Do I need 720p??? (1 Viewer)

[Steven_Jobe]

Well I've already posted a thread asking about the Samsung/Akai 42" TV's and how good/reliable they are and now have a new question. These TV's don't support 720p and I'm wondering if I really need it? I watch my HD broadcasts in 1080i and am not sure of anything I'd need in 720p. Is 720p neccessary and is it better than 1080i?

 

[Steven_Jobe]

????

 

[John F. Palacio]

Hi, Steve.

You will find proponents of both 720p and 1080i and for every argument "for", there will be one "against" either system. This is the reason even the major networks could not agree on which system to use. CBS and NBC opted for 1080i whereas ABC and FOX went with 720p.

Most sets will convert whatever you feed it to their "native" resolution. I am surprised to hear the Akai does not support 720p.

If all your HD material is in 1080i then there's nothing to worry about.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Also most HD STB (set top boxes) will convert 720p to 1080i and vice versa. You won't miss out on any of the HD bradcasts that are in 720p, they will be converted to 1080i then sent to the TV.

Only thing you would miss out on is 720p XBox games, but there aren't a large number and they're still playable in 480p as well.

 

[Steven_Jobe]

Thanks everyone, that definately helps alot. I was mainly wanting to make sure they could still accept 720p signals and convert them. Now that I know they can then I'll probably go with the Samsung version of this set. BTW, does anyone know where I can find reviews on them.(that is the 42" samsung/akai TV's)

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Circuit City's website will have user reviews but I would take them with a grain of salt. Alot of people who don't really know what they are talking about post on there. Check audioreview and epinions for some other user reviews that are usually a little better but far from professional. You could also just google the model number and add the word review.

 

[Chad Ferguson]

So right now the only purpose of 720p is Xbox games and HDTV? Cause right now I'm in a huge limbo over a little smaller tv that does 720p, but I've noticed that bigger screens are cheaper and only do 480-540p. Is the cost that much more worth it?

 

[Max Leung]

You can get an upconverting (aka upscaling) DVD player that will scale DVDs to 720p. It actually seems to make a difference...very detailed images. They typically do a better job than the TV's internal scaler. YMMV.

Examples of upscaling DVD players are the Zenith 318, LG7832, Momitsu V880, Bravo D1 and D2, Samsung 931, etc. Unfortunately, all these players have annoying issues of one thing or another. I expect these to be ironed out within the next 6 months though, as the really big players come out with affordable upscaling DVD players (Denon, Panasonic, etc.).

 

[Chad Ferguson]

well I guess nevermind, the TV's I'm looking at do 720p, but either upconvert it or downconvert it. I guess that's still a good thing though seeing as how the source material is higher quality.
Thanks

 

[John_F]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but just to be safe...
You did verify this thru the user manual, or thru other users of the set? There may not be many, but some displays do not accept 720p, for example Panasonic consumer plasmas.

Good luck,
John Flegert