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Forums - Gaming - Is there a huge difference between 720p or 1080p HDTV?

your mother on 12 September 2007
W29 said:
shams said:
No. If you get a set that does 720p & 1080i - there is very little (if any) difference between one that also does 1080p.

I just picked up a new Plasma set that does everything - except 1080p - and have no regrets. Everything looks amazing on it.

You see I made my decision already I'm getting the 720p HDTV. Since there is little difference between the two. I finally made my decision, just one question. When I do hook my HDTV up with my 360, do I use the HDMI cable that came with my Elite or use my regular component cables?


Again, the difference is slight, if at all, to your overall experience. Both are subject to signal errors/loss, both are subject to translation (albeit the component translation is from digital-analog-digital and hdmi is digital-digital-digital), and both can look better for one purpose but not as good for another (e.g. component looks better for your satellite box but hdmi makes your upscaled dvds look better).

There is no substitute for actually viewing the image quality yourself. If you're already plonking down several hundred bucks on an HDTV, it won't hurt to spend another 20 bucks or so to pick up an extra cable and test yourself. You may find that you will hook up several av components via hdmi and others via component.

At least, that's how I have my setup! 



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W29 on 12 September 2007
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.



your mother on 12 September 2007
W29 said:
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.

Well,  given that most 360 games are in 720p, most HD broadcast signals are in 720p, and most HD satellite signals are in 720p, I'd say you made a good choice.

No matter what, with LCDs, your image will look best at its native resolution.