Author: MJT
HDTV and 1080p - What's So Special About It?
You may have become dizzy with all the choices that face you if
you finally decide to take the plunge and buy yourself a nice, new HDTV. First
of all, you have muddle through a veritable alphabet soup of terms such as LCD,
DLP, CRT, EDTV, and HDTV for example. If you manage to make sense of all those
confusing terms, you have to navigate an equally puzzling series of numbers and
choices, such as a 1080p HDTV versus a 1080i HDTV. Setting aside the issues of
contrast and color depth, which are in part matters of the viewer's subjective
tastes, the most important issue that affects image quality is that of the
display's resolution. First off, the numbers in a 1080p HDTV or a 1080i HDTV
represent the total number of horizontal lines (1080 lines if that's not clear)
that the monitor can display. In this respect, the 1080p HDTV and 1080i HDTV
are the same.
What the Heck Does It All Mean?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that more
lines mean you get a sharper picture. Therefore, a 1080p HDTV or a 1080i HDTV
will trump a 720p HDTV or a 720i HDTV. Ah, but what about that little letter? A
1080p HDTV uses a progressive scan to produce images, hence the 'p' for
progressive scan. This means that the lines are displayed one after the other.
As for a 1080i HDTV, the monitor uses interlacing to produce images, hence the
'i' for interlacing. This is the same method used in older computer monitors
wherein the monitor displays half the total lines and then quickly paints in
the other half. Interlacing has fallen out of favor, because monitors that use
interlacing produce flickering images and can cause eyestrain.
If you're getting a TV that you're going to be using a lot, why
subject yourself to that? If you're buying a HDTV, always, always, ALWAYS go
with a 1080p HDTV, regardless of whether or not you have yet to decide on LCD,
CRT, or something else. For the sake of your eyes, spend a little extra if you have
to. It will be well worth the investment. You also might want to stop by your
local Best Buy or Circuit City
to check HDTV’s out in the real world. It's a good way to find out what you
like and what you can live with. Who knows, maybe you'll find 1080i acceptable.
At any rate, have fun shopping!
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