Is waiting for 1080p to go mainstream a good idea?

[nick_danger]

I know that 720p and 1080i are the dominant forces right now, but one of HDTV's biggest draws is progressive scan. Having the resolution of 1080i with a rock-solid picture makes me all emotional. Having a HDTV with true 1920x1080 is ideal. I've been thinking about getting the HP FT2304 because it supports 1080p natively (with a 1920x1200 resolution) and DVI, VGA, and component input. It runs about $1700, but it's only 23 inches...

I would like for my HDTV to double as a computer monitor, so native resolution is vital to me. It just doesn't seem like 1080 displays are coming down in price quick enough. Keeping in mind that I can't really go over $3500 for a TV right now, should I bite the bullet and just go 720 or be patient?

 

[mtrycrafts]

I know that 720p and 1080i are the dominant forces right now, but one of HDTV's biggest draws is progressive scan. Having the resolution of 1080i with a rock-solid picture makes me all emotional. Having a HDTV with true 1920x1080 is ideal. I've been thinking about getting the HP FT2304 because it supports 1080p natively (with a 1920x1200 resolution) and DVI, VGA, and component input. It runs about $1700, but it's only 23 inches...

I would like for my HDTV to double as a computer monitor, so native resolution is vital to me. It just doesn't seem like 1080 displays are coming down in price quick enough. Keeping in mind that I can't really go over $3500 for a TV right now, should I bite the bullet and just go 720 or be patient?

I seriously doubt it will happen anytime soon. The TV producers want the smallest bandwidth to transmit so they have room for more channels?
I doubt you will see much difference between 720p and 1080p unless you go to a giant screen.

 

[djoxygen]

Your call, Nick.

Essentially you're getting a 23-inch Apple Cinema Display HD's worth of resolution, but with the ability to show analog sources as well, for $200 less. Can't vouch for the quality of the model you're eyeing, but I'd buy the Apple 23" in a heartbeat for my *4 if I had $2K in my pocket.

For the next year you'll notice the resolution a lot more when you're using it as a computer monitor than as a TV, though, unless you've got HD cable/satellite.

This story http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=27177 from just a few weeks ago seems to indicate that we'll be seeing a lot more 1080p coming our way, though, so a bigger set at a more reasonable price might not be too far off.

 

[docferdie]

1920x1080 never really made much sense to me as you see too many motion artifacts at 19 MBps. 1080p would only really be good if bit rate was doubled to about 38 MBps.

 

[nick_danger]

1920x1080 never really made much sense to me as you see too many motion artifacts at 19 MBps. 1080p would only really be good if bit rate was doubled to about 38 MBps.

Excellent point. The HP display I'm considering purchasing is stunning as a monitor and has been rated quite highly by ExtremeTech.com . The only downside is that it doesn't upconvert everything to 1080p... meh.

I'll probably wait, thanks for the advice folks.

 

[Khellandros66]

1080p won't be noticible vs 1080i to naked eye don't bother waiting.

Personally go with a RPTV thats got a really great CRT and make sure its got a really good lense as this highly effects the sharpness etc and its often overlooked to due to swaggering features like USB ports, printer (epson) or Stereo Surround etc.

Only time it will come is when the new Holographic disc's come out and we can do 100+ MB/S

~Bob

 

[Duffinator]

Go 1080P

Nick there are plenty of 1080i sets out there in your price range but putting a huge CRT on your desk probably won't work. Have you thought of decoupling the monitor from your TV?

I disagree with a couple of comments above. You will see a difference from 1080i to 1080P on most sets but it will definately be more noticeable on a big screen or projector. And there will most certainly be a difference between 720P and 1080P. That's like saying there's no difference between DVD at 480P and HD at 720P. It's very noticeable.

There are several sets coming out with full 1920x1080 progressive capability including the new Sharp 45" and Samsung 46" LCD's, but way out of your price range. Not to mention several Lcos and DLP chips that will be out with 1080P capability. HD and BD DVD players will output 1080P, but won't be available for another year or so.

I'm personally salivating for either 1080P DVD format which will give me an excuse to get a 1080P set.

And remember, bigger is better. Good luck.

 

[docferdie]

As a display format 1080p makes sense but the actual content being offered at a 1080 resolution is just too compressed. I see motion artifacts in all of the 1080 programs that I view whether it be the WB or NBC or a premium movie channel. For me with current technology there is overall better consistency when watching 720p programming.
1080p displays will probably mainly be used by people who view 1080i programs and I agree that there is probably little benefit to this over a display that did true 1920x1080i--of course such a set doesn't actually exist right now.
I think I will only get excited about 1080p displays once the next generation of video cards come out and there are games that actually run at 1920x1080 natively. I just don't think the HD standard will be changed soon enough so that the bitrate is increased from the current 19 MB/s

 

[nick_danger]

I think I will only get excited about 1080p displays once the next generation of video cards come out and there are games that actually run at 1920x1080 natively. I just don't think the HD standard will be changed soon enough so that the bitrate is increased from the current 19 MB/s

Well, that's just it, the "next generation" is already here, and the displays - ranging from desktop to HT 1920x1080(1200) are here as well. HD gaming is possible now, it's just the lack of content on television in a native 1080p format that I'd be missing.

So let me ask this: how many TVs will convert a 1080i image to progressive? After viewing native 720p, I just can't tolerate interlaced anymore. I'm the type of person that expects to own a TV for a long time, so it's a big investment when I do it. Can any TVs at least downsample a 1080p image to 720p? Seriously, all HDTVs should include scaling abilities for all formats.

 

[BMXTRIX]

1080p isn't a required format. Look at the list of required formats for any ATSC television to be able to display, and 1080p is not one of them. So, getting upset about it is just ridiculous.

Any 1920x1080 fixed pixel display will show a progressive image. Everything (EVERTHING!) gets scaled to 1080p. It doesn't mean it will look good, it just means it gets processed.

I personally am waiting to see how the new 46" LCD displays are going to look next year that all come with 1920x1080 screens. Whether they can actually handle 1080p input is a completely different issue though and is not likely in a product that is trying to reach a specific price point.

 

[MarkOcena]

The Content

I'm sure we've all seen plenty of 1080i content on 1080i capable Rear Projection CRTs or 720p programming on current fixed-pixel rear projectors. We've also all seen what DVD (480i or 480p) looks like on them, as well as lesser quality digital and analog content at 480i. Some of us have even seen DVD upscaled to 720p for the fixed-pixel displays or videogames output to those TV at native resolution. Matching native resolution with the input signal resolution gives a pretty good picture, but upscaling analog cable to 1080i or 720p scan rates doesn't compare to actual HD content because it doesn't carry the picture information needed to have a better picture quality. Upscaling DVD to 1080p for the new Sharp LCD that was mentioned earlier will probably look good, but what's the point of spending the extra money for a 1080p model when the 1080i will show the same information?

If the TV is used for computer use than you will take advantage of the higher resolution. But the thing won't make DVD look way better than on a 1080i or 720p set, other than the advantages of progressive scan over interlaced (when done right). IMO, the content is the key in this decision. 1080p really needs 1080p-filmed material to take full advantage. The use of the TV as a computer monitor classifies as having the content, but the 'home theater' application would not be take full advantage of the TV until there is true 1080p content. We don't even have HD on DVD yet, and very little with D-VHS.

djoxygen is right: it's your call. If you'll use the TV more for computer application then a 1080p monitor could be be justified. For strictly HT use, I would say forget about it for now, except to those people who want the smoothest picture and cost is no object.

 

[Unregistered]

1080i vs 1080p

There is something to be said for viewing a 1080i source on a 1080p monitor with a decent algorithm that can deinterlace the fields, scale the frame using a good algorithm (not some linear interpolation trash), and double the framerate. The picture won't look as good as "real 1080p" and sure, the artifacts may still be there because of the broadcast bandwidth problem, but the fact ramains that it's better than watching the regular 1080i when the source is 1080i. The matter of it being better than 720p is another debate.

 

[docferdie]

The only 1080p content that I know of is the special WMV disc that came with the Terminator 2 DVD as well as other WMV-HD discs along that line.

 

[MrPirate2882]

h'bout now?

curious to see what you all think now that we're a year closer... i'm especially intruiged by last weeks announcement that the PlayStation3 will have 1080p output...

Anyone seen the new 46" samsung LCD? (LTP468W) I but have the cash for this LCD, but am torn - I haven't seen it in person nor have I seen any reviews!!!

I'm torn because my family and I play a lot of PS2, the tv will be in a relatively bright room (both +'s in the LCD column) - YET at the same time, my wife and i are movie buffs and when the rest of the house is asleep we enjoy sitting in the dark living room watching films...


ARGHH!!!!