Can someone explain to me the difference between HD and Blue Ray and 1080p and 1080i IN BASIC TERMS?

Question

I have seen some good answers explaining this technology. But, the answer is often too technical. Does anybody understand the technology enough to explain them in very simple, basic terms?

Answer 1

The number are the pixels. The higher the number the better the quality picture. The i stands for integrated. That means that you only have one head reading the lines of pixels. The lines of pixes have a pre determined number. The i format scans every other line (even numbers) then comes back and scans the ones it missed. When I say scan I mean refresh the pixels. In the p format you have two heads which don't skip lines of pixels. Now also there is 60 hz and 120 hz. That basically means each pixel refreshes 60 or 120 times per second. I would go with the 120 hz

Answer 2

Blu-Ray is HD for DVD's.  It requires a Blu-Ray player.  There was another format HD DVD's, and that was just a competitor for Blu-Ray.  HD DVD was discontinued so I wouldn't worry about it.  1080p and 1080i are terms used to describe the level of HD.  p means progressive, i means interlace.  1080p is better then 1080i, but most people couldn't tell a difference.  Currently the only place to get a signal with a 1080p signal is Blu-Ray, cable and dish are at 1080i only.  

Answer 3

Short sweet and simple

1080p is only available on DVD.

1080i is available High definition TV signals.  Most local and all National TV channels broadcast in 1080i.

p = progressive scan, lines 1 thru 1080 in sequential order.

i = interlace. all the odd lines are displayed then all the even numbered line are displayed.

(this is done so fast that the mind does not see a difference.)

Progressive will provide you a better image, however it is only available from High Definition DVDs.  It will be many years before any over the air broadcast signal supports a progressive signal

Answer 4

HD stands for High Definition which means 720p to 1080p. These numbers refer to the number of pixels (dots) on the tv screen. The higher the number, the better the resolution and the clearer the picture (in theory anyway, there are actually other factors as well). The i or p is interlaced or progressive. Interlaced scans every other tv line then goes back and scans the other rows to form the picture. This is done very fast so you see the finished picture. Progressive scan scans all the lines at once which makes for a clearer flicker free picture.

Bluray is like a DVD player but at a higher quality (it can produce 1080p because it holds a lot more info than a regular dvd). Bluray is HD because it outputs in 720p or 1080p.

That's all simplified as best I could and is not complete but hopefully gives you a basic understanding.

Answer 5

All the other answers are very good but here is my simplest answer to add on.

Forget HD-DVD as it is discontinued. Blu-ray is a high definition version of a regular DVD.

1080p offers a better picture than 1080i simply because all 1080 lines of pixels that make up the picture are refreshed constantly whilst in the "i" it alternates half/half so in video where there is a lot of action, the picture will seem clearer.

Honestly, you probably cannot see the difference in a tv smaller than 50 inches if you were to purchase a good quality 1080i.

I can recommend my plasma Hitachi 42inch 42PD9700. Excellent value and an amazing picture for a 1080i. It will save you a lot of money and you will love it.

Answer 6

"The difference between HD and Blu-Ray"

Not really a difference; Blu-Ray is an optical disc similar to a DVD but capable of storing/retrieving more data, which makes it capable of HD (High Definition) video with program lengths similar to DVD.

"The difference between 1080p and 1080i"

1080 = the number of dots (called "pixels") high the image is. 1080 (i or p) is 1080 pixels high by 1900 pixels wide.  Another HDTV format is 720 pixels high by 1440 pixels wide.

i = interlaced, p = progressive.  In Interlaced scanning, first every other line of pixels in the image is updated, then the in-between lines are filled in.  In Progressive scanning, all the lines are updated each scan.

I hope that's basic enough!