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720p vs 1080p..Whats the difference?

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  #1  
Old 01-20-2009, 06:54 PM
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Exclamation 720p vs 1080p..Whats the difference?

Okay guys I'm in the market for a 50" in the next week and I truly don't know anything about them. What is the big difference? The price however can be pretty steep from the 720 and the 1080. Help me out guys. I really don't watch alot of movies but do play my ps3 at least 3 times a week and it would be cool to kick some *** on a big screen.
 
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Old 01-20-2009, 07:14 PM
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There are several things to consider.

The actual visual difference is not that much between 720p and 1080p. In fact, it is pretty hard to tell much of a difference unless you are VERY close to a 1080P and 720P playing the same thing.

Personally i see a pretty drastic difference between 480p and 720p. I dont see much difference between 720P and 1080p because 720P is already pushing the limits of how good our eyes percieve a 2 dimentional image ad X-distance.

If the TV you are wanting HAS 1080P then go for 1080P, but if there is a significant price difference between the 1080P and 720P i reccommend the 720P.

eventually all TV's will be 1080P, and 720P TV's would be considered inferior on paper, but i doubt anyone could really tell much of a difference.

if you sit 6 feet from your 50inch TV then you will notice a difference between the two.

I was at my buddys house this weekend watching TRANSFORMERS on Blue-Ray on his 46inch Samsung 1080P LCD HDTV...

It certainly kicked the **** out of the visual quality of DVD (480p) but the picture did not look any better in my view to a 720P HD program on my 42in 720P HD plasma.

So in a nuttshell, in my own persional opinion, 1080P is maybe $200 better than 720P, however, i wouldnt pay much more than a couple extra hundred for the 1080p.

and careful with blueray, that **** is downright disorientating. lol....


If you are talking a $700 difference, do yourself a big favor, go with the 720P and dump that $700 into a new reciever, or a new pair of speakers.


far too many people go out and pay 3,000 on a tv, and 300 of a **** surround sound setup.

and only suckers buy bose.
 
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Old 01-20-2009, 07:15 PM
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oh yah, and if you mostly just play video games dont even bother with 1080p, it is completly wasted on video games.
 
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Old 01-20-2009, 07:19 PM
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oh, and again, dont buy some ****-*** no-name knockoff brand.

for LCD go with SHARP
for PLASMA go with Panasonic.

And use Samsung as a backup for either.

If you get LCD, make damn sure it has 120hz refresh rate.

Oh yeah, and plasma do NOT need to be recharged, tipping them sideways does NOT ruin the display, they are NOT prone to burn in (unless you leave the same image up for 72 hours straight), if a salesman tells you otherwise he is either a complete moron or he is trying to upsell you to something that he will benefit from.

dollar vs performance plasma STILL holds the edge on lfiespan, black levels, contrast, and price.

LCD beats plasma on energy consumption, weight, and they looked better in HEAVILY lighed rooms than Plasma's do.
 
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Old 01-20-2009, 07:22 PM
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Oh yeah,

another thing.

Most TV's do have HDMI inputs, but they are not really that important, a full blown 1080P can also travel across the RGB component cable.

AND,

Fiber Optic cables are hype. If you can go with Digital Coax you are in better shape. Optical requires the transformation of a signal medium from electric to light, then light to electric. This WILL introduce loss. Not enough that you can percieve, and Fiber Cables work just fine, but you can probably save a few buycks and get a shielded Coax and not have the impercieveable loss.

In a nutshell, Digital Coax is ALWAYS > Fiber.
 
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Old 01-20-2009, 07:28 PM
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There is a lot of info about 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 720i and a bunch in-between in this thread
https://mustangboards.com/lounge/336...icking-tv.html
 
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Old 01-21-2009, 07:36 AM
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If you're considering buying a HDTV in the next couple months, take my advice and wait till about June/July. OLED TV's are starting to make their way into the market and usually around summer starting time the electronics giants start pushing their old tech out the door to clear inventory space for the new stuff. You'll see 42" LCD's going to <500 bucks. Mark my words... the first yuppie-scum-mutherfukker to see an OLED tv up close will run home and list their plasma on craigslist and go back and buy the new technology. They do it because they're yuppie scum and they can't help it... it's like a sneeze or a cough. It just comes natural to them.
 
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Old 01-21-2009, 10:26 AM
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Originally Posted by JackThe Ripper
oh yah, and if you mostly just play video games dont even bother with 1080p, it is completly wasted on video games.
Even with xbox 360 and PS3 games that support 1080p? Or do most HD quality games only go to 720p?
 
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Old 01-21-2009, 12:33 PM
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Originally Posted by jjtgiants
Even with xbox 360 and PS3 games that support 1080p? Or do most HD quality games only go to 720p?
There are very few games that actually support 1080p....but i do know that with the ps3 you can force it to upscale from 720p to 1080p on the games but I didn't see much of a difference. If your getting it more for games and not for blu ray then go with 720 unless you can find a good deal on a 1080. You should check circuit city since they are trying to get rid of their stock they might be able to make you good deal.
 
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Old 01-21-2009, 12:51 PM
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Jack what do you mean by disorientating on the Blu Ray? I personally can't stand the 120hz refresh rate. Then again I haven't actually watched like a sports game with it, but I don't like the way it makes movies look. To me it looks like the movie is being filmed live, kinda like a soap opera. I have to agree though that you really don't see much of a difference in 720p and 1080p unless you are sitting real close. If you can afford it then I say go 1080p. You should also wait until after the Superbowl cause tvs are cheaper then.
 
  #11  
Old 01-21-2009, 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by jjtgiants
Even with xbox 360 and PS3 games that support 1080p? Or do most HD quality games only go to 720p?
basically, when the gameplay is equal to the CGI battles on transformers, THEN it wil be worth it. The issue is even though they can broadcast in 1080p i have set to see a video game that really manages to look better with it. graphics just are not up to snuff yet, the only exception may be some of the new racing games.
 
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Old 01-21-2009, 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by 00blkstanggt
Jack what do you mean by disorientating on the Blu Ray? I personally can't stand the 120hz refresh rate. Then again I haven't actually watched like a sports game with it, but I don't like the way it makes movies look. To me it looks like the movie is being filmed live, kinda like a soap opera. I have to agree though that you really don't see much of a difference in 720p and 1080p unless you are sitting real close. If you can afford it then I say go 1080p. You should also wait until after the Superbowl cause tvs are cheaper then.
thats exactly what i mean.

it completly loses the filmlik quality, it looks strange, kinda like the pepsi 3d commercials aired during the superbowl 10 years ago. it is just so crystal clear it doesent seem realizstic.

Transformers was a perfect example. The movement of the camera seemed computerized and way way too fluid thanks to the 120hz refresh rate, combine that with the near lifelike image and the un-0natural camera angles it is somewhat disorientating. .... lol
 
  #13  
Old 01-21-2009, 02:50 PM
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Originally Posted by r3dn3ck
If you're considering buying a HDTV in the next couple months, take my advice and wait till about June/July. OLED TV's are starting to make their way into the market and usually around summer starting time the electronics giants start pushing their old tech out the door to clear inventory space for the new stuff. You'll see 42" LCD's going to <500 bucks. Mark my words... the first yuppie-scum-mutherfukker to see an OLED tv up close will run home and list their plasma on craigslist and go back and buy the new technology. They do it because they're yuppie scum and they can't help it... it's like a sneeze or a cough. It just comes natural to them.
ive been reading up on OLEDs for years now Definatly slick. Low power consumtion, insane contrast ratios, extremly thin and i dont know if the TV's will be, but OLED is a flexable material, it can be rolled up like a blind.

I saw an 13inch OLED TV for sale in a catalog, it was like 1/32inch thick. And about $12,000

OLED is clearly superior to Plasma and LCD, but right now it is still way too cost prohibitive. You are right about the plasma's and LCD's dropping in price, but for the first 3-4 years i woudltn expect OLED to be more than a novelty for the rich.

I think OLED will be the pinnacle of displays untill nanotech reaches the point where you can buy aa bucket of TV paint and just paint it on the wall and turn it on.

Oh yeah, im sure the yuppid will keep his LCD tv... he will probably put it in the bathroom across from the *******.

lol...
 
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Old 01-21-2009, 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by JackThe Ripper
thats exactly what i mean.

it completly loses the filmlik quality, it looks strange, kinda like the pepsi 3d commercials aired during the superbowl 10 years ago. it is just so crystal clear it doesent seem realizstic.

Transformers was a perfect example. The movement of the camera seemed computerized and way way too fluid thanks to the 120hz refresh rate, combine that with the near lifelike image and the un-0natural camera angles it is somewhat disorientating. .... lol
I've seen Transformers running at Best Buy on 120hz and I definitely know what you mean. I thought they did an excellent job at compositing the robots in to the environments and making everything look pretty damn real, but the 120hz ruins it for me cause it makes it look too clear and fake.
 
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