720p TVs

[dbetz23]

I have a 40 inch LCD HDTV with 720p resolution. Am i going to miss a lot if I buy a PS3 as far as graphics and such, mainly with the Blu-Ray player? Is it worth upgrading and buying a 1080p? I bought my TV a couple years ago when 1080i's were still really expensive.

 

[Landlord]

Not really. At 40", the difference between 720p and 1080p isn't really all that easy to spot, at least not from a casual distance. If you are looking to upgrade, you can get an absolute steal if you know where to look.

I'm planning on buying a tv in the few coming months from this site. They have 50" 1080p DLP tv's (don't listen to people that say to avoid DLP, it is a great technology and even greater bang for your buck) for 700-800, ridiculous. Of course, they are refurbs, but people who have problems with refurbs are just stubborn, they are a great deal and are just as returnable as any other tv.

 

[strigori]

I have a 40 inch LCD HDTV with 720p resolution. Am i going to miss a lot if I buy a PS3 as far as graphics and such, mainly with the Blu-Ray player? Is it worth upgrading and buying a 1080p? I bought my TV a couple years ago when 1080i's were still really expensive.

If you sit really close you can notice a difference between 720 and 1080, but if you sit 7 feet back or more, the eye can not tell any difference. And games are a moot point, as most of them only run 720 output. I have a 720, and a friend of mine has a 1080, and I prefer my tv to his to be honest. I cant tell any difference in the resolution from the seating distance, and I think mine has better colors and blacks. And for the record, 1080i is not the same as 1080p and is in many ways inferior to 720p even.

 

[dbetz23]

Do they even make any 1080i's anymore?

 

[Landlord]

Do they even make any 1080i's anymore?

Most 720p TV's run a 1080i resolution, but it's not true 1080i, just scaled.

 

[strigori]

Do they even make any 1080i's anymore?

Most 720p TV's run a 1080i resolution, but it's not true 1080i, just scaled.

Not exactly. It gets down to that the 'i' and the 'p' mean. The 'i' is for interlaced, which means that the picture is drawn in a similar method that a tube TV does. It creates the image making vertical and horizontal passes. The 'p' stands for 'progressive scan' which draws the picture in one pass. The pictures look fairly close, 1080p is different.

Now, most HD TVs can accept signals from 480i(standard definition), 720p, and 1080i. And a great many can accept 1080p. After a TV accepts the signal, the image is then scaled to whatever the native resolution of the screen is(plasma scales everything to 768 for example).

 

[tattooedhusker]

If your gonna upgrade, take landlord's advice on DLP. That's what I'm gonna be getting next month 65" for $1500 NEW.

 

[General Blackshirt]

 

[strigori]

If your gonna upgrade, take landlord's advice on DLP. That's what I'm gonna be getting next month 65" for $1500 NEW.

There are pros and cons to every tech.

LCD is the only option under 36 inches. But may suffer from some motion blur, and the image fades out a bit from extreme angles. A good option for well lit rooms without any ability to control the light. Worst black levels and color contrast of the techs. Larger sizes get pricey fast.

DLP gets you the biggest screen for the least money, and generally better blacks and contrast than LCD. no loss of image quality from off angles. No motion blur. But some people can see 'rainbows' when white is displayed on the screen, and you will need to replace the bulb every few years at a cost of $200 or more.

Plasma generally gives the best black levels and color contrast. Not available under 40 inches, but at a set size, usually cheaper than LCD. No loss of image quality from off angles. No motion blur, and generally considered to be the best pick for movie fanatics. The glass screen does have some glare issues if you can not control the light levels in a room. Image retention scares some people, but on quality brands the ghost image vanishes quickly, and has no danger of permanent damage.

I personally prefer plasma, and am very happy with my 50 inch Panasonic.

 

[TrueHuskerFan20]

I personally just bought a 50" Samsung DLP for this year's football season and have absolutely loved it. I also have a 26" Sumsung LCD in my bedroom and personally think the DLP offers a brighter picture. If you are looking to upgrade, I would definitely give DLP's a look. MUCH BETTER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!

 

[DJR313]

Next tv I get is going to be a Samsung plasma. Absolutely ridiculous picture. Stigori, like you, I am a big fan of plasma. I got a 37" 1080p LCD for my living room based on price(it was $699 2+ years ago), but I have been pleased with it for the most part. Not the most impressive tv, but pretty sweet for the money. I have a 56" ole school wide screen projection in my Husker room that will be replaced by a Samsung plasma when it kicks off. I wouldn't hesitate to get a 720p plasma either, especially at the prices they sell for now.

 

[Landlord]

I'm a huge fan of plasma too, but I'm a bigger fan of getting a bang for my buck.

 

[strigori]

I'm a huge fan of plasma too, but I'm a bigger fan of getting a bang for my buck.

When I was looking to buy mine, it came down to DLP vs Plasma, one huge factor for me was the cost of bulb replacement in the DLPs. I remember the bulb for ones I was thinking about cost around $300. I guy I worked with had one, and after about 3 years he had to replace the bulb. When I worked out costs, I felt that the plasma would have the lower cost long term.

 

[Landlord]

I'm a huge fan of plasma too, but I'm a bigger fan of getting a bang for my buck.

When I was looking to buy mine, it came down to DLP vs Plasma, one huge factor for me was the cost of bulb replacement in the DLPs. I remember the bulb for ones I was thinking about cost around $300. I guy I worked with had one, and after about 3 years he had to replace the bulb. When I worked out costs, I felt that the plasma would have the lower cost long term.

Sure, but it depends on how long term you're talking.

The cheapest Plasma Samsung screen at 56" I could find was $3500 from their official website. A 56" DLP from Samsung is $1500

When I buy a TV, I don't buy expecting to have it for ~15 years or so, but that might just be me.

 

[strigori]

I was shopping a 50 inch size, and at the cost of about $1500 for my Panasonic and a DLP in that size was about $1000-1200, so in about 6 years i come out ahead. I intend to have it for some time, and there is also just the inconvenience factor of bulbs going out. My luck would have it go out just after kick off of a huge Husker game. Going up to the 56 inch size the DLP starts looking better.