1080p vs 1080i Plasma or LCD - To wait, or not to wait. (1 Viewer)

[ScottK_Sea]

Hi Everyone -

I am preparing for the purchase of a new TV and this site has already been an amazing resource for me! Thank you! It seems that 1080p is the next 'big thing' but we aren't quite there yet. My question is two fold.

A) Is 1080p worth waiting for? In a 42" - 50" am I really going to notice a huge difference and kick myself if I dont have it.

B) Is 1080p 'really' close? (6months - 1year) or are we realistically looking at 2+ years. (Assume buying it at a reasonable price, not $10,000 sets or anything).

I hope to buy a Playstation3 and/or Blu-Ray/HD DVD player someday, as well as use current HDTV content on my TV. Looking to the 42" - 50" range.

Just curious if anyone could share their opinions on if they think its really worth waiting for or not.

Thanks!

 

[BrandonJF]

As to how close it is, there are sets out there now that have a 1080p resolution for under 5k. Some of those (like Sony's) won't accept a 1080p signal, but everything gets upscaled to 1080p. The Sony 50" has an MSRP of $3499. Personally, the inability to accept 1080p on those sets is silly at this time. I get that virtually nobody can feed it a 1080p source today, but it's just around the corner.

There is an HP microdisplay set that displays and accepts 1080p, although the smallest model is 58" and outside the range you specified. It's MSRP is $3499 as well.

 

[Allan Jayne]

My suggestion is not to buy a 1080 LCD or plasma or DLP unless it has a HDCP 1080p input.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/hdtvnot.htm

 

[Johnal]

Bookmark!
I'm very tempted by Sony's SXRD units, but I really want to wait for that 1080p input to better "future-proof" my investment. It would also be nice if those speakers were detachable. I'm hoping for a set like this by the end of the year.

-Johnal

P.S. Nils is my hero.

 

[Johnal]

I hate responding to my own response on a thread, but I finally got a chance to check out the Sony SXRD in person instead of just what I've read online and... what a beautiful picture it was! I was so close to just biting the bullet and going for it... but no... I must wait for the 1080p input. gah! (It looked soo good though!) Then again, it was so obvious how overly brightened and sharpened all the other televisions on display were. Interestingly enough, I saw the unit and was impressed with the image...I then proceeded to walk down the path and came across another television whos quality truly rivaled that of the first unit... low and behold... I discovered they had two of the units on display. I'll probably be going back tomorrow to gawk some more. ANyone have any suggestions as to what they feel is a comparable unit? Okay...i'm done...just excited...

 

[Joe Szott]

You know, so much of this is personal preference and what looks good to each person's eye, but here's my experience and 2c:

We bought a Mitsubishi 1080i set in 2002 and used it up until start of this year. It wasn't until the end of last 2006 that we actually fed the thing a good 1080i signal, and even now it is a 70/30 split. All that time I could have saved some dough or had a bigger screen for the $ and lived with 720p just fine. So 'futureproofing' needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Not a bad idea, but spending an extra $500-1000 on a set just for 1080p is definitely a trade off I would think about. What else could you forward that money to and how soon will you really feed it a true 1080p signal? (PS3 games will NOT be in 1080p for a while, if ever. Like Xbox 1 and 1080i, it was possible but in reality...)

So we were looking at new HDTVs this January. At first we were like moths to a flame over the Sony SXRD units, they really trounce DLP and LCD set IMHO. But ultimately we settled on a 50" Plasma that only gets 720p. And you know what? It's the best picture I have ever seen for high definition media. The picure is so damn good I can't believe it, knocks any of the same content I watched in 1080i on its rear. Plus it cost $1k less than the SXRD we were looking at and hangs on the wall like a piece of art.

So the upshot of what I'm saying here is resolution is good to have, but really it isn't critical to how satisfied you will be with the TV. Pick the one in your price range that has the best picture to your eye and meets your specific needs. There will always be new formats and connections, don't go broke trying to futureproof an HDTV that they build with forced obsolecense in mind.

 

[ScottK_Sea]

Thank you for the comments everyone, great discussion going on here.

As I continue to read on the topic, many people seem to be talking a lot about viewing distance & the size of the screen you will be using. I'm in the 42" - 50" (Max) screen size, some people seem to think that 1080p really doesnt make a huge difference with that screen size and a 8-10' viewing distance. Opinions?

My parents recently picked up a 50" Pioneer which is just gorgeous in my opinion. Its stared to make me wonder how great 1080p is in reality vs being a novelty that is cool to have as a home theater enthusiast.

I have also been researching the current 1080p sets out there (LCD, Plasma, DLP, etc.) and it seems odd to me that almost none of then can accept a native signal over HDMI. Does anyone know of any sets that CAN do this?

Also, Joe, what Plasma did you pick up?