720p or 1080p??
Discussion
A short while ago I asked for some advice on a LCD telly. It's buying time in 2 weeks as soon as I get paid but now I'm wondering if it's worth getting a 1080p or a 720p set.
I've definately decided on a 37" screen but the prices between 1080p and 720p are very similar. Especially since at the same price of a 1080p, I can get a 100Hz 720p telly.
What is the better option? I've heard there is hardly anything in 1080 right now, and if I were to get a 1080 set, how good would it look when driven at just 720? On top of that, my Media Center PC isn't exactly the most powerful thing around (Sempron 3000+), so how well would it be able to drive 1980x1080 resolution?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I've definately decided on a 37" screen but the prices between 1080p and 720p are very similar. Especially since at the same price of a 1080p, I can get a 100Hz 720p telly.
What is the better option? I've heard there is hardly anything in 1080 right now, and if I were to get a 1080 set, how good would it look when driven at just 720? On top of that, my Media Center PC isn't exactly the most powerful thing around (Sempron 3000+), so how well would it be able to drive 1980x1080 resolution?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I bought one of these the other day - stunning.
It claims to accept 1080p signals and do something with them - it only has 720(H) pixels, so what good that means I don't have a scooby. More importantly, blueray via PS3 over HDMI looks amazing, as does Apple TV displaying photos etc over component. For the price it's a winner in my book.
It claims to accept 1080p signals and do something with them - it only has 720(H) pixels, so what good that means I don't have a scooby. More importantly, blueray via PS3 over HDMI looks amazing, as does Apple TV displaying photos etc over component. For the price it's a winner in my book.
Leithen said:
I bought one of these the other day - stunning.
It claims to accept 1080p signals and do something with them - it only has 720(H) pixels, so what good that means I don't have a scooby. More importantly, blueray via PS3 over HDMI looks amazing, as does Apple TV displaying photos etc over component. For the price it's a winner in my book.
It claims to accept 1080p signals and do something with them - it only has 720(H) pixels, so what good that means I don't have a scooby. More importantly, blueray via PS3 over HDMI looks amazing, as does Apple TV displaying photos etc over component. For the price it's a winner in my book.
Ah, well this complicates matters more. I've seen plasma tellys at similar prices (720p ones), however they have a different resolution to the LCD's.
Plasmas are 1024x720, and LCD's are 1366x768. How does this affect the picture (especially since I'm plugging in a Media Center PC through a DVI to HMDI connector), and how does it affect standard TV quality? Also....why are plasma resolutions different to LCD resolutions?
Plotloss said:
Shouldn't really be a buying consideration, its difficult to notice the difference between 720p/1080i and 1080p in all honesty.
There is currently very little 1080p content as its the preserve of HD-DVD/BD-DVD and very very very limited (non Sky) satellite transmission.
There is currently very little 1080p content as its the preserve of HD-DVD/BD-DVD and very very very limited (non Sky) satellite transmission.
What ^^ said. We have 32in Sony tv's in work and I can't notice the difference between 720 and 1080.
Cool, so what about plasma vs. LCD? Should this be a consideration. If this of any help, I plan to use the telly mainly for movies, but i'd like to buy an Xbox 360 at some point down the line. Another very important thing is that is runs my Media Center PC which uses a GeForce 5200 graphics card with 64MB RAM.
Also, what's with the difference in LCD resolution vs. Plasma resolution. They're both different (Plasma is lower). Does this matter and if so, how?
Also, what's with the difference in LCD resolution vs. Plasma resolution. They're both different (Plasma is lower). Does this matter and if so, how?
1080p native resolution panels (LCD or Plasma) are wasted (and pure marketing hype to promote BR/HD-DVD players) on anything below 50".
Even then, there's argument over 65" being really the smallest screen you'd see any difference on, from normal seating distances.
If you sit 6-8' from a 50", then yes, the difference will be noticed, but not life-changing.
Couple that with SD transmissions (especially poor bit-rate ones) and upscaling to fit 540 onto 1080 is a much taller order for the TV than to 768.
So, forget the hype - so long as the panel accepts a 1080p signal, you'll be more than happy with 768 vertical pixels.
Also, forget about an LCD, and get either a Panasonic PX70 37" or 42PH9 if you are serious!
Even then, there's argument over 65" being really the smallest screen you'd see any difference on, from normal seating distances.
If you sit 6-8' from a 50", then yes, the difference will be noticed, but not life-changing.
Couple that with SD transmissions (especially poor bit-rate ones) and upscaling to fit 540 onto 1080 is a much taller order for the TV than to 768.
So, forget the hype - so long as the panel accepts a 1080p signal, you'll be more than happy with 768 vertical pixels.
Also, forget about an LCD, and get either a Panasonic PX70 37" or 42PH9 if you are serious!
Can you get to a decent shop to try them out? I cannot see why the Sony Bravias we have in work cost more than my Toshiba at home apart from the fact that they have a Sony badge. I guess a lot could be down to settings or the signal processing but it can be subjective so going to a shop where they can give the tv a good signal would allow you to make a decision. You could also try www.avforums.com
Fidgits said:
i'm be more concerned with the quality of the image itself, rather than the resolution.
*applause*
What you need to do is go to a shop with a good range of TVs and compare the pictures, rather than trying to buy with the paper spec.
(One thing we noticed with our new one is that when it came, the brightness, contrast, colour and backlight were all turned up as far as they would go. It looked ghastly. I can only assume they do it so they look "good" to the average numpty in the shop who thinks everyone's got skin tones like a life-long scrumpy addict.)
Ta all for the replies!
Unfortunately although I've seen what all three are like in the flesh, I've never seen them all side-by-side and in my opinion, this really is the only way to make a perfect choice. I've yet to find a store in Vienna that has all these models in stock so I don't think this will be possible and I'm going to have to gauge this on research and advice. (Cheers for the AVForum link Tycho....will check that out after posting this.....)
So, I've finally short-listed three options. All have their pros and cons, which makes the decision more difficult, however here we go:
Toshiba 37WLT68 - Perfect screen size at 37" and also includes a 100Hz to reduce motion blurring. (Good for my MotoGP, WRC and F1 viewing!). Good connectivity with 3 HDMI ports and PC VGA input. The bad is that it apparently doesn't have the best contrast ration and one review stated the black as being "washed out" (3500:1 contrast). Perhaps this is something you see when comparing loads of LCD's, but I'm pretty cautious over this. Also the SD content is only above average. Since this is the majority of viewing, a bit of a concern, however other reviews have said the opposite and say SD is great and is in the top of its class! Confused? Yes, I am.....
Samsung LE-37R87BDX (or 37R86BD here in Europe) - Better design and ideal screen size at 37". Reviews online state top notch picture quality which is hard to rival with excellent dark levels (8000:1 contrast).
It does however NOT include a 100Hz picture which can cause motion blurring. This is more or less kept under control with proprietary technologies, however in the shop I didn't see an example of this and beside the 100Hz Panny, it looks pretty poor! This however is only really on fast moving sports and scrolling items which probably form about 25% of my viewing so is it an issue?
The sound is also highly rated as is the SD viewing. According to one review, it's in it's own class for SD viewing and since that makes up pretty much 90% of my TV right now, it's a good reason to sway over to the Samsung!
Sony KDL-32V2500 - Considered to be the best 32" around. Stunning picture quality with excellent levels of black (interestingly at only 1200:1 contrast but this is not dynamic as the others are), and great SD and sound quality. Only thing is....it's only 32" and I really wanted to go for a 37" screen. Is this really such an issue? Part of the HD experience is having a large screen to enjoy the picture. The next level up for the Sony is 40", and this is quite simply....too big for my living room!
So that pretty much sums up my thoughts on my three choices. I've no idea what to get and I'm totally confused. Like I said, I've seen all three but it's hard to see how they compare unless you see them side-by-side.
This is a lot of money that I'll be spending so I like to think I'm making the right choice here so more comments and advice are very helpful.
Ta! BB
Unfortunately although I've seen what all three are like in the flesh, I've never seen them all side-by-side and in my opinion, this really is the only way to make a perfect choice. I've yet to find a store in Vienna that has all these models in stock so I don't think this will be possible and I'm going to have to gauge this on research and advice. (Cheers for the AVForum link Tycho....will check that out after posting this.....)
So, I've finally short-listed three options. All have their pros and cons, which makes the decision more difficult, however here we go:
Toshiba 37WLT68 - Perfect screen size at 37" and also includes a 100Hz to reduce motion blurring. (Good for my MotoGP, WRC and F1 viewing!). Good connectivity with 3 HDMI ports and PC VGA input. The bad is that it apparently doesn't have the best contrast ration and one review stated the black as being "washed out" (3500:1 contrast). Perhaps this is something you see when comparing loads of LCD's, but I'm pretty cautious over this. Also the SD content is only above average. Since this is the majority of viewing, a bit of a concern, however other reviews have said the opposite and say SD is great and is in the top of its class! Confused? Yes, I am.....
Samsung LE-37R87BDX (or 37R86BD here in Europe) - Better design and ideal screen size at 37". Reviews online state top notch picture quality which is hard to rival with excellent dark levels (8000:1 contrast).
It does however NOT include a 100Hz picture which can cause motion blurring. This is more or less kept under control with proprietary technologies, however in the shop I didn't see an example of this and beside the 100Hz Panny, it looks pretty poor! This however is only really on fast moving sports and scrolling items which probably form about 25% of my viewing so is it an issue?
The sound is also highly rated as is the SD viewing. According to one review, it's in it's own class for SD viewing and since that makes up pretty much 90% of my TV right now, it's a good reason to sway over to the Samsung!
Sony KDL-32V2500 - Considered to be the best 32" around. Stunning picture quality with excellent levels of black (interestingly at only 1200:1 contrast but this is not dynamic as the others are), and great SD and sound quality. Only thing is....it's only 32" and I really wanted to go for a 37" screen. Is this really such an issue? Part of the HD experience is having a large screen to enjoy the picture. The next level up for the Sony is 40", and this is quite simply....too big for my living room!
So that pretty much sums up my thoughts on my three choices. I've no idea what to get and I'm totally confused. Like I said, I've seen all three but it's hard to see how they compare unless you see them side-by-side.
This is a lot of money that I'll be spending so I like to think I'm making the right choice here so more comments and advice are very helpful.
Ta! BB
I have the Samsung at home linkined up to my HTPC. I watch SD signals on it most of the time and its excellent. Using the HTPC I have played 720p images and they are far more vibrant. With regards to the screen refresh rate of 100hz thats very high anyway, the human eye has a problem noticing any difference of 65hz.
road2ruin said:
I have the Samsung at home linkined up to my HTPC. I watch SD signals on it most of the time and its excellent. Using the HTPC I have played 720p images and they are far more vibrant. With regards to the screen refresh rate of 100hz thats very high anyway, the human eye has a problem noticing any difference of 65hz.
The 100Hz technology in LCD technology allows you to see a much smoother picture. It's very noticeable when the technology is used as I saw an example of both 50Hz and 100Hz side-by-side. The Panasonic definitely has the best 100Hz technology but it's overpriced for me...especially as a 32" LCD....
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