For those who have seen it, is 1080p worth it?
 

Hey all,
I was close to getting a 1080p dlp before its price sprung back up and it went out of stock at other places (Samsung 5087). It appealed because it was relatively cheap, but Im wondering if 1080p is worth an extra $500 or so. For those who have actually seen the difference between p and i, is it really worth it? Im working on a limited budget, so Im stuck right now on what to do. any help would be much appreciated. thanks

I just picked up a 50-inch 1080p Sony SXRD for $1,500 (I'm not a fan of DLP) and wouldn't trade it for anything. I plan on having this TV for a while and didn't want to end up wishing a year from now that I had 1080p.

Where'd you find this $1500?

IMHO it depends on many things. In my case I would need to upgrade too many things in my system to make it worthwile, so I am waiting out the wars and enjoying my existing dvd's through my Denon 2900 dvd player and my Oppo 971 player for upconverting.

I agree on, it really doesn't matter much unless you have HD-DVD and blu-ray and even then, 1080p source on 720p still looks amazing. But if you are going to be buying a new TV might as well be future proof, but if you already have a nice 720p/1080i set, might as well stick with it for a while until prices fall even more.

probably onecall

i picked one up last week for that price

a bunch of there tv's were dirt cheap, may still be

Yep, and it's still that price. And you can't beat the service from One Call.

I bought a SXRD for the same reason. I was spending a lot of money for a TV, so I might as well get one that has the same native resolution as Blu-ray and HD-DVD. There are debates on how much of a noticable difference there is between 1080i and 1080p, but I just felt better getting the best resolution (for now!) set I could buy. And I'm very happy with the TV.

A recent (November '06) issue of Home Theater Magazine mentions in a HD FAQ, that if you are getting a set less then 60" and sitting at a reasonable distance your eyes simply cannot see the resolution difference between 720p and 1080p.

Reading some other articles mention more like 55" is where you will start to see the difference (again sitting at a reasonable distance). IMHO, I wouldn't worry about it on 50" or less.

Now, some of the new 1080p set have other features that might make it work looking at regardless of the resolution difference. For example some of the new 1080p Samsungs have a much faster color wheel then the same 720p model. So this might be worth a look.

Don't get caught up in the hype. Resolution is only a single issue. Color accuracy, black levels, etc are often a more important factor in overall pic enjoyment.

Um, people. There is no choice between 1080i and 1080p. These are digital TV technologies you are talking about. They do not do 1080i. Period. Regardless of what you read on a box or were told by a Best Buy blue shirt.

Nor is 1080i different resolution from 1080p. Note the "1080" in both of them, they are the same resolution.

Your (realistic) TV choice is between 720p and 1080p. And you will find diminishing returns as you move away from the TV or have a smaller TV. Otherwise 1080p will be better than 720p, but please don't say it is a giant difference. There is a giant debate going on repeatedly at AVS with 12 0" screens. Most people hardly see the benefit of 1080 over 720. HD rocks, at either resolution.

Similar to others in the thread, I went with the 1080p SXRD just to future-proof myself. I plan on having the tv for many years to come and couldn't really figure out why I would want 1080i if there's something better out there. 1080p is the best you can get at the moment, so I paid a premium for it.

And even though my HD-A2 only does 1080i, it looks amazing and when I buy a Blu-Ray that does 1080p, it'll all work perfectly as well. Could I tell the difference between a 1080i and a 1080p set? Probably not. Just nice to have the top of the line that I know will still be a great TV years down the line.

Why do I even bother? :rolleyes:

So we can still have a nice chuckle are their expense.

You can either split hairs over terminology, or you can help answer the question at hand. You and Spiky can feel free to continue wallowing in your own superiority.

Yep. :lol:


I felt better getting a 1080p set, so I didn't mind spending the extra money. It's 60" and sometimes I sit fairly close, so according to many, at that range there is a difference between 720 and 1080 (but like everything else, the internet is filled with endless agruements about that). Also, I liked the SXRD for other reasons too, so the 1080p was a bonus. At any rate, it was "worth it" to me and I'm happy with the TV's picture. That's all that counts in the long run. :)