1080p

[swank501]

Ok guys sorry if this is a repost of info.

Best buy finally(after several repair attempts) junked out my HP 4260N Plasma. I think its max display res was 1080i. After shopping around for my new TV, I decided I wanted one capable of 1080p since My Yamaha RX-V1800 has the 1080p upconverter built in and I want to be able to use it. The sales guy at BB kept telling me I only need another 720p TVand anything more would be a waste unless I had Blu-Ray because it's the only thing capable of true 1080p(his words not mine). I explained that my 1800 would upconvert to 1080p and he just laughed saying that it is not possible. His reasonong was that "if upconvert DVD players/ AV receivers really did 1080p, then nobody would be buying Blu Ray because it would all be the same res".

So, is this kid right or is he full of it? I don't really have the extra cash to go Blu-ray right now, but I want the most out of my TV. SHould I go ahead and get another 720 or get the 1080p TV set?

 

[bandphan]

Ok guys sorry if this is a repost of info.

Best buy finally(after several repair attempts) junked out my HP 4260N Plasma. I think its max display res was 1080i. After shopping around for my new TV, I decided I wanted one capable of 1080p since My Yamaha RX-V1800 has the 1080p upconverter built in and I want to be able to use it. The sales guy at BB kept telling me I only need another 720p TVand anything more would be a waste unless I had Blu-Ray because it's the only thing capable of true 1080p(his words not mine). I explained that my 1800 would upconvert to 1080p and he just laughed saying that it is not possible. His reasonong was that "if upconvert DVD players/ AV receivers really did 1080p, then nobody would be buying Blu Ray because it would all be the same res".

So, is this kid right or is he full of it? I don't really have the extra cash to go Blu-ray right now, but I want the most out of my TV. SHould I go ahead and get another 720 or get the 1080p TV set?

how far from the display do you sit? Also depending on the display you might want it to handle the video proccessing.

 

[swank501]

how far from the display do you sit? Also depending on the display you might want it to handle the video proccessing.

Righ now I'm about 16' fromt the TV, but that could change if i decide to change my room around. I could possibly be half that distance then.The current screen is 42", but I'm thinking bigger now.... like 50". I'm really curious to learn more on the 1080p thing. Any insight on what this guy was talking about?

 

[MDS]

The salesman is right in some ways but is mostly confusing multiple different issues.

- It's true that Blu-ray players are the only devices capable of outputting 1080p at the moment.

- He suggests you only need a 720p display because unless you sit really close to the TV your eyes won't discern any greater detail in a 1080p image than it would in a 720p image. I'd get a 1080p panel anyway because if the scaling is done well it will look great because more pixels means smaller pixels closer together and a less grainy image (assuming you start with a decent image - SD doesn't look so great blown up to a large size).

- An upconverting anything that upconverts to 1080p will produce the same resolution as a blu-ray player but it is not the same image. If you use Photoshop to 'upconvert' a 640 x 480 image to 1024 x 768 it now has the same resolution as an original 1024 x 768 image but is not the same because the extra pixels had to be interpolated. It can look very good though and one advantage is that you reduce the number of scaling and/or deinterlacing steps the TV has to do if you send it an image already in its native resolution.

 

[MUDSHARK]

From 16 feet away I would go 720P unless the price difference is inconsequential. I cannot see any difference from 12 feet on a 52 inch screen between the two let alone 16 feet. My 2 cents.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Ok guys sorry if this is a repost of info.

Best buy finally(after several repair attempts) junked out my HP 4260N Plasma. I think its max display res was 1080i. After shopping around for my new TV, I decided I wanted one capable of 1080p since My Yamaha RX-V1800 has the 1080p upconverter built in and I want to be able to use it. The sales guy at BB kept telling me I only need another 720p TVand anything more would be a waste unless I had Blu-Ray because it's the only thing capable of true 1080p(his words not mine). I explained that my 1800 would upconvert to 1080p and he just laughed saying that it is not possible. His reasonong was that "if upconvert DVD players/ AV receivers really did 1080p, then nobody would be buying Blu Ray because it would all be the same res".

So, is this kid right or is he full of it? I don't really have the extra cash to go Blu-ray right now, but I want the most out of my TV. SHould I go ahead and get another 720 or get the 1080p TV set?

Besides what has been said and to expand on MDS just a hair, that 480i DVD has so many pixels on the disc, period. Upconverting it to 1080p will not create new information, only chop up the existing pixel info into smaller pixels with the same info you had on the DVD
A hi-def DVD has more info to begin with, original info in each of those little pixel boxes.

 

[BMXTRIX]

First and foremost - you want a good TV.

Don't concern yourself with resolution, or anything else. If you get a crap TV then you are stuck with a crap TV. There are excellent LCD and plasma displays on the market, but you want to do your research on them first, and then look at the bottom line to see what you can afford, and if 1080p makes sense.

I can tell you, I recently bought a 60" plasma display, and I went with 768p for the cost savings and because we view from 12' away which is typically outside the range of the image showing noticable improvement for a resolution jump.

As far as the sales guy - He was correct. While your receiver can upconvert to 1080p, it doesn't make the original 1080p. It's like making a Xerox of the Mona Lisa. Then using a high resolution camera to take a picture of the Xerox. You already lost all the detail when you made that photocopy, you aren't going to actually get anything back just because you use a high resolution camera.

Would I go with 1080p? Possibly! If I thought I would be using the TV as a primary display for 10 years or so, and wouldn't be upgrading and was going to sit fairly close any number of times for viewing. But, even in my own home, I didn't choose that option on my plasma... My next projector on the other hand will definitely be 1080p.

 

[mudrummer99]

I have to second BMXTRIX on this. I suggest to my customers, and I'm a BB employee as well, is if they are torn between a lower end 1080p or a better quality 720p, get the 720p, that tv will more than likely outperform a low end 1080p that has nothing good going for it except the buzz stat of the moment. This, however, is a suggestion that I make only when these people are torn between two tvs of similar price and vastly different qualities. Now, if I were shopping for a tv at the moment, I would be looking for a 1080p. I sit farther than would be thought of as a useful distance to take advantage of 1080p, but I would look as better manufacturers, such as Pioneer or Sony, and their 1080p televisions are usually higher quality as well. I guess what I'm trying to say with my rambling is don't let this stat be the determining factor in your tv purchase, if you find a tv you really like and it happens to be 1080p pull the trigger, if it doesn't happen to be, pull the trigger. As much as audio is up to what your ears hear, video is about what you see in the tv. I hope this helps a little.

Mike

PS. I have a 720p 32" lcd tv about 13 feet from my viewing position and I do have a PS3, blu-rays still look amazing on it, not quite 1080p good from store demos, but at that distance, I don't think I'd notice the difference

 

[swank501]

Thanks for the good info guys. I think all my questions regarding the res have been answered so far. I just need to pick out my new TV quickly!

I'm thinking pretty hard about the new LG 50" Plasma. I think it is 50PG20. It looked really crisp and clean compared to others in the store in comparable price ranges. Cost is definitely an issue. I'm only getting so much credit for my junked out HP, so I have to stay within a reasonable shot of the 900 they are crediting me for my HP (which is crap b/c Ipaid 1300+300 for the warranty). It is a 720p, but looks great from what I could tell.

 

[bandphan]

I'm thinking pretty hard about the new LG 50" Plasma. I think it is 50PG20. It looked really crisp and clean compared to others in the store in comparable price ranges.

be cautious about judging displays at the stores. Reasearch will pay off. Also tweeter had the panny 85z 1080p for 1699 and you can find a 768p 77z for 1299.

 

[BMXTRIX]

...the new LG 50" Plasma.

I'm going to be a bit more blunt than the above poster...

LG is crap. Some of their displays look halfway decent when fed an HD source, but their build quality is all over the place and of the two people in my office who have had LG displays for several years - both of them have failed.

Their circuitry just isn't in the same league as a Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, Sharp, or Samsung display.

Which leads you down the wrong road...

Cheap.

Don't buy cheap because it looks like you get more for your money. At the end of the day, these 50" displays aren't repairable 90% of the time. So, if the display fails in 2-3 years (or the day after your warranty is up) you are stuck with a useless display with a $1,000 repair price.

Go with a 42" 720p Panasonic any day of the week over the LG and you may wish for more size, but you won't long for more quality - and you won't be longer for a TV when the LG breaks.

 

[swank501]

Well, I took delivery of the LG today, but after a disheartening conversation with BB corporate, I'm leaving it in the box and selling it outright. I want nothing to do with BB anymore. Their customer service is crap and they have absolutley no regard for anything but the $$$$$$. I would rather go spend my $$ somewhere where it will stay in the community rather than contribute to some greedy corp a-hole's vacation house.

Back on topic. Once I sell the LG I will be looking into another set. My local HT shop where I bought my Klipsch reference system will be getting my business for sure. I will keep in mind the brands you listed above. They sell only quality stuff anyway so it won't be an issue.