1080i vs 720p

Dg1968,

Dave, very good explanation. It all comes down to which device in the chain has the best scaler.

Linkster,

Yes, 1080i broadcast generally look better to me than 720P. They seam to have more defined edge detail, IE they look sharper and therefore have more depth of field.

Dusty,

I have to disagree with the statement that there's no difference between 720P and 1080P on 50" and smaller screens at normal viewing distance. In side by side comparisons even my wife could detect a difference on screens as small as 32". The difference is most detectable in edge detail and with text. I'm curious if I'm going to be able to see a difference on 23" panels. I'm dying to replace the 23" 720P LCD in the kitchen with a 1080P IPS panel. I sit less than 3' from this set while eating.
Recently, I was in Best Buy (not the best lighting conditions) and they has a 42" 720P Panny Plasma sitting right next to a 42" 1080P Panny Plasma. I calibrated them as close a I possible could and then started asking strangers if they could see a difference between the two sets. Six out of seven people I asked could see a difference, and then my wife dragged my out of the store by my ear. The source was a 1080P demo loop with scenes from Avatar.

My video system consist of a TivoHD, set to output native broadcast format, running into an Anthem Statement D2v processor. My project is a Mitsu HC6800 and my screen is a 120" Da-lite High Contrast Cinema Vision. The projector has been ISF calibrated. The Sigma Designs VXP broadcast-quality video processor, in the Antehm, takes care of the scaling duties. In addition, I also have a Pioneer Blu-ray player. In the Bedroom it's a TivoHD directly into a 42" Panny 1080P Plasma. The 42" Plasma goes away next Wednesday and will be replaced with a 50" Panny Plasma (TC-P50G25) based on the new infinite black panel.

Bibucks5,

You have to determine what the native resolution of the panel in your set is. There's a difference between what input resolutions a set will accept and what it actually scales and displays them at. Post the model # of your set and we can look it up. Being that your set is 8 yours old, I would suspect that it's native resolution is 720P.

Bibucks5,

Your set most assuredly is not displaying anything at 1080i. As Prpixel said, it is displaying at whatever the native resolution of its panels. In the case of an 8 year old Sony, the panels are probably something like 1386 x 768 or so.

Getting back to 720p vs. 1080i, when I said the consensus is that these 2 resolutions look very similar, that was a generalization for most people with most "normal" sized displays.

Besides the display and processing, there are many other factors to take into account. But the end result is that with most equipment right now, these 2 resolutions end up looking quite similar to most people.

However as Prpixel was saying, as the quality and size of the processing and display goes up, 1080i starts to look better than 720p. In fact, theoretically if de-interlacing is *perfect*, 1080i should approach, but not quite equal 1080p.

dave

Dusty,

Sorry if it sounded like I was attaching you.

I have some problems with that Cnet article. The first is that the optimum viewing distance for a 50" is 6' 3" not 8'. As you move past the optimum viewing distance, you will loose detail. Another thing that they fail to mention is what TV's they were comparing. Are they from the same manufacturer? They compare prices of two Panasonic Plasmas, but they don't tell you what sets were actually used in the test. In another part of the article, they say that they can see more detail, and less jaggie edges, but then they say that it doesn't justify the added cost. And, that the only real benefit to extra resolution is that you can sit closer to the set. Finally, they say that resolution is resolution and it's the determining factor when it comes to detail. Well, I guess that the quality of the scaler has nothing to do with it. I'd say that this article, while better than Consumer Reports, still has some shortcomings. I'll give them props for using Blu-ray as a source and comparing the sets side by side. I just wish they would have mention what sets/manufacturers were compared and been more scientific in their methodology.

I know from my own experiences that a 720P set can have a sharper picture than a 1080P set. Case in point, I owned a Panasonic PT-AX100u 720P projector about 4 years back. I got the upgrade bug for 1080P so I "upgraded" to a Mitsu HC4900 which on paper looked better than the Panny. In reality, the 720P Panny was a better picture all the way around; more detail, better contrast and a more natural picture. I dumped the HC4900 as soon as the HC5500 became available.

I have a friend that has a high-end/custom install business. So, I get to play around with many different TV's from many different manufacturers. In addition, I get to compare side by side different size/resolution sets in manufacturer's product lines. Sometimes, the difference is noticeable, but not a big deal. And sometimes the difference jumps out and bites you in the ass.