1080i on HD Cable Box but a 1080p HD TV...still 1080p?

Question

I just bought a 46" 1080p HD TV, and it looks great. But the light on my HD cable box DVR only says 1080i. Does this mean the screen is broadcast in 1080p or 1080i? Which one overrides?

Answer 1

I belive, unfortunatly,that it is 1080i. In the world of vidio and audio a system is only as strong as it's weakest link. There is no way to upgrade a picture from your DVR box to a true 1080p unless is actually records at 1080p. Hope that makes sense. Think of it like scaning a picture an then blowing it up. The picture can stay fairly good to a certian point but regardless it is still losing some image quality as it gets larger.

Answer 2

Keep in mind also that there is nothing being broadcast in 1080p anyway other than Blu-Ray and HD DVD.  All other broadcasts are in 720p and a few DirectTV HD movies in 1080i.

weeder

Answer 3

Under 1080i very other line refreshes and then interlaces for a seamless picture and with 1080p every line scans/refreshes progresively for a seamless picture. It the same amount of lines but different way to display the picture: one is interlaced and the other progresive, many HD box still don't have the capability to display in 1080p.