OK, here's where I've got to call foul...
"1080p has TWICE the data of either 720p OR 1080i"
1080p and 1080i transmissions have the SAME amount of data (1080 lines). The only difference is that the 1080i is transmitted to the display in 2 groups of 540 lines (even & odd) while the 1080p is transmitted in one pass, top to bottom. The amount of data is the same. It's not like 1080i is repeating the same 540 lines.
In theory, 1080i is better than 720p especially if you are talking about a static picture. The problem arises when motion is thrown in to the equation.
"1080p has TWICE the data of either 720p OR 1080i"
1080p and 1080i transmissions have the SAME amount of data (1080 lines). The only difference is that the 1080i is transmitted to the display in 2 groups of 540 lines (even & odd) while the 1080p is transmitted in one pass, top to bottom. The amount of data is the same. It's not like 1080i is repeating the same 540 lines.
In theory, 1080i is better than 720p especially if you are talking about a static picture. The problem arises when motion is thrown in to the equation.