Some HDTVs Can't Handle 1080p Input?

[Straker]

I was talking with a friend today and he suggested that some HDTVs which are capable of displaying 1080p resolution for TV broadcasts cannot accept 1080p input via HDMI. Input via the HDMI cable would be limited to 720p. I had never heard this before. My question is twofold:

A) Is this true?

B) If so, how can I tell if my particular set (a Samsung LN40A550P3F) has this limitation?

I've looked through the TV manual and can't find any reference to this issue. If it does turn out to be true, adding a BD player to the system as I had planned would seem to be pointless.

[Spiky]

A) Yes. But, recent TVs should not have this issue.

B) Maybe you missed this in the manual, think I found the right one:
Input Source Picture Size
ATV, Video, S-Video, Component (480i, 480p) 16:9, Zoom1, Zoom2, 4:3
DTV(1080i), Component (1080i, 1080p), HDMI (720p, 1080i, 1080P) 16:9, 4:3, Wide Fit, Just Scan

However, broadcasts are not 1080p. A couple PPVs on satellite systems are 1080p.

[DGibFen]

A. It would only be limited if the set did not accept a 1080p connection, which is true of some sets. Besides, TV broadcasts are limited to 1080i (due to some limitations on processing 1080p at the TV station level, not with the TV itself), and the only HDMI connection associated with a TV broadcast would be a satellite box (which, depending on the provider, would have some pre-recorded 1080p content, such as movies).

B. It shouldn't. Just make sure that when you hook up a Blu-Ray player, that the player itself is set to output at 1080p resolution - which only can occur through a HDMI connection.

Wikipedia has a decent, if a bit technical, discussion on HDMI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI

[beesonosu]

Spiky answered it but the LN40A550 can definitely do 1080p through HDMI. Enjoy!

[Straker]

Thanks for the replies!