TV question: 720 vs 1080...does it *really* matter?

[JeffreyJim]

Yes, I know the "technical" difference between 720 and 1080 but in real world practice does it matter?

I'm looking at a 42" plasma that is cheap as fuck (450). Picture looks pretty good to me (in person) but it is a 720p TV (and I'm guessing the content at the store is only 720 thus the reason the 1080 TVs look no better??)...

Considering I'm not exactly in a place in my life where high quality TVs matter (or have the budget to worry about it) I'm wondering if I'm better off spending my budget (up to 550) on a smaller 1080 TV or just say fuck it and go with it.

Thoughts?

[Slurr P]

for a 42" you should be fine with a 720p tv. the 1080 is really only necessary for tv's above 50" and projectors.

you'll definitely want to spend on a blu-ray player and hd package for your cable and all, because dvd & sd will be super grainy on a screen that size

[zombinate]

I'd say if you are super into movies, and are planning to hit it with a blu-ray player more often than not, then the 1080p does make a difference. However, if we are talking TV (in any form), dvd playback, or gaming, then the 720p will treat you better than most. IMHO blu-ray is the only format that actually has a visible difference everything else being equal

[Beyond]

We have had a 50" 720, have been looking at 1080's. We've found that in stores, they play around with contrast and saturation levels, have dedicated feeds, all can fool the brain into "seeing" higher res when it's not. We notice a slight improvement, but in all honesty, I think inter-brand variation is a bigger effect. Our Panasonic looks better at 720 than many 1080's. Agree with zombinate that for TV, it's a non-issue. In fact, non HD TV may look worse. We notice improvement with DVD's, even non-Blue Ray, or PS.

[El Chupacabra]

IMHO not a big difference between 720p and 1080i or 1080p, all of them look great.

Even standard def DVD that is upconverted (line compression) 480p looks great on any HDTV.

[strawjack]

the black is more black. i have 1080 240hz but hardly think it's worth the xtra $.

[schindlerpiste]

IMHO not a big difference between 720p and 1080i or 1080p, all of them look great.

Even standard def DVD that is upconverted (line compression) 480p looks great on any HDTV.

If you look at one and the immediately look at the other, then there is a huge difference. If you look at one, then walk away, then come back and look at the other, there is no difference.
Plasma is great...no longer any altitude issues...best picture of LCD, LED, plasma comparison; HOWEVER, if there is a lot of sun in the room, the picture will be very dark...too dark.

[Shredhead]

Yes, you can get a larger plasma for the money right now. But they use more electricity than a LED. I just put in a 55" Samsung in my basement because it's dark and won't get used that much.

I purchased online and saved hundred's, plus no sales tax.

[GoEhuge]

If its for cable go 720P, no doubt. If its for blu-ray, then go 1080P.

Just went through this same excercise myself. Digital cable HD is broadcast in 720p, so having a 1080p TV makes no difference at all. Since my TV is primarily used for cable and movies on demand/netfix, there was no need to spend the extra loot on the 1080p. If the primary purpose is to watch blu-rays, there will be a slight difference, since those accomodate 1080p.

I spent under $500 at BestBuy for a new 42 inch Panasonic 720p Plasma and couldn't be happier. I have a 1080p Samsung in my living room used primarily for cable, and the picture on my new 720p is actually better.

[JeffreyJim]

Thanks all---This will be used primarily with Apple TV but there is a chance I'll add a Blu-Ray player at some point...although I don't really care if I lose a bit of quality while watching Blu Ray---I'm sure I'll be content.

Last question: Zenith vs Panasonic...what would you go with all things equal?

[gunit130]

1) Plasma sucks, get LCD or LED
2) Go full 1080 or go home

[JeffreyJim]

1) Plasma sucks, get LCD or LED
2) Go full 1080 or go home

Why does Plasma suck??? And what are your reasons behind the whole 1080 being the ticket?

All I know is in the video I shoot 720 looks just as good as 1080.

I realize this isn't the case with better hardware (I'm shooting HDSLR) but still...I'm not sure it is enough to really matter.

[gunit130]

Plasma is old technology. As far as I know they don't even make plasma TV's anymore. You can't leave an image on a plasma for a long time or it will burn the screen and make a permanent outline. Use LCD if you plan to hook your PC/Mac up to it.

[The SMP]

How close do you plan to sit to it? At that size TV past around 8-10 ft 720 will look like 1080. If you plan to use it for a monitor or sit closer than 5 ft you will be able to tell 1080 vs 720.

[SorryBro]

Plasma is old technology. As far as I know they don't even make plasma TV's anymore. You can't leave an image on a plasma for a long time or it will burn the screen and make a permanent outline. Use LCD if you plan to hook your PC/Mac up to it.

The mis-information you a spewing out is shocking. Plasma screens are still being made. Newer plasmas don't have problems with burn in unless you used it as a monitor for months on end.

OP, You'll be fine with 720p if you are sitting further than 6 feet away from the TV. Even with Bluray, you won't notice the difference past 6 feet. If you can afford 1080p, go for it, but if you want to save some money, 720p is fine for most people. Go here: http://www.avsforum.com/ if you want more information than you can handle.

[Beyond]

Plasma is old technology. As far as I know they don't even make plasma TV's anymore. You can't leave an image on a plasma for a long time or it will burn the screen and make a permanent outline. Use LCD if you plan to hook your PC/Mac up to it.

1) Everything we can afford is old tech. Especially LCD's. They still make plasma.
2) Burning in, like ghosting in LCD's, is nearly a non-issue these days. Have never had a problem with it, vis-a-vis channel logos, etc. after thousands of hours of use.
3) Zenith is less reliable and weaker image quality than Panasonic. You get what you pay for, generally.

[Professor Chaos]

1. Plasma is (somewhat) old tech and these days I wouldnt buy one(for more reasons than age). A buddies 'rents bought a 50+ inch widescreen 5-6 years ago at the height of the plasma craze. One day they accidentally left the laptop plugged in and on for a long while and the image burnt itself into the screen and, well, bye bye tv..

2. Depending on your useage you could go either way. For what you stated, a 720 will work just fine.

3. Get name brand vs generic. This seems to be the biggest difference Ive seen lately. My buddy has a generic, "house" brand(from BestBuy/Futureshop) 37" 1080 LED. My 31"(or 33") 720 LG looks far better than his. Im unsure of the exact specs of each(other than what I just stated), however when we play games for instance the picture on my TV is always crisper, clearer and the picture processes much faster.

[JeffreyJim]

Plasma is old technology. As far as I know they don't even make plasma TV's anymore. You can't leave an image on a plasma for a long time or it will burn the screen and make a permanent outline. Use LCD if you plan to hook your PC/Mac up to it.

Hmmm...everything I've read doesn't show plasma to be old nor inferior. Plasma supposedly does better with motion, doesn't have altitutude issues and has better viewing angles.


Not saying it is "better" but it doesn't seem any worse...thats for sure.

[digitaldeath]

i worked with plasmas and lcds- private label shit- 1st off lcd v plasma is personal preference- i like plasma

the human eye cannot tell difference between 720 and 1080

[whyturn]

Plasma may buzz (humm) above 5000 feet due to gases. But 1080 requires 1080 source, HD. blueray, etc. If you are watching Movies, then it (720) is fine.

LCD's are like $350-$450 this christmas for 42-46. Not black friday, but everywhere. There is an overabdundance of LCD. Get LCD if you can. Enjoy

[dump]

How close do you plan to sit to it? At that size TV past around 8-10 ft 720 will look like 1080. If you plan to use it for a monitor or sit closer than 5 ft you will be able to tell 1080 vs 720.

This is the correct answer. If you go to AVS forum or do a google search, you'll find a chart that identifies how close you need to be to the television to even start to see the difference between 720p and 1080p. The chart is based on the size of the tv, and the human eye cannot tell the difference between the two if you are past a certain distance. So figure out your viewing distance, look at the chart, and then make a decision. Good luck.

[Captain Anal]

Considering I'm not exactly in a place in my life where high quality TVs matter

720p will be fine. it's f'in stupid to spend a ton of $$ on a tv in the first place. if you don't care that much about having the best tv ever... its even more stupid to spend a bunch of $$ on one. just go get the tv that will work well enough for you without killing your wallet.

once you get the tv in your house, you're not going to have other tvs to compare it to anyway, so it'll look awesome even if it's 720p and non name brand. just don't get plasma if you get a lot of sunlight in the room where you'll be using it. very shiny screens.

[JaytaeMoney]

Plasma may buzz (humm) above 5000 feet due to gases.

THIS. If you live in a mountain town (or even near the mountains, for that matter) get an LCD. My buddy bought a 42" plasma while he still lived in Boulder for school and there was audible buzzing. He moved back to Aspen and the buzzing got much worse and the TV was dead within the year (no idea if that corresponded to the buzzing noise or not but that shit was loud and probably not good for the TV).

I even tried to tell him Plasmas are bad at high elevation but he bought it anyway. Now his TV is kaput and my LCD is still working as good as the day I bought it over 3.5 years ago.

Also echoing the sentiments that 720p vs 1080p is negligible on TVs less than 50" or so.

[JeffreyJim]

THIS. If you live in a mountain town (or even near the mountains, for that matter) get an LCD. My buddy bought a 42" plasma while he still lived in Boulder for school and there was audible buzzing. He moved back to Aspen and the buzzing got much worse and the TV was dead within the year (no idea if that corresponded to the buzzing noise or not but that shit was loud and probably not good for the TV).

I even tried to tell him Plasmas are bad at high elevation but he bought it anyway. Now his TV is kaput and my LCD is still working as good as the day I bought it over 3.5 years ago.

Also echoing the sentiments that 720p vs 1080p is negligible on TVs less than 50" or so.

I'm pretty sensitive to this so will pay attention when in the store. I've been told this is a none issue these days...and likely wont see about 6500 feet (or whatever JH is)

[whyturn]

Compressed gasses, not good. LCD is much longer life and can be had for very close to the same price. LCD all the way....I've been in AV install for over 20 years..........