HDTV, what the h**l is 1080I and how do I find out which my TV is?

Question

Ten Points for Best Answer

Answer 1

1080i is the number of interlaced vertical pixels on the screen. Interlaced upscales the number of physical pixels. More is better. 1080p is not interlaced.

Answer 2

1080 refers to the native resolution of the television.  This number is a relative indicator of the clarity you can expect from high definition programming.  What the I stands for is interlaced.  Meaning the horizontal lines of pixels are flashed an an alternating manner, as opposed to a P or progressive, where all the lines of pixels are flashed together.  An I television will suffer from more stutters and blur during fast moving images.  To find out what you TV is just look up the model number online, the model number will be printed on the back.

Answer 3

1080i refers to an interlaced HDTV signal with 1080 horizontal lines and an Aspect ratio of 16:9 (1.78:1). All major HDTV broadcasting standards include a 1080i format which has a Resolution of 1920x1080.

The obvious advantage to 1080i resolution is that it uses the highest (standard) resolution available for TV signals and consumer electronics equipment.

NOTE: i =interlaced scan  p=progressive scan

BUT!! a HDTV with 1080p in theory could have a better picture than one with 1080i

Why 1080p is theoretically better than 1080i...

1080i, the former king of the HDTV hill, actually boasts an identical 1,920x1,080 resolution but conveys the images in an interlaced format (the i in 1080i). In a tube-based television, otherwise known as a CRT, 1080i sources get "painted" on the screen sequentially: the odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on your screen first, followed by the even-numbered lines--all within 1/30 of a second. Progressive-scan formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content. As opposed to tubes, microdisplays (DLP, LCoS, and LCD rear-projection) and other fixed-pixel TVs, including plasma and LCD flat-panel, are inherently progressive in nature, so when the incoming source is interlaced, as 1080i is, they convert it to progressive scan for display.

NOTE: YOU will NOT be able to tell any difference  just by looking at the picture to see any difference between a 720p picture and one that is 1080i.  

The best way to tell what your TV is look at the owners manual under resolution. Or go to the manufactures web site and look for the specifications for you make and model. or try here:

http://www.afterdawn.com/hardware/catego...

It is more of a technical term than actual viewing ability