Will I see the difference btw Blu-Ray and standard DVD if I don't have a 1080P TV?

[firteen88]

Hey guys,

Was gonna buy a Playstation 3 but my friend told me that if I didn't have a 1080P TV I shouldn't bother because I wouldn't be able to see the difference. I currently have a 37" 720P Vizio...Will I be able to see the diff btw Blu-Ray and standard DVD with this?

[TallGuyMe]

Originally Posted by firteen88

Hey guys,

Was gonna buy a Playstation 3 but my friend told me that if I didn't have a 1080P TV I shouldn't bother because I wouldn't be able to see the difference. I currently have a 37" 720P Vizio...Will I be able to see the diff btw Blu-Ray and standard DVD with this?

Yes, you will notice a difference. You need smarter friends.

Standard TV/DVD are broadcast only in 480p. Your PS3 will try and upconvert to make your current DVD collection look better, but the BluRay discs should look better than that.

[Arpeggi]

Yes, you will see a difference.

[PopcornTreeCt]

You will notice a big difference.

[mike2]

I'm currently running 480 w/a ps3 it's nothing great. I really can't see much of a difference but once i pick up my 1080p I'll be in for a treat!

[GizmoDVD]

You will notice the difference.

[firteen88]

Thanks guys, I'm gonna get new friends

[jonw9]

Originally Posted by firteen88

Thanks guys, I'm gonna get new friends

You will notice the difference there too!

[firteen88]

hahaha

[mike2]

Myspace is always good lol

[ThePhantomGoat]

I was a little worried about the same thing sicne my TV is a little old and only does 1080i, but the difference is phenomenal.

[TyLeR DuRDeN x2]

i have a 1080i 50" tv...i want to take advantage of the blu-ray and hd formats like games/movies...do i need a 1080p tv or am i still good and can take advantage of the formats with my 1080i tv.any help would be great. thanks

[wewantflair]

Get either one and you will be very, very happy. They look great on all HD sets (720p, 1080i, 1080p).

[TyLeR DuRDeN x2]

so then im perfectly good with my 1080i set and still get a ps3 and hd player and will def ntc a difference?

[wewantflair]

Yes, unequivocally.

[TyLeR DuRDeN x2]

great. thanks alot dude

[sonicworld]

I noticed a slight difference on my 32" 1080i LCD. It varies by movie and I usually can tell the difference in smaller items, not in the close ups. Perhaps with a larger display it's night and day. Guess I'm one of those friends you'd be getting rid of

[Zen Peckinpah]

With my new Toshiba Regza 32-incher HD DVD and Blu-ray look much more robust and clearer than upconverted. However (and I'm not sure if it was the DVD I used) I was unimpressed with the PS3's upconversion. Any thoughts on how this should be correctly set up? Blu-ray looks fantastic, however.

[lizard]

Originally Posted by sonicworld

I noticed a slight difference on my 32" 1080i LCD. It varies by movie and I usually can tell the difference in smaller items, not in the close ups. Perhaps with a larger display it's night and day. Guess I'm one of those friends you'd be getting rid of

Since all LCD displays are progressive, there shouldn't be such a thing as a "1080i LCD". I presume that you are talking about the input. How good your display looks depends on how well your display de-interlaces the 1080i input (and how well it downconverts 1080 to 720p or 768p, if that's the native resolution of your display). You might want to read up on the native resolution of your display, and if it is less than 1080p, try setting the HD player to output at that resolution.

In answer to the OP's question, how good HD DVD or BD will look on a 37" 720p display depends on the viewing distance. If you are sitting too far away your friend (former friend?) will actually turn out to be correct:

[firteen88]

I'm actually sitting about 5 feet away from the TV

[Thor Simpson]

Another thing that should be mentioned... if you are moving up from a CRT, you will absolutely notice a huge improvement in HD content. But you will likely also notice that SD television content looks worse, and not just by comparison to HD either.

DVD's should look great, and blu-ray even better.

[trubiet]

Originally Posted by TallGuyMe

Yes, you will notice a difference. You need smarter friends.

Standard TV/DVD are broadcast only in 480p. Your PS3 will try and upconvert to make your current DVD collection look better, but the BluRay discs should look better than that.

LOVE the "You need smarter friends" line. That was my first laugh of the day, Thank you!

And yes, a BD will look better because of the source material being used.
(My 2 cents worth)

[lizard]

Originally Posted by firteen88

I'm actually sitting about 5 feet away from the TV

At that distance you should see an improvement in viewing Blu-ray Discs versus upscaled SD DVDs.

If your friend was trying to suggest that 720p displays can't benefit from the High Def disc formats, he was just plain wrong, as so many others have said above.

[The Bus]

Your friend's an idiot.

[sonicworld]

Originally Posted by lizard

Since all LCD displays are progressive, there shouldn't be such a thing as a "1080i LCD". I presume that you are talking about the input. How good your display looks depends on how well your display de-interlaces the 1080i input (and how well it downconverts 1080 to 720p or 768p, if that's the native resolution of your display). You might want to read up on the native resolution of your display, and if it is less than 1080p, try setting the HD player to output at that resolution.

Thanks! I did not know that. Turns out it has a native resolution of 720p but is capable of displaying up to 1080i. I think I did try once setting my HD DVD output to 720p as I heard some displays can give you a better image at 720p (if it's maximum resolution is 1080i). I'll try it again and take a closer look. I understand the nature of native resolution as I see it all the time on my computer LCD. If not set to native resolution you get a less sharp picture.