HDTV newbie
 

OK, I'm going to break down and buy an HDTV. But I have all sorts of
questions. I'm not a TV whiz, so these will be foolish but I'd like to
avoid making a big mistake.

Questions:

1. 1080p and 1080i.

1080i is an interlaced format which means that a portion of the picture
is rendered in one pass and a second portion is in another. I think I
understand how that would work with a CRT style tube, but how does it
work on an LCD or plasma where the number of pixels is fixed? I've
read some things that say that a 1080i signal is 'reconstructed' into a
full 1080 image and the rendered on a 1080p screen in a single 'pass'.
Does that mean that a 1080i source (satellite?) renders much better on
a 1080p TV than on a 720p one? If I have any of that even close to
being right (I'm guessing I don't), how does a 1080i LCD screen work?
How can you show interlaced video on a TV that has a fixed pixel count?

2. 1080p appearance

I've read some people saying that a 720p and 1080p picture don't look
too much different. For the life of me I don't get this one. Wouldn't
a full 1080p source (Blu-Ray) look way better than a 720p one based on
the extra resolution? I can understand how it wouldn't if you were far
away, but I would think that for normal TV watching that the difference
in extra detail would be noticeable, particularly if the screen was
large 50' or above...

3. 1080p sources

I gather that some 1080p HDTVs, particularly old ones, won't take a
1080p HDTV source. Yet they are still called 1080p. Is this because
they could accept input from another source (VGA) and render at full
1080 vertical pixels? If a 1080p TV lists HDMI input, does that mean
it will show the full 1080p BluRay HD-DVD resolution?

Sorry for the ignorance but I'm grateful for any help...

HDTV newbie
 

http://www.hdtvprimer.com is a darn good source for this stuff. It'll
probably answer all your questions.

HDTV newbie
 

"Paul" wrote

... Does that mean that a 1080i source (satellite?) renders much better on
a 1080p TV than on a 720p one?

In theory, although in practise the advantage is not terribly significant. A
good set can convert 1080i to 720p just fine (my D-ILA being an example)

....Wouldn't a full 1080p source (Blu-Ray) look way better than a 720p one
...

It depends on the size of screen, seating distance and how good your
eyesight is. If you are sitting 2 1/2 times or more the screen diameter of
the set away, you would probably not be able to resolve the individual
pixels. However, 1080p sets tend to have better image processing hardware
and software, and hence look better for reasons other than pixel count.

HDTV newbie
 

NadCixelsyd wrote:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com is a darn good source for this stuff. It'll
probably answer all your questions.


If he wasn't so lazy a good Google search would answer all his questions.

HDTV newbie
 

Sam Spade wrote:
NadCixelsyd wrote:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com is a darn good source for this stuff. It'll
probably answer all your questions.


If he wasn't so lazy a good Google search would answer all his questions.

What an asshole you are. A good google search yields all sort of
conflicting information which is why I came here.

I hate small minded dickwads like you.

HDTV newbie
 

Paul wrote:
Sam Spade wrote:

NadCixelsyd wrote:

http://www.hdtvprimer.com is a darn good source for this stuff. It'll
probably answer all your questions.


If he wasn't so lazy a good Google search would answer all his questions.


What an asshole you are. A good google search yields all sort of
conflicting information which is why I came here.

I hate small minded dickwads like you.


Your overreaction makes my point. You are too lazy to do a bit of
intelligent research.

HDTV newbie
 

Overreaction?

I ask some questions in good faith in the proper forum and I get
attacked by a twit like you?

I didn't overreact: I was right to be annoyed.

And my assessment of you is spot on: you are an asshole just as sure as
the sun comes up in the morning.


Sam Spade wrote:
Paul wrote:
Sam Spade wrote:

NadCixelsyd wrote:

http://www.hdtvprimer.com is a darn good source for this stuff. It'll
probably answer all your questions.


If he wasn't so lazy a good Google search would answer all his questions.


What an asshole you are. A good google search yields all sort of
conflicting information which is why I came here.

I hate small minded dickwads like you.


Your overreaction makes my point. You are too lazy to do a bit of
intelligent research.

HDTV newbie
 

Overreaction?

I ask some questions in good faith in the proper forum and I get
attacked by a twit like you?

I didn't overreact: I was right to be annoyed.

And my assessment of you is spot on: you are an asshole just as sure as
the sun comes up in the morning.


Sam Spade wrote:
Paul wrote:
Sam Spade wrote:

NadCixelsyd wrote:

http://www.hdtvprimer.com is a darn good source for this stuff. It'll
probably answer all your questions.


If he wasn't so lazy a good Google search would answer all his questions.


What an asshole you are. A good google search yields all sort of
conflicting information which is why I came here.

I hate small minded dickwads like you.


Your overreaction makes my point. You are too lazy to do a bit of
intelligent research.