Advice on HD tv

[I_H8_Crawford]

Dont even get sucked into the 1080p vs 1080i/720p issue - that will depend on the size of your screen and how far away you will be from the screen.

Just yesterday my g/f's dad and I hooked up a 1080i HDDVD to his 1080p 50" panasonic plasma, and it looked no different than my 1080p PS3 BluRay did hooked up to it.

If you can get a great TV at a good price but it doesn't have 1080p, don't turn it down, chances are you won't notice a difference.

Also, don't forget that HDTV is only broadcast in 720p; there are no 1080p broadcasts out there yet.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I do believe that CBCHD and SCRHE broadcast in 1080i, and StarChoice upconverts to 1080i.

However, for all intents and purposes can the human eye really notice a difference between interlaced and progressive?

I bought a 42" LG LCD (great price at the Source on those at the moment). It's not 1080p, but 1080i, however I don't for see a need to pay the extra money for p, nor do I think I'll even be able to tell the difference of the lines refreshing.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

However, for all intents and purposes can the human eye really notice a difference between interlaced and progressive?

I bought a 42" LG LCD (great price at the Source on those at the moment). It's not 1080p, but 1080i, however I don't for see a need to pay the extra money for p, nor do I think I'll even be able to tell the difference of the lines refreshing.

There's no such thing as a 1080i LCD panel, the panels themselves are progressive in nature so while they'll accept different inputs, ultimately things get converted to the native res of the panel and displayed progressively. EDIT: That's not even the right way to put it, they basically display an entire image at one time, not interlaced or progressive (which refers to a scan line on a CRT).

In your case it's probably a 720p panel, they were often advertised as 1080i panels and it would just downscale the incoming info.

[SarichFan]

I don't really understand why someone would push 1080p as a MUST HAVE... because it isn't.

If you can get a tv for a couple hundred less at a Max of 1080i, to me it's a non decision.

Or say a 32" 1080p cost the same as a 42" 1080i, go for the 1080i. You'd have to be a crazy videophile to notice any difference.

[Displaced Flames fan]

So much information....sure wish I had an interest in electronics when I was younger so I could know what most of this stuff means. Let me pose a question to you and preface it by saying I REALLY appreciate all of the input!

Is this overkill?

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A1226026

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

So much information....sure wish I had an interest in electronics when I was younger so I could know what most of this stuff means. Let me pose a question to you and preface it by saying I REALLY appreciate all of the input!

Is this overkill?

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A1226026

See for like 800 dollars less you can get a similar TV just 1080i......just depends if you think it's worth it.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

See for like 800 dollars less you can get a similar TV just 1080i......just depends if you think it's worth it.

As Photon says, LCDs don't come in 1080i. They are usually 768p or 1080p. When buying a 1080p set, you're usually looking at a better model than a 768p set. It should have better contrast, video processor for upconverting, more inputs, etc.

That Sony TV that DFf links to looks decent to me. The price of $1699 sounds good but I'm in Canada where it's listed higher. I'd go somewhere to look at that set and compare it with some other models and check the internet for prices.
That Sony looks like a top end model and it looks like you can get it for a good price. Here's a comparison of some other Sony models.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/com...gon=&langid=EN

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

As Photon says, LCDs don't come in 1080i. They are usually 768p or 1080p. When buying a 1080p set, you're usually looking at a better model than a 768p set. It should have better contrast, video processor for upconverting, more inputs, etc.

That Sony TV that DFf links to looks decent to me. The price of $1699 sounds good but I'm in Canada where it's listed higher. I'd go somewhere to look at that set and compare it with some other models and check the internet for prices.
That Sony looks like a top end model and it looks like you can get it for a good price. Here's a comparison of some other Sony models.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/com...gon=&langid=EN

Sony LCDs or LCDs in general?

what is this then? Is that information incorrect? (I read photon's post).

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0086214&catid=

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Sony LCDs or LCDs in general?

what is this then? Is that information incorrect? (I read photon's post).

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0086214&catid=

LCDs in general. What an LCD does is it accepts a 1080i resolution and it's processor mostly either downgrades it to 1366 x 768p or upgrades it to 1920 x 1080p depending on it's native resolution. It doesn't display a 1080i picture. I have an CRT HDTV and as far as I know only CRTs can display an interlaced picture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlace

So yeah, Future Shops information is incorrect or at least misleading. I have fun sometimes going into Future shop and correcting the salesmen when they try to feed me merde.

[photon]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Sony LCDs or LCDs in general?

what is this then? Is that information incorrect? (I read photon's post).

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0086214&catid=

Yeah in that one it shows the native resolution of the panel as 1366 x 768, and lists 1080i as one of the resolutions it will display, so it takes that 1080i and down-converts it to 720p.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by photon

Yeah in that one it shows the native resolution of the panel as 1366 x 768, and lists 1080i as one of the resolutions it will display, so it takes that 1080i and down-converts it to 720p.

I hate to be picky with words but it won't display a 1080i resolution. It will accept that resolution and down-convert it but it won't display a 1080i picture.
I remember one manufacturer advertised their TV as being 1080p and it was really 1366 x 768p. They got away with it because the TV would accept a 1080p signal and down-convert it, but no way was it a 1080p set. A person needs to be a lawyer to read these spec sheets as they try to mislead us.