720p vs 1080p on a plasma

[micrometers]

Thinking about picking up a new television. Size between 42 and 60 inches. is 1080p vs 720p a sizable difference?

 

[bearxor]

The bigger you go, depending on the distance you sit from the screen, the more of a difference you're going to notice...

Personally, I would be ok with a 720p set up until about 46-51". Once I hit 51", I'd really prefer to have 1080p. I have a 110" 1080p projector that I sit roughly 12' from and can notice the space between pixels sometimes.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

This is a good question/thread. I'm also in the holiday LCD tv market.

When else are there noticeable differences between a 720 vs 1080p screen? There were 2 40" LCD tvs and I couldn't tell the difference. I'm sure the singal was HD but I'm believing there was something else that I wasn't accounting for. :hmm:

 

[KentState]

Something else to consider is that the better models series only come in 1080p. I know with Panasonic, there is a difference in quality between a lower ST30 vs a VT30.

 

[JackBurton]

It's almost 2012, there should be no reason to get anything less than 1080p. In 2007, yes. 1080p sets came at a premium. But now, just about any junk set comes in at 1080p. Just get a 1080p set, ESPECIALLY if you are looking at a 60" TV.

 

[bearxor]

It's almost 2012, there should be no reason to get anything less than 1080p. In 2007, yes. 1080p sets came at a premium. But now, just about any junk set comes in at 1080p. Just get a 1080p set, ESPECIALLY if you are looking at a 60" TV.

That's true for LCD, but not for plasma.

 

[JackBurton]

That's true for LCD, but not for plasma.

The part about even junk sets having 1080p resolution? True, low end plasmas still come in 720p. But I REALLY don't see the point in getting anything less than 1080p. A 42" 1080p Panasonic S30 can be had for ~$500. If that is too much for you, get a 1080p LCD for less. No sense in getting a 720p set in this day and age. And 720p plasmas are normally 1024x768 which is not even the standard 720p resolution, that's why I avoided 720p plasmas even back in 2007.

 

[0roo0roo]

1080p is almost a given now for a decent price.

The only time you have to make that trade off is on the low end, if price becomes the factor then at under 50" 720p can be passable...but only if you need to get the price under that magic mark, otherwise just a tiny bit more and you got the 1080p, so why not. So basically if yo have the chocie between a 50" 720p and a 1080p 40", you go 50", because nothing makes up for the size when you are sitting back 6-8 feet, but if you can help it, get the 1080p so you can get close or use more htpc applications.

 

[vi edit]

The part about even junk sets having 1080p resolution? True, low end plasmas still come in 720p. But I REALLY don't see the point in getting anything less than 1080p. A 42" 1080p Panasonic S30 can be had for ~$500. If that is too much for you, get a 1080p LCD for less. No sense in getting a 720p set in this day and age. And 720p plasmas are normally 1024x768 which is not even the standard 720p resolution, that's why I avoided 720p plasmas even back in 2007.

Meh.

I got a 46" 720 plasma with web apps for under $500. Hell it was $399 today at Best Buy. It's sitting almost 12 feet away from where the couch is the family room. We play kinect games and watch cartoons on it. I have zero, zip, nada need for 1080p and do not miss it in any way shape or form on that set. And yes I do have other 1080p sets in the house. Unless you are hooking up a HTPC or the PS3 browser I dare the average homeowner at their average sitting distances to find the difference between 1080p and 720p.

 

[JackBurton]

Meh.

I got a 46" 720 plasma with web apps for under $500. Hell it was $399 today at Best Buy. It's sitting almost 12 feet away from where the couch is the family room. We play kinect games and watch cartoons on it. I have zero, zip, nada need for 1080p and do not miss it in any way shape or form on that set. And yes I do have other 1080p sets in the house. Unless you are hooking up a HTPC or the PS3 browser I dare the average homeowner at their average sitting distances to find the difference between 1080p and 720p.

Obviously, 1080p is not a need, but I just don't see the point of anything less. But I also don't see the point of getting a display any smaller than 50", unless you are using it for a monitor. And with 1080p, the closer you get to the screen, the more detail you see. I sometimes roam around my living room, and I sometimes get pretty close to the screen. And with a 1080p display, you can see more detail the closer you get instead of a screen door effect you get with 720p.

 

[Matt1970]

Size and viewing distance is a big factor. I am very hard pressed to tell a difference between 1080 and 720 on my girfriends 40" LCD. My 56" is a different story. 720 looks great on the 56 but if it is true 1080 then you can count the eye lashes on people.

 

[smitbret]

Obviously, 1080p is not a need, but I just don't see the point of anything less. But I also don't see the point of getting a display any smaller than 50", unless you are using it for a monitor. And with 1080p, the closer you get to the screen, the more detail you see. I sometimes roam around my living room, and I sometimes get pretty close to the screen. And with a 1080p display, you can see more detail the closer you get instead of a screen door effect you get with 720p.

Because the PQ on the 720p Samsung is better than just about any LED/LCD and significant number of the Plasma televisions out there. Plus, you can pick one up for less than $600. I will take it every time over any sub $800 LCD/LED, 1080p or not. Also keep in mind that the only media that would really benefit is BR. NO widely available broadcast television is any real Full HD. Even 1080p games don't get a significant amount of improvement from 720p to 1080p.

The only reason someone wouldn't agree is because they don't have first hand experience and are just a tech spec geek. Do an eyeball test from 8+ feet and see if you don't agree.

 

[hans030390]

Aren't there some 720p plasmas that aren't actually 1280x720? Not sure if that is still a factor to take into consideration these days or not.

 

[smitbret]

Aren't there some 720p plasmas that aren't actually 1280x720? Not sure if that is still a factor to take into consideration these days or not.

Yeah, some of the Panasonics are 1024x768 or something like that. Since you're probably downsizing from 1080i in most case, anyway, you won't see much difference.

 

[JackBurton]

Because the PQ on the 720p Samsung is better than just about any LED/LCD and significant number of the Plasma televisions out there. Plus, you can pick one up for less than $600. I will take it every time over any sub $800 LCD/LED, 1080p or not. Also keep in mind that the only media that would really benefit is BR. NO widely available broadcast television is any real Full HD. Even 1080p games don't get a significant amount of improvement from 720p to 1080p.

The only reason someone wouldn't agree is because they don't have first hand experience and are just a tech spec geek. Do an eyeball test from 8+ feet and see if you don't agree.

Broadcasts are normally 1080i, with DirecTV doing 1080p although there still is compression. You also have the issue with the screen door effect (SDE) with 720p plasmas at the ~47"+ range. Obviously this depends on the your seating distance and the person's eye sight, but can normally be seen from a normal viewing distance. And again, they don't even display a true 1280x720 resolution. MOST 720p plasmas, including Samsung's, are 1024x768 or something other than 1280x720. Jacked up resolutions.

And yes, I've been around 720p sets for a looong time. Even the KING of 720p plasmas (Pioneer 5080) suffered from the SDE. And again, non standard resolution (1366x768) which irritated me. Why they could make it 1280x720, I have no idea. However that is the ONLY 720p plasma I would consider owning.

Anyway, what I'm saying is, 1080p sets are cheap now and see no reason why you would settle for a 720p set when you are planning to keep it for another 3+ years. 4K displays are coming, and people are stilling messing around with 720p sets. It's like people still buying DVDs when Blu-ray is out and pretty dang cheap if I might add.

 

[JackBurton]

Aren't there some 720p plasmas that aren't actually 1280x720? Not sure if that is still a factor to take into consideration these days or not.

99% of the plasmas are NOT 1280x720. As a matter of fact, I don't know of a single one that has a true 1280x720 resolution.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

how is this 720 plasma?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...3D_Plasma.html

 

[JackBurton]

It's 1024x768.

 

[Zstream]

I have this one and it looks pretty darn good to me.

http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/PN43D450A2DXZA

 

[Subyman]

Definitely get 1080p. You can pick up LG 1080p plasma sets for around 500-600 dollars in 50". I picked one up last christmas and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Hell of a set. No reason not to spend 100-200 more and get the higher resolution especially with new consoles only a year or so away.

 

[bearxor]

99% of the plasmas are NOT 1280x720. As a matter of fact, I don't know of a single one that has a true 1280x720 resolution.

From my experience, all of the cheap < 46" (or so) are 1024x768. Once you get above 46" (or so), you'll start hitting 1366x768 on the cheap.

 

[JackBurton]

From my experience, all of the cheap < 46" (or so) are 1024x768. Once you get above 46" (or so), you'll start hitting 1366x768 on the cheap.

Yeah, the Pioneer 5080 had 1366x768 and again wasn't a standard 1280x720 res. And because of this, it was a pain hooking up a PC to it because of the non-standard res. You could make it work, but not as easily if it was 1280x720 or better yet 1920x1080. Other than that, it was a great display. MUCH better than most 1080p displays on the market then and even now. However the SDE was still there for people and some were really distracted by it. BUT, given that it was such an awesome display, people would choose it over a lesser 1080p display. But that was then, when you had to make the choice between an "affordable" 720p display vs equally priced 1080p display. If you wanted to go 1080p then on a plasma it was pretty expensive. Now, you have a choice of an affordable 1080p display or a cheap 720p display. And IMO, I'd pay a little extra for an "affordable" 1080p display over a cheap 720p display. Purchasing a 720p now is just a bad idea IMO.

 

[hans030390]

Yeah, I'd never personally buy a TV rated at X resolution with Y as a native resolution. I mean, 720p and 1024x768? Spend the extra on a set with native 1080p and actually, you know, get what you're paying for.

 

[smitbret]

If you don't watch BR then why spend the money? It's not worth $200 to me.

Just get a 50" plasma for $600. You won't get any benefit from going to 1080p and the size is gonna affect your enjoyment much more than 1080p.

 

[gar655]

I watch BR on my 50" Panasonic 720P and I can count the eyelashes, see the veins in the eyes and many other tiny details.

I've seen BR on 1080P sets of similar size and don't notice any greater amount of detail.

At 60" plus it would certainly be a different story.