720p or 1080p?

Question

I am curious wether 1080p is actually worth the extra dollars, i am looking for a new hd tv and i suppose i want to make sure that i have a set that wont be considered out of date soon. therefore is it wise to purchase a 1080p unit? from what im hearing is that there isnt really any 1080p programming thats available so why have something that i cant fully use? will a 1080p with satellite tv look better than 720p with satelite tv. i heard that if you have a 1080p unit and try to view programming that isnt broadcasting in 1080p that the picture will actually be worse than 720p and not better ! is this true?? by the way im not planning on buying blue ray or a hd dvd player so what do you do in my situation?

Answer 1

1080p right now only makes a difference with some media. Since you will have the TV for a while and may consider a HD DVD or Blue Ray get it now. what you heard is from someone trying to move a lower definition set with a better commission

Answer 2

If your going for a larger size television, generally over 42 inches, you will probably want to go with a 1080p TV. The larger the screens the more you will need the clarity. At 42 inches you really don't have to have the 1080p, 720p will be plenty and the SD (Standard Definition) channels are going to appear not as grainy and won't look as bad. It also depends on if you are upgrading to Satellite HD programming as well and what you are going to be watching on the TV. Standard stations are going to look very poor compared to the HD channels and it will especially show on the higher HD format or pure format as it's called. Don't forget that depending on the size of the room and the distance from the TV that you will be sitting, that is going to determine if the TV is going to give you the best value for your $$$. If you go with a 50 inch 720p set you may not be as pleased as with going for the 1080p on that set. It really depends on your sources. Since you mention you have a run of the mill Samsung DVD player and I don't know if you plan on upgrading that or not, the 1080p will show more detail and that might not be good. It doesn't sound like this is an upconverting DVD player and if it's not, you will probably not like the picture as much as you would on a lower definition television. If it is an upconverting DVD player then you would be happy with the quality on the 1080p set. What really matters is what you like when you go look at the TV's. A lot of people buy the bigger tv then get it home and it doesn't work with the room that they have and have to return them. Try to view the 2 tvs in the store and sit or stand as far back as you normally would when you watch your own television. This will give you a better feel for what size and what type of tv that you want to buy. I just purchased a Toshiba 42 inch 720p and I saved about $300 - $400 instead of going to the 1080p model because I know that I'm not buying into the HD DVD player or the Blu-Ray players until one or the other format becomes the standard. I have an upconverting DVD player to 1080i and that will look great on the 720p set. Remember that in the stores most of the time they have a HD DVD player or Blu-Ray DVD player running to show you the true HD picture so the 720p tv's will not show as detailed a picture. Remember that most channels that are in HD are only putting out a 720p signal so unless you are planning on watching a lot of DVD movies with the HD format you won't necessarily be getting that much of a difference between the 720p set and the 1080p set and because the 50 inch sets are recommended to have a 1080p signal you might not be as pleased as with the slightly smaller screen delivering a 720p signal. If your comparing based on price and haven't looked at both tv's perform, I would suggest taking a trip down to the local store and try to find the same models that you are thinking about buying and do a real view first. Think about what you will be viewing on them and if it is really necessary to spend the extra $300 or $400 on the true HD format.

Answer 3

To the guy above me, you have 24 years experience with TVs and you reccomend to the guy a CRT rear projection?? Wow!

Anyways, what Vjjohn said is correct but might be a little confusing. Since you want to be future proof I would say get a 1080p set. There is not a lot out right now giving you full use of this resolution but it is on its way.
As far as difference visually between a 720p set and 1080p, well that depends on the distance from the set you will be. A lot of people say that you can't tell unless you have a 42" set or bigger, but really it depends on the size of the TV and whether you're 5 or 10 feet from it. Not sure what size you are looking at, but for a 42" television, you would need to be about 5.3 feet away or closer in order to actually notice a difference between the two resolutions.

Answer 4

well it is 480p thats enhanced def. not 720p. 720p is in fact high def. as is 1080i and 1080p. now i personally would get a 1080p set thats 1920x1080 resolution. because it is future ready. eventhou there is not much in 1080p except hddvd and bluray. but there is allot in 1080i, and 1080i uses a resolution of 1920x1080 , a 720p set or1024x720resulution up to1366x768. down converts 1080i signals to fit the screen. although most good name brand 720p sets do this down converting very well, a tv with a resolution of 1920x1080 does not have to down convert 1080i signals and will show all the detail in the 1080i picture. so thats a very good reason for the 1080p set. oh yeah and 1080i means 1080 lines of resolution scanned every other line (odds then evens) every 60th of a second and 1080p is every line scanned or painted every 30th of a second . so there is not much defference if you think about it. also this tv will last you 15-25 years or so. in 5 years are you gonna wish you bought the 1080p set or be happy with a 720p witch will be getting more and more out of date. good luck

Answer 5

Unless you're going to Blue Ray or HD DVD I don't see much point in purchasing the 1080p anytime soon unless you just have the money to do so.

Regular programming is still years away from 1080i, let alone 1080p.

On another note I believe the fellow above me is incorrect. It's 480p that's enhanced and not 720p. If that were the case then NOBODY has would have HDTV as nothing is even broadcasted in 1080p.

I have a 720p projector and it looks incredible!

weeder

Answer 6

you might not always notice the difference,,, it depends on the model and the picture settings you use.. the big difference you see is not when using a 1080p for something showing in 720p, it's when you watch 480i with an hdtv, sometimes that gives an awful picture..
i've got a 720p and my picture looks great, it won't be out of date for years (since it'll take a while for a majority of people to catch up to hd), and my old roommates 1080p didn't seem any better except that it was bigger.. if you are going to go any bigger than 42 inches, you might start seeing the difference, also pay attention to the picture ratio, try to get one that has at least 1000:1 ratio..

Answer 7

IN YOUR SITUATION....buy 1080 i ......

You can have 1080 i in your home for $900.00 and still look at 1080P equiptment in the same detail as if you owned a 1080P TV....

720P is the lesser resolution so you don't get the same level of detail in a big screen TV 40 inches or larger.....

720 is ok for smaller than 40 inches....

NOW....you want 1080 for sure, but you don't want 1080P prices either......

So go out there and look at the 1080i CRT REAR PROJECTION TV SETS....
I got mine last Christmas and it looks GREAT on Verizon HD TV....

The one I bought was the Hitachi 51 inch.....51F59. I think they sell the 51F700 this year.....

Answer 8

1080p

Answer 9

if ur just planing on watching tv, i recomend 720p but if ur into HD DVD, BLU RAY DISCS, AND GAMING CONSOLES such as ps3 and xbox 360 i would recommend 1080p, it look way more nicer

Answer 10

720p is NOT high def... it's "Enhanced Def"

DO NOT get a 720p TV... you are just throwing your money away.