Hey guys! Looking at buying a new tv for my bedroom. The old Toshiba is 480p (standard) and I'm looking to upgraded to a little bigger and better TV. The 1080p's are starting to come down in price. The problem I'm having is deciding whether or not 1080p is worth it over 720p. From what I've been reading, once you get so far away from the tv the differences are neglible as to being able to tell the difference between the two. I have an old Toshiba HD-DVD and I'm planning on getting a blu-ray or PS3 soon. I just dont know if it would be worth it. The model I'm looking at is a Panasonic TC-L42U12 $750 at BestBuy. The cheapest Panny 720P plasma is $600. Pretty tough decision. Heath
What I remember from my bro telling me (and sales guys and independent electronic stores) is that you can only start to REALLY tell the difference when looking at 42"+ So if you keep it right around 36" and below, I was told not to waste money on 720p. Disclaimer: don't flame me if this is wrong--it's what I was told.
There is not much difference between 780p and 1080i, but there definitely is a difference between the 780p and the 1080p, especially when watching HD dvd's. Go for the 1080p.
1080p all the way! I seen them around $1200-1300 at Costco, I think they were 50" or 52". Sony is $1800.
The TV is gonna be about 8ft away from me. I just wonder if I would be able to tell any difference. For $150 I think I should go ahead and get online with the technology thats out there and the technology thats gonna be coming out in the future.
DO NOT buy a 720P TV. You will want the additional lines that 1080P offers and the faster refresh rates of 1080P televisions. This will prevent ghosting and distortion while watching movies with fast motion, action, explosions, etc etc. 60 Hertz is just not fast enough for todays movies and games. Take my advice. Get something that is 1080P and at least 120 HZ. Some newer tv's have up to 240 HZ.
it is not megahertz. just Hertz. And it certainly is not a myth. Think about this. that number 1080 represents the number of lines the tv has to refresh. the P, stands for progressive, which means that each line refreshes at the same time, versus I, which means interlaced where the lines alternate refreshing and do not all refresh simultaneously. The Hertz, is the speed at which these lines actually do the refreshing. If you put an action movie on 1080P tv's, one with 60 Hz and one with 120Hz, you will notice right away that the edge of explosions and high resolution action shots on the 60 hz unit appear grainy. This is because the tv is not refreshing fast enough to accurately display the real clarity of the action taking place. 1080P with 120HZ is the only way to go if you are spending money on a TV. You and your eyes will thank me as soon as you watch the first Blue Ray Disc.
Yea, like froboy said there is definitely a difference in HZ. I watched a HDTV with 60MHZ (I'm assuming) and anything that moved fast on the screen gave me a headache. Shake your head back and forth as fast as you can, and that's what if feels like.
I have two Panasonic plasma 1080p Tv's I bought not long ago. One's a 42", and the others a 50". They are great TV's. The reason I bought two 1080p's, is because I have two PS3's and a ton of blue ray movies. Here's a good read. 720p vs. 1080p HDTVs: 2009 update | Fully Equipped - CNET Reviews
Last year I got a Panasonic 1080p 42". I don't do any gaming but the grandkids do watch Blu-ray DVD's. Honestly I can't see the difference between mine and my sons 720. I do know the price on the 1080p has dropped quite a bit. Paul S
Actually it really isn't Heath. You'll definitely want the higher refresh rate so that you won't notice the ghosting during action films or any films where there's fast movement. Here's a useful chart for you: 1080p charted: Viewing distance to screen size I think you mentioned a 42" HDTV at a 8' viewing distance... according to the chart you'd be better off spending your money on the 720p set (to answer your question). However, I would highly suggest the newer HDTV's with the higher refresh rates. The model I have is the Samsung LN40A630. I'm guessing its current equivalent would be the Samsung LN40B630. Also, Panasonic and Samsung are your best bet. Sony's are pretty nice but they're more pricey than the previous two mentioned.
Thanks D. I'm still debating. I might just go with plasma so it wont be an issue with the judder. This stuff is like trying to decifer dslr camera terminology. The more the read, the more confused you get.
If I have one little bit to add to all of that it would be a brand. I love my Vizio tv and it is now 2 years old. It is only 720P and 60hz and 37". I would suggest nothing bigger than a 42" if you are going to only be 8' away from it, anything bigger and it will strain your eyes over time. There are size calculators online that will suggest the tv size for the room size to get the optimum viewing of your tv. If you really want to be a pimp get a new Samsung LED 1080P tv, those are an out of this world picture.
I would go for the 1080p. There is a big difference between the two. The 32" in my br is a 720p whereas the 46" in the lr is a 1080p. If the tv is going to be placed 8ft away I would go no bigger than a 42". I wouldn't waste my money on a plasma either. they get too hot as well as eat your electric bill up. Also, I would opt. for a Samsung instead of the Sony. IIRC, Samsung STILL makes the Sony screens plus you'll get more tv for less. Try looking at Fry's or amazon for the tv. I saved myself a few hundred + tax on my Sammy by ordering from Frys instead of BB or any other "brick and mortar" store.
I think if you are going to be watching Blu-ray DVDs predominately then go with the 1080p but if you are like me and most of your TV watching is television shows (or sports) then go with a Plaasma 720p. I'm not sure how many programs are actually broadcast in 1080p these days but I don't think that there are that many. If you go with Plasma you shouldn't get any of the ghosting some others have talked about. I still say that quality calibration with a colorimeter is the way to go for getting the best picture quality regardless of TV type or resolution. I'll put my calibrated Plasma (720p) that I bought back in 2005 up against any of the new TVs today that haven't been properly calibrated.
My parents just got a Samsung 55" LED tv which is 1080p and I have to say you gotta get 1080. There are a few channels in 1080p and there are more being changed over from 720->1080 so you might as well just get 1080 so you are good to got for a while.
At almost any screen size, a display with a higher contrast ratio is a much more important consideration for what's perceived as a good image than resolution. If you're going 42" or smaller, at 8 feet, you *could* stick with 720p... but I'd recommend against it. It's not that you'll necessarily see the additional resolution, but that most programming will require less processing to fit your screen. More processing = more potential artifacts. As for a couple "myths" being mentioned - first, nothing is broadcast in 1080p AFAIK. HD broadcasts are 720p or 1080i. Read up on the difference between interlaced vs. progressive, if you're really interested... BDs are 1080p source data, however. Second, the Hz issue "myth"... well, it is and it isn't. Your source material (BDs, DVDs, HDTV) are either 24Hz or 60Hz... at least, in the U.S. So, the displays that refresh at 120Hz or 240Hz don't have discrete data for those additional frames - so they either blink the same thing 2-10 times, or they "make up" data by analyzing the before and after images, and creating additional frames in the middle. Bottomline on the Hz issue is that it's a feature that's hugely dependent on how well the manufacturer implements it into the display - some do it better than others. If possible, you should try to visit a store and play with the settings to see how they look. The good news is, you can usually turn the Hz feature (and it's frame interpolation) down or off if you don't like the way it looks. avsforum is a great site to ask questions about TVs, audio, and home theater gear, in case you're not already over there talking to folks. :thumb:
