1080p question

[MichaelC]

I see more and more 1080p TV's out now. Are programs being sent out by Dish network, Direct TV or off air good enough to see the improvement a 1080p set offers? It looks to me that there are going to be more 1080p sets coming out in the near future.

 

[Ilya]

Yes, since most HD programs are delivered as 1080i, 1080p TV sets should (at least in theory) produce sharper image (higher resolution), than more traditional 720p (or 768p) sets. Of course, the difference will be less noticeable on heavily compressed low-bandwidth and HD-Lite channels.

Unfortunately, some 1080p TV sets cheat and do not deinterlace 1080i correctly. They essentially convert 1080i to 540p and only then convert it to 1080p which is not good.

 

[Pepper]

Unfortunately, some 1080p TV sets cheat and do not deinterlace 1080i correctly. They essentially convert 1080i to 540p and only then convert it to 1080p which is not good.

I suppose that would be a case where 720 looks better than 1080. Sounds like much research is warranted before buying a new TV.

 

[Ilya]

Here is an excellent article from Home Theater magazine, which explains what's the deal with that 1080i-540p-native conversion and lists particular TV models that do 1080i conversion correctly: http://www.hometheatermag.com/hookmeup/0506halfrez/

Out of 54 TV sets tested, only 28 do this correctly.