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

[DRC72]

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

I would of waited and saved a few more bucks... 1080p is the way to go!

[Toptube]

Last December I went with a 720p TV so that my games will look as sharp as possible. and I still enjoy awesome image quality from Blu-rays and anything else that might have a 1080 option. Sometimes I think about maybe goiing 1080p, but then I remember that I would have to upscale all of my games, then. So here I am in 2009, very very happy with my 720p set. No regrets.

[leov36]

dont worry about it man. its funny how so many people are talking about how you need 1080p for 40 inch screens. you know how many people are using 720P projectors for 80-120 inch screens!?

my 87inch 720p screen using BR (10 feet away)

[FendersRule]

Going to be the bad guy here, but I speak truth.

In most cases, especially in current times, there is no reason to get a 720p screen. 1080p screens have plummeted in price, and in some cases, below 720p costs.

720p should be seeing a steady decline. For the price, there is no reason not to get a 1080p screen.

[wallendo]

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

To get back to the original subject.

1) If you are happy with the monitor you bought, then just be happy and enjoy it - don't waste your time worrying about what other people think.

2) "HiDef" is a mess in many ways. Video can come in 720p, 1080i, and 1080p and no matter what type of screen you have, two of those formats will need to be resized and/or deinterlaced.

3) Most upconverters (including the PS3) can output a 720p signal. Your screen will be useful for many years to come.

There are a lot of people on this board who only think in terms of home theatres. For many more mundane purposes, 720p monitors will be around for a long time (long time in tech years ) - such as portable players, auto players, small TV's for kids, etc. As long as this is the case, most consumer video equipment will be able to at least output a 720p signal.

[b15nut]

I bought a 37" 720P LCD for $500.00 so I could not pass it up. That will work great in the living room for a year until 1080p sets come down and then it will go up to the master bedroom. Movies will be watched on a projector in the future downstairs anway lol

Keep the 720p for now and then upgrade when 1080p prices come down then move the 720p to another room.

[scott1256ca]

Since you are already commited to keeping the tv, why did you start the thread?
Anyway, you are in Canada, so the good news is that practically everything on satellite and probably cable that is HD in Canada is 720p. The movie channels here are 720p and PPV movies from expressvu are as well (at least they used to be), and even the tv shows coming from CBS and NBC (which are 1080i) are downrezzed to 720p by CTV and global (many are 1080p24 sources, so yes, it is downrezzing). Sports are probably best watched in 720p anyway, and fox, abc, ctv, global and (I think) cbc are 720p. Expressvu, CTV etc. (CTV simulcast most of the shows I'd LIKE to watch in 1080, expressvu are responsible for the PPV movies) are not likely to change soon either. They are so cheap here. They won't pay anything to upgrade to mpeg4 or 1080 until someone holds a gun to their heads.
But you will have to suffer through down-rezzed BD movies. And sorry, but I for one think there is quite a noticeable improvement in 1080p24 movies vs. 720, at least if the source is crisp.

[kdn1221]

720p is gradually going away to be replaced by 1080p. The main reason is improvement in the technology and the dropping cost. Eventually, there won't be a need for manufacturers to produce 720p TVs anymore.

Is it a dead technology? No. I own a 5 year old 50" Panasonic 720p/1080i DLP TV. The Blu-rays and video games look great on my TV. For much smaller screen sizes the difference is not noticeable but for 42 inch screens on up, a 1080p screen image would be more smooth especially if you're looking at generate text.

Either way, we're talking about the evolution of the HDTV technology not something so different like comparing an HDTV to a picture tube TV.

[bomberomusician]

IMO ... 1080p doesn't look nearly as good as 720p when watching standard
digital broadcast stations. Which mostly all cable and satelite transmissions are in 720p/1080i and will probably never be 1080p. The only true 1080p signals are blueray players. Therefore, I think the 720p screens are the best for both transmissions. Standard TV/Cable/Satelite/Blueray.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by donutman925

1080p on a 360? Microsoft uses dvds for their games not blu-ray. You wont get a true 1080p game unless you have a PS3.

360 uses 12x DVD speed, PS3 uses 2x Blu-ray. The 360's read speed is actually higher. It is most certainly capable of 1080p, but they advertise 1080p way more than actual native 1080p games.

Originally Posted by donutman925

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.

Yet Display Search's #'s for 2008 I believe show that 1080p sets are making up 25% of sales. They also predict that cheap TV's will not be seen as much in 2009, but rather will disappear.

http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde...e_1st_Time.asp

AUSTIN, TEXAS, December 17, 2008—With the ongoing economic turmoil unlikely to improve in 2009, DisplaySearch has dramatically revised its TV market forecast for 2009, especially for the fastest-growing LCD TV category. As shown in the DisplaySearch Q4’08 Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, worldwide revenues are expected to fall year-on-year for the first time since LCD TV was launched in 2000. The key factors are reductions in forecasted TV prices and revised forecasts for Y/Y shipment growth for LCD and PDP TVs in 2009, down by 7 and 6 points from previous, respectively. LCD TV revenues are forecast to fall 16% Y/Y to $64 billion in 2009, and total TV revenues will fall 18% Y/Y to $88 billion. DisplaySearch expects that 2009 will be the most difficult year yet for the TV industry and supply chain.

Originally Posted by MoPe

There are a FEW games that are in 1080p, but I haven't found any personally that are worth buying.

WipEoutHD is 1080p60 and is definitely worth the paltry $19.99 to download it.

Originally Posted by donutman925

Dont get me wrong 720p is good but if you plan on having this a while you should future proof yourself and get a 1080p one, cause your gonna kick your self in the ass in a couple years and say to yourself you should have gone 1080p.

But why? As recently as last Spring Home Theater Mag tested 7 of the top TV brands and 6 were 1080p, yet the winner of the shoot-out was the 768p PDP-5080FD from Pioneer. Panel resolution should not be the #1 consideration of an HDTV consumer.

Originally Posted by hardcorefrokid

You get the benefits of 1080p 50 or 60 inches (not sure the exact size but it's somewhere around there) and on.

Not accurate I'm afraid - you don't get the benefits of 1080p at any particular size - you can get the benefits at ANY size if your viewing distance is correct. I've sat 2ft, which is the average distance for a computer monitor, from a 24" 1920x1200 LCD and watched full screen both a 720p and 1080p trailer from Apple.com/trailers and the difference in clarity is very much noticeable.

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

seriously, what is wrong with 720p televisions?

Absolutely nothing!

Originally Posted by redlikefire02

xbox is high definition. the boxes do say on the back 1080p for the big releases like Call of Duty and Halo 3. I dont think halo or COD 4/5 are in 1080p but it sure as hell isnt SD. its got to be 720p at least

Halo 3 runs at 640p and upscales. It's not 1080p. COD is 720p. They look great though, no doubt.

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

XBox360 doesn't have any true 1080p capable video game titles.

Virtua Tennis 3 runs natively at 1080p on both consoles.

Originally Posted by scott1256ca

Since you are already commited to keeping the tv, why did you start the thread?
Anyway, you are in Canada, so the good news is that practically everything on satellite and probably cable that is HD in Canada is 720p. The movie channels here are 720p and PPV movies from expressvu are as well (at least they used to be), and even the tv shows coming from CBS and NBC (which are 1080i) are downrezzed to 720p by CTV and global (many are 1080p24 sources, so yes, it is downrezzing). Sports are probably best watched in 720p anyway, and fox, abc, ctv, global and (I think) cbc are 720p. Expressvu, CTV etc. (CTV simulcast most of the shows I'd LIKE to watch in 1080, expressvu are responsible for the PPV movies) are not likely to change soon either. They are so cheap here. They won't pay anything to upgrade to mpeg4 or 1080 until someone holds a gun to their heads.
But you will have to suffer through down-rezzed BD movies. And sorry, but I for one think there is quite a noticeable improvement in 1080p24 movies vs. 720, at least if the source is crisp.

Most broadcasts in Canada are 1080i, including CityTV and CBC. Movies benefit from 1080i, which is why most broadcasters here chose 1080i. Bell ExpressVu transcodes it to 720p...with the exception of CBC and SRC who implicitly forbid them to do so...which is why Hockey Night in Canada always looks so damned good!

[My_Two_Cents]

Oh no, here we go again!

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

NO. 720p is not dead. how can it be dead when its the highest resolution being offered on cable

[Maxell]

I hate how 1080p owners think they are so elite.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by Maxell

I hate how 1080p owners think they are so elite.

I think it's more that most folks don't understand things as well as they think, and simply repeat what they see as the obvious. The number 1080>720, so naturally, it must be better. In a lot of instances, it is, but it's not something one can make a generalized blanket statement about.

[Ex Accountant]

Originally Posted by leov36

dont worry about it man. its funny how so many people are talking about how you need 1080p for 40 inch screens. you know how many people are using 720P projectors for 80-120 inch screens!?

my 87inch 720p screen using BR (10 feet away)

Do you think the picture would look better if you had a 1080P projector?

[U4K61]

We have some older sets that are 720p, but our two new ones, purchased in the last 18 months are 1080p. A 46" Samsung and a 32" SONY. The two sets are also used as computer monitors, and the extra pixels they have over 720p is greatly appreciated. Also for me, 720p does not render film grain well. I read the paper daily and see the big box flyers. Hardly any sets 42"+ are 720p, but there are still some around. I would go for 1080p on a new set.

I also have this thing about a 1080p image not being mapped 1:1 to a 1080p set, which is straight forward to do. A player has to in a very short space of time to decide what does and does not get sent to a 720p set. 1080p reduced to 720p and then scaled back up slightly up to 768p is likely to be < then 1/2 1080p's spatial resolution.

[sewerdog]

How about a 50in in 720p and do blu-ray movies look good in that format?

[leov36]

Originally Posted by Ex Accountant

Do you think the picture would look better if you had a 1080P projector?

yes. on a projector
for some reason i dont like the way it looks on my 1080p sony lcd. so much grain. i dont get that on my pro, or did i witness it on my freinds 1080p pro

[Daredevil666]

Cable will likely never be in 1080p

In Japan, cable is 1080i. 720p do not exist anymore.

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

Originally Posted by dvdvision

In Japan, cable is 1080i. 720p do not exist anymore.

1080i is not always better then 720p.

720p would be better for sports
1080i would give crisper picture