paul1815

plasma - 720 or 1080p?

I am considering the Pana 720..older model versus the Pana 1080p. I don't think I can see much of a difference in the image while watching TV or a regular DVD. However, the store clerk (best buy ) told me you WOULD notice a big difference if you played a blue ray on the 1080...it would be a big improvement over playing a blue ray on a 720.

Is this true? Is it worth the extra $400 for the 1080?

I am putting this in a fairly dark family room with couches about 8-9' away. Mostly will watch regular TV, DVD/BLue Ray and Wii games.

Man-Fai Wong

Re: plasma - 720 or 1080p?

Well, if you're talking a >=50" plasma at 8-9ft away, the diff should be noticeable for Blu-ray (and possibly also upconverted video from top quality 480i/p sources), but I'm not sure how big of a diff it would actually be for you and your family in practice -- these things can be a bit subjective. Your best bet is to actually go check it out for yourself and see (using the same viewing distance at the store w/ the various sources).

If I were buying though, I don't think $400 would stop me from going to 1080p if I'm already spending well over $1000 (and probably into the ~$1300 ballpark) on a 50" plasma, assuming you're getting something that big. Afterall, presumably, you'll want the display to last you quite a long time. But if you plan on upgrading every 3 or so years, then maybe it might make sense to go cheaper now.

_Man_

Just another amateur learning to paint w/ "the light of the world".

paul1815

Re: plasma - 720 or 1080p?

I am definitely going the 50" screen size, but again just not sure if I should spend the extra $. But at least you confirmed too that the difference would be noticeable...and that it wasn't just a salesguy's speel.

thanks....

Patrick Sun

Re: plasma - 720 or 1080p?

I sit about 9 feet from my 50" plasma (720p) and didn't really notice enough difference to shell out the extra $400+ for the 1080p model for the same size screen last year.

If I were sitting 5 feet from the screen, then the differences between 720p and 1080p would be more evident. But then again, I don't know how keen your eyesight is from 8'-9' away, so you'll definitely need to do your homework, go to the stores and look at the 720p and 1080p plasma sets from your regular viewing distance and see if the difference in price is worth twice the number of pixels.

Also make sure the other picture quality elements: brightness, contrast, color, etc. all look good to your eyes, because it gets real easy to just get sucked into the resolution game without taking into account the other factors that make up the total picture quality you'll get with a specific plasma TV. You'll notice a TV with poor black levels much more easily than if it only has 720p resolution.

"I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!"
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jseese

Re: plasma - 720 or 1080p?

I had the same dilemma and opted to go for the 1080p because blu ray looked so much better. I have a 47 " LG LCD and I thought it was worth the extra money.

Kevin C Brown

Re: plasma - 720 or 1080p?

I am 9 to 10 ft away, and I have a 50" Panny 768p model. (Only the old 37" came in 720p. )

I bought last fall. Now, I would get a 1080p model. Back then, the 768p models were brighter, and had a higher contrast ratio because more pixels for the higher res model means more dead space in between those pixels, which means less lightable area. (If you think about that for a second, it will make sense.)

But they have since improved the brightness and contrast of the 1080p models. A lot of people feel that bright/contrast/colors can be more important than resolution for picture quality, so back then, that's why I went with 768p. But now? I firmly believe that 1080p is the way to go for that size/distance combination.

Plus some of their newer 1080p models supposedly can do a multiple of 24 Hz for the refresh rate.

If it's not worth waiting until the last minute to do, then it's not worth doing.

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