HDTV Showdown: 1080i and 720p
http://live.pirillo.com/ – 480i,. 480p, 720p, 1080i, 180p, hdtv: it’s maddening! Simon just wants to know the difference between 720p and 1080i when it comes to HDTV so he can make an informed decision when he purchases an HSTV set.
First, what do the ‘p’ and ‘i’ at the end of the numbers mean?
"i" means interlaced. The image is shown in two sequences: the even lines and the odd lines. These two images are shown so fast that your eyes are tricked into seeing one solid image. This method lets the screen effectively show 30 frames per second (30 solid images per second).
"p" means progressive scan: the entire image is shown to you at once. Since we’re shown the entire image at once we’ve effectively doubled the frame rate to 60 frames per second. Some people argue that this gives the moving images a much smoother motion.
The numbers "720" and "1080" refer to the number of horizontal lines of resolution.
So, 720p means 720 lines of resolution with a progressive image. 1080i means 1080 lines of resolution with an interlaced image.
Which one is better? Personally, Chris can’t tell the difference between the two.
Some people argue that anything that requires fast movement of the camera (like sports) look better on a 1080i display than on a 720p display. But if you’re just the average user, there’s a good chance you’re not going to notice the difference between the two.
If you’re in the market to purchase a High Definition Television try visiting some of your friends that have an HDTV set, and looking at the sets displayed in stores. Find the one that’s most pleasing to your eyes (and your budget) and buy it.
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5 Comments
Joseph
June 2nd, 2007
at 8:33pm
“Some people argue that anything that requires fast movement of the camera (like sports) look better on a 1080i display than on a 720p display.”
– i think you have that reversed. Since you just said earlier that “p” was supposedly better for fast moving objects.
Chuck Whitaker
June 4th, 2007
at 2:10pm
A couple of comments.
1) All else being equal (it’s not) a 1080 display probably works better with material transmitted in 1080 and a 720 display work better with 720 material. Pick a show, they are all different
2) P is better than I. “I” was a cheat in the 1940’s to allow viewable television within the bandwidth constraints of the time.
3) Three words: Imaging Science Foundation: http://www.imagingscience.com. The $200-$400 to have your new HD set properly calibrated–not just leaving it the way Sparky at Costco originally set it–will blow away the differences between 1080i and 720p
Chuck Whitaker
June 4th, 2007
at 2:10pm
A couple of comments.
1) All else being equal (it’s not) a 1080 display probably works better with material transmitted in 1080 and a 720 display work better with 720 material. Pick a show, they are all different
2) P is better than I. “I” was a cheat in the 1940’s to allow viewable television within the bandwidth constraints of the time.
3) Three words: Imaging Science Foundation: http://www.imagingscience.com. The $200-$400 to have your new HD set properly calibrated–not just leaving it the way Sparky at Costco originally set it–will blow away the differences between 1080i and 720p
Felipe
February 28th, 2008
at 8:53am
I’m un decicded about buying a 720p or 1080i HDTV. I don’t have digital cable and I don’t plan on getting it either. I have a PS3 and I would like to use the HDMI cable. Would you recommend a 720p or 1080i TV? Thanks!
John Beshara
March 26th, 2008
at 7:48am
Some people argue that anything that requires fast movement of the camera (like sports) look better on a 1080i display than on a 720p display.
As Joseph states in his comment above (June 2, 2007): “I think you have that reversed. Since you just said earlier that “p” was supposedly better for fast moving objects.”
He’s absolute right … you have that reversed.
Given that someone has pointed this out in the very first comment, why haven’t you changed this in the main article?
The fact that you got this totally wrong negates the whole article. If you screwed up on this point, how can we believe anything else you write?
More importantly, why haven’t you edited the article to correct it?