I'm checking around for a new LCD HDTV and I'm getting the idea that 720 progressive is better than 1080 interlaced. I came across this on the net. link . And this link link2 Tell me what you guys think. I haven't been to a showroom yet so I haven't compared in-person. I would like to know what some of you tech junkies think. I have been eyeing a sharp 37" LCD TV. I hope it will drop another $1000 buy X-mas and just need to know if it is a right decision also.

Thanks,

Sam

 

720p is better than 1080i, quality is amazing.

 

check out www.avsforum.com, and specifically http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdispla...p?s=&forumid=63

It's a good place to research this stuff. I've had a 50" Samsung DLP for 18 months now, and I love it. The native resolution of the set is 720p, and my Samsung HD-931 DVD player upscales DVDs from 480 to 720p, then sends that signal to the TV via the DVI input. It looks good. See this thread for some more info...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....threadid=439851

 

See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....threadid=439851
for a discussion on this topic.

I have a Samsung 50" DLP with 720p input from my DVD player, and it looks fantastic.

 

of course most like 720p better than 1080, and there are those that like the other better. It's really a personal call.

Problem is, almost nothing is in 720p as all networks do 1080i. Also, most broadcasts, even if in 1080i, only upscale 480p material...GRRRR!

Heck, most HDTVs out there cannot even ACCEPT 720p...that is a big impediment to the "take rate" on broadcasting in this format.

 

That's weird...my posts didn't show up at all last night, which is why there are two of them in the first place.

 

OK, here's the deal with HDTV resolutions. I sell consumer electronics for a living, so I might be able to shed some light on the situation.

It is pointless for you to debate which TV resolution you like more - for the very simple reason you have no choice in the matter. It is up to the networks as to which resolution to use when broadcasting HD content. As far as obsessing over which HD resolution is "better", you will never see the difference. Speaking strictly from a technical standpoint, yes, 720p is a superior resolution because at any one time you are viewing more lines of resolution than a 1080i broadcast. If you really want to get technical about it, the Sharp 37" you're eyeing has a native resolution of 1365 x 768, so technically the native resolution of the set is 768p. Don't obsess over this matter. As far as which resolutions the TV will accept, the answer is all of them. EVERY TV has an inboard video scaler to convert incoming resolutions to the native resolution of the TV. Just hook your stuff up to it and be done. BTW, I just hung a 37" Sharp LCD in one of my customer's homes and it looks simply stunning. That is easily one of the best flat panel displays on the market today.

Now then, the above is not meant to say there aren't ways of optimizing the picture using various settings on the TV and gear. Depending on the specific capabilities of your source components, you may be better off using the scaler in some of them, rather than the one in the TV. This is a matter for another post, as the specifics of the rest of the system are needed. PM me if you want any further information. I hope this has been of some help. Now go get that TV and enjoy it!!

 

there are so many other things to worry about besides which HDTV format is better.

I think finding a TV that has really great Stretch modes is really important,as most of the stuff I watch is not in wide format.

Of course, colors and clarity.

Also how well it does internal "line doubling" (if aplicable). I know most of what I watch isnt HDTV or eve EDTV. But my TV (Pioneer 530) does a REALL good job at it.

 

Yes, many TVs will accept 720p and upconvert it to 1080i and some can display it natively.

Now, many pre-2002 HDTVs cannot accept 720p at all. If you feed them a 720p signal, they won't display anything. I think all current HDTVs will either display it or upconvert it.

 

Welcome to the world of video displays....

Technically, 1080i equals 540p. So, 720p has 33.3% higher resolution.

All those numbers followed by an I or P make it easier to understand the Horizontal Frequency (HF) of video displays. 1080i's HF is half of 1080p's HF. Check out this link.

http://www.crtcinema.com/scanchart.html