1080I vs 720P Please help (1 Viewer)

[randySH]

I have directtv hdtv tivo set up, wherein I can pick the resolution I want, 720 or 1080, i see that different networks use different signals...

my pioneer elite plasma is hdtv and not edtv, so, if the signal coming in is 1080I and I have the direct tv device set to 720p am I getting a slightly better pic than if I have it on 1080 as my tv guy told me?

 

[Scott L]

Not sure how DirecTV works but my hd cable box allows 480i / 720p / 1080i / pass-through.

Pass-through is obviously the best signal because no conversion is involved. If you have that option choose it and let your TV's scaler do the work.

 

[Wayde_R]

Your plasma has a native resolution of 720P and scales everything else to that resolution. The question seems to be; which is better at scaling the picture to my TV's native resolution, TV or STB? The cable guy thinks your better off feeding your TV its native res at all times. He could be right.

My STB sends my TV whatever res the channel comes in as, so it varies. I assume my TV does a better job of scaling the images because it's more expensive than the STB. Maybe I'll experiment a bit and test this theory.

Ultimately its about which way looks better to you.

 

[randySH]

thanks for the replies, I do need to spend some time looking at the differences, to do that I have to have my wife change the setting while I sit back to see if there is any difference...tried doing it myself but I cant see the tv when i hit the knob

 

[John S]

720p connected digitally is supposed to give best results. But results vary for any given combo of equipment hooked together.

best of luck

 

[randySH]

thanks John, I get confused cuz 1080 sounds better than 720, right, but since it is interlaced and not whatever P stands for it is not really better, right?

is 1080P in the pipeline or way down the road?

 

[Scott L]

oh yea I forgot, if you're using DVI/HDMI then fixed @ 720p may be your best bet. I'm using component right now but when I tried DVI out of the cable box to my projector and switched to NBCHD (1080i network) it looked like crap.

I'd say way down the road. Just now there are displays in the $8k range that cna display 1080p, but they can't even accept a 1080p signal. Boggles the mind.

 

[Wayde_R]

Flogging a dead horse here I think. 720P and 1080i, the i and the P is what counts. Anything P is better than anything i.

In fact from a data rate standpoint they're the same, the amount of data is expressed in a 720P image as in a 1080i image. It's just the P is going to be better at watching film in approx 30fps converted to digital than anything i. Less jaggies on moving images. I've made this comparison first hand, seen it with my own eyes, it's excellent.

1080P
Down the road. You can get 1080P now if you're willing to pay the money. It's been said on this board by someone wiser than myself that in a few years all DTVs will probably be 1080P. I haven't seen 1080P myself yet, I'd love to but I am bit confused as to how it can possibly be as good as people are saying. If the same amount of data is shown on the picture as my 720P, what is 1080P really doing for you?

 

[Scott L]

Did you mean to say 1080i there? 1080p is definately better because when you blow it up on the wall it's hard to get the screen door effect when you sit close.

I agree 1080i is annoying as hell. It's hard to watch fast-moving scenes with interlaced. I wonder how Xbox 360 games will look when it comes out later this year.

 

[Wayde_R]

I look forward to xbox 360 too. I love games in 480P so far.

I meant 720P. From what I understand the "downconversion" from 1080i to 720P is not very much in terms of data. The throughput for both formats is the same, the cable companys use the same bandwidth to fullfill both resolutions. If there were suddenly channels that wanted to broadcast in "true" 1080P it would double the 1080i requirements and nearly double the 720P requirements.

So, this is what I really question, how 1080P can look so significantly better than 720P, when the chennel being broadcast is a 1080i channel. The de-interlacing of 1080i probably gives some advantages, but it's still not real 1080P. It's still only the same amount of data displayed.

Maybe as you said, it cuts down on little problems like screen door effect, and certainly aliasing in fast moving images.

 

[John S]

If your fast motion looks bad at 1080i, you better check your source. ED (480p) is good, HD (be it 720p, 1080i) is better, I'm not so sure there is any 1080p source out there at all right now.