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W29 on 12 September 2007
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your mother said:
W29 said:

I'm just asking cause I'm thinking about getting me a new TV. Its time for me to leave that SDTV format and quickly switch. I'm waiting for Black Friday to come, cause I know its going to be cheaper to find a decent 720p or 1080p HDTV.

Is there a major difference will I miss out on some little graphic enhancements?


For movies? The difference is hardly perceptible, if at all, between 1080i and 1080p. 720p is very close to 1080i (but between 1080i and 720p I'd get 1080i).

http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/1106gear/ - second paragraph.

For games? Yes, there is a difference, but only if the game actually supports 1080p. That is, even if you get a 1080p screen but your games are limited to 720p or 1080i your image will still be upscaled to 1080p, which arguably is worse than simply displaying the game in its native resolution.

If you've ever seen a Wii upscaled from 480p to 720p, then you have a rough idea of what a 720p game will look upscaled to a 1080p screen.

Movies are normally shot in 24fps while games are normally made to support 60fps. An HDTV is capable of displaying progressive signals, but since the current crop of HDTVs operate at 60Hz, it has to go through a process known as 2:3:3 pulldown to compensate for the difference in framerates vs timing. That's why when all is said and done, the difference between 1080i and 1080p film is negligible.

Really ,it depends on whether your main purpose is games or movie viewing, and even then, you have to consider what is the native resolution of the bulk of the media that you will be using to view on the new HDTV.


Good analysis, I care more about the games then I do movies. Like I said in my previous posts. I watch TV more than movies and I play more games than watch TV so really if I need 720p then I will get it. I made my descision that 720p is the most useful resolution right now. I just want a new TV basically for my 360. I'm tired of the 19' SDTV I have.