1080p? Why?

[SoylentG]

So I'm in the market for a new T.V., and I'm not sure where to begin. Here's my usage:

40% PS2
30% T.V.
10% Movies
20% Fiance's T.V. shows

Computer connectivity, with good visual quality.
Most likely *not* widescreen, as I can live with black bars for movies, but would hate to have them during gaming.
Budget around $1400.

Now, I need to know the differences between LCD, Plasma, etc. The points that are important to me:
Picture Quality
Any "ghosting"?
Size (size comparison for same size viewing area)
Power Usage
Typical Durability - I don't want to buy a T.V., and have it break on me in 3 years, especially at the price range I'm wanting to pay.


Does anyone know of some good comparison threads/sites? I've looked at the LCD thread by xtknight, and gleaned a lot of information, but its 100% LCD knowledge...

Finally, I'm not sure on the differences between the 1080p and such in actual image quality and usability. I've been told that a 1080p tv may not properly display regular television...where can I find the truth?

 

[gramboh]

Originally posted by: SoylentG
So I'm in the market for a new T.V., and I'm not sure where to begin. Here's my usage:

40% PS2
30% T.V.
10% Movies
20% Fiance's T.V. shows

Computer connectivity, with good visual quality.
Most likely *not* widescreen, as I can live with black bars for movies, but would hate to have them during gaming.
Budget around $1400.

Now, I need to know the differences between LCD, Plasma, etc. The points that are important to me:
Picture Quality
Any "ghosting"?
Size (size comparison for same size viewing area)
Power Usage
Typical Durability - I don't want to buy a T.V., and have it break on me in 3 years, especially at the price range I'm wanting to pay.


Does anyone know of some good comparison threads/sites? I've looked at the LCD thread by xtknight, and gleaned a lot of information, but its 100% LCD knowledge...

Finally, I'm not sure on the differences between the 1080p and such in actual image quality and usability. I've been told that a 1080p tv may not properly display regular television...where can I find the truth?

Well to start off, all HD sets are going to be 16:9 aspect ratio widescreen. The only way you can get a 4:3 with HD resolutions would be a computer monitor with inputs compatible with your AV stuff (cable/satellite box, DVD player, PS2 etc) but this makes no sense.

Lots of games support widescreen (not sure about PS2, Xbox and Xbox360 do and of course PS3 will with PS3/360 supporting 1080p but I doubt they have the horsepower to drive it in 3D games).

For LCD vs Plasma go on wikipedia there should be plenty on the advantages/disadvantages or google it. Same for the life of the panels.

1080p means 1920x1080 @ 60 frames per second (aka progressive scan). 1080i means 1920@1080 @ 30 frames per second (interlaced, every second line of the frame is scanned). Any HD set, regardless of 720p/1080i/p will display 'regular' (standard def analog) TV poorly. I have a 1080i set and normal cable channels look disgusting compared to a normal TV, even when I put vertical bars on the side to force 4:3 mode. Newer sets may be better at it, but it's a stretch to the TV's native resolution.

If you plan on watching a lot of non-HD content it will bug you. IMO it's not worth getting an HD set unless you have an HD satellite/cable box to drive it. Movies using an upscaling DVD player to the TV's native resolution are good as well and obviously HD content from HD-DVD/Bluray/360/PS3.

 

[Markbnj]

I think the best justifcation for 1080p is so you can watch 1080i content, which is actually being broadcast by some networks (I think Discovery HD is one). I recently bought a Sceptre 37" 1080p set, and while I don't have any 1080p sources I do like the 1080i content.

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: SoylentG
Now, I need to know the differences between LCD, Plasma, etc. The points that are important to me:
Picture Quality
Any "ghosting"?
Size (size comparison for same size viewing area)
Power Usage
Typical Durability - I don't want to buy a T.V., and have it break on me in 3 years, especially at the price range I'm wanting to pay.

Does anyone know of some good comparison threads/sites? I've looked at the LCD thread by xtknight, and gleaned a lot of information, but its 100% LCD knowledge...

Finally, I'm not sure on the differences between the 1080p and such in actual image quality and usability. I've been told that a 1080p tv may not properly display regular television...where can I find the truth?

AVS Forums is the place

If you want to make an informed decision, you will give yourself a few months to follow this forum before taking the plunge. Meanwhile, the prices will continue to drop fast.

For your $ 1400 budget, A 32-inch Sony Bravia LCD is a current example of a good quality product you could get.

 

[Wreckage]

Some TVs like the Sharp Aquos will upconvert 1080i to 1080p

 

[gramboh]

Aren't any LCD's that display 1920x1080 automatically 1080p? I thought LCD's are progressive scan by nature and can't interlace anyway.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
I think the best justifcation for 1080p is so you can watch 1080i content, which is actually being broadcast by some networks (I think Discovery HD is one). I recently bought a Sceptre 37" 1080p set, and while I don't have any 1080p sources I do like the 1080i content.

1080p is supposed to replace 1080i in the not too distant future. (720p can be displayed on a 1080i set but the picture it upsampled to the native res).

 

[BernardP]

As the discussion slips towards 1080P, it' time for...

1080P - A Reality Check

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: BernardP
As the discussion slips towards 1080P, it' time for...

1080P - A Reality Check

Yet, there WILL be 1080p transmissions in the future. Why would you say "oh since it's not now I'll buy this and it doesn't even support 1080i only 720p" when you can futureproof yourself.

You can already get 1080p Blue-Ray movies (HD-DVD too?) and the picture quality is much better than 1080i (yes I CAN see the difference in motion).

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: BernardP
As the discussion slips towards 1080P, it' time for...

1080P - A Reality Check

1080p is overkill for broadcast HD becase of the bandwidth requirements, but it's a very real option coming very soon via HD-DVD, BlueRay and Playstation 3 games.

For the OP who says he uses his TV for 40% PS2 (and presumably will get a PS3 sometime in the future), 1080p is a feature I'd strongly recommend he look into.

 

[Slammy1]

If you have a 1080p source or plan on one in the near future, it's worthwhile but remember for PC games 1080p is much more demanding than 720p on LCD displays. Whether crt or lcd is better is actually a solid concern now, at one time crt had a real advantage but the tech is closer now. It comes down to personal preference and sources. People who have had tubed displays for a while will generally prefer plasma.

 

[imported_cinder]

You play lots of games so I would not recommend Plasma technology. Although burn is not a HUGE problem but it can still happen just not as easily as in the past. LCD screens DO NOT have burn in PERIOD. Burn in on plasmas now-a-days takes days not just an hour or so like it used to. I agree with the other folks though 1080p is a great option for you if you are planning to get a PS3 which will display 1080p content...did anyone tell you that it will also play all your ps2 games and walk your dog too?

 

[Woofmeister]

I join in the recommendation that you take your questions to the AVS Forum. Your questions are good ones, but I think they go beyond what you could expect to learn from replies to your posts.

 

[Ronin]

Originally posted by: Wreckage
Some TVs like the Sharp Aquos will upconvert 1080i to 1080p

You realize this means nothing, right? The resolution is the same. The difference is how the image is shown (interlaced vs progressive).

Upscaling from 720p to 1080i is one thing. 1080i to 1080p is another. You can't magically make an interlaced image a progressive one if the image isn't broadcast in progressive. You can, however, degrade the signal from progressive to interlaced (hence the upscale from 720p to 1080i).

 

[Woofmeister]

Originally posted by: Ronin

Originally posted by: Wreckage
Some TVs like the Sharp Aquos will upconvert 1080i to 1080p

You realize this means nothing, right? The resolution is the same. The difference is how the image is shown (interlaced vs progressive).

Upscaling from 720p to 1080i is one thing. 1080i to 1080p is another. You can't magically make an interlaced image a progressive one if the image isn't broadcast in progressive. You can, however, degrade the single from progressive to interlaced (hence the upscale from 720p to 1080i).

What Ronin said. All flat panels are progressive so any interlaced signal has to be converted to progressive in order for an image to be displayed. Thus, 1080i converts to 1080p on any plasma or LCD that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

 

[SoylentG]

Still think you?ve just gotta have that new 1080p RPTV? Wait until you see what standard definition analog TV and digital cable look like on it?

That's from the 1080p reality check, last line...

Is this just blowing out bs or is this true?

 

[kmmatney]

Originally posted by: cinder
You play lots of games so I would not recommend Plasma technology. Although burn is not a HUGE problem but it can still happen just not as easily as in the past. LCD screens DO NOT have burn in PERIOD. Burn in on plasmas now-a-days takes days not just an hour or so like it used to. I agree with the other folks though 1080p is a great option for you if you are planning to get a PS3 which will display 1080p content...did anyone tell you that it will also play all your ps2 games and walk your dog too?

I have a plasma (bought early in the year), and you still can get burn-in in a short time period (somewhere between hours and days). My plasma has a "screen cleaner" function which does work, and has been able to get rid of my burn-in effects so far. However you need to run it for ~30 minutes, so its a PITA. You will also get burn-in effects if you set the TV to 4:3 scaling a lot - the solution is to make sure you run everything full screen. I like the picture quality, but I would hesitate to buy another plasma TV.

 

[kmmatney]

Originally posted by: SoylentG

Still think you?ve just gotta have that new 1080p RPTV? Wait until you see what standard definition analog TV and digital cable look like on it?

That's from the 1080p reality check, last line...

Is this just blowing out bs or is this true?

Well, I've purchased 2 HDTV's this year. One was a 50" Plasma from Costco, and the other was a SONY LCD projection TV. My plasma does not have a tuner, so I'm using a VCR as my tuner for my crappy analog cable. The cable signal looks OK, but I do notice defects. My Sony LCD rear projection TV has a built-in tuner, and the same crappy cable signal is stunning - it looks way better. In fact, the tuner picks up a few digital channels through my cable. My TV tells me the resolution and format of the digital channels, and my crappy analog cable signal looks just asa good as the lower resolution (480) digital channels. So, how good analog cable looks depends on the tuner. I wish my plasma had a decent tuner...