1080i vs. 720p (and vs. 1080p)

[JamesKurtovich]

1080i looks best on my TV. Play with your settings and see what works best for you. From other sources I've read, 1080i is great for movies and 720p is great for shows that focus on a lot of movement and action (sports, for example). I honestly see no difference between the two either, but I'd rather get more pixels.

[rattyfinky]

Thanks James, I just wish I had enough money to buy a newer set as my Philips 42' is now 4-5 years old with DVI conection not HDMI in the back of the set.Im using the Sony bd350 which is a fab player just wondering if Im utilising it to its full advantage with the TV I have.Thats why I started the thread, so 1080i is better hey!!!!

[RandDawg]

Originally Posted by jgzr2

1080i is a better picture, i'll explain it the best I can without confusing myself, but hopefully some tech head will have a clearer answer.

1080i, the i means interlaced, which means the screen displays every other horizontal line at one point in time then a fraction of a second later displays the other line. Compare that to 720p which displays all horizontal lines at once.

So basically if you freeze time on a 1080i tv it will have roughly 500 horizontal lines compared to 720p that has all 720 lines at all times.

The fact that makes 1080i a higher resolution is the how many times per second each line is refreshed. I don't know the exact number but it's much faster that the human eye can perceive. So when a human being views a program it appears to be one complete image, and unless your superhuman or an alien 1080i is "better".

The reason 720p looks better to some is due to the increased smooth flow of the image in a fast moving video, like sports and...... well mainly sports.

Keep in mind that sports channels, like ESPN, are broadcast in 720p, not because it gives a sharper, higher resolution picture but because it's smoother during the fast movements of many sports games.

The only place you're going to have a noticeable difference is with blu-rays since they are all native 1080p. I know from experience that broadcast or cable HD is not the best quality to judge the difference from.

Bottom line is, neither is a bad tv. Both offer a much better picture than SD, and that's what's really important, now isn't it.

According to your logic, there is no perceptible difference from 1080i and 1080p.

Your eyes work much better than you are giving them credit for.

[edelgiud]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Neo

IMHO:

720p is a better picture than 1080i. 1080i may have a higher resolution, but 720p has a sharper picture due to it being a progressive stream.

BTW: To get the best picture, match the resolution of your player to the "native" resolution of your television.

I wouldn't write it in this way. On a few occasions, I have flipped between NBC and FOX (1080i vs 720p) for say a presidential announcement where it focuses on face, and I could tell you that it looked way sharper on the 1080i channel on my Plasma. I cannot tell a huge difference but I believe 720p will only show better picture in football/hockey games when moving fast....

[welwynnick]

I don't see much advantage with 720p for films, as you would be trying to broadcast video with better temporal resolution than the master.

720p is probably better used for sports.

[rattyfinky]

so 1080i it is then!

[BlurayFanatic]

Hi

I just got this Plasma on Sat, I really wanted a 1080P Plasma But really Could not afford it.

The Picture is Amazing and that’s why I bought it Over LCD(ANOTHER TOPIC)

But is 720P Dead to everyone, Seeing that a Blu Ray, HD Player, Upconverting DVD players, and even HD Satellite are in 1080P Content.

How many years until I'm just like every other CRT TV-Flat Panel TV Owner and have to buy another new Plasma to even get HD Content like everybody else.

I just hope I didn’t make a very bad Choice as this will be the TV until it Dies

Thanks

[Marcusarilius]

What is 720p?

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by BluRayFanatic#1

Hi

I just got this Plasma on Sat, I really wanted a 1080P Plasma But really Could not afford it.

The Picture is Amazing and that’s why I bought it Over LCD(ANOTHER TOPIC)

But is 720P Dead to everyone, Seeing that a Blu Ray, HD Player, Upconverting DVD players, and even HD Satellite are in 1080P Content.

How many years until I'm just like every other CRT TV-Flat Panel TV Owner and have to buy another new Plasma to even get HD Content like everybody else.

I just hope I didn’t make a very bad Choice as this will be the TV until it Dies

Thanks

one question....how far do you sit from the tv?

[dtowntke]

i just bought a pn50a450 samsung 720p i sit about 6-8 ft away and it looks as good as one can hope from an entry level tv, i up graded from a 42 inch samsung and some times i dont think it looks as sharp due to the fact less pixals to fill up a bigger space but from what i read it wouldn't make it any sharper if it was 1080p so i guess its just psychological

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by dtowntke

i just bought a pn50a450 samsung 720p i sit about 6-8 ft away and it looks as good as one can hope from an entry level tv, i up graded from a 42 inch samsung and some times i dont think it looks as sharp due to the fact less pixals to fill up a bigger space but from what i read it wouldn't make it any sharper if it was 1080p so i guess its just psychological

well i hate to tell you this, sitting 6-8ft away from your tv would mean you would see a difference with a 1080p set, you would actually see quite a bit of difference, however....if you are happy with the way the tv looks then that is all that matters. if not then you surely still have time to return the set if you choose

[My_Two_Cents]

Hardly. Oh, I would imagine within a couple years, it will be cost advantageous to only produce 1080p sets and do away with the lower resolution models, but that doesn't mean they will be obsolete. I've got two 768p sets, and the picture on both is fantastic. Will their 1080p sisters looks better? Yes, but at the time I bought each, the 1080p models were 50-75% more than what I paid. If I were to do it again today, I would go 1080p because the price differential has closed considerably. Don't let the 1080p snobs try to convince you that you made the wrong choice. There is more to your picture quality than simply resolution.

[ObiTrentKenobi]

I don't think 720p is bad at all... for a 37" and under sized tv... People will still want/need tv's in smaller sizes. I would still buy 720p.

Bedrooms
Campers
kid's rooms (spoiled)
Office settings
etc

My in-laws have a huge camper, but their tv stand will really only hold up to "maybe" a 27"-32" flat panel.

1080p really won't make a difference on a 32" and under, it would be a waste of money to manufacture it really. This would be like putting 4,000$ racing tires on a '94 ford taurus.

[BlurayFanatic]

Originally Posted by brett_day

one question....how far do you sit from the tv?

3 feet

[BlurayFanatic]

So everyone thinks 720P or 768P is going to be around for another 8-10 years untill my TV does Die and I can get a 1080P set.

I was told the Content Is not going to be 1080P or higher anytime soon

[donutman925]

oh man if I were you I would defiantly be taking that tv back tomorrow for a 1080p. You can defiantly see the difference; even though cable and satellite haven't gone to full 1080p yet you never know things could change in a couple years time. I am 99% sure that you will not see any company at CES this week coming out with 720p sets over 40" inches. Its a dead technology for those sets. Expect to see the new models specifically Panasonic coming out in April. They will almost certainly be less money than last years models when they first came out.

[brps3]

Most tv's you see in either Wal-Mart or BB are 720. Cheapest 1080p I have seen is $900 and it was a Dynex. Not what I would call a "name brand" tv. My 26 inch 720 Sylvania only cost me $550.

720's will be around for a while. And at times I almost cant tell the difference between a 720 and a 1080 when I see them side by side.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by BluRayFanatic#1

So everyone thinks 720P or 768P is going to be around for another 8-10 years untill my TV does Die and I can get a 1080P set.

I was told the Content Is not going to be 1080P or higher anytime soon

I doubt 768p sets will be produced much longer, but 720p/1080i HD programming will be around for many years to come. Don't sweat it, and enjoy what you have.

[donutman925]

Originally Posted by brps3

Most tv's you see in either Wal-Mart or BB are 720. Cheapest 1080p I have seen is $900 and it was a Dynex. Not what I would call a "name brand" tv. My 26 inch 720 Sylvania only cost me $550.

720's will be around for a while. And at times I almost cant tell the difference between a 720 and a 1080 when I see them side by side.

You need to go to Best Buy and look again, I was just there a couple days ago and 95% of the tvs on their wall that were over 40" were 1080p sets. They had a 42" Panasonic Plasma 2 weeks ago for $999. You will be getting name brand plasmas that are 1080p for under $1000 when the new models launch in the spring trust me. Panasonic is top of the line.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Hardly. Oh, I would imagine within a couple years, it will be cost advantageous to only produce 1080p sets and do away with the lower resolution models, but that doesn't mean they will be obsolete. I've got two 768p sets, and the picture on both is fantastic. Will their 1080p sisters looks better? Yes, but at the time I bought each, the 1080p models were 50-75% more than what I paid. If I were to do it again today, I would go 1080p because the price differential has closed considerably. Don't let the 1080p snobs try to convince you that you made the wrong choice. There is more to your picture quality than simply resolution.

+1.....I love my 768p Panny (42" and sit roughly 7-8" away). With proper calibration a 720p set will give you years of enjoyment.