1080p Offers More Detail
A 720p frame has roughly about 1 million pixels. Compared to it, a 1080p frame has 2 million pixels. As you see, the amount of detail doubles. However in practice the difference between 1080p vs 720p is not as obvious as the one between standard definition vs high definition (480p vs 720p). For example a regular DVD isn’t even considered high definition because it is either 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL) but it looks much better than regular NTSC or PAL TV broadcasts and not as great as 720p. That being said, you do get more detail from 1080p than from any resolution if you have the “winning” formula for screen size, resolution and viewing distance – that is if you have the optimum conditions to get the most out of 1080p.
Screen Size, Resolution and Viewing Distance
This trio is the base for obtaining the best picture quality and amount of detail from your HDTV. There is a relation between the three and if you get them right you will get the best picture quality no matter if you choose 720p vs 1080p or you decide to go for the extra detail offered by 1080p. Unless you have the correct numbers for these three sizes, you can end up seeing the same detail from 1080p as you would from 720p. Worse than that, you might even get a poor experience from 720p and a very bad one from standard definition (SD) content like many TV programs.
Basically, you want to buy a HDTV that offers you the best picture quality and amount of detail for the specific distance you will be sitting away. The viewing distance is actually a constant because you will always sit at the same distance (unless, of course, you move your chair or coach closer). The screen size and resolution depend on your budget. The larger the screen and resolution is, the higher the price will be.
In order to get the extra detail from 1080p, the screen size must be big enough and the distance short enough for your eyes to actually see the extra detail. Basically, unless you have a very short distance between you and the TV, you will need a larger screen with 1080p than with 720p. That means in order to actually benefit from 1080p you pay not just for the extra resolution but also for the extra screen size.
720p vs 1080p Content
The only pure 1080p content comes from high definition DVDs like Blue Ray and HD DVD. Regular DVDs are way below that, hawing just 480p or 576p. You also get HD content from TV broadcasts but for now only 1080i and 720p. Basically 1080i offers pretty much the same amount of detail as 1080p but the quality of fast moving scenes is a bit inferior to 1080p. 720p content will of course look the same (or very similar) on a 1080p screen as it does on a 720p screen because what also matters is the content resolution not just the screen resolution.
Enhanced definition (EDTV) like DVDs and standard definition content (regular TV channels) will also look the same on 720p vs 1080p. You must keep in mind that if you intend to watch a lot of standard definition (SD) content, doing so on 1080p HDTV that sits at the optimal distance for 1080p content will make the SD content absolutely ugly. In this case the TV will act like a magnifying glass, enhancing the imperfections specific to SD content. If you intend to watch a lot of ED or SD content you might want to consider buying a TV that will not give you the full advantage of 1080p but will look acceptable with SD and ED content. |