Should You Potty Train Your New HDTV?
Monday, February 16, 2009 at 11:30PM Very often, I'm asked by friends and clients if the "P" is necessary in an HDTV? In other words, is 1080p worth the money?
My shoot-from-the-hip response: If you have to ask, the answer is "No." Basically, what I'm saying is that the people who will unquestionably benefit from 1080p over 720p already know the benefits and wouldn't ask me the question. However, there is no set answer that works for everyone. (Note: I'm deliberately omitting 1080i from the discussion.)
The biggest variables to consider are the size of the TV and how far back you will be sitting from the TV.
Try looking at it like a screen door. A 1080p screen door of the same size has more little holes (pixels) than a 720p screen door. At a relatively close distance (like 2-4 feet), the 1080p screen door will look less like a screen door and more like a solid tinted sheet of transparent material. This is a good thing. You want the TV (screen door) to look as solid as possible. Move back to about 8-10 feet and it will be much tougher to tell the difference between the two. They both will look like solid tinted sheets of transparent material. Once again, this is a good thing. In TV speak, at a standard viewing distance (around 8-10 feet) and a screen size below 50 inches (diagonal), it's difficult to notice a difference between a 1080p and 720p television. Picky viewers with excellent eyesight may disagree with me, though.
Technically speaking, 1080p IS better than
720p. But it may not be worth the extra money to you. That's really what I care about. Consider ALL of the following:
- If you are looking at a screen size less than 50 inches and the price difference between TV's is substantial to you, go with 720p. You'll be fine. You will have a great picture to look at it. (ESPN HD broadcasts in 720p. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.)
- If you are looking to buy an HDTV AND another device (or two) and have a firm budget, consider 720p. You can use the cost difference between 1080p and 720p HDTV's to buy other toys while staying within your budget. Once again, your viewing experience will be fine.
- Consider 1080p if your new HDTV must last you 5-7 years. 1080p will future-proof your TV. Also, consider 1080p if you have a high definition Blu-Ray player. This will give you the best viewing experience.
There can be a lot of intimidating acronyms involved in buying an HDTV. They all mean something but most really don't actually mean anything to the average person. The TV may seem intimidating but in reality, it isn't. It just needs a hug.
---
denity technology solutions
for when you need to choose & usesm technology
serving the washington, dc metro area
Reader Comments (4)
....so, please consider the above if you are an avid gamer and looking to purchase an HDTV for gaming purposes.....
having said that, I have a 1080p projector and love gaming on it (it upconverts the 720p native resolution games to 1080p). later
However, I must still give the people the facts. After that, they are free to do whatever they want.
---
denity technology solutions
for when you need to choose & usesm technology
www.denity.com
serving the washington, dc metro area
I completely agreed that there are very few games that are made to display in a native resolution of 1080i or 1080p. This is looking really interesting and funny concept. I also love to play strategy games a lot on my XBOX.
Thanks