I am thinking of buying a new tv.my friend says get a 1080p model. is a 1080p picture really that much better?

Question

I am thinking of buying a new tv.my friend says get a 1080p model. is a 1080p picture really that much better?

Answer 1

If you have the budget my friend then go for a projector. They beat the pants off of flat screen TVs!!!

Take a look at projectorreviews.com. It may take a little while to get to grips with the terminology but the more you read the more you'll understand.

Like I said, If you have the budget, they are awesome!!!

all the best

Answer 2

Better than what? Better than sliced bread? Well yes.......

Answer 3

Like the other guy said, better than what?  Is it better than a 720p?  Yes it is.  But not all people see things the same.  It's not like comparing VHS to DVD but still there is a noticeable difference.  You really have to compare apples to apple here.  Go to Best Buy or Circuit City and look at identical manufacturers and compare their 720p to their 1080p models.  You can't compare a Toshiba to a Vizio.  They both may be 1080p but the Toshiba will probably look better.  Make sure the refresh rates and the contrast ratios are the same.  It really comes down to how much are you willing to spend and how much picture quality are you willing to lose.  You can still get a 1080p Olevia/Vizio and pay about 20% less than the same size Sony or Toshiba.  The cheaper ones make not look as nice as the more expensive ones but are you going to have two TVs right next one another comparing the pictures? Probably not.  If you want the best than you'll going to have to pay more.  I will say that if your getting something smaller than a 32 inch than you'll probably not even notice the difference between a 720 and 1080p. Go look for yourself, only you can decide.

Answer 4

Oh yes, if you want the best out of HD.

Answer 5

its only better if you are watching hi-Def 1080p sources, if the source is 768i or even 480i (normal def TV) chances are that the picture will be worse than a 480i set working with a 480i signal as the picture scaling is not exact.

If you go 1080p then you should ensure all your video source is 1080i as well for best option - that means NO freeview but only SKY HD.

Answer 6

Yes 1080p is better than a normal tv

I would suggest an LG 1080p LCD tv.

LG are very much front runners in the tv market.

Avoid Samsung.

You will pay a little extra for 1080p but it is worth the money because the quality is so much sharper.

Avoid plasma tv's because the screens are so fragile that if they crack, manufacturers won't fix the screen because it costs so much to replace.

Answer 7

Ask your friend to explain "why" he thinks this. Does he/she know what 1080i/p actually means?

As this is the UK&I site please disregard answers from the USA. Their tv system is different from the European one.

European standard picture scanning is 625i. The HD standard is 720p and 1080i. All at 50Hz frame rate.

All HD-Ready televisions will display 625i/720p/1080i pictures; many also handle 1080p.

There are NOT ANY 1080p broadcast pictures on terrestrial or Sky and none are planned. The Freeview HD transmissions will start next year (in some places, but you'll need a special receiver).

The Euro HD TV standard for Freeview and Satellite is 720p or 1080i. The broadcaster will decide which format to use and send instruction signals to the tv along with the programme so that the set knows what to do.

You will not be able to manually decide what scanning system to use; so 1080p capablilty will be unused when watching "off air" or "from space".

Some Blu-ray discs and video games are available in 1080p.

On any set smaller than about 47" you will not notice any difference between 1080p/1080i/720p for 99.999% of pictures at normal viewing distances.

The Contrast Ratio and Viewing Angle are much more important for family viewing enjoyment so spend your money on those parameters.

Answer 8

Depends what you want. You can read about 1080p on this web page

Answer 9

It depends. Generally if you have a screen size 50" or under, you won't see a difference in resolution from 1080p to 720p at normal viewing distances. However, manufacturers are putting their best electronics in the 1080 sets. If your looking at LCD, this is particularly important since you will want a fast response time and the best contrast you can find (or afford). Plasma sets don't have the contrast problems and the converters in the Panasonic and Pioneer 720 sets is excellent. So, for LCD you will want to watch both 1080p and 720p in the store and pay attention to black level, motion blur, and jaggy picture. For Plasma, I'd go with a 720p (if under 50") and choose pioneer or panasonic.