1080P HDTV – What’s in it for you?
Someday all HDTVs will be 1080P. But do you need 1080P to get eye popping HDTV - especially when upgrading from SDTV? I’ll admit that 1080P is the digital HDTV resolution of the future - but that future isn’t here yet.
If you want to save money but not skimp on quality, 720P is the way to go - for now.
Why 1080P?
1080P refers to the number of simultaneous lines of vertical resolution the set is capable of displaying. But few sources are actually capable of feeding your HDTV a 1080P video signal. Broadcast HDTV is 1080i and 720P. You can forget trying to get DVD as an HD source because DVD is only 480P - even if you have a player with HDMI upscaling capability. The only real sources for 1080P today are HD DVD, Blu-ray and the odd video game on the Sony PlayStation3.
There are slight benefits to 1080P capabilities when displaying 720P or 1080i sources. But most of us can’t see the difference.
Sales pitches for 1080P do everything from calling it True HDTV to claiming it cleans up macroblocking and aliasing along the edges of moving objects.
1080P is no cure for macroblocking!
The first 1080P sets had one thing in common: a stiff price-tag! They’ve eased up on the sticker shock, but they’re still a considerable investment for a few extra lines of vertical resolution.
If money is no object - go 1080P. But the best thing about the advent of 1080P is that it caused 720P HDTV to drop in price.
Tags: TLM
Thanks for the straight dope on 1080p. We've got an old school Hitachi(2000 model year rear-projection, yes they made HD TVs back then) in the basement that kicks out 1080i as it's maximum resolution. Watching the NFL from a high-def signal on this set will put a lump in your throat on Sunday afternoon because the picture is so beautiful. Several of my friends have recently gone out and grabbed up the new 'thin is in' LCDs and Plasmas and I was starting to think that maybe I was getting left behind. After I read your post, I feel confident that I don't have anything to worry about in terms of missing out on better picture quality from a new television. It's like Christina Aguilera says good things come for boys who'll wait. I don't think she was talking about high-def tvs but I think it still applies. Keep up the good work.
CC
Horizontal lines comprise vertical resolution.
Vertical lines comprise horizontal resolution.
It's counter intuitive and can be very confusing.