1080i -vs- 1080p on 40" LCD?

[mouettus]

Hi guys

Looking forward into buying a new TV. I've been pretty impressed by the PQ of the Bravia series from Sony. There is a 800$ question here.

Models:
- KDL-40S2010
- KDL-40S2400 --> 1080i capable
(can somebody tell me the difference between those two? lol)
- KDL-40S2500 --> 1080p capable

I'll be using the display for SD-Tv and SD-DVDs. I'll be connecting it to my computer as well (which is HD capable). But the thing is that I plan to buy a tv set to last me around 10 years. 1080p will be the norm and I'll surely buy a HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Dvd player by then. Should I care for interlaced -vs- progressive display of image on a 40" screen? The price difference here is 800$ (before tax) (2000$CDN for the S2400 and 2800$CDN for the S2500).

Hard-on-the-wallet decision but when I buy something, I like to have good quality. Price does matter to a certan point here. 800$ is quite a difference for the "same" tv of the same size.


p.s. These "specials" are up until jan 21st guys

 

[mike c]

get the one with 1080p ...

as you said, if you're keeping this 10 years, the 1080i model has been out for a year or two already ... you have 8 years left

 

[MDS]

Keep in mind that ALL of those tvs are progressive scan. When the specs say 1080i/1080p 'capable' that means that they can accept signals of those resolutions but it does not necessarily mean that their native resolution is 1920 x 1080.

As with all fixed pixel displays, the tv will scale the image to its native resolution. Sony is fond of 1366 x 768 for its tvs.

So you need to verify each set's native resolution. If the one that is 'capable' of 1080p does not have 1080p resolution, then I would say save the $800 and get the one that is 1080i capable. If it IS 1080p native resolution then it would be worth the extra money if you will sit close to the set or ever plan to buy into the 1080p sources like HD-DVD or BluRay in the future.

 

[apatel25314]

If your gonna keep it for 10 years definitely go for the better model

 

[markw]

In a more pragmatic light,

Talking 1080i vs 1880p on that size screen is like debating the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin.

Odds are that you won't notice a difference in that size screen. Heck, the differences between 720 and 1080 are barely (if at all) perceived on that size. Now, if you're talking 50" and larger, my answer might be different.

 

[mouettus]

!!!!

Finally guys... I bought the 1080p model

Couldn't be happyer (happier?)!! I only have SD tv right now at home. Nothing's so nice about it. But I bought some Energy HDMI cables and I hooked up my computer on it. Then I went on the apple trailers site and downloaded the 1080p (188mb) preview of Children of men. HOLY MOLY!!! Then downloaded some nice HD wallpapers. I swear the god I feel like I'm there. TONS of details. Never been so impressed by details on a tv set.

Some of you guys will complain about the blacks. I know... this is the major problem with that technology. But the sony has an image enhancement that enhances the blacks and I swear to god... there ain't not much difference between the "HD bars" and the black border of the tv. I then put a movie with darker scenes and I really could see some great amount of details. Technology has evolved guys (and always will). IMO, LCD has now surpassed Plasma in image quality. If you want the best tho, be prepared to pay a prime for it. My 40in screen has been dealt for 3000 CAD with taxes at a nearby store.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm now good for another 10-15 years! ... can't wait for a HD source (tv) though... :S

 

[mike c]

i have a related question:
let's assume I jump in the HD bandwagon ... and get an HD-DVD / Bluray player
I sit about 8 feet away from my 40" LCD

will I notice an improvement if my TV was 1080p instead of 1080i?

 

[MDS]

I sit about 8 feet away from my 40" LCD

will I notice an improvement if my TV was 1080p instead of 1080i?

There is no such thing as a 1080i TV. All HDTVs are progressive. That just means that it can accept a 1080i signal.

To answer the question you need to know the native resolution of the TV itself - the resolution of the input signal is irrelevant as all fixed pixel HDTVs scale the image to their native resolution.

But a distance of 8' is just a little over twice the diagonal size of a 40" LCD, so it is unlikely that you would detect a major difference between a set with a native resolution of 1280 x 720 (720p) and a set with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (1080p).

Think of it this way: If you sit 3 feet from your computer monitor and use a resolution of 800 x 600, it won't look so sharp, but step back to 10 feet away and it will look just fine. Same thing applies with a regular TV. If the screen is large, the higher resolution will look better if you sit very close to the TV; if you sit further back, the lower resolution will look just as sharp.

 

[mike c]

so you're saying my display is too small, or is that I'm too near to the display?

 

[billy p]

There is no such thing as a 1080i TV. All HDTVs are progressive. That just means that it can accept a 1080i signal.

To answer the question you need to know the native resolution of the TV itself - the resolution of the input signal is irrelevant as all fixed pixel HDTVs scale the image to their native resolution.

But a distance of 8' is just a little over twice the diagonal size of a 40" LCD, so it is unlikely that you would detect a major difference between a set with a native resolution of 1280 x 720 (720p) and a set with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (1080p).

Think of it this way: If you sit 3 feet from your computer monitor and use a resolution of 800 x 600, it won't look so sharp, but step back to 10 feet away and it will look just fine. Same thing applies with a regular TV. If the screen is large, the higher resolution will look better if you sit very close to the TV; if you sit further back, the lower resolution will look just as sharp.

what you are saying then is the incoming signal has really no bearing on the PQ. Hd will be good up close and sd looks better from farther away?

 

[MDS]

what you are saying then is the incoming signal has really no bearing on the PQ. Hd will be good up close and sd looks better from farther away?

That's not quite what I said, so let me try a different way.

The question from Mike C was whether a 1080p TV will make a difference in picture quality. I assume that means a TV whose native resolution is 1920 x 1080 (1080p) vs a TV whose native resolution is less, say 1280 x 720 (720p).

Higher resolution = more details but at some point the higher resolution does not matter; ie if you are sitting a large distance from the TV. So for example, if you sit 5 feet away from a 40" LCD, the 1080p native resolution should look good; but if you were to sit 10 feet away, a 720p native resolution should look just as good.

That's why I gave the computer monitor example. The closer you sit to the screen, the better a higher resolution will look as compared to a lower resolution.

 

[mouettus]

uh-oh

you guys need to know something i realized just lately. MDS is right. There is no such thing as an interlaced television. Only a signal can be interlaced (to save up some bandwith). All that your tv does is to up or down-convert the signal to the tv's native resolution. So basically, a tv that accepts 1080i signals maximum displays the picture at 720p. Even if the signal is 1080p, the tv will display 720 lines progressively by down-converting. IF your tv is full hd (1080p), it means that it displays 1080 horizontal lines.

And to answer your question... 1. no you won't see any difference between 720 and 1080 lines at a distance of 8ft. 2. 40in is on the brink of being too small if you sit at 8ft of the screen ("wow" effect). Buy larger if possible, or sit closer. But if you sit closer, THEN you will be more likely to notice the difference between 720 and 1080 lines!

Good thing I bough a full hd tv by the way... cuz I use it mainly for my computer. I have a LOT more space on my desktop and the hi-def images looks WAY better. I can watch a dvd and chat at the same time; still seeing a nice big video image within the screen.

Anyways, besides the goodies, 1080p is the future baby. Saw a trailer of children of men in that resolution. SUBLIME!!!!

p.s. I sit approximately 6-7ft. for tv use and get a little bit closer for computer use since text is harder to see.

1080p only available via HDMI
In sold separately
(say it fast like in tv ads )

 

[starrman93306]

TV versus monitor

Folks,

Hope you all don't mind if I revive and expand this thread a little. Thanks to MDS et al. for some very helpful info. It has led me to a decision to "settle" for the Sony Bravia with the 720p resolution. However, this decision has led me to another quandry:

Our local CC has a version of the Bravia without a tuner -- a so-called monitor -- for $500 less than the one with a tuner. If I am going to watch litterally everything through my Denon receiver (AVR-987) via HDMI, would the monitor @ $500 less be fully as good as the model with the tuner.

Thanks for any facts and/or opinions.

Doug S