Why should I pick 1080p HDTV ?

By Bram P

You’ve been looking for a new high definition TV (HDTV), and have little confused  with lots of new terminology.  You’ll see when choosing a new flat screen, plasma TV or DVD player include 1080i and 720p, as well as 1080p and the salesperson will recommend you 1080p HDTV. The questions are why should I choose 1080 HDTV and what is the difference with others?

Your main concern when choosing a high definition TV is the “structure” of the screen, which refers to the pixels on its digital display.  This would be the equivalent of scan lines on the older tube type TV screens.  The more pixels (or lines), the less obvious they are, and the better your image looks.

1080p HDTV

1080p is the shorthand name for a category of video modes. The number 1080 represents 1,080 lines of vertical resolution, while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced.

1080p resolution which equates to 1,920×1,080 pixels–is the highest resolution of  HDTV currently. That’s because on paper 1080p HDTV are capable of displaying every pixel of the highest-resolution HD broadcasts. 1080p HDTV on paper ables to provide  2,074,000 pixels / frame.

1080p vs 1080i

Today there are two main flavors, 1080i HDTV (the i is for interlaced) and 1080p HDTV (p for progressive).

The difference is the  1080i HDTV content, only the even horizontal lines are drawn in one frame/field, followed by only the odd horizontal lines in the following field. In a way, what this means is that in any given frame/field, only 540 lines of horizontal resolution are being displayed. If an interlaced image is showing fast motion, sometimes a type of breakup can be seen. The “p” in 1080p HDTV stands for “progressive,” and what it means is that all 1080 lines of resolution are shown in each frame/field.

The best of all is the 1080p HDTV option.  It offers the best of both world, 60 frames per second at 1920 x 1080 pixels.  The toal bandwidth is 124 million pixels per second, double that of 1080i.  It can display any HDTV signal without any downconverting, while 1080i signals only require some gently “de-interlacing” to work properly.

Conclusion

If a HDTV named as 1080i will usually have a native resolution of either 1366×768, 1280×720 or 1024×768, because TVs that have beyond resolution are referred to as being 1080p HDTVs. The factors that make up image quality on a TV, in order, are:

• Black Level
• Color Accuracy & Saturation
• Contrast Ratio
• Resolution

Also, make a note of what your viewing distance is from the TV. If you sit too far, the benefit of 1080p HDTV will be lost. A fully resolved high definition TV signal (1080i or 1080p, 1920×1080) supports a closer viewing distance than standard analog TV. 1.5 - 2 times to the screen width would represent the ideal TV viewing distance for an HDTV display and  2.5 - 3 times the screen width represents a more practical limit for the maximum viewing distance.

Other post you may be interested in reading: Plasma television and  The first Canon Rebel series with HD video captured.

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