| Crono said: "The big dark secret of HDTV manufacturers: for a given size of TV, 1080p (and really any resolution) has a specific range of viewing distance in which the true resolution is visible. For some of the smaller TVs, you have to be within 3 feet of the TV to really experience the HD."
Thats what almost everybody says, but I can tell if a TV is 1080p or 720p from across the best buy floor (at least 50 feet)
Call BS all you want, but some people can tell. EDIT: Oh yeah. Thats a good price, but the brand and stats are no good. The things to look for in an HDTV is Resolution (higher the better), Contrast ratio (1000:1 or better, but the bigger the first number the better), Response time (smaller the better, measured in miliseconds), and color depth (more colors, the better). |
It's not a question of whether you can discern if a TV is 1080p or 720p from across the floor. The question is if your eyes can detect the detail in the 1080p picture. Physics and mathematics will tell you that you cannot.
Also, to the OP, I'd say if you have a limited budget, don't worry about buying a TV so much. Just go to a store and pick the best looking one in your price range. If the colors look "wrong" on a specific set, try adjusting the brightness, contrast, etc. Many manufacturers do not ship their TVs with the optimal settings for the unit, so it can be hard to tell if the TV really looks like that or if its just bad settings. At Best Buy, you should be able to get one of the salespeople to help you adjust it to the optimal level.
For people who are looking to spend ridiculous money on their HDTV, don't forget to look at the TV when it is rendering black. The better a TV is, the less you can tell it is on when the screen is all black. The newest, greatest plasmas can render a truly dark black. If you get an LCD, you will not get that black range, but you can make up for it with higher resolution, response time, etc. plus the big bonus of spending a more conservative ridiculous amount of money. :)
