I'm finally going to go Blu-ray, but have a question for all the techies out there. Is the jump from 720p to 1080p that drastic, or would noobs like me not even notice?

I ask because my roommate and I both have HD TVs. Mine is a 37in 720p LCD and his is a 50in 1080p LCD, both Toshibas. We get HD programming but oddly enough the HD feeds on my TV look sharper and more crisp than his...what gives?

Am I wasting money upgrading to Blu-ray if I only have 720p?

Well, for 37" 1080p might not be worth it, but there's still a pretty drastic difference between standard def and high-def, even at 720p. My first HDTV was a 720p rear projection unit, and the step up was pretty big. 1080p is definitely the way to go for larger TV's like your friend has, but you're not doing any harm with 720p at your sets size.

Mathematically, 720p is 3 times the resolution 480p, and 1080p is another 2 times 720p, but in real life, the difference between 720p and 1080p is more subtle, especially with over-the-air programming, much of which is only 720p (ABC, Fox, and ESPN), so those channels will look better on the 720p set. Since all Blu-ray discs are full 1080p, they will always look better/sharper on the 1080p set, but as mentioned not as noticiable on a 37" set, unless you are sitting 3 feet away.

It's 360p more, isn't it?

Also depends on your viewing distance. The farther away you sit, the less apparent the difference.

Thanks Groucho, I couldn't figure out the math

I sit about 10-15 feet away. Thanks for the replies!

I'm a student so I think this setup will do just fine. After I graduate and get a real job (May 2010) I plan on using this as my bedroom setup and buying a 50" 1080p plasma with blu-ray home theater as a living room setup