Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater 1080 i vs 720P

I was told by a sales person in an audio store that 720 p is better quality than 1080i because 1080i represents approximately 520P.. is that true ? I know 1080p is the max and best, but between 720p and 1080i which resolution gives the better picture quality ?

thanks

1080i is 1920x1080 resolution passed in 2 consecutive frames (60/s for video and 48/s for movies). 1080p is 1920x1080 resolution passed in 1 consecutive frame (30/s for video and 24/s for movies).

One of the arguments that I heard from time to time in comparing 720p and 1080i was that 720p handled fast motion on the screen slightly better. I am not sure that was ever the case but perhaps someone out there who has made that visual comparison could comment. Either way, with normal viewing, the differences between the two are negligible.

Once again, unfortunately, you ran into another retail A/V electronics (so-called) salesperson who didn't have a clue what they were talking about. The stores are full of them.

Many video processors were overloaded with 1920x1080 resolutions so they had trouble keeping up with the decoding and de-interlacing of twice as much info. I doubt there are any TVs now with that sort of problems.

This is a Bell Express Vue HD receiver that can output a max of 1080i.. running on a brand new Panasonic 46inch Plasma 800 series. The tv has only been available in Ottawa for a few months..so it's spanking new.

I was disapointed that the Bell receiver only did 1080i, I just figured it was capable of 1080p.. ah well..

So, I've got the bell receiver set for 720p and the tv set to receive 720p. .that , whith my eyes, looks better on that tv than the 1080i...

To be honest, I'm not impressed with the PQ of the Bell HD signal.. I find that a regular DVD (animation, the incredibles)looks almost as good as the 720p or 1080i of the express vue HD.

There are broascasters that are using 720p, which then mean double conversions. I have HD-cable home and 1080i looks better (and my TV is natively 720p!), but it is so marginal that I would not be surprised if someone else in my room would prefer it the other way around.

Not sure how much the supplier and/or our choices of programming influences the final quality broadcast (I honestly don't watch much TV).

First a comment about the Bell Express Vue HD receiver. Is that like a satellite or cable box? If so, don't be upset that it can't do 1080p because there's no such thing as 1080p via broadcast. Neither from satellite nor cable, nor OTA TV. Not for a few years anyway and maybe never, so I've read. The only source for true 1080p material is from a Blu Ray DVD or from a gaming console.

I am really new to the HD world, only having had my HDTV (Samsung LED DLP 1080p) set for a couple of months. So my comments are from a newbie. But I've done *tons* of research and have spent *hours* watching HD programming both in the store and at friend's homes.

My conclusion? Well, my TV is a true 1080p set, so I have all of the options on the table. My Dish Network HD receiver can be set to send out a 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i signal. It does the up/down conversion automatically. I've tested them all with various content. For most content, I couldn't tell a difference between 1080i and 720p, other than the TV noting that the resolution had changed. However, I found a few programs where the 1080i did look a bit clearer or sharper. Specifically, some of the 'show-off-your-HD-eye-candy' nature type shows. Could it having nothing to do with 720p vs 1080i and just be how my TV and DishHD up/down/side conversions are working? Certainly. But since there was a difference, and the 1080i looked better in a few cases, I stick with that on the Dish receiver.

The real differences with HD content comes from the filming & broadcasting, not just the fact that it's an HD channel. Sources vary a lot. Sometimes an HD channel might broadcast 'SD' content, even though it's being piped in via HD bandwidth and recognized by your equipment as an HD show. The BravoHD channel is an example of this. While you're laughing, let me say that I don't watch it buy my wife does, and I'm usually in the same room. So occasionally I glance over the laptop screen at what's going on. Several of the shows on there, even new ones (Project Runway), are NOT really done in HD. Still 4:3 and only marginally better than normal SD quality. A show like that is a horrible demo of what HD is capable of. That signal may be broadcast in 1080i, but the picture quality is somewhere between regular TV and 480p DVD.

Then compare that to some of the jaw-dropping content on the National Geographic or DiscoveryHD Channel, and the differences become quite clear.

Another thing to keep in mind is that FOX and ABC broadcast in 720p. NBC and CBS broadcast in 1080i. So if you're watching one of those networks, that's all you're going to get.

It has been noted in many forums that most people have difficulty noticing any real difference from 1080i and 720P, just like audio it is the source material that makes the most difference. I have always felt 720P to be better as 1080i is simply 540 lines of resoltion doubled up on the screen and on smaller screens the difference is not noticeable on the larger 52" and up I have always been able to notice a difference from 1080i to 720P but only with poorer recorded material.

Native resolution of 720P is much better than 1080i. There’s a whole heck of a lot more data for a display device or video processor to work with. Depending on the VP in the display however, you may, or may not notice a difference. Also, depending on how close you sit to the image and the size of the display will also play into visual appeal of the image.

This has been answered many, many, many times with very long and informative posts. Alan also has some very good information on the topic. I’d write more but I’m too bored with this subject to do that again……

I’m going to use Randy’s line “use the search feature”.

Sorry Mdrew, did not mean to bore you.

you did however answer my question in your first sentence. Thanks

I get your point about the search feature.

my mistake


Riker out