factors can confuse things, but why confuse things?

Thank You

[ryoohki]

I had several 720p Projector AE500 and Z4 to mention them (around 2000$Street Price at the time) and they were great. Then i update to a Z5 witch was 1080p and my good god it was better. Screendoor was virtually gone. Then a month ago i received my AE3000 and it's better than the Z5, not because of the resolution but because of all other thing (Colors, Contrast etc..)

[Anthony P]

is it true a 720p projector can beat 1080p?

as you can see from the other responses the answer is easy. It depeneds on the question

if you are asking can it be realistic that a 720p projector can be better then 1080p, then the answer is no. But if the question is can some one make up a biased test where a prticular 720p projector bests the 1080p projector it is competing against? then the answer is also Yes.

Let me give some examples,

1) compare one of the <1000lumen 1080p projecor
on a 20' screen to a 5kl 720p and obviously the 1080p projector won't be bright enouh to hyave an enjoyable picture. But then again if you are looking for 20' why would you even look at a 1k lumen projector? and why compare it to 5k lumen for the 720p?

2) take any 1080p projector, whack it a few times with a bat, maybe the lenz shatters (so that a big chunk is covered by the crack), maybe the whole optic gets out of whack.... now compare that to a perfectly calibrated 720p projector and people are more likely to prefer the 720p projectors image

3) find that all elusive perfectly calibrated 720p projector combined with a professional grade upscaler for 30k$ and then compare it to that <2k$ 1080p projector while watching a DVD. Maybe (I am not even sure of it) the 720p will be judged better.


in then end it depend what one wants to compare are we going with something realistic or do we assume someone has 30k$ if it is a 720p projector but only 50$ for a severly beaten up/messed up 1080p projector.