What are you really comparing with 1080p vs 720p resolution quality?  1080p is the new buzz word in plasma and LCD TVs right now.  Manufactures would lead you to believe that the new 1080p televisions give you a better resolution than the 720p resolution.  Is that true?  Let’s take a look and see how 1080p vs 720p measure up with satellite, cable, broadcast TV, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Blu Ray HD players.

The big debate in 1080p vs 720p are that more pixels lit on the screen gives you better picture resolution. 

The number of pixels lit on the screen of a 1080p vs 720p is as follows:
720p = 720 x 1280 or 921,600 pixels
1080p = 1080 x 1920 or 2,076,600 pixels
Now you would think it is a no brainer in the 1080p vs 720p debate because two million plus pixels lit at one time must give you a better quality picture right?  Well the whole bigger, better, best debate on the 1080p vs 720p resolution may be all hype.

When choosing between 1080p vs 720p consider the following:

The cable, satellite and broadcasting companies have set the standard output signal at 720p or 1080i.  Even if you have a 1080p capable HDTV the signal would need to be converted from 720p to 1080p.  Once converted to 1080p your picture resolution is of a lower quality than if you just started out with a 720p plasma or LCD TV.  It all comes down to dollars and cents and the cable, satellite & broadcast companies have no plans to start sending their programming out in 1080p compatible signals any time soon.  The cost to convert to the 1080p output signal is too high.  In this case 1080p vs 720p isn’t even much of a question.  720p is the better investment.

When does 1080p win in the 1080p vs 720p resolution debate?

1080p is compatible to the following gaming and HD DVD players.

Xbox 360* and Sony Playstation 3* are both 1080p compatible.
*(If you use 1080p formatted games)
Sony Playstation 3** and Blu Ray HD player** are both 1080p compatible
**(if you use 1080p formatted movies.) 
These movies are not yet being produced in high quantities.  If you rent movies from your local video store you are most likely getting 720p formatted movies that again need to be converted up to the 1080p signal of the television thus many times you are NOT getting the 1080p resolution you paid for.

When weighing all the pros and cons of 1080p vs 720p it doesn’t seem to be much of a contest.  1080p is only worth the extra money if you are using 1080p compatible gaming and HD DVD players 90% of the time.  You’re better off spending your money on a nicer quality 720p plasma or LCD if you use your TV for anything else.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 6th, 2008 at 1:39 pm and is filed under Plasma vs LCD TV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.