Any reason to avoid 1080p? (UPDATED)

[Ferocious]

After some negotiating on a package deal the salesman offered me the 1080p version of a 42" TV for the same price as the 720p version which itself was on sale.

What are any reasons why I would pick the 720p over the 1080p?

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EDIT: Recalculated additonal power costs more accurately and it was more like an additional $250 over 10 years instead of $400.

I bought:

1) Panasonic TH-42PZ80U 42" 1080p Plasma
2) Panasonic DMP-BD35K Blu-Ray DVD player
3) 6 ft HDMI cable

The deal ended up being $759 + $289 + $20 = $1068 + tax

Just got the TV setup and I like the picture so far. Haven't played any DVD's yet.

 

[cheesehead]

Unless you're using nothing but 720p sources (basically only the Xbox 360), I can't possibly think of one. And even then, the 1080p TV might end up looking better.

 

[vi edit]

The only negative to 1080p would be cost, but it sounds like that's a non-issue. If the two TV's have comparible specs otherwise just go with the 1080p.

 

[BernardP]

If you are looking at plasma, the 1080p version will use significantly more power and radiate more heat. If you are looking at LCD, might as well get 1080p for the same price. Be certain to check that all other features are the same or better on the 1080p model.

 

[T9D]

...

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

1080p. No question. If you can't afford it, you probably shouldn't be buying a big HDTV anyways. But the thing is, maybe right this second, a whole lot doesn't output at 1080p for you to take advantage of it, but, everything below 1080p will work on this TV. And in the future, when things are 1080p input for real (not just fake scaled up crap, like consoles are doing right now), you'll have the 1080p display ready to go for it. For a bit more, you get years more potential use simply because it can display higher resolution for the future's higher resolution content.

Very best,

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: MalVeauX
Heya,

1080p. No question. If you can't afford it, you probably shouldn't be buying a big HDTV anyways.

False.

There are many very good, quality sets that are 720p. Some, in fact, spank most 1080p TVs (like my Pioneer 5080, which at the time was termed "the best flat-panel TV ever"). Now, if I sat 5 feet from my TV, then I would definitely need 1080p. However, at my viewing distance (9 feet) my TV looks better than any non-Pioneer TV I could've bought at the time, especially for $1,900.

In the OP's situation, there's absolutely no reason to pick the 720p version of a TV over the 1080p version since they are the same price. The only reason to not pick 1080p is if you can get a better 720p set for the same price (or simply can't afford a 1080p TV to begin with).

For those who think that 1080p is the most-important aspect to PQ, the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) disagrees with you:

Quoted from this CNET article:
...the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), a group that consults for home-theater manufacturers and trains professional video calibrators...says that the most important aspect of picture quality is contrast ratio, the second-most important is color saturation, and the third is color accuracy. Though resolution may be the most talked-about spec these days, it comes in fourth on the ISF list...

[/quote]

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: MalVeauX
Heya,

1080p. No question. If you can't afford it, you probably shouldn't be buying a big HDTV anyways.

False.

There are many very good, quality sets that are 720p. Some, in fact, spank most 1080p TVs (like my Pioneer 5080, which at the time was termed "the best flat-panel TV ever"). Now, if I sat 5 feet from my TV, then I would definitely need 1080p. However, at my viewing distance (9 feet) my TV looks better than any non-Pioneer TV I could've bought at the time, especially for $1,900.

In the OP's situation, there's absolutely no reason to pick the 720p version of a TV over the 1080p version since they are the same price. The only reason to not pick 1080p is if you can get a better 720p set for the same price (or simply can't afford a 1080p TV to begin with).

[/quote]

I think you are the exception to the rule kalrith. The 5080 was the baddest 720p flat panel HDTV made. The thing still demolished most current day 1080p sets. So yeah, when people are comparing 720p vs 1080p sets, I think you can probably assume they are excluding the 5080 from their comment.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: MalVeauX
Heya,

1080p. No question. If you can't afford it, you probably shouldn't be buying a big HDTV anyways.

False.

There are many very good, quality sets that are 720p. Some, in fact, spank most 1080p TVs (like my Pioneer 5080, which at the time was termed "the best flat-panel TV ever"). Now, if I sat 5 feet from my TV, then I would definitely need 1080p. However, at my viewing distance (9 feet) my TV looks better than any non-Pioneer TV I could've bought at the time, especially for $1,900.

In the OP's situation, there's absolutely no reason to pick the 720p version of a TV over the 1080p version since they are the same price. The only reason to not pick 1080p is if you can get a better 720p set for the same price (or simply can't afford a 1080p TV to begin with).

I think you are the except to the rule kalrith. The 5080 was the baddest 720p flat panel HDTV made. The thing still demolished most current day 1080p sets. So yeah, when people are comparing 720p vs 1080p sets, I think you can probably assume they are excluding the 5080 from their comment.

What can I say? I like being the exception to the rule

The 1080p argument is getting easier and easier to digest with the prices falling so much and so few quality 720p TVs being produced. A year or two ago, it was very different, and many people were buying lower-quality 1080p TVs just because they had a 1080p sticker on them.

[rant]However, it still irks me for people to make statements like, "If you can't afford it (1080p), you probably shouldn't be buying a big HDTV anyways." I just hate blanket statements like that in general. Not everyone has the same viewing requirements and definitely not the same amount of disposable income.[/rant]

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: kalrith
[rant]However, it still irks me for people to make statements like, "If you can't afford it (1080p), you probably shouldn't be buying a big HDTV anyways." I just hate blanket statements like that in general. Not everyone has the same viewing requirements and definitely not the same amount of disposable income.[/rant]

I understand, but you've got a Pioneer, and a 5080 at that (again what I consider, and most others consider, one of the baddest 720p sets ever made). I think you're safely removed from that comment.

 

[Ferocious]

Originally posted by: BernardP
If you are looking at plasma, the 1080p version will use significantly more power and radiate more heat. If you are looking at LCD, might as well get 1080p for the same price. Be certain to check that all other features are the same or better on the 1080p model.

Yeah they are plasmas with identical features. Do you think the 1080 on a 42" is worth the extra power usage costs and heat? The TV will be in an open area.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

@Kalrith

False? No sir, not false. The original question was when there was a time to pick a 720p over a 1080p. There's zero reason to get a 720p over a 1080p. None. What so ever. The only reason to get a 720p right now is due to price. They make 1080p's that are better than the 720p's that were the best. And frankly, not everyone only uses their HDTV for television. A lot of us use them combined with PC's. And having access to higher resolution is absolutely important for that. No one here said 1080p is more important than image quality. But it's safe to assume that all things given (ie, high contrast, high quality), there's zero reason to go 720p over 1080p. None. I frankly don't care what you like. The original poster's question is what is on the topic here.

Given two high quality televisions, the only reason to go 720p over 1080p is cost. And if it's that prohibitive to go 1080p (both quality versions are expensive, so don't even try that `blanket' cop out), then perhaps the buyer shouldn't be looking for an HDTV at all. Frankly, the cost difference between 720p's and 1080p's is not very significant. It was a while back, but no longer.

Very best,

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: MalVeauX
There's zero reason to get a 720p over a 1080p. None. What so ever.



The only reason to get a 720p right now is due to price.

Read that back to yourself. You totally contradict yourself.

Also, there's still more to it than that. If someone can only afford $715 for a TV, they could get a Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U from Amazon. They could pay the same price for a 42" 1080p Vizio or Sanyo, but the PQ of those would pale in comparison to the Panny. Also, if they sat 10 feet from their TV as many people do, they wouldn't see any of the benefits from 1080p anyways. They would likely not see a difference at even 6-7 feet away.

However, I guess they shouldn't even buy a TV unless it has a 1080p sticker on it. I've heard that that sticker makes it's PQ pure gold.

 

[dclapps]

I agree with kalrith: 1080P / 720P all comes down to Viewing Distance

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

Clearly you fellas don't use a PC with your 720p~1080p.

Thus, nevermind.

Very best,

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: dclapps
I agree with kalrith: 1080P / 720P all comes down to Viewing Distance

not if u want to output pc to tv. 1080 is better than 720 for that.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: MalVeauX
Heya,

Clearly you fellas don't use a PC with your 720p~1080p.

Thus, nevermind.

Very best,

PC usage is the one glaring exception irrespective of viewing distance. I would whole-heartedly recommend 1080p for PC usage; however, I personally have never used a PC with my TV. The OP made no mention of using the TV with a PC, and neither did you in your you-shouldn't-even-buy-an-hdtv-without-1080p statement. Another benefit of 1080p is that it has to process fewer signals since it can just deinterlace 1080i, and most 1080p TVs can display a 1080p signal with no processing. However, that advantage can mostly be nullified with a good scaler and IMO is less important than the big 3: contrast ratio, color saturation, and color accuracy.

Edit: In reality the one and only con to 1080p is price. Whether that's having to buy a smaller TV, a lower-quality TV, or no TV at all can make a big difference. However, if you have $4k to drop on a Pioneer 6020, then price is a non-issue. Most people have to deal with some sort of budget for discretionary purchases, and for many people 720p fits into that budget better than 1080p.

Edit2: Like I said before, the choice between 720p and 1080p is more easily pointing toward 1080p simply because of the lack of quality 720p TVs. However, the same principles still apply, and until we get national health care that covers the installation of bionic eyes, 1080p will have diminishing (or no) returns beyond a certain viewing distance relative to the TV size.

 

[spidey07]

It's not just viewing distance. Read all of this article, it covers why 1080p is superior in every way even for your non HD sources.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com...ould-be-concerned.html

 

[Rubycon]

Because 5K is better!

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: spidey07
It's not just viewing distance. Read all of this article, it covers why 1080p is superior in every way even for your non HD sources.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com...ould-be-concerned.html

1080p being superior to 720p is not the issue. The issue is whether a 1080p TV or a 720p TV at the same price is superior. If the 720p TV has superior contrast ratio, color saturation, and color accuracy, then it's a better TV as long as you're not using it for a PC and you're not sitting too close for the 720p resolution.

 

[Ferocious]

Ok I'm leaning towards the 720p because of total cost.

Seems odd I would choose a 720p over a 1080p....both at the same price....because the 720p would use about $400 less electricity over 10 years in my case. Over 50% of the TV cost extra! (Even discounted to a lump sum today taking into account inflation it would be well over $300.)

He already failed to convince me that the 1080p actually looked better in the store. So tomorrow I might see if I can convince him to sell the 1080p cheaper than the 720p...because it costs so much more eventually. :laugh:

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: Ferocious
Ok I'm leaning towards the 720p because of total cost.

Seems odd I would choose a 720p over a 1080p....both at the same price....because the 720p would use about $400 less electricity over 10 years in my case. Over 50% of the TV cost extra! (Even discounted to a lump sum today taking into account inflation it would be well over $300.)

He already failed to convince me that the 1080p actually looked better in the store. So tomorrow I might see if I can convince him to sell the 1080p cheaper than the 720p...because it costs so much more eventually. :laugh:

it doesn't seem too off but i'd like to know how you got these numbers and came to this conclusion.

regardless, you're talking about a difference of 10 cents a day if your numbers are indeed correct.

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: Ferocious

Originally posted by: BernardP
If you are looking at plasma, the 1080p version will use significantly more power and radiate more heat. If you are looking at LCD, might as well get 1080p for the same price. Be certain to check that all other features are the same or better on the 1080p model.

Yeah they are plasmas with identical features. Do you think the 1080 on a 42" is worth the extra power usage costs and heat? The TV will be in an open area.

You can read this interesting article about viewing distance and the ability of the human eye to see the difference between different resolutions:

When 1080p matters

The graphs will tell you if your viewing distance is within the range where 1080p matters. Except for those who sit very very close to their TV, it doesn't.

FYI, I bought a 50-inch Panasonic plasma about a month ago and I chose the 720p PX80 model. I sit 9 feet from the set. It's a great picture.

1080p is asking a bit much from a 42-inch plasma. The cells are a bit too small and require more current to produce a given level of luminosity, hence the additionnal power consumption and heat.

I don't know your viewing distance, but in your case, the real question might not be 1080p or 720p, but rather 42 inches or 50 inches. Viewing distance should be between 2.0 and 2.5 times the screen diagonal.

 

[spidey07]

It's not just viewing distance!

Gah!

So much misinformation on the intarweb it makes one's head explode.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: vi edit
The only negative to 1080p would be cost, but it sounds like that's a non-issue. If the two TV's have comparible specs otherwise just go with the 1080p.

:thumbsup:

only reason would be cost.