Comments on: 720p vs 1080p http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/ Top of best plasma TVs on the market, guides, reviews and more Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:24:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: J.R. http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-961 J.R. Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:34:59 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-961 Thank you again for all of your help, dudes! I hope your site stays around for a very long time & long live Plasma Technology. Thank you again for all of your help, dudes! I hope your site stays around for a very long time & long live Plasma Technology.

]]> By: TheBestPlasmaTV.com http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-957 TheBestPlasmaTV.com Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:39:30 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-957 @CraigB: Brightness has nothing to do with resolution. If you like the picture of the TC-P42S1 it is pretty normal but has nothing to do with the resolution. You see, though 720p might be enough for you, if you want best quality you will only find it in the mid-end or high-end models which are 1080p. Not because they are 1080p but because they are just better from other reasons. The TC-P42S1 simply has a better panel (i think it is the new NeoPDP for 2009) not just because of the higher resolution but from the quality perspective as well. So, I do agree with the possibility that the 1080p was brighter than the 720p, but not because it was 1080p vs 720p but because it was TC-P42S1 vs TC-P42X1. @CraigB: Brightness has nothing to do with resolution. If you like the picture of the TC-P42S1 it is pretty normal but has nothing to do with the resolution. You see, though 720p might be enough for you, if you want best quality you will only find it in the mid-end or high-end models which are 1080p. Not because they are 1080p but because they are just better from other reasons. The TC-P42S1 simply has a better panel (i think it is the new NeoPDP for 2009) not just because of the higher resolution but from the quality perspective as well. So, I do agree with the possibility that the 1080p was brighter than the 720p, but not because it was 1080p vs 720p but because it was TC-P42S1 vs TC-P42X1.

]]> By: TheBestPlasmaTV.com http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-956 TheBestPlasmaTV.com Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:19:36 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-956 @J.R.: "What is better 720p or 1080i for HD viewing clarity & quality?" - It is like comparing oranges to mandarins. Both are so alike but also different. First of all when comparing 720p vs 1080i, you are comparing content resolutions not native display resolutions. All flat-panel displays are progressive (p) in nature, but the content being broadcasted can be either progressive (p) or interlaced (i). The short answer is 720p has less pixels (detail) but looks better/sharper in the case of fast action scenes (sports, action movies, etc.), 1080i has more pixels (detail) but can look blurry in the case of fast action scenes. Why do you care about 1600p? It is advertised with HDMI cables so they can charge more for the cables. I don't know, and probably nobody can give you a good estimation about when 1600p will be a common standard. Maybe it will never be. Maybe we will jump directly to 3200p. Who knows!? The thing is, 1600p makes sense only in the case of very large computer monitors where you sit very close. To get the most of an 1600p TV, it would have to be HUGE in size or sit very close to it. What i can tell you is that today there is absolutely no channel broadcasted in 1080p. Just 720p or 1080i. The infrastructure changes required for 1080p broadcast is significant as 1080p requires twice as much bandwidth compared to 1080i. I hope that answers your questions. @J.R.: “What is better 720p or 1080i for HD viewing clarity & quality?” - It is like comparing oranges to mandarins. Both are so alike but also different. First of all when comparing 720p vs 1080i, you are comparing content resolutions not native display resolutions. All flat-panel displays are progressive (p) in nature, but the content being broadcasted can be either progressive (p) or interlaced (i). The short answer is 720p has less pixels (detail) but looks better/sharper in the case of fast action scenes (sports, action movies, etc.), 1080i has more pixels (detail) but can look blurry in the case of fast action scenes. Why do you care about 1600p? It is advertised with HDMI cables so they can charge more for the cables. I don’t know, and probably nobody can give you a good estimation about when 1600p will be a common standard. Maybe it will never be. Maybe we will jump directly to 3200p. Who knows!? The thing is, 1600p makes sense only in the case of very large computer monitors where you sit very close. To get the most of an 1600p TV, it would have to be HUGE in size or sit very close to it. What i can tell you is that today there is absolutely no channel broadcasted in 1080p. Just 720p or 1080i. The infrastructure changes required for 1080p broadcast is significant as 1080p requires twice as much bandwidth compared to 1080i. I hope that answers your questions.

]]> By: CraigB http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-950 CraigB Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:42:53 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-950 Hi. I have one more question for you before I make my purchase. I was in one of the local appliance stores by me the other day and luckily they had a 42inch 720p and 1080p Panasonic plasma next to each other for my easy comparison. (TC-P42X1 and TC-P42S1). I stood back 9 feet (which will be my viewing distance at home). What I think I noticed with the Cox Cable HD picture was that the 1080p seemed a bit brighter (?) but definitely I could see more detail in the blacks of the 1080p. So, my question to you is, would you agree that the 1080p version is brighter and has more detail in the blacks, or was it just a one time occurrence for me. Thank you again for your great columns. Hi. I have one more question for you before I make my purchase. I was in one of the local appliance stores by me the other day and luckily they had a 42inch 720p and 1080p Panasonic plasma next to each other for my easy comparison. (TC-P42X1 and TC-P42S1). I stood back 9 feet (which will be my viewing distance at home). What I think I noticed with the Cox Cable HD picture was that the 1080p seemed a bit brighter (?) but definitely I could see more detail in the blacks of the 1080p. So, my question to you is, would you agree that the 1080p version is brighter and has more detail in the blacks, or was it just a one time occurrence for me. Thank you again for your great columns.

]]> By: J.R. http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-949 J.R. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:32:10 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-949 Thanks for clearing that up for me, man. You've been a major help to me in my HDTV decision & I'm grateful. Got two more to shoot at you, dudes. What is better 720p or 1080i for HD viewing clarity & quality? Next, I've been on Ebay looking at 1.3 class HDMI cables that are 1600p ready. This is what frightened me about 720p being outdated so fast in the first place. What do you guys know about the development of 1600p resolution & will it be some time before it hits the scene (4-5 yrs)? Thank you in advance, guys. Not kidding when I say this is the best HDTV advice site I've seen. Thanks for clearing that up for me, man. You’ve been a major help to me in my HDTV decision & I’m grateful. Got two more to shoot at you, dudes. What is better 720p or 1080i for HD viewing clarity & quality? Next, I’ve been on Ebay looking at 1.3 class HDMI cables that are 1600p ready. This is what frightened me about 720p being outdated so fast in the first place. What do you guys know about the development of 1600p resolution & will it be some time before it hits the scene (4-5 yrs)? Thank you in advance, guys. Not kidding when I say this is the best HDTV advice site I’ve seen.

]]> By: TheBestPlasmaTV.com http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-931 TheBestPlasmaTV.com Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:55:29 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-931 @J.R.: Is not really accurate as a rule. It is not about the size alone. Some give incorrect advice - as 1080p is useful only for screen sizes above 50inch - because they assume everybody has an average viewing distance. It might be the case for you or not. As I already said, from the distance you will be watching (11-12ft), 720p is enough. It doesn't matter if you watch Blu Ray and the TV is 1080p. From that distance you won't see the difference compared to 720p. Is the same question as "can I see a horse?". If you sit close enough you do. If you're in a plane at 15000 feet in the air you won't. In conclusion, while the affirmation that "The human eye cannot recognize the difference between 720p and 1080p if you are getting an hdtv under 50 inches." is incorrect at the core, it happens to apply (be correct) for your particular case (distance). From that distance (11-12ft) if you want to get the advantage of 1080p and blu ray, you will not only have to buy a 1080p TV but also a bigger one (65 inch) which will further increase the price. And don't worry about 720p being outdated in 2 years. As long as you can't afford a larger (65 inch) TV, it won't matter because even if the TV is 1080p you won't be able to notice the difference. @J.R.: Is not really accurate as a rule. It is not about the size alone. Some give incorrect advice - as 1080p is useful only for screen sizes above 50inch - because they assume everybody has an average viewing distance. It might be the case for you or not. As I already said, from the distance you will be watching (11-12ft), 720p is enough. It doesn’t matter if you watch Blu Ray and the TV is 1080p. From that distance you won’t see the difference compared to 720p. Is the same question as “can I see a horse?”. If you sit close enough you do. If you’re in a plane at 15000 feet in the air you won’t. In conclusion, while the affirmation that “The human eye cannot recognize the difference between 720p and 1080p if you are getting an hdtv under 50 inches.” is incorrect at the core, it happens to apply (be correct) for your particular case (distance). From that distance (11-12ft) if you want to get the advantage of 1080p and blu ray, you will not only have to buy a 1080p TV but also a bigger one (65 inch) which will further increase the price. And don’t worry about 720p being outdated in 2 years. As long as you can’t afford a larger (65 inch) TV, it won’t matter because even if the TV is 1080p you won’t be able to notice the difference.

]]> By: J.R. http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-921 J.R. Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:08:42 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-921 Thank you so much for the quick & helpful reply! Got another inquiry for you,guys. The human eye cannot recognize the difference between 720p and 1080p if you are getting an hdtv under 50 inches. I understand that it is is the 55 & up screens that truly benifit from this...correct? Is this also the case when watching Blu Ray movies on the 50 inch 720p LG plasma (LG50PQ30) I've decided on? One fear I have is if I go with a 720p model to save some $$$ it will be outdated within a 2-3 year span. Should I wait & save for the 1080p equivilant to the model I'm looking at to avoid this? The cost difference is substantial between the two models (720p LG50PQ30) or (1080p LG50PS60) . The 720p model can be had for around $900-1000 & the 1080p model for roughly $1500-1600. You were so helpful to me last time that I felt this would be the best place to ask & thank you in advance. Thank you so much for the quick & helpful reply! Got another inquiry for you,guys. The human eye cannot recognize the difference between 720p and 1080p if you are getting an hdtv under 50 inches. I understand that it is is the 55 & up screens that truly benifit from this…correct? Is this also the case when watching Blu Ray movies on the 50 inch 720p LG plasma (LG50PQ30) I’ve decided on? One fear I have is if I go with a 720p model to save some $$$ it will be outdated within a 2-3 year span. Should I wait & save for the 1080p equivilant to the model I’m looking at to avoid this? The cost difference is substantial between the two models (720p LG50PQ30) or (1080p LG50PS60) . The 720p model can be had for around $900-1000 & the 1080p model for roughly $1500-1600. You were so helpful to me last time that I felt this would be the best place to ask & thank you in advance.

]]> By: TheBestPlasmaTV.com http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-916 TheBestPlasmaTV.com Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:17:27 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-916 @Sam: Dish Network's 1080p might actually not be 1080p. Not all HD programs they broadcast are 1080i or 1080p. Some (sports) are 720p. Others are actually SD. Also, I think they are compressing the signal and that could cause a slight drop in quality. Real 1080p is better than 1080i. Not the other way around. Only real 1080p is Blu Ray. Regarding the objectivity of the chart/table I think it is pretty objective. However, as with everything that involves seeing and one's eyes, there is always room for subjectivity. Regarding 120Hz and LED LCD TVs: 120Hz is a buzzword. Panasonic plasma TVs have what they call 600Hz Sub-Field Drive for example. Both are totally irrelevant specs. 120Hz is useful only if you want to watch 1080p/24 content (Blu Ray movies at cinematic refresh rate - 24 frames per second). 120Hz doesn't improve image sharpness in real life scenarios. Some people actually hate it because it introduces image artifacts sometimes. LED backlit LCD TVs on the other hand are real winners. Both Sony and Samsung LED LCD TV models are better than non-LED models. As a matter of fact, they are the only models who can match the quality of top of the line plasma TV models. I don't think however that the days of plasma TVs are over yet. @Sam: Dish Network’s 1080p might actually not be 1080p. Not all HD programs they broadcast are 1080i or 1080p. Some (sports) are 720p. Others are actually SD. Also, I think they are compressing the signal and that could cause a slight drop in quality.

Real 1080p is better than 1080i. Not the other way around. Only real 1080p is Blu Ray.

Regarding the objectivity of the chart/table I think it is pretty objective. However, as with everything that involves seeing and one’s eyes, there is always room for subjectivity.

Regarding 120Hz and LED LCD TVs:
120Hz is a buzzword. Panasonic plasma TVs have what they call 600Hz Sub-Field Drive for example. Both are totally irrelevant specs. 120Hz is useful only if you want to watch 1080p/24 content (Blu Ray movies at cinematic refresh rate - 24 frames per second). 120Hz doesn’t improve image sharpness in real life scenarios. Some people actually hate it because it introduces image artifacts sometimes.

LED backlit LCD TVs on the other hand are real winners. Both Sony and Samsung LED LCD TV models are better than non-LED models. As a matter of fact, they are the only models who can match the quality of top of the line plasma TV models. I don’t think however that the days of plasma TVs are over yet.

]]> By: TheBestPlasmaTV.com http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-911 TheBestPlasmaTV.com Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:49:40 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-911 "but I don’t want to buy a 1080HD TV and find it gives a poorer display than a 720 HD because of the supply signal quality" - you nailed it! It is actually not the resolution alone that matters, but the resolution + screen size + viewing distance combination. You can't have both SD and HD look great. "Would I be better buying a 720 HD for normal cable viewing?" - yes, because 1080p would be a waste of money. Garbage in, garbage out. The TV might be 1080p but it displays what it receives (poor quality). "Would it be outdated in 2 years?" - Nobody knows that. To broadcast 1080p over cable or air huge infrastructure changes are needed. That means it will probably take more than 2 years. "Does cable digital really look that bad on a 1080 hd tv or is it only obvious to the trained TV reviewer?" - "bad" is subjective. I mean to somebody might look absolutely horrible, while to others OK. What I can tell you is that if you've seen HD (even just 720p) you will never want to go back. The 32" inch size you have now is perfect for 10 feet distance and SDTV or DVD. I think 46 inch is rather too large but as I said this is a subjective thing. You might not find it disturbing. Go in a store, feed the TV with a DVD or SDTV signal and see which size you prefer. My honest suggestion is to switch to Sky HD completely. Eventually buy a Blu Ray player if you want to be really impressed. If you do that buy a 50 inch TV. Even 55 inch if you get the blu ray player as well. I mean, you spend some money on a new TV, why not buy a great one. I don't know how much you wanted to spend on the TV but you can get the 50inch <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UAEWUS/?tag=bestplasmatv-20" rel="nofollow">Panasonic TC-P50G10</a> (2009 equivalent for TH-50PZ800U) for $1500 or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U3YJTY/?tag=bestplasmatv-20" rel="nofollow">Panasonic TC-P50S1</a> (2009 equivalent for TH-50PZ80U) for $1300. A blu ray player is 250-300$. Sky HD is pretty cheap and you get the box for free (I think). If it's out of your budget, save for 2 months so you can afford it. It is worth the wait. Considering you get the most expensive route - you pay $1800. Divided by 24 months that's $75/month for something great. And you're very likely to keep it for more than 2 years. The other option is to stick to regular DVD and SDTV. For that you would buy a new TV just because it's flat. You deny yourself all the advantages it has just because you stick to SD cable. “but I don’t want to buy a 1080HD TV and find it gives a poorer display than a 720 HD because of the supply signal quality” - you nailed it! It is actually not the resolution alone that matters, but the resolution + screen size + viewing distance combination. You can’t have both SD and HD look great.

“Would I be better buying a 720 HD for normal cable viewing?” - yes, because 1080p would be a waste of money. Garbage in, garbage out. The TV might be 1080p but it displays what it receives (poor quality).

“Would it be outdated in 2 years?” - Nobody knows that. To broadcast 1080p over cable or air huge infrastructure changes are needed. That means it will probably take more than 2 years.

“Does cable digital really look that bad on a 1080 hd tv or is it only obvious to the trained TV reviewer?” - “bad” is subjective. I mean to somebody might look absolutely horrible, while to others OK. What I can tell you is that if you’ve seen HD (even just 720p) you will never want to go back.

The 32″ inch size you have now is perfect for 10 feet distance and SDTV or DVD. I think 46 inch is rather too large but as I said this is a subjective thing. You might not find it disturbing. Go in a store, feed the TV with a DVD or SDTV signal and see which size you prefer.

My honest suggestion is to switch to Sky HD completely. Eventually buy a Blu Ray player if you want to be really impressed. If you do that buy a 50 inch TV. Even 55 inch if you get the blu ray player as well. I mean, you spend some money on a new TV, why not buy a great one. I don’t know how much you wanted to spend on the TV but you can get the 50inch Panasonic TC-P50G10 (2009 equivalent for TH-50PZ800U) for $1500 or Panasonic TC-P50S1 (2009 equivalent for TH-50PZ80U) for $1300. A blu ray player is 250-300$. Sky HD is pretty cheap and you get the box for free (I think). If it’s out of your budget, save for 2 months so you can afford it. It is worth the wait. Considering you get the most expensive route - you pay $1800. Divided by 24 months that’s $75/month for something great. And you’re very likely to keep it for more than 2 years.

The other option is to stick to regular DVD and SDTV. For that you would buy a new TV just because it’s flat. You deny yourself all the advantages it has just because you stick to SD cable.

]]> By: TheBestPlasmaTV.com http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/720p-vs-1080p/#comment-910 TheBestPlasmaTV.com Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:16:10 +0000 http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/?p=98#comment-910 @J.R.: From 11-12 feet, 720p is enough. In other words 1080p won't give you any advantage if you sit that far away. Also, even if you buy a bigger TV, one that would offer an advantage with Blu Ray (1080p), it won't look too good. As I have said in many other comment replies, you can't get the best of both worlds (EDTV/SDTV and Blu Ray). In conclusion, the LG plasma is probably a better choice - if you can't get full detail from 1080p anyway, at least have a good picture quality. @J.R.: From 11-12 feet, 720p is enough. In other words 1080p won’t give you any advantage if you sit that far away. Also, even if you buy a bigger TV, one that would offer an advantage with Blu Ray (1080p), it won’t look too good. As I have said in many other comment replies, you can’t get the best of both worlds (EDTV/SDTV and Blu Ray). In conclusion, the LG plasma is probably a better choice - if you can’t get full detail from 1080p anyway, at least have a good picture quality.

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