1080p vs 1080i/720p ?

Ok so im on the hunt for a 42" LCD HDTV. My question is, do I NEED a 1080p or will 1080i/720p be sufficient for blu-ray, HD cable, and PS3 gaming?

My viewing distance will be about 10 feet away from the TV.

You wont need 1080p on a 42".

1080i/720p will be just fine.

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King Darkness said:

You wont need 1080p on a 42".

1080i/720p will be just fine.

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From what I have read, 50" or less, if you are more than 6 ft away, you really won't see a difference. Also HD cable is 720p anyway.

Just for the record, in flat panel displays, there are no 1080i sets. The display panels themselves are all either 1080p or 720p (many are really 768p, but that's a side issue). The input on many 720p sets tops out at 1080i, but I wouldn't use that mode anyway on such a set.

As for what you need, it is somewhat unlikely that you will be able to see a significant difference between a 42" 720p panel and a 42" 1080p panel at a viewing distance of 10 feet, but you really should decide that for yourself. At 8 feet, I can see a difference. A 720p set will definitely save you some money, but sometimes you get more than just the additional pixels in a 1080p set (card inputs, additional features, etc).

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll keep that in mind when shopping.

My family recently got a 50" Plasma HDTV w/ 720p and we just love it. Blu-Ray is

Yep I have seen all the different formats and I can't tell the damn difference.

Im lookin to get an LCD HDTV also hopefully on black friday so its cheaper..but im lookin for a 32"

I had a 42" plasma 1080i and upgraded to a 46" LCD with 1080p and it was a huge difference. You need to pay attention to more than the i vs p though. Refresh rate is big as well contrast ratio (15K :1 is really good).

You will notice a difference between the two especially if you have an HDMI running from your PS3.

nash said:

Ok so im on the hunt for a 42" LCD HDTV. My question is, do I NEED a 1080p or will 1080i/720p be sufficient for blu-ray, HD cable, and PS3 gaming?

My viewing distance will be about 10 feet away from the TV.

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With all the money you make from flipping, just spend the extra on the 1080P man!



Seriously, you should really look at the 1080P sets with 120 HZ for smoother picture and reduced blur, especially for gaming though.

The big difference I've noticed is you seem to get a clearer image with a lot of movement when its 1080p... I think thats true for 720p as well. I have a 46" 1080p and seeing a Blu Ray movie Vs HiDef TV is quite a difference. But I assume that would be true in general.

Although I think for the 42" screen size you don't need 1080p, although I've heard anything below 32" doesn't make a difference. I bought a 26" for our bedroom and its a 720p/1080i and is great. At that screen size 1080p is pointless.

Natrix said:

Seriously, you should really look at the 1080P sets with 120 HZ for smoother picture and reduced blur, especially for gaming though.

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Yes! 120 Hz is the "next big thing" in TVs, and you aren't likely to find any 720p sets with that feature. And believe me, the difference is IMMEDIATELY noticeable, on both movies and gaming.

LOSTaddict, for a 32" set your only reasonable option will be 720p (there are a few 1080p sets out there, but they aren't worth the extra cost, IMO), but there are still some sets that far outshine others in that size/price range. Spending an extra $100 may seem like a waste of time, but in the long run I think it would be a wise investment. For example, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba, Mitsubishi (my main TV, but larger than 32") and Sharp all make good 32" sets, and I think you could be happy with any of them. You could even save some money by going with a model from someone like Vizio, Philips (I actually own one of each of those), Olevia or LG. But there is no way I'd recommend buying a set from Westinghouse.

Robo, tell me about the vizio. I am looking at buying one soon (50").

I absolutely hate that 120hz ^^^^. It makes every movie have that look of Live TV, not film. I am sure it is great for games though.

BadMoon said:

Yep I have seen all the different formats and I can't tell the damn difference.

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i felt the same way when i bought mine. i you are sitting that close with a 42" it wont make a difference. congrats on the eventual Upgrayedd!!! (that's right, two Ds for double doses of pimpin).

For the best picture get a 1080P LCD TV with HDMI cable hooked to a blu ray player or PS3.

1080p is somewhat standard features anyway. I think the question is more which brand do you want to buy instead.

Vizio is quickly becoming one of the names to watch in the TV industry. Their sets don't offer all of the bells and whistles of the other name brands (yet), but that's because they are working hard to establish brand recognition and market share.

I put a Vizio 1080p 47" LCD in our family room almost two years ago, and we watch it almost every night. After I calibrated it (with Video Essentials), the color and clarity are amazing. It doesn't have all of the features I would have liked (for example, the zoom feature in the set is kind of weak), but considering how much I saved, it was worth the trade-off.

And, when I had a problem after about a year (one of the components I connected to the set had an electrical short, and fried some of the circuits inside it), the warranty folks actually had a repair man come out to the house, open up the set, and replace all of the guts other than the panel itself, which was not damaged.

If you can live without some of the features that a Bravia (Sony) or Viera (Panasonic) might offer, the Vizio is a great choice.

Bannister said:

I absolutely hate that 120hz ^^^^. It makes every movie have that look of Live TV, not film. I am sure it is great for games though.

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I guess it isn't for everyone. But I don't see it as being like live TV, I see it as like being live, period. And I think it looks pretty awesome.