Ive got a 47" Panasonic 1080p rear projection HDTV ready that I bought back in 2002. So far Ive watched 2 blue ray movies (Spiderman 3, 3:10 To Yuma) with no noticable difference. Im using my PS3 with the display settings properly adjusted as well as using component cables. Are these two movies not good examples of what BluRay is all about? In my opinion I dont see any noticiable difference whatsoever.

I hate responding to these type of threads. Didn't you see what Blu Ray and/or HD DVD looked like before buying into it and deciding that it was for you because it looked better than dvd? If you don't/didn't see a difference beforehand, why buy into it?

I didn't even know they were selling 1080p TVs in 02. You are using HDMI and have the PS3 set to output 1080p?

Also, you say there is no difference - do you mean between the DVD or HD cable?

Are you sure it is a 1080P? A 1080p rear projection would have costed you more than $7,500 back in 2002.

My RPTV needed weekly service-level 56-point convergence to look it's sharpest, along with annual ISF recalibration (gosh I love my new 1080p DLP).

The PS3 has output settings for each connection type. Also, does your RPTV have anyway of verifying what resolution it's receiving?

Are you sure the blu-ray output settings of the PS3 are correct, because both of those discs look AWESOME IMO.

to be perfectly honest, a lot of RPTVs from that era, 1) aren't 1080p, and 2) seeing the quality difference in HD in a good deal more difficult.

It's weird, but my dad has a 54" Sony 1080i RPTV (4:3) and while there is a noticeable difference, it isn't as big as it is on newer sets.

your doing something wrong and your set is NOT 1080p.

change your settings to 1080i and use a calibration disk.

When I got my TV in 2005 they didn't have the option of 1080p only 1080i was available...unless I didn't go to the right stores.

Look up the model number on the internet I'm sure you can find out if it is a 1080p or not.

Even with 1080i you should see a noticeable difference.

Yep, as well as 720p

I'd agree. I have a Toshiba 57" that I bought in '01. I bought a PS3 and a HD-A2 at the same time. When I hooked up the HD-A2, it looked great. When I hooked up the PS3 I noticed it looked poor in comparison. It was then I realized that my settings on the PS3 were off. When I fixed that, viola it was all good.

My TV is 1080i, and I'm not that picky with picture that I sweat over artifacts and edge enchancement. The difference is pretty noticable, even to an average person.

Oh yeah, not sure if this could be it, but my cable box interferes with my TV/PS3 and if I don't turn it off/disconnect it before watching a blu-ray flick, there is a weird rolling line of distortion/overall haze to the picture.

I don't have Blu but I thought you needed an hdmi cable, not component cables, for a 1080 signal.

Well thats just how I do things - not thinking in advance - kinda like you. I was given a PS3 as a gift. Did you consider that to be a possiblity before your "matter of fact" remark?

its 1080i - my bad. I actually picked it up at BB for about $2200.

For 1080p, not 1080i. HD DVD players are the same.

Don't know what to tell you other than perhaps your tv is totally out of calibration. 42" panny 1080i plasma using hdmi looks fantastic so far for me.

For a 47" set, you should also be sitting no further than about 6' from the set according to this chart .

This is what concerns me about hi-def. Too confusing and too easy to not get the most benefit from it. Here is someone who is TRYING to do the right thing, having trouble and had to go to an online forum for help. What is the average person going to do when they 'don't see a difference?"

HDMI, 1080i, 1080p, dvd settings, tv calibration,etc. For some of us (me included) the work is worth it. But I am concerned that most people won't put the needed understanding and effort to get the most out of hi-def. Time will tell if hi-def can truly rise above a niche market.

Make sure your PS3 is outputting the maximum resolution your tv can handle(1080i in your case). The PS3 can output BDs in 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. 480P would look no different than dvd.

A friend of mine has a 42-inch Panasonic CRT-based rear projector from about the same year as the OP, and I will say that although it was a nice TV in its time, the picture just doesn't look as nice as the TVs that are out there now. The image is a little on the dark side, and the viewing angle is very narrow.

That said, it is CRT-based and could probably do with a good calibration. That's probably the case here. A five-year-old CRT rear projector could probably use some tweaking.

There is a chart floating around here and on other forums that shows the various distances at which a viewer starts to realize/fully realizes the benefits of 480, 720, 1080 based upon the size of their display.

I think a lot of people would be shocked at the display size requirements for really "getting" the higher resolutions based on their viewing distances. Many of us (yours truly included) have bought waaaaay more advanced resolution capability that we will ever appreciate given this display/distance curve.

(P.S. - If anybody has this chart, please post here for discussion purposes)

This chart confuses me. Are you sure it's not saying for a 47" TV you should be sitting at least 6' from the screen? I always thought if you were too close to the screen it would look blocky or pixelated.

Nope, never considered it. But, I am sure you have seen High Def before. If it is not good to you, don't watch it. I hate to sound like a dick, too late maybe. Why didn't you make your story clear in the first place? Pardon my "dickness."