720p 1080p 720i 1080i DLP LCD: Help me sort it out.

[dfw99cobra]

I'm looking for information on what the difference between 720 and 1080 and the i or p as I'm looking to purchase a tv in the very near future. Also is there any difference between DLP, LCD, HDTV I'm kinda uninformed. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

1. 1080p = bluray and hd-dvd's
2. 720p
3. 1080i
4. 480p = dvd's

edit: bang for the buck, samsung DLP sets, hands down.

 

[C.K.]

From my experience, LCD has been the best. I have owned 3 LCD TV's now and haven't had any problems. As far as the 720 v.s. the 1080 I or P, the higher you go, the better the picture. I is mostly phased out now on the newer TV's and high in brands like Sharp or Samsung. Most of them come with 1080p which is the highest resolution that you can get. I have two 1080p TV's and I love them. That's my experience at least, I hope some other people can chime in. Happy TV buying!

 

[KingJay]

Wait until around the holidays. That the best time to buy!

 

[JasonSnake]

another + for LCD's . Good all-around TV for movies, games, computer hook-up and size flexibility. I believe they are a bit better on the electric bill as well. I can confirm that my 42" Sharp LCD ran off of my 280 watt UPS backup for about 5 minutes before the UPS ran out of juice, and it's a tiny UPS.

 

[boostaholic]

I would hold out for a high contrast ratio 1080p lcd or plasma. I absolutely love my 50" lg plasma but I have experienced a small amount of ghosting from the set which could be due to my elevation. The "i" or "p" at the end of the stated resolution simply stands for interlaced or progressive, the later being substantially sharper. There are a million explanations online so I'm sure you can familiarize yourself to make a conscious decision, do your research before dropping the coin.

 

[dfw99cobra]

Some d-bag at circuit city told me that i was a higher quality. I figured 1080 was better but I was still confused on what they meant in terms of resolution and the difference between LCD and DLP, but now I know to aim for a 1080p LCD in the biggest size i can afford.

 

[ixi]

1080p is only utilized by Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs, but my vote is for plasma, but it depends on the size you'd like. If its above about 37'' or so, then plasma will be most cost effective. If its below about 40'' or so, LCD is your only choice. Thats as far as flat panel is concerned.
Go plasma, you won't be dissapointed. I've had pioneer and panasonic.

 

[JiggaStyles09]

keep in mind that the resolution is only one aspect of the picture quality. things like contrast ratio, and color saturation also play as big of a role in how good the picture is.

 

[DKS2814V]

Just got a 720p Panasonic plasma in the 42". There was an LCD sitting next to it, and hands down, the plasma had a much sharper image. There are the looming issues about burn-in and power required, but from what I understand, things are changing.

I researched a link a little while back about the differences in the two (plasma vs. LCD). In my personal opinion, plasma is the way to go, however, LCD looks pretty sharp also. As far as 1080p/720p mumbo jumbo....apparently, if you're farther back than 8' from the tv, and the tv is 55" or larger, you'll notice a difference between 1080p and 720p.

As far as my tv, I was originally going to get the 1080p, but the tv was 4" shorter, and 4" longer, so normal tv would have been really stretched out. Since I don't watch HD DVDs all day, I wanted to get a set that didn't have the grainy, regular-cable channels.

....1080 is also a bit more expensive.

FYI, Best Buy is offering 24 months no interest....and I got $350 off my plasma. You can still negotiate with them before you actually pay for it....

 

[Evil Bender]

Plasma for those who like brilliant color and realistic depth of field,IE watching tv and movies. LCD for those how will also play games and surf the net.I have had both and for me LCD is the best all around use.

 

[sunburned]

I love my cheaper 720p LCD for my room and stuff, but the 42" Panasonic plasma we have is amazing. Picture is so clear and bright. I would definitely go plasma again if I was to get a bigger TV. Might as well get a 1080p now because the resolution won't be getting any better.

 

[TripleBlackVert]

I have a 50" Toshiba Plasma 720. Our Cable only brodcasts in 720 so it does fine and also the Plasma has a faster refresher rate which is good for the fast action movies though over time the TV will lose some "Brightness" as I'm told.

 

[Black1999Cobra]

p=progressive (the tv refreshes every line every time)

i= interlaced (the tcv refreshes every other line as it scans down the screen)

480, 720, 1080 = the number of horizontal lines on the screen. Obviously, the more lines, the better picture.

The p is better than the i in the effect that the p will "udpate" every line on the screen everytime it scans the latest image on the screen.

Now, standard tv is 480p as well as DVD's. Most "HD" tv is 720p ish. Blue ray as mentioned is 1080p.

I did a lot of researching on this last year when I bought my big screen. I ended up going with the a 56" Samsung DLP. I got a bigger TV than a comparable LCD..and since it wasn't going to hang it on the wall, being thin didn't matter to me. I would say the picture is just as good as the LCD's. I had my brother in-laws playstation 3 hooked up...good God was the picture freakin sweet!

Stay away from Plasma if you plan to do any gaming on the TV. Multiple people informed me that rear screen projection (which DLP is) and LCD's come out and say its ok. Plasma TV's they do not comment on. (which means to me they arnt sure yet)

Just because you have a 1080 TV, doesnt mean you will always have a great picture all the time. When you are watching regular tv, you still only get 480p.

We plan on getting a LCD tv for our bedroom to hang on the wall this year. Somewhere in the high 20's to low 30's. Oh and as said, wait until after thanks giving. Last year I saved ~$600 on my TV at the beginning of December as opposed to buying it in November.

 

[DravenGSX]

Wow there is a lot of misinformation in this thread.

I'll try and start at the top...

-Standard definition tv as you are used to seeing it is 480i.
-DVD is 480p
-Only Blu-Ray, HD-DVD and very few PS3/Xbox360 games actually display 1080p
-There is no broadcast television (cable, sat or over-the-air) that is broadcast in 1080p and likely won't be for many years.
-Fox, ESPN and ABC broadcast in 720p. NBC and CBS broadcast in 1080i
-720p is better for fast motion (think football).
-1080i is better for programs without fast motion (discovery HD Theater)
-Plasma runs hotter which results in a higher power bill.
-Plasma is susceptible to burn-in (if you stay on one image for an extended period of time (hours), the image will actually burn into the screen.
-LCD has a slower refresh rate (unless you buy top-end) and can result in fast motion blur.
-LCD does not suffer from burn-in.
-DLP has a consumable light bulb that costs $100+. Some people have reported as many as 4 bulbs in a year, others go 2 years before they need to replace a bulb.

No matter which technology you go with, the picture will only be as good as your source. Standard Definition television will look terrible on a big screen TV while HD (720p, 1080i, 1080p) will look amazing.

My advice, go to the store and pick the one that looks best to you.

 

[Sniperdog]

I love my 61" samsung dlp 1080p tv, football rocks :rockon:
I can see what the plays are gonna be before they happen, cause you can see into the quarter backs beedie eyes

 

[Stump1000]

DravenGSX has pretty much said it all.

I have a Vizio LCD and love it. It's a 1080i/720p tv. There's not a lot of benefit right now of 1080p unless you plan on viewing blurays or hddvd's anytime soon. I think most cable companys and direct tv are using 1080i. I say get an LCD if you want 47inch or smaller. Look at walmart and samsclub online. Vizio are nice and rated best bang for buck at consumer reports.

 

[JMD0346]

I have a 46" Sony XBR3 1080p. I love it. Its top of the line Sony so its not cheap but its worth it.


Ive heard that 720p was just as good if not better than 1080i. Maybe someone here knows more on that.

 

[JasonSnake]

Wow there is a lot of misinformation in this thread.

I'll try and start at the top...

-Standard definition tv as you are used to seeing it is 480i.
-DVD is 480p
-Only Blu-Ray, HD-DVD and very few PS3/Xbox360 games actually display 1080p
-There is no broadcast television (cable, sat or over-the-air) that is broadcast in 1080p and likely won't be for many years.
-Fox, ESPN and ABC broadcast in 720p. NBC and CBS broadcast in 1080i
-720p is better for fast motion (think football).
-1080i is better for programs without fast motion (discovery HD Theater)
-Plasma runs hotter which results in a higher power bill.
-Plasma is susceptible to burn-in (if you stay on one image for an extended period of time (hours), the image will actually burn into the screen.
-LCD has a slower refresh rate (unless you buy top-end) and can result in fast motion blur.
-LCD does not suffer from burn-in.
-DLP has a consumable light bulb that costs $100+. Some people have reported as many as 4 bulbs in a year, others go 2 years before they need to replace a bulb.

No matter which technology you go with, the picture will only be as good as your source. Standard Definition television will look terrible on a big screen TV while HD (720p, 1080i, 1080p) will look amazing.

My advice, go to the store and pick the one that looks best to you.

not all DVD's are 480P. Most are 480I. Try taking any random DVD you have and rip it to your hard drive and open it with an editor like Virtualdub. It'll show you the video without any de-interlace processing.

 

[DravenGSX]

Fair enough, though most people own a progressive scan DVD player that de-interlaces it for them before it gets to the tv so they don't notice. I was trying to point out the difference in picture.