Is 1080p worth it on a 40" HDTV?

[T DUB]

I have a 40" 720p/1080i Sony LCD with 120hz and would like to invest in a 1080p LCD in the next couple of years. Just wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade to 1080p if I was to stay with a 40" tv.

[HAMP]

Yes!

[xneox]

Unless you're sitting 10' away, or half blind already, sure.

[syncguy]

Originally Posted by T DUB

I have a 40" 720p/1080i Sony LCD with 120hz and would like to invest in a 1080p LCD in the next couple of years. Just wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade to 1080p if I was to stay with a 40" tv.

Absolutely. You need to be about 4' feet from the display to fully benefit from 1080P. However, you would see a difference from 6' as well. Why not aim for 50-60". I expect to see a fall in prices during next year or so.

[brett_day]

[Motown Luv]

Yes its makes a difference

[lojack1976]

In a couple of years you're gonna want a 50" minimum. Prices will be very low by then. 1080p is well worth it at 40" if you are sitting relatively close...say 4-5ft. Even at 6-8ft. you can still see a bit of a difference. The picture will be a little sharper. Once you go beyond 50" 1080p becomes even more beneficial and the difference will be very apparent. Since it seems you are looking down the road you will definitely want to go with 1080p. With the prices continuing to drop I wouldn't be surprised if you could even get a non-1080p set two years from now...at least in the larger sizes.

[loco]

my wife wanted a 40 inch lcd for the bedroom. we went lcd shopping and we couldnt tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p and this is through HDMI. So she bought a 1080i samsung, and with the money she saved she bought a sound bar for her tv.

honestly, your tv needs to be at least 50 inches before you'd be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p.

[TRIGON]

you might as well get 1080p. 720p probably will be hard to find in the next year and prices are dropping. If your thinking of a 40 in, you really probably need 46. most people regret not going bigger than they originally wanted..

[DMC86X]

yes

[SlmShdy1]

I got a 40" three years ago when 1080p HDTV's were still new. It was worth it for me back then because it's future proof for at least a few more years. Now, you can probably get a bigger 1080p plasma for around the same price as the smaller LCD.

[nugent]

Originally Posted by T DUB

I have a 40" 720p/1080i Sony LCD with 120hz and would like to invest in a 1080p LCD in the next couple of years. Just wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade to 1080p if I was to stay with a 40" tv.

My opinion, no way would I bother selling your current set just to get the same size in a 1080p set.

If you are going to a larger set, 50" or up, yes.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I doubt that in a few years any of the major manufacturers will even be offering a 720p/1080i HDTV. 1080p will be the industry standard for them, so most likely it's a concern you won't have to be concerned about!

John

[skatalite]

Originally Posted by nugent

My opinion, no way would I bother selling your current set just to get the same size in a 1080p set.

If you are going to a larger set, 50" or up, yes.

This is the best response yet.

[mugupo]

depend what is your primary use, if you watch alot of blu-ray then yes, if you just only use for ps3 and tv channel use then won't be benefit you much since non of tv content are 1080p and very few ps3 game are 1080p.

[onemorechance]

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Don't ever settle yourself for less in terms of technology.

[syncguy]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

Don't ever settle yourself for less in terms of technology.

Of course, if fits your budget...

[mjbethancourt]

Yes... it's a no-brainer.

[nugent]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Yes... it's a no-brainer.

Why?

Truly curious why it's a "no brainer" to ditch a quality 40" 720p display and go to the same size 1080p display when the vast majority of 3rd party tests and observations suggest there is little to no visible difference?

http://www.cnet.com.au/720p-vs-1080p...-339295472.htm

March 2009: Side by side, how do 720p and 1080p TVs match up in head-to-head tests?
We spend a lot of time looking at a variety of source material on many TVs in our labs. Over three years ago, many 1080p TVs weren't as sharp as they claimed to be on paper. By that, we mean a lot of older 1080p sets couldn't necessarily display all 2 million-plus pixels in the real world — technically, speaking, they couldn't "resolve" every line of a 1080i or 1080p test pattern.

That's changed in the last few years. Virtually all 1080p sets are now capable of fully resolving these materials, though not every 1080p TV is created equal. As our resident video guru, senior editor David Katzmaier, explains, Blu-ray serves up 1080p24 video format which not every TV can display properly. The 24 refers to the true frame rate of film-based content, and displaying it in its native format is supposed to give you a picture exactly as the director intended you to see it.

Whether you're dealing with 1080p24 or video-based 1080p50 doesn't alter our overall views about 1080p TVs. We still believe that when you're dealing with TVs 50 inches and smaller, the added resolution has only a very minor impact on picture quality. In our tests, we put 720p next to 1080p sets, then feed them both the same source material from high-end Blu-ray players. We typically watch both sets for a while, with eyes darting back and forth between the two to look for differences in the most-detailed sections such as hair, textures of fabric, and grassy plains.

Bottom line: it's almost always very difficult to see any difference — especially from farther than 2m away on a 50-inch TV.

The fact is, resolution is resolution, and whether you're looking at a Sony or a TCL, 1080p resolution (which relates to picture sharpness) is the same and is a separate issue from black levels and colour accuracy.

Katzmaier stands by his previous analysis: the extra sharpness afforded by the 1080p televisions he's seen is noticeable only when watching
1080i/1080p sources on larger screens, say 55 inches and bigger and projectors that display wall-size pictures. Katzmaier also adds that the main real-world advantage of 1080p is not the extra sharpness you'll be seeing, but instead the smaller, more densely packed pixels. In other words, you can sit closer to a 1080p television and not notice any pixel structure such as stair-stepping along diagonal lines or the screen-door effect (where you can actually see the space between the pixels). This advantage applies regardless of the quality of the source.