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  1. #1
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    720P vs 1080P NEED ADVICE

    I've been looking to upgrade to a new plasma and can't decide on which resolution to go with. I've narrowed it down to either a Pioneer PDP-5080HD 720p plasma or an LG
    50PY3D 1080p, both 50" sets.

    Viewing distance in present house would be about 8-10 feet from TV.

    I have family members working for a large consumer electronics chain and I should be able to get very good price on either but the 1080p would still be abt $ 400 more. I don't plan on buying a blu-ray player anytime soon.

    From the reviews I can find on the Pioneer, it sounds as though the 1080p is a waste of money.

    Any advice or experience with either TV is appreciated

  2. #2
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Hi, Welcome to AR.

    If you never go Blu-Ray or HD-DVD (if it lives) then 1080p just may be a waste. But if you ever change your mind, you'd be glad to already have it. It is better than 720 with the right source.
    What means more to you? The extra cash, or knowing that you are ready for the future when it gets here? It's a very personal choice, and you'll get many answers on both sides that seem to make sense.
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  3. #3
    Village Idiot johnny p's Avatar
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    I have a 720p set, and I have a PS3 (Blu Ray, got it three days ago, haven't plugged it in yet) I do plan on upgrading, and given the fact that I have a pretty decent collection of regular DVDs, and paid more for other things I find far less important than my t.v., I've been questioned on why I went 720p......

    here's my reasoning.... I got my 720p Sharp Aquos LCD television 2 years ago, maybe longer.... 1080p was available, but I did my research and I found, that at the time, the best I was going to get from standard DVD with Component was 480p, and I'm not terribly into television, so I wasn't about to pay a cable or satellite provider an extra $30 a month or so for a limited number of HD broadcasted stations. Since the Price jump was so great from 720P to 1080P, I got the 720p, and vowed, that one day when I began viewing a large amount of material that I was capable of 1080p (whether that be television packages went all-HD at no extra cost, or whatever, I didn't know two years ago) So, Now I have a blu-ray player, but I'm not running out to get a 1080p, I'm gonna build up my collection of Blu Ray DVDs FIRST Then, I'll to 1080p I'm sure the upconversion alone on the Blu-ray player will be nice for my existing standard DVD collection..... and since there aren't that many Blu-Ray discs available right now that I'm chomping at the bit to buy, (I picked up 17 yesterday however) I'll wait, and get my 50" 1080P LCD for $800 in a year or so, and be just as happy as can be!!!!

    Everyone here knows how fast electronics depreciate/lose value. Put the $400 difference into a Blu-Ray player..... I know you're saying that you're not planning on Blu-Ray anytime soon.... why not get the most out of a really nice, big 720p ??? And if you have netflix, etc. you can get Blu-Rays from them, and never buy any.... that's your choice.

    I know I had a 720p t.v. for over two years that has never displayed an image greater than 480p, and today, or tomorrow when I get my HDMI cable in the mail, and get a chance to check out 720p, I'll wonder what I did without it, but the LCD was an upgrade over my old Sony flat-screen tube t.v., and I am glad I got the 720p back then, and not pay WAY MORE for a 1080p that only received a 480p signal!

    Sorry... long winded, but If I were you, it sounds like you'd be pretty content with just 720p

    If you're planning on a lot of HD content, then I would have said 1080p, b/c once you get to screen sizes in the 40's and up, 1080p becomes a lot more noticable difference than 720p


    Good luck!

  4. #4
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    I would get the 1080p if it was me. I am in the market shortly for another tv, probably 50" plasma or LCD. The premium for 1080p is not what it used to be, and I would like to maximize the performance of Bluray and my cable tv. You will never regret getting 1080p, but might regret not getting it.

    On another note...

    Can someone please explain/clarify the benefits of upconverting standard DVD's with a bluray player? It does not make sense to me how this is improving anything.

    I have a 720p 50" LCD. When I watch DVD's from my standard DVD player, doesn't the TV have to convert everything to the its native resolution of 720p? So it upconverts the signal already. What is an upconverting DVD player going to add to that?

    And besides, upconverting adds no additional information to the signal, so how does it improve it anyhow? If the picture is 480p on the disc, there is no more resolution available than that. If anything wouldn't the upconverting process be adding artifacts to the picture that should not be there?

  5. #5
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    You are correct. It's just that the BR player does a better job of upconverting than most TV's. Be sure to set the output of the BR player to match the natural res of your TV. It doesn't help to convert 480 to 1080 just so that your TV has to convert that to 720.
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  6. #6
    AUTOBOT BRANDONH's Avatar
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    couple of articles

    Quote Originally Posted by GMichael
    Hi, Welcome to AR.

    If you never go Blu-Ray or HD-DVD (if it lives) then 1080p just may be a waste. But if you ever change your mind, you'd be glad to already have it. It is better than 720 with the right source.
    What means more to you? The extra cash, or knowing that you are ready for the future when it gets here? It's a very personal choice, and you'll get many answers on both sides that seem to make sense.
    http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6810011-1.html

    http://www.projectorcentral.com/1080p_720p.htm
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by GMichael
    You are correct. It's just that the BR player does a better job of upconverting than most TV's. Be sure to set the output of the BR player to match the natural res of your TV. It doesn't help to convert 480 to 1080 just so that your TV has to convert that to 720.
    Thanks, that is sort of what I thought. I guess it just depends on the relative quality of the upconverting in the TV versus the bluray player. Probably makes no difference with the budget players, but maybe some gains when using higher performance models. Kind of like comparing DAC's in audio.

    And yes, that makes sense to upconvert to only 720p or you are just over-processing the picture.

  8. #8
    Rep points are my LIFE!! Groundbeef's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by johnny p
    II know I had a 720p t.v. for over two years that has never displayed an image greater than 480p,
    Why didn't you go get a OTA (Over The Air) receiver and get your local (NBC,ABC,CBS,FOX, PBS) channels HD for free? I've been doing it for 4 years, and I have DirecTV. The over the air signal is clean, uncompressed, and AWESOME. A converter (if you TV doesn't have one) is cheap usually between $50-100.

    You really need to get your TV hooked up and see what you've been missing. Your tax $$ helped pay for it, so you might as well enjoy them.
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  9. #9
    Village Idiot johnny p's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Groundbeef
    Why didn't you go get a OTA (Over The Air) receiver and get your local (NBC,ABC,CBS,FOX, PBS) channels HD for free? I've been doing it for 4 years, and I have DirecTV. The over the air signal is clean, uncompressed, and AWESOME. A converter (if you TV doesn't have one) is cheap usually between $50-100.

    You really need to get your TV hooked up and see what you've been missing. Your tax $$ helped pay for it, so you might as well enjoy them.

    Got my HDMI cable...... watching BLU RAY, AWESOME.... sound quality is blowing me away also...... I never got the antenna because there was never a good signal to be had with it anyways..... not sure why, maybe it's darned Lake-Erie (I'm on the lake)

    MAN the picture and sound are awesome....... What took me so long to get this!!!!!!!!! haha!!! I'll give updates on my take of up-converting etc. later.... right now I'm going to enjoy!!!

  10. #10
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by johnny p
    Got my HDMI cable...... watching BLU RAY, AWESOME.... sound quality is blowing me away also...... I never got the antenna because there was never a good signal to be had with it anyways..... not sure why, maybe it's darned Lake-Erie (I'm on the lake)

    MAN the picture and sound are awesome....... What took me so long to get this!!!!!!!!! haha!!! I'll give updates on my take of up-converting etc. later.... right now I'm going to enjoy!!!
    I was going to say, a 720 or 1080p set without an HD source is like a nice new car without gas.

    If your set has an atsc tuner all you need is an antenna (uhf) from ratshack(external)
    but HD weather over a dish or cable is definetly worth the extra bucks
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  11. #11
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    As for 720 vs 1080p, get the 1080p if you can afford it.
    you wont regret it, but you WILL regret the other sooner or later.
    Always get as much capability as you can afford, its easier to get it when you get a new product, than after you get the product.
    A plasma doesnt last as long as an LCD but ten years is a long time, I'm sure you'll be wanting 1080p sooner or later.
    Also make sure your new set has 24fps "pixel for pixel", this is important, gets rid of 3:2 pulldown, its also called 72 fps (each frame of a 24 fps picture displayed three times= 72fps) so movies will look perfect
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  12. #12
    Forum Regular diggity's Avatar
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    G'day, i think it is probably best to future proof yourself and 1080p.. like pixel already said, there is NOTHING worse then not getting it and in a few years time think "i only i got....". it has happened to me in the not so distanced past. it is better to spend abit more than waste abit less.

    i also just purchased PS3 today and the picture and sound ROCKS. equal to my BDPS1 player but half the price!

    cheers: dazza

  13. #13
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by diggity
    G'day, i think it is probably best to future proof yourself and 1080p.. like pixel already said, there is NOTHING worse then not getting it and in a few years time think "i only i got....". it has happened to me in the not so distanced past. it is better to spend abit more than waste abit less.

    i also just purchased PS3 today and the picture and sound ROCKS. equal to my BDPS1 player but half the price!

    cheers: dazza
    Happened to me also, but wasnt my fault.
    When I GOT MY SET most 1080p sets wouldnt take an 1080p input, which was screwy, IMHO. Not to mention most were DLP
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  14. #14
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    As for 720 vs 1080p, get the 1080p if you can afford it.
    you wont regret it, but you WILL regret the other sooner or later.
    Always get as much capability as you can afford, its easier to get it when you get a new product, than after you get the product.
    A plasma doesnt last as long as an LCD but ten years is a long time, I'm sure you'll be wanting 1080p sooner or later.
    Also make sure your new set has 24fps "pixel for pixel", this is important, gets rid of 3:2 pulldown, its also called 72 fps (each frame of a 24 fps picture displayed three times= 72fps) so movies will look perfect
    Somebody help me! This post made sense to me. I must be slipping.
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  15. #15
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GMichael
    Somebody help me! This post made sense to me. I must be slipping.
    ALL of my posts "make sense".
    This was just a rare time that you understood one.
    I'll try to keep it simple for you in the future so you can keep up
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  16. #16
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    ALL of my posts "make sense".
    This was just a rare time that you understood one.
    I'll try to keep it simple for you in the future so you can keep up
    Thanks,
    Simple is good. Please leave out as much gibberish as possible from now on. Coherent thought is a good thing.
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  17. #17
    way up in Canada eh f0rge's Avatar
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    i'd also say get 1080p, like it's been say before, you'll end up regretting it if you dont.

    also the idea that plasma's dont last as long as LCDs is wrong, panasonic claims 100,000 hour lifespan on the new vieras, that's 11 years of continuous use. it's unlikely you'll ever watch that much tv.
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  18. #18
    Forum Regular diggity's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by f0rge
    i'd also say get 1080p, like it's been say before, you'll end up regretting it if you dont.

    also the idea that plasma's dont last as long as LCDs is wrong, panasonic claims 100,000 hour lifespan on the new vieras, that's 11 years of continuous use. it's unlikely you'll ever watch that much tv.
    very true, i dont know who started that myth its just bollocks. but i think they are talking about the actual gas panel, surely they dont mean the computer boards and processors. i rate the pana very highly. i bought it over the pioneer, the picture quality is definitely punching above weight.

    cheers: dazza

  19. #19
    Forum Regular codecougar's Avatar
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    I agree, go 1080P. You will undoubtedly end up getting a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player down the road. It just makes sense to get a 1080P television especially with a 50" set.

  20. #20
    Forum Regular blackraven's Avatar
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    The new consumer reports just came out with reviews of LCD and Plasma TV's. They recommended getting a 1080p TV for 50" and above, but below 50" they said that 780p is just as good due to the screen size. In fact, they rated a few 780p TV's with better and clearer pictures than some 1080p sets. However they stated that when watching good blu-ray movies you might be able to see some subtle differences.

    Go with 1080p!
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  21. #21
    Forum Regular O'Shag's Avatar
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    Does a 16/44 cd sound as good as a 96/24bit recording of the same piece? Some would have us believe higher resolution doesn't matter, and that there is no difference. My advice is to use your own common sense... Same goes for 720p and 1080p. Even 1080i looks superior to 720p. And only those with a sight problem or in denial will say otherwise. And as far as screen size relevance goes, thats a load of hogwash. In addition to my large set, I have a Loewe Aconda 40" tube set. The difference between 480p/720p and 1080i is immediately noticable. There is no comparison. Sorry to those folks that own 720p sets or projectors. No offense intended. My current set is the Sony KDS-R70XBR2 SXRD TV. Its native resolution is 1080p, and I've yet to see any TV set with the same incredible resolution as this SXRD set, such is its resolving power. As you probably know by now, Sony is no longer making SXRD RPTV sets, mores the pity.

  22. #22
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    Thanks for all the replies. Seems it would be most prudent to go with the 1080p set. Now my next question would be what brand to go with ? I would like to stay in the $ 2500-3000 MSRP range. Anyone have any good-bad expierience with the LG-Panasonics- Samsungs in that range ?

  23. #23
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GMichael
    Thanks,
    Simple is good. Please leave out as much gibberish as possible from now on. Coherent thought is a good thing.
    I dont use "gibberish", thats just what your brain translates it into.
    And yes, coherent thought is a good thing, however its rarely used on this board,
    and using it makes you a target for vicious attacks.
    Like teaching evolution to hillbillies
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  24. #24
    Forum Regular blackraven's Avatar
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    Go with a panasonic plasma. They are always top rated and have the best pictures in that price range in my book. Consumer reports rates them above the other brands. Stay away from the new plasma's with antiglare coatings though. their pictures are not as bright.
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  25. #25
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackraven
    Go with a panasonic plasma. They are always top rated and have the best pictures in that price range in my book. Consumer reports rates them above the other brands. Stay away from the new plasma's with antiglare coatings though. their pictures are not as bright.
    Stay away from plasma PERIOD.
    HEAVY, USES A LOT OF ENERGY, SUBJECT TO BURN IN, lifespan half that of a LCD,
    if that gas leaks out you lose your picture, if tyhat heavy glass envelope falls off the wall
    you lose any small dogs or children that are under it at the time.
    DOES HAVE A COOL NAME THO
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