Am I really going to notice the difference? I watch a lot of football during the season and play XBOX360 and watch A TON of movies. These are the main things I do with my TV. Im trying to upgrade right now but I don't want to spend the extra money on the 1080p if a casual guy like myself isn't going to notice. After all, I've been watching a Toshiba 32" CRT since 98.

What size TV are you looking at? IMHO, anything less than 50" won't yield any discernable results.

What size TV are you looking at? IMHO, anything less than 50" won't yield any discernable results.
Well I'm looking at the 50 and 56 87w series but I'd kinda like to step down to the 46" not sure which model?

How much would I regret getting the 46 vs the 50?

Strictly speaking what matters is how close you sit not how big the screen is. But with a 46 inch set you would have to sit less than about 6 feet away to see all the detail in a picture with 1080 lines of resolution. Since most people don't sit that close to their TVs that is the reason you should think of a bigger set, 50 or 56 inches if you go with 1080p

Strictly speaking what matters is how close you sit not how big the screen is. But with a 46 inch set you would have to sit less than about 6 feet away to see all the detail in a picture with 1080 lines of resolution. Since most people don't sit that close to their TVs that is the reason you should think of a bigger set, 50 or 56 inches if you go with 1080p

The 46" would be a 720p no?

If money is no object, then go for the 1080p. If you are watching your budget, then realize that 1080p sets cost 50 - 100% more than their more resolution challenged cousins.
I just bought a Samsung 50" rear projection unit. I bought the 720p model, which cost me a little over $1,000. The same unit in 1080p was close to $2,000.
The way I look at it, there is very little 1080p content anyway, so most of the time you will be watching 720p or 1080i content or even analog channels. I think by the time I'm feeling like I'm missing out on all the 1080p content, I'll be ready to buy a new tv, probably 5-6 years from now. (by then, the SED CRTS will be affordable).
Also - let's not forget that to take advantage of the 1080p, you'll have to put down another $800 for a blu-ray dvd player and about another $1,000 to upgrade your DVD library.
I just do not see the cost/benefit of going to 1080p right now.
Good luck - Let us know what you decide to get.
Jack

Well I'm looking at the 50 and 56 87w series but I'd kinda like to step down to the 46" not sure which model?

How much would I regret getting the 46 vs the 50?

I went with a 60" sony (back in 04). My wife had wanted a 50" but I have always been "bigger is better" so we got the 60 inch. I think we sit about 10-12 feet away from the TV. It has gotten to the point that we both would "like" something bigger LOL I'm not saying you HAVE to go bigger (or even that you should).


Something that helped me was I used some cardboard that was cut and taped to the size of the set we were looking at. I put it in the places I thought we'd put the TV and that helped us with our decision. (the nice thig was I was able to show the sixe diference between the 50 and 60" models on one piece too.

When we got it home the wife was not too pleased with how big the TV was (then we watched a movie :D and she loved it. BUT it will take time to get used to the set. What size are you comming from? we went from a 27" to the 60" so it was a LARGE leap. You may ask if you can bring it back after a few days in home.

OK back to the point. I'd say if you have room go with the 50 or 56

When considering 720p vs 1080p the availability of 1080p content is not a major factor to me. The difference in pixels is of some importance but still not the main factor. To me it comes down to the other components inside the display. Take for instance JVC. Considering that their main push for the future is 1080p where do you think the focus will be for improving internal components like deinterlacers and iris's etc. Prices for 1080p displays are dropping like stones as the next generation hits the market. Ask yourself this. What are the 2008 plans for 720p from JVC, Samsung, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Sony? The last mover into the 1080p field is plasma and they are now rapidly moving away from 720p. I agree that for most of us 720p is terrific, but 1080p is where the marketing guru's want us to go and very soon we will be left with no choice.

If you're investing in a new set Id recommend a 1080p, otherwise 2 years down the road you'll be regretting your decision. 720p is fine for now, but with more 1080p content coming out I think you might want to buy a set you won't be disappointed with anytime soon.

I just made the jump from a 720p set to 1080p, and yes you can tell the difference. Although, the difference is not as great as from 480i to 720P. 720p lacks a certain punch that 1080p has. For the longest time I kept hearing about how the clarity of many HD/Bluray dvds is so good that they take on a 3d appearance, but on my 720p set I could never really see it. It looked very nice, but I kept feeling like it should be just a bit better. Now I understand, a 1080i/p high quality HD feed looks outstanding, the clarity is stunning. My cable HD looks better as most of them are broadcast at 1080i. You mention the Xbox360, it looks a little sharper but nothing significant, but that's because Xbox 360 games are made in a 720p resolution, not 1080i/p, so I would not have expected much of a change. But for HD-DVD/Bluray and 1080i cable programming, you will notice a difference. Here is a good example of the difference: 480P is like looking though a dirty window, 720p is like looking through a clean window, and 1080p is like having no window. There really is not that much of a price difference, but buying 1080p now will keep you from regretting your decision later. The people who say 1080p is hype don't own one.

Don't forget the 1080p will upscale 720 content. There are many stations delivering 1080i that are deinterlaced to 1080p and look fantastic. If you plan on keeping this set for several years why not go 1080?

Got my 50" SXRD set for 1699, and couldn't be happier. I have a PS3 and the blu-ray looks absolutely phenomenal. There IS a noticable difference between 1080p & 720p, believe me. Not horribly different, as if I wouldn't be really bothered by 720p, but there is a difference. I just wanted to future-proof myself at a decent price, and I think I accomplished that. I don't have any TV at all running to it now, so I can't comment on HD content of 720p vs. 1080i.

The price difference between, say, a Samsung 720p set and the same size Samsung 1080p set is only about $500, less depending on where you shop and the difference between them is not just native resolution, Samsung 87 series sets appear to be better overall than their less expensive cousins. I think if you can afford a $1500 TV, go 1080p. If you can only spend $1000, then obviously 1080p is not an issue.

oops, not supposed to get into prices here...

If you're watching the same set from 98 than you probably don't update often. If this is a 3-5 year investment (or longer :eek: ) than 1080p would be the way to go. CES showed that 1080p is the new standard and everything will migrate toward that for the next few years.

Another consideration is this, a 720p has 921,600 pixels and a 1080p has 2,073,600 pixels.

Shop around and if buying from a B&M store see if you can have them price match an online retailer like Amazon. Many have got good deals this way and have the benefits of purchasing locally, like 30 day return policy. You may be able to get a 1080p for what you were looking at 720p sets for.

If you're sitting at least 7 ft a 56" would be a wise choice, any smaller and you will regret it like most do. It depends on how far seating is and how immersed you want to be in what you watch. Most don't complain it is too big but many complain it is too small. :(

1080p sets have twice the pixels of 720p units; plus generally better blacks, higher contrast levels, better video processing, etc. Most broadcast/cable high def content is 1920x1080i, which a 1280x720p set simply cannot fully resolve and show all the detail it contains (but a 1920x1080p set can). The prices on quality 1080p HDTV's are dropping to the point where it doesn't make much sense to settle for a 720p unit anymore.

The way I look at it, there is very little 1080p content anyway, so most of the time you will be watching 720p or 1080i content or even analog channels. I think by the time I'm feeling like I'm missing out on all the 1080p content, I'll be ready to buy a new tv, probably 5-6 years from now. (by then, the SED CRTS will be affordable).
Also - let's not forget that to take advantage of the 1080p, you'll have to put down another $800 for a blu-ray dvd player and about another $1,000 to upgrade your DVD library.
I just do not see the cost/benefit of going to 1080p right now.
Good luck - Let us know what you decide to get.
Jack

Do you realize that if you are watching 1080i on a 720p set you are losing information? To see the full 1080i picture you need a 1080 set. So the material is out there now, every night, on more than half the hi-def stations. Add to that Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, Playstation 3, and XBox 360 and you have a ton of stuff 1080 makes a difference on.

Now, throw in the factor that the 1080 sets generally have better picture quality even on a 720 source, and there is a big overall difference. How big of a difference does depend on the ratio of the size of the set to the distance you are sitting, so you have to figure that in. On a 50" set if you are sitting closer than 8 feet you'll see the resolution difference and you might notice a picture quality difference from even farther than that.

I have read that contrast ratio and color saturation are the more stunning features of HD. Native resolution is less so. I guess that means a 1080 TV without a good CR will not look as good as a 720 TV with excellent CR. These are not tested theories but just speculation.

G

I have read that contrast ratio and color saturation are the more stunning features of HD. Native resolution is less so.
G

No, it's just the opposite. "High Definition" refers to the much higher picture resolution (detail) available in 1280x720p and 1920x1080i digital video formats. Lower resolution signals like our traditional NTSC analog video have great contrast ratio and decent color, but contain limited picture detail.

Display resolution is a very important factor when dealing with HD content.

Dude go with the 1080p Model and get the 61 its only like $2100 (if you buy it at bestbuy get the rewardzone card and you can get up to %12 off) and you say you like to play Xbox 360 its got 1080p and im sure you will end up getting HD DVD for it. Just get it I would think you will be happy in the long run and if you plan on getting PS3 (it outputs to 1080p and has built in blu ray)...............

This is the type of topic that should be stickied for awhile. I struggled with this quite a bit.

I have settled on not "settling" for 720p. Because that is what it would be. I mean if money was no object I of course would go were the industry is going. But money does mean something to me, and I don't like spending 1-2000 on a set every 3-4 years no matter how happy that makes manufacturers.

I am upgrading from a 480p/1080i set that I have owned for about 6 years. The last couple years I have somewhat regretted it can't do 720p. At the time of my purchase, 720p's were just introduced and out of my price range. This time though, while 1080p is more expensive, the 1080p DLP's are remarkably cheap for being on the leading edge of the new tech. Sure it will cost me more than the same 720p set in DLP, but compared to other 1080p offerings it is a no brainer.

To be honest, because of the lack of 1080p content today, I actually kinda expect to get 10 years of good life out of this purchase, even if I have a few expensive maintenance points, it will likely be worth it to do them.

Well I'm looking at the 50 and 56 87w series but I'd kinda like to step down to the 46" not sure which model?

How much would I regret getting the 46 vs the 50?


Well, I was wanting a Sony 50" when I was first shopping and I allowed the Best Buy rep to talk me out of getting the 50" and buying the 46". It was my first HDTV and he said my viewing distance was too close. I got it home and loved it, but in a week's time I got used to the size and wished I would've bought the 50". I then took the 46" back and got the 50". So to some it up for you, I would get the 50". Well actually, since you're looking at the 56", I would get that. Bigger is better IMO.

Now, maybe this is just me, but when I was shopping for my set, I watched a 720p and 1080p flat panel set, of the same screen size, that were side by side. I stepped back to the distance that I watch tv from and I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the two displays. I repeated this with a 720p and 1080p LCD rptv...with the same results.

I do realize that there are differences between the capabilities of 720p versus 1080p, but my point is if one can't visually see the difference from their seating distance, why spend the extra $$$?? If, on the other hand, one can tell the difference, then by all means spend the extra $$$ for the 1080p. In the end, I bought a Sony 46" 720p for slightly over a grand and have a set that gives me an excellent picture at a great price. I sit about 12 feet from the screen and the 46" gives me a great viewing experience.