Blu-ray on 720P HDTV, What to Expect?

[XEagleDriver]

What should I expect video wise from Blu-ray disks when displayed on a 720P plasma?

I just picked up a Panny DMP-BD60 and will be using it with a couple year old Panny 50" 720P plasma (model TH-50PX75U).

I am looking forward to the DTS-HD or Dolby-HD audio tracks , but wonder what difference I should/should not expect in the video given a 720P display .

As a point of reference, I currently view DVDs upconverted to 720P by an Oppo 980H.

Thanks,
XEagleDriver


P.S. Any suggestions on particularly impressive Blu-ray movies/concerts for either video or audio content?

 

[Adam]

If I were you, I would expect absolutely NO improvement. Consider it an absolute waste of money.

Then...you can be thrilled by how much better it looks. It'll look better, for sure. The source material is a key player here, but it can inherently have more image detail than a DVD. Converting a 1080p source to 720p requires the player to remove some information, while converting a 480i source requires the player to not only deinterlace it, but to interpolate and add information.

I find the Pixar movies to be great. Monster, Inc., Cars, and Up are excellent.

 

[krzywica]

When I had my 720p LG plasma I saw a HUGE difference.

 

[Digiti]

Go for it. I have been watching HDDVDs and BluRays on my 42" Panasonic 720plasma for almost two years with unalloyed pleasure. You definitely will see an improvement.

 

[XEagleDriver]

All,

Appreciate the feedback (even if Adam's first line temporarily threw me for a loop, LOL) and I look forward to hooking it up and giving it a spin.

With a bit of luck the PQ improvement will inspire my AV tolerant spouse to approve "investing" in a 58+" 1080P Panny in the not too distant future!!

XEagleDriver

 

[jostenmeat]

Eagle, it will depend on your viewing angle, or to be specific, your distance to the TV. Since you are a pilot, I imagine your eyes are very good, so maybe it could make a bigger difference to you given any specific distance.

So I recently gave my old bdp to a friend, to couple to her business class 720p projector. I have yet to see the player in action at her place, but she is stoked out of her mind, and can't believe how much better it looks.

When you figure out your distance, take a gander at this chart.