starrygaze

720p vs. 1080p HDTV: The final word


By David Carnoy
Executive editor, CNET Reviews
(December 5, 2007)


A couple of years ago, I wrote a column about HDTV resolution and whether you should just buy a "standard" 720p/1080i set or pay the extra bucks for a higher-resolution 1080p set. It was called 1080i vs. 1080p HDTV: Should you care?

When I write a column, it usually gets a nice little shot of promotion on the CNET home page, a bunch of people read it, then it finds its resting place in the Fully Equipped archive, where it gets a wee bit of traffic, typically less than a 100 hits a day. The exception is when I happen to come up with a title for a column that jives well with what people are searching for on Google--and it helps when the column appears at the top of a Google search results list. For example, that old "1080i vs. 1080p" column averages about 4,000 hits a day. Not bad for a two-year-old story that's just lying around. The only downside is when that many people are reading a dated article, it tends to make them e-mail you, requesting that you update it. And so I have, with a little twist: Instead of calling the piece "1080i vs. 1080p" again, I'm going with 720p vs. 1080p because that's the how TV manufacturers tend to market their HDTVs these days to delineate between basic HDTVs (720p) and higher-end models (1080p).

1. What's so great about 1080p?
1080p resolution--which equates to 1,920x1,080 pixels--is the current Holy Grail of HDTV resolution. That's because most 1080p HDTVs are capable of displaying every pixel of the highest-resolution HD broadcasts. They offer more than twice the resolution of step-down models, which are typically 1,366x768, 1,280x720, or 1,024x768. These days, HDTVs with any of those three of lower resolutions are typically called "720p." Nobody wants to remember all those numbers, and "768p" doesn't really roll off the tongue.

2. How much extra does a 1080p TV cost?
When I wrote my original article two years ago, you had to pay a premium of about $1,000 to get a 1080p model at the same screen size as a "720p" set. In two years, the gap has closed somewhat, but in many cases, particularly when it comes to plasma, you have to pay significantly more for 1080p--usually anywhere from $500 to $800. Panasonic's two 50-inch plasmas with antiglare screens are a good example. At Circuit City, the 1,366x768 (er, 720p) TH50PX77U costs $1,700 while the 1080p version, the TH50PZ77U, costs $2,500 (the two sets are otherwise identical). The gap between same-size 720p and 1080p LCD TVs is typically narrower: at Amazon, the 1,366x768 Samsung LN-T4042H costs $400 less than its most affordable 1080p counterpart model, the LN-T4061F.

3. Why is 1080p theoretically better than 1080i?
1080i, the former king of the HDTV hill, actually boasts an identical 1,920x1,080 resolution but conveys the images in an interlaced format (the i in 1080i). In a tube-based television, otherwise known as a CRT, 1080i sources get "painted" on the screen sequentially: the odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on your screen first, followed by the even-numbered lines--all within 1/30 of a second. Progressive-scan formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content. .

4. What content is available in 1080p?
Today's high-def broadcasts are done in either 1080i or 720p, and there's little or no chance they'll jump to 1080p any time soon because of bandwidth issues. Even the much-vaunted high-def games on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 are usually 720p native (if not less), though they can be upscaled to 1080i or 1080p in the user settings of those consoles. Really, the only commercially available way to get true 1080p output--aside from hooking your PC to your HDTV--is to get a Blu-ray or HD DVD player. All Blu-ray players and some high-end HD DVD models support 1080p output, and--more importantly--the vast majority of discs are natively encoded at 1080p. .

5. What kinds of TV technologies offer 1080p resolution?
These days, everything but CRT (tube) TVs comes in 1080p versions. That means you can find 1080p-capable versions utilizing all fixed-pixel technologies, including microdisplays (DLP, LCoS, and LCD rear-projection/front-projection) and flat-panels (plasma and LCD). Of course, as specified above, more affordable entry-level models are still limited to 720p resolution. But whatever the resolution, all fixed-pixel (non-CRT) TVs are essentially progressive-scan technologies, so when the incoming source is interlaced (1080i, or even good old-fashioned 480i standard-definition), they convert it to progressive-scan for display. .
TalkBack
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At this point, I could just expand on that last point and specify that all fixed-pixel display TVs--all microdisplay rear-projection and all flat-panels--always display everything at their native resolution, which is all they can display. On a 720p TV, that means that all incoming video is displayed at 720p (or 768p, as the case may be); on a 1080p TV, all incoming video is displayed at 1080p. The process of converting resolution is called scaling--sometimes called upconverting or downconverting. A related factor is deinterlacing (see point no. 8, below). How well a TV does or does not handle both of these processes is a big factor in how desirable it is--and something that casual shoppers often overlook, since, compared to the screen size or resolution, it's not as easy to show as a spec sheet bullet point.

I should probably put that whole previous paragraph in bold, though, because the message never seems to get through. So, at the risk of overkill, let's restate it with specific resolutions:

6. What happens when you feed a 1080i signal to a 720p TV?
The 1080i signal is scaled, or downconverted, to 720p. Nearly all recent HDTVs are able to do this.

7. What happens when you feed a 1080p signal to 720p TV?
Assuming the TV can accept a 1080p signal, it will be scaled to 720p. But that caveat is important: many older 720p HDTVs--and yes, even some older 1080p models--cannot even accept 1080p signals at all, in which case you'll get a blank screen. Thankfully, most newer HDTVs can accept 1080p signals.

8. What happens when you feed a 1080i signal to a 1080p TV?
It's converted to 1080p with no resolution conversion. Instead, the 1080i signal is "de-interlaced" for display in 1080p. Some HDTVs do a better job of this de-interlacing process than others, but usually the artifacts caused by improper de-interlacing are difficult for most viewers to spot.

9. Side by side, how do 720p and 1080p TVs match up in head-to-head tests?
We spend a lot of time looking at a variety of source material on a variety of TVs in our video lab here at CNET's offices in New York. When I wrote my original article two years ago, many 1080p TVs weren't as sharp as they claimed to be on paper. By that, I mean a lot of older 1080p sets couldn't necessarily display all 2 million-plus pixels in the real world--technically, speaking, they couldn't "resolve" every line of a 1080i or 1080p test pattern.

That's changed in the last couple of years. Most 1080p sets are now capable of fully resolving 1080i and 1080p material. But that hasn't altered our views about 1080p TVs. We still believe that when you're dealing with TVs 50 inches and smaller, the added resolution has only a very minor impact on picture quality. On a regular basis in our HDTV reviews, we put 720p (or 768p) sets next to 1080p sets, then feed them both the same source material, whether it's 1080i or 1080p, from the highest-quality Blu-ray and HD DVD players. We typically watch both sets for a while, with eyes darting back and forth between the two, looking for differences in the most-detailed sections, such as hair, textures of fabric, and grassy plains. Bottom line: It's almost always very difficult to see any difference--especially from farther than 8 feet away on a 50-inch TV.

I said so much in a 2006 column I wrote called The case against 1080p, but some readers knocked us for not looking at high-end TVs in our tests. But the fact is, resolution is resolution, and whether you're looking at a Sony or a Westinghouse, 1080p resolution--which relates to picture sharpness--is the same and is a separate issue from black levels and color accuracy.

Our resident video guru, Senior Editor David Katzmaier, stands by what he said two years ago: The extra sharpness afforded by the 1080p televisions he's seen is noticeable only when watching 1080i or 1080p sources on a larger screens, say 55 inches and bigger, or with projectors that display a wall-size picture. Katzmaier also says that the main real-world advantage of 1080p is not the extra sharpness you'll be seeing, but instead, the smaller, more densely packed pixels. In other words, you can sit closer to a 1080p television and not notice any pixel structure, such as stair-stepping along diagonal lines, or the screen door effect (where you can actually see the space between the pixels). This advantage applies regardless of the quality of the source.

10. OK, so what's the bottom line: Should I go 1080p or 720p?
First and foremost, some people just want what's considered the best spec on a TV. If you're one of those people, spend the extra dough, you'll feel better in the long run. Secondly, if you're thinking of going big, really big (a 55-inch or larger screen), or you like to sit really close (closer than 1.5 times the diagonal measurement), the extra resolution may make it worth the difference--as long as you have a pristine, 1080i or 1080p HD source to feed into the set. And finally, it's a good idea to go with 1080p if you plan to use your TV a lot as a big computer monitor. That said, if you set your computer to output at 1,920x1,080, you may find that the icons and text on the screen are too small to view from far away (as a result, you may end up zooming the desktop or even changing to a lower resolution). But a 1080p set does give you some added flexibility (and sharpness) when it comes to computer connectivity.

If none of those factors jump out at you as true priorities--and you are working on a tight budget and want to save some dough--a 720p set is going to do you just fine. HD will still look great on your set, I swear. In fact, our current highest-scoring HDTV, the Pioneer Kuro PDP-5080HD, is a 720p, er--768p, model.

11. Wait! What about 120Hz LCDs and how they compare to 720p/1080p plasmas?
This column's just about 720p vs.1080p. If you're interested in 120Hz, try Six things you need to know about 120Hz LCD TVs.

I m telling you all that 1080p with 120 Hz awesome!!!!! amazing you should see spiderman blue ray movie.

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Deafness

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Foxrac

120 Hz is exclusive to 1080p LCD HDTV?

It looks nice on 1080p with new 120 Hz but rather to wait til few years then 120 Hz will be common on LCD HDTV, 1080p is only available on 32" or over, such as Sharp does sell it but no 120 Hz supported.

I would wonders if 1080p will be goes to under 32" HDTV in next few years or not sure or due screen size concern, varies of people don't want buy one if their space is too small to get fit it.

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starrygaze

I watched spiderman 3 movie on HDTV 1080p with 120 Hz Honestly I dont lie. It looks unbelieve! I would steal it to my home!

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Foxrac

Go re-read my post, I don't say anything about you.

I was asked an question about self 1080p HDTV with 120 Hz.

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Foxrac

UGH, quit copying my post, ya damn scammer!!!

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purplecatty

Starrygaze,

What about OLED (organic Light Emitting Display) and ELD (Electrolumincent Display).. They're out in public now and Wonder about 1080p. Both are very thin display. OLED is paper thin display that you can unroll it and pin it on the wall and watch TV (manufacture use special printer and prints screen on plastic or special paper and then it's ready to use). ELD is also thinner than LCD tv. Both emits it's light without using CCL (Cold Cathode Lamp) or CRT (commonly in Plasma TV). OLED already put in use in Cellphone and some MP3 players. You should check out Walmart or any stores that sells MP3. Look for "OLED" display on specification.

Japan and other Asian companies already manufacturing OLED tvs but not yet in USA. here's website

OLED TV Technology

THis one is the pen TV that you can unroll it and watch
Organic LEDs are on the way - 11/11/2004 - Electronics Weekly


YouTube - NEXT GEN. TV - SONY OLED TV Screen





Thanks
Catty

XBGMER

I have own 42' LCD FHDTV 1080p with 60mhz (oh jeez)! Ha. however everything is great and satsitfied with that. I will buy other LCD FHDTV with 1080p, 120mhz and backlight led for My own personal gaming console and PC eventually.

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Foxrac

Just correction, Hz and MHz isn't same since Hz is first and MHz is little far, just call Hz for HDTV.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hz

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omegaman

I have a 1080p LCD with 100mhz motion flow thing. Although I think the picture quality is astonishing particularly when viewing natural scenes, I find some movies look too clear, which makes them look as if they were inside a film studio.

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darkage

I do not care 1080p or 1080i or 720 or 480 (EDTV). If, I sit 8 feet away from HDTV. I can't tell what is different between 1080 or 480.

Foxrac

Well, it depends on max resolution and size of TV, however monitor is other story due higher resolution in small size.

I had watch DVD movie on 1440 x 900 (PC, MacBook Pro) and 1680 x 1050 (iMac), it looks little ghosty and blurry, when I watch on BD movie, it's nicer and more crisper on monitor or tv with higher resolution.

Go to Best Buy and you will see and compare on between HD and SD.

SDTV has been declining so sharply since HDTV is keeping grow so faster, like in last 10 years ago, Best Buy has alot of SDTV but it's getting much less (under 10 model), later will be phase out.

HDTV with 1080p is best for any tv size that's above than 40".

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darkage

I remember... 4 or 5 years ago, I got Panasonic 37" Plasma. We did compare to look my 15 years old Sony XBR TV in our bedroom and Plasma HDTV in our living room. We do not use cable or any. Just plain Antenna as over the air. Set up NCAA Basketball - March Madness then NASCAR. We noticed HDTV is about 2 second behind. SD is near normal as live game. HDTV give me rich but little behind real time.

Two years ago....
Yes, I am still photo at NCAA football. Before half time, I went up to Press Box. I notice that SD TV is about 7 seconds behind from live game. They do not have HDTV Monitors at Press Box. I heard rumor... this year, they install HDTV monitors at Rutgers Stadium.

Last year, I was curious to see EPSN crews. I noticed near live game at game. Probably, they make extra behind real time at TV Station.


I was at (Toronto) SkyDome's Press Box. I surprised SkyDome's Press Box does not have HDTV monitor. Just regular TV monitors.

I heard that Robbie Knievel... FOX Station... could go black out if, Robbie Knievel fall down Grand Canyon. Just few seconds different real time vs TV.

sequoias

I researched about 60hz vs 120hz HDTVs....120hz is best for high speed action... you get sharper image which is the benefit for high speed motion, won't be seeing cut outs or blurring during the action. That's why there are 120hz HDTVs coming out in the market. You can get one lot cheaper online than in Best BUy will charge you $800 to $1,000 more over the regular 60hz sets.

Mr. Averythest

Cliff notes, please.

XBGMER

Yeah, thats very concerning OLED would have burn-in screen like plasma does..

purplecatty

OLED do not have burn in on screen like plasma. very tiny dots of LED lights on thin paper or plastic material. The problem is that when it exposed to air, it'll degrade but not burn in. They are developing better coating that make OLED last more than 50,000 hours. If game screen left idling on OLED screen, it do not burn in the screen cuz no heat. Once it's off, you won't be seeing any burn ins on screen.

Plasma TV have coil and phosphate with gas on each pixle and it burns through like CRT tv if idle game screen sit too long. turn off Plasma tv and you'll see burn in print on TV.

Thanks

Catty

Chevy57

OLED TV is made from organic LED material there may be burn in issues, though we do not anticipate them being as bad as the first plasma displays.
LCD displays do not have burn in issues. The backlight passes through “twisting” crystals which are a hard material not subject to etching.

OLED is short of lifescan. The blue organic phosphor LED has a short life (a guess is 7,000 hours). The red and green material may not last much longer. Those first OLED displays will be an experiment with regard to longevity.

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Chevy57

Fast-moving video playback for sports. It s much better than 120hz LCD. OLED TV does not suffer from motion lag or motion blur as does LCD displays. In fact, OLED technology has the fastest response rate time of any type of display due to utilizing TFT technology with the organic light emitting diodes.

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XBGMER

a) How do you know about it? because you don't have own OLED TV. there customers have still concerning about OLED's for burn-in screen if they purchased. let wait and see..

b) Yes thats correct. But from 1980 around Ole b/w or o/b CRT was worse one than plamsa.

c) I had used to own plasma before. My Plasma had burn-in screen before I exchanged. I haven't see any burn-in print on plasma while it turn off. But the very old CRT would has burn in print on screen when it turn off. For Plasma's screen pixels had damaged itself which is burn-in, not screen..

Jiro

maybe there are something called experts' reviews? you do not have to own it to know it.

Chevy57

How Do I Prevent Burn-In?

It is rather simple to prevent the burn-in effect from occurring to your plasma.

1. Calibrate your display. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this step. Most TVs come from the store with their brightness and contrast set way too high in order to show good in the display room. Get yourself AVIA or DVE (Digital Video Essentials) DVD, and you'll have a nicely calibrated set in less than 15 minutes.
2. Do not watch any 4:3 or 2.35:1 content during the first 100 hours of use. Most damage is done to the brand-new plasmas by inexperienced users. Plasmas are most susceptible to burn-in during the first 100 hours, and much more burn-in resistant after 1000 hours of use.
3. Restrict non-full-screen programming to 20% until 1000 hours. Plasma manufacturers also recommend limiting viewing of 4:3 or 2.35:1 programming to about 20% of overall viewing time after the first 100 hours and until 1000 hours. After that, your plasma is much less likely to take burn-in. Try watching 4:3 content in "stretched" or "fair" ("just") mode that fills the entire screen.
4. While your plasma is new, turn down the contrast (sometimes called "picture", which refers to white level, or the brightness of light areas of the picture). A new plasma TV is much more likely to take damage from displaying static elements such as logos or teletext. Reducing overall contrast (this controls white levels, and is called "picture" on some displays) helps reducing the possibility of those static elements to burn in.
5. Switch channels to avoid logo burn-in. Avoid extended viewing of broadcasts with non-transparent logos or where the screen is divided into fixed parts (such as teletext or weather reports) all the time. These logos or teletext lines may imprint into your plasma, causing burn-in.
6. Use grey bars instead of black. Some plasma displays allow using color bars instead of black for 4:3 programming. This may greatly reduce the burn-in effect.
7. Enable pixel shifting. Many plasmas offer pixel shifting, otherwise referred as "wobulation" technique, in order to reduce the effect of burn-in. Enabling this feature may decrease the effect of burn-in by "smoothing" the borders between bright and dark parts of the image. This feature alone will not prevent your display from burning in, however, because larger dark and bright parts of the screen will mostly remain where they are, thus causing an after-image with slightly blurred borders.
8. If your DVD player has a screen saver and auto-shutdown feature, turn it on. This helps a great deal saving you from burn-in resulting from paused movies (screen saver) or disk menus (auto-off).
9. If seeing early signs of image retention, run a screen saver on your plasma. New plasmas are likely to display non-permanent image retention after displaying a still image or a still element, such as a logo. Chances are great that this effect will disappear by itself after you watch a different channel (remember using full-screen "stretch" mode) for some time, or if you engage a special burn-in reduction screen saver, if your plasma has it. Please refer to your plasma documentation to find if your TV has a screen saver. Many plasmas don't have it.

Seems complicated? It is not! Here's the list once again:

While your plasma is new:

1. Reduce contrast
2. Avoid content that does not fill entire screen (leaves black bars) for the first 1000 hours
3. Switch channels from time to time
4. If seeing any signs of image retention, run a screen saver on your plasma

Always:

1. Use grey bars instead of black
2. On your plasma, keep pixel shifting enabled
3. On your DVD player, keep screen saver and auto-shutdown enabled
4. Calibrate your display to avoid unnecessary high brightness and contrast levels

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Jiro

whoa excellent tips, Chevy

Chevy57

Jiro, read more info about burn-in plasma.
What is plasma burn-in, and how to fight it

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Chevy57

How to stop burn-in on your Plasma screen TV.

Break in your plasma-screen television. Newer screens are more susceptible to burn-in than older screens. Run your new television in its "theater" or "movie" mode for a while before you start gaming. To be on the safe side, do this for 100 to 200 hours of total use time.

Use the television's utilities. Most plasma screens have a feature called an "image cleaner," which is designed to prevent and repair the shading of the pixels that causes burn-in. Use this feature every few weeks or months. If your television doesn't have an image cleaner, turning it to an empty channel can help as well--the "snow" has a similar effect. Some televisions will have other settings designed to prevent burn-in damage, so read the manual and see which ones your set may include.

Turn off game consoles and the television when you're not using them. This sounds like common sense--and it is, but it's one of the best ways to prevent burn-in from happening. You'll not only prevent the possibility of a paused image being burned into your screen, but you'll save some electricity and extend the life of your components as well.

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XBGMER

My pictures are old like 6 or 7 months ago. Toobad, I had exchanged it for HDTV LCD for long times ago right after that.

what's site you resource from tips? Anyway Yeah, I knew it already, this is ole news before you posted about tips. Matter of fact, tips won't help to prevent burn-in screen nor solution it. Because Plasma has history repeat itself since 1980 around till now without change or improve.

I sometime visit AVS Forum, they are friendly and wonderful feedbacks without turn down people's questions. they have many answer your questions which you receive like blessings..

anyway I acknowledge my one or two posts which isn't relate this. we should stay stick with creater's topic about 120mhz LCD..

Jiro

rhr

Hi Guys,

Don't understand about OLED, careful

only Sony have OLED but JVC, Sharp, Samsung don't want OLED Technology yet, why?

you know color R-G-B (red-green-blue)
OLED can't lifespam lamp will broke up to 12,000 hours only for Blue

Red = 88,000 hours
Green = 60,000 hours
but
Blue = 12,000 hours weak

Sony or other research Technology need more then 50,000 or 60,000 hours

if final blue 60,000 or 50,000 hours, JVC, Sharp, Samsumg will get OLED HDTV future

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ЯHR

XBGMER

Really? very interesting! Wow I learn something new like this.. thank you for teaching me and share me with your informations about OLED.. Do you have source from site as above? I just wondering..

rhr

Welcome, no problem

you can search "OLED lifespam (or life lamp) blue", they have many infomation

but only sony XEL-1 alone but any Company don't have any OLED HDTV yet

same SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display)yet too

CES, 8-11, Jan 2009, we hope watch update OLED's blue how many lifespam?

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ЯHR

Chevy57

Yeah! I will find out about updated OLED TV at CES. I hope that OLED display would be more longer of lifescan than ever. RHR, why not you go to Las Vegas to see there?

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