HDTV Questions

[Joemailman]

How important is the difference between 720P and 1080P VSL?

Also, what about contrast ratio? I've seen anywhere from 1000:1 to 8000:1. I'm looking at a 42" LCD for around $1200.00.

[SkinBasket]

The contrast ratio is more important if you're setting the TV up in a dark area for a home theater type set-up. If the TV's just going to be in the living room with plenty of natural light on it anyway, then the contrast ratio is less important. Most people set their contrast/brightness in such a way that renders the difference in ratio almost useless anyway.

I would only pay for 1080p if you plan on using the TV for Blu Ray, HD DVD, or gaming. Broadcasts in HD are only 720p or 1080i, so you won't be using the 1080p if you only watch TV.

In the end, I recommend buying whatever TV looks best to you, regardless of what the numbers are, because people can argue back and forth what looks better to them forever when it comes to HD TVs.

[Zool]

The one tip I have is dont get one that has a shiny black strip around the lense. Its very distracting with reflecting lights.

Skin is dead on with the 1080p. I've sat side by side with a 1080i and a 1080p playing an HD DVD and i cant say that I could tell a difference.

[SkinBasket]

Skin is dead on with the 1080p. I've sat side by side with a 1080i and a 1080p playing an HD DVD and i cant say that I could tell a difference.

That's one of those things that some people pick up on and others don't. Some swear there isn't a difference, while others can't believe they can't see it. My wife finally admitted there was a difference between 720p and 1080p last night after we accidentally watched a BluRay at 720, then I changed the resolution and we watch a bit again at 1080.

Did you see the HD DVD comparison in the store? Sometimes they play poorly mastered HD sources too, where you won't be able to see a difference anyway.

[Zool]

Skin is dead on with the 1080p. I've sat side by side with a 1080i and a 1080p playing an HD DVD and i cant say that I could tell a difference.

That's one of those things that some people pick up on and others don't. Some swear there isn't a difference, while others can't believe they can't see it. My wife finally admitted there was a difference between 720p and 1080p last night after we accidentally watched a BluRay at 720, then I changed the resolution and we watch a bit again at 1080.

Did you see the HD DVD comparison in the store? Sometimes they play poorly mastered HD sources too, where you won't be able to see a difference anyway.

It was in an A/V store, but you're right, they might have bad cabling or something, or just a poorly mastered DVD. I think it was King Kong though. Hard to say. 720p looks pretty sweet compared to my 32" CRT running at -624i

CRT's must all die.

[Scott Campbell]

Re: HDTV Questions

How important is the difference between 720P and 1080P VSL?

Also, what about contrast ratio? I've seen anywhere from 1000:1 to 8000:1. I'm looking at a 42" LCD for around $1200.00.

Damned, it sure used to be easier to buy a TV.

I agree with much of the above advice. But I'll add the following caveat - it all depends. On a 60" set from 8 feet away you are very likely to notice the higher resoluation on a 1080P set. From 15 feet away, maybe not. The human eye can not detect higher resoluations in some situations. It primarily depends on 4 variables - the size of the set, the viewing distance, the source material and the eyesight of the individual. One other thing to consider - many LCD's come as 1080P now, and there isn't that much of a price premium.

Contrast ratios on LCD tvs are all over the place because most of the manufacturers measure it differently - making it a borderline useless spec.

Is there a reason you'd consider LCD over Plasma?

If you you have the time, you can learn more than anyone would ever want to know over at www.avsforum.com. If you don't want to invest a lot of time, you could either post what TV you're thinking about in here, or PM me.

[]{ilr]3]

I just bought a 47" Philips 1080p LCD from Walmart and love it. I did a lot of research on this particular display and over all it was very positively reviewed. I planned on connecting my PC to it and using it like a monitor as well so the 1944x1080 Screen resoultion was a must for me. I switch back and forth from watching games in HD to checking my fantasy football stats online on the PC and posting here and can read it perfectly from about 8' back on the couch.

I would recommend getting a 1080p display as this is something you will likely use for a long time and making it future proof is a plus. Mulitple HDMI outputs are nice as well.

Response times are also very important. Mine is 5MS. I see many displays in my search that were 8 and 10 MS and people would complain about motion blur when watching sports or playing video games.

In my assesment response time was more important than a higher contrast level.

[Scott Campbell]

{ilr]3]I just bought a 47" Philips 1080p LCD from Walmart and love it. I did a lot of research on this particular display and over all it was very positively reviewed. I planned on connecting my PC to it and using it like a monitor as well so the 1944x1080 Screen resoultion was a must for me. I switch back and forth from watching games in HD to checking my fantasy football stats online on the PC and posting here and can read it perfectly from about 8' back on the couch.

I would recommend getting a 1080p display as this is something you will likely use for a long time and making it future proof is a plus. Mulitple HDMI outputs are nice as well.

Response times are also very important. Mine is 5MS. I see many displays in my search that were 8 and 10 MS and people would complain about motion blur when watching sports or playing video games.

In my assesment response time was more important than a higher contrast level.

That's a nice choice, and a perfect application for a LCD.

[]{ilr]3]

Re: HDTV Questions

How important is the difference between 720P and 1080P VSL?

Also, what about contrast ratio? I've seen anywhere from 1000:1 to 8000:1. I'm looking at a 42" LCD for around $1200.00.

Damned, it sure used to be easier to buy a TV.

I agree with much of the above advice. But I'll add the following caveat - it all depends. On a 60" set from 8 feet away you are very likely to notice the higher resoluation on a 1080P set. From 15 feet away, maybe not. The human eye can not detect higher resoluations in some situations. It primarily depends on 4 variables - the size of the set, the viewing distance, the source material and the eyesight of the individual. One other thing to consider - many LCD's come as 1080P now, and there isn't that much of a price premium.

Contrast ratios on LCD tvs are all over the place because most of the manufacturers measure it differently - making it a borderline useless spec.

Is there a reason you'd consider LCD over Plasma?

If you you have the time, you can learn more than anyone would ever want to know over at www.avsforum.com. If you don't want to invest a lot of time, you could either post what TV you're thinking about in here, or PM me.

Yes, it really is a nice monitor and your right on for recommending AVS Forums. AVS Forums is one place that I read extensively about this monitor. Under the LCD forum they have multiple dedicated threads to certain models. The one I bought has a pretty good consumer base represented there.

One of the things I really like about it is it has a USB port you can plug in a pen drive and update the firmware of the monitor when they offer new features or need to fix something.

I got a hell of a deal on it as my Mothin In Law works at Walmart and she gets a 20% off gift every year for Christmas. She let me use it on this purchase and I got nearly $350 off the retail price of $1700 tax included.

Even at this price i would recommend this monitor and its nice to buy locally if you need to return it. LCD's like most PC componets will show any problems within the first week or so of use. I would hate to send something like this back if I purchased it on-line.