Mitsubishi WS55311 vs Panny 53WX42 (1 Viewer)

[HansB]

Other than a huge difference in price I see one difference between these two sets. Horizontal Resolution = 1200 for the Mitsubishi and 850 for the Panny. Can someone tell me exactly what this means? Better resolution on the Mistubishi? They claim to both be HDTV, shouldn't the resolution be the same?

Thanks for any input.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

HansB,
I remember seeing your post earlier, but I did not reply since I thought somebody else could better answer your question.
Since nobody's stepped up, I'll say this much. Don't trust the horizontal resolution specs for TVs. Often, the disparities are just a sign of how each TV maker reports their #s, instead of sticking w/ the industry standard. My guess here is that the Panny is reporting it using the standard (by adjusting for aspect ratio) while the Mits is not.
Even assuming they both use the standard, it's still not at all reliable for performance comparisons. Like I said in another recent post, it's kinda like comparing 2 speakers that both claim 20-20Khz frequency response, where one could be a $50 speaker from Radio Shack and the other a $5K one from Thiel. Obviously, my speaker example is extreme, but you get the point.
If you want to compare resolutions, you might try a good home theater magazine that offers reviews that provide reasonably reliable measurements of actual resolution. Probably SGHT and Widescreen Review might be good for that although I have no idea if they've reviewed these TVs yet.
_Man_