What's better 720p or 1080i?

[MRK20]

I know that 1080p is top of the line, but I'm confused about 720p and 1080i. One's interlaced and the other is progressive. Am I really missing out if I get 1080i and not 1080p?


EDIT:Is it worth it to go 1080p for $200 more?

[Phalanx]

Originally Posted by MRK20

I know that 1080p is top of the line, but I'm confused about 720p and 1080i. One's interlaced and the other is progressive. Am I really missing out if I get 1080i and not 1080p?

p > i
720p > 1080i
1080p > 720p

However... when considering a TV. Spending the extra $$ for the 'top of the line' might not be worth it. Heres a chart that illustrated the optimal viewing distance vs size vs resolution.



As you ca see, depending on how far away you are from the tv vs how big the TV is... you may not be able to even take full advantage of having 1080p vs 720p.

Example, you use a 40" LCD HDTV and the TV is 10 feet away. On a 40" TV, you need not spend the extra $$ on a 1080p TV because you will not be able to begin noticing the benefits of 1080p until you are < 7.5 feet away from the TV.

[Exeon]

LCD Flat Panel Displays - AVS Forum


If you buy a 40" and under its fine to get a 720p but anything over, I suggest 1080p. It costs only a little more. But it also depends what you're using for, like reg dvd? TV? blu ray? gaming? etc. For reg dvd player and TV 720p is fine; For blu ray and gaming 1080p is reccommended for full potential. Plus buying 1080p futureproofs your self from upgrading. Right now HD TV broadcasts only 720p but it will eventually be 1080p in the future.

[07BlakBlak]

Take that chart with a grain of salt. I have a 1080P 50inch Panasonic Plasma. I can tell you from the 11 feet I sit away from the TV on the couch I can easily tell the difference between true 1080P on my blueray and the roughly 720P BS that the HD Cable is broadcasting.

Based on that chart I should just begin to possibly notice a difference. It is pretty obvious.

Im not a expert.....but also I am not so sure the 720P>1080i is so cut and dry.... Dont the 1080i TV's still do 720P? I dont know, I am asking...

[MRK20]

Phalanx, thanks a million for the help!

[Phalanx]

Originally Posted by 07BlakBlak

Take that chart with a grain of salt. I have a 1080P 50inch Panasonic Plasma. I can tell you from the 11 feet I sit away from the TV on the couch I can easily tell the difference between true 1080P on my blueray and the roughly 720P BS that the HD Cable is broadcasting.

Based on that chart I should just begin to possibly notice a difference. It is pretty obvious.

Im not a expert.....but also I am not so sure the 720P>1080i is so cut and dry.... Dont the 1080i TV's still do 720P? I dont know, I am asking...

do you, perhaps, have 'above average' eyesight? Im like you and I can tell the difference. But to the average person with average eyesight... they will just begin to tell the difference.

also... progressive is always better than interlaced. on an interlaced signal, when there is rapid movement ont he screen you will see hortizontal lines making the picture look like complete shit. But yes, to my knowledge... most 1080i tvs also do 720p

edit: after re-reading your post... you also arent taking into account that the HD cable is only outputting a signal of 720p and your bluray is outputting a signal of 1080p... and your TV is 1080p. In that case, yes... the difference should be VERY obvious. To get a true comparison you need the same image to be output at the same resolution on the same size tv, fromt he same distance. but 1 tv being 720 and the other 1080.

Scenario A:
TV 720p 40"
Distance 10ft
Signal 1080p

Scenario B:
TV 1080p 40"
Distance 10ft
Signal 1080p

In scenarios A vs B, you (unless having stellar eyesight) wont really be able to notice the difference between the TVs. However, the closer you get tot he TV, the more you can tell the difference.

[Anubis]

<<<<<waits for Toxis to make an entrance

1080I use to be common, but now as far as what i have seen if a TV can run 720p it can run 1080i. IMO spend the extra money and get a nice 1080p set now.

[MRK20]

I plan on using direct tv w/ the television, btw...is 720p fine?

[Phalanx]

Originally Posted by MRK20

I plan on using direct tv w/ the television, btw...is 720p fine?

It depends on the size of the TV and your viewing distance.

Originally Posted by Anubis

IMO spend the extra money and get a nice 1080p set now.

While my other posts give reasoning to NOT get 1080p... i would also suggest getting 1080p to protect yourself form needing to upgrade in the near future when HD Cable increases its signal to 1080p

[4door]

1080p is the one to get to utalize the blue ray or hd dvd's. an thing less you will get the bars across the top and bottom, even with a wide screen tv

[07BlakBlak]

I think the bottom line is that you should get what you can afford. If you can afford the 1080P television.....get it. You will be much happier.

I think the real advice you need is wether to get a cheap 1080P TV like a Vizio or a Westinghouse or if you should get a premium 720P TV like a Panasonic if its Plasma or a Sony or Samsung if its LCD.

[MRK20]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

It depends on the size of the TV and your viewing distance.

My mistake for never mentioning that. I wanna get a 40" LCD Sony Bravia(sp?) television. The viewing distance should be 10-12ft. Direct TV said that they only go as high as 1080i right now.

Ohhh...I almost forgot. How do regular dvd's look on HDTV?

[glial]

Future (near future anyway) proof yourself and get a 1080p T.V. now.

Standard Def DVD looks good if you use an upscaling DVD player through HDMI.

[MAWG]

I have a 42" 720p and I am constantly amazed at how good the picture is. If spending the extra money for 1080 is a stretch, don't bother.

[I Vtec, do you?]

The more tech-savy you are, the more you begin to notice the differences between these things.

That being said, depending on the price difference I'd prolly just go for the best. If it's a substantial amount cheaper for the 720p, I'd prolly go for that.

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by MRK20

My mistake for never mentioning that. I wanna get a 40" LCD Sony Bravia(sp?) television. The viewing distance should be 10-12ft. Direct TV said that they only go as high as 1080i right now.

Ohhh...I almost forgot. How do regular dvd's look on HDTV?

Depends on the player. I can say that Cars looks fairly good on our 1080p set on a regular DVD playing from the PS3. I know it's not as clear as the BluRay version, but it's damn good. The PS3 upconverts the signal.

Bourne Identity and 300 (both DVDs) looked fairly decent too. This is at about your viewing distance, and mostly further (our dinner table is about 25 ft from the TV.

[JeShUa]

I'm thinking of getting a 37" for my room.. so viewing distance is about 5'.. "sigh".. I like the 1099 47" 1080p Olevia.

[aki]

1080i vs 720p depends on the usage.

1080i is using interlaced, meaning it displays every other line of pixels. But when it refreshes, it refreshes in the line that was previously skipped. So for gaming it's not ideal--the interlacing blurs and blends in together, making it harder to see when playing fast-paced games (FPS, racing, etc).

720p is just solid, and doesn't have that blurring effect with fast images. Unless you have a giant TV I don't see the point of 1080p.

[MRK20]

Originally Posted by aki

1080i vs 720p depends on the usage.

1080i is using interlaced, meaning it displays every other line of pixels. But when it refreshes, it refreshes in the line that was previously skipped. So for gaming it's not ideal--the interlacing blurs and blends in together, making it harder to see when playing fast-paced games (FPS, racing, etc).

720p is just solid, and doesn't have that blurring effect with fast images. Unless you have a giant TV I don't see the point of 1080p.

What's the definition of "giant"?

[MRK20]

One more thing...is a $200 price increase worth it to get 1080p?