Buying an HDTV 1080p or 720p

Choosing an HDTV set can be quite complicated. First you must select a screen size. This selection is outlined in my other article. Then the next big decision that must be made is whether to buy a set labeled as 1080p or one labeled as 720p. In order to make an informed decision about what HDTV set is right for you; you must first have an understanding of what the numbers listed above mean and how they translate into the quality of picture you will see on your HDTV set.

The numbers of 1080p and 720p listed above correlate to the number of pixels the display can actually show on its screen at any given time. A 1080p set can show or display a significantly higher resolution that a 720p set can. To avoid getting into the mathematical and numerical details surrounding the numbers listed above, I will simply state that a set listed as 1080p can in general show over twice as many pixels as a 720p set which results in as much as twice as much detail and resolution. This is a significant difference. These number do not represent a small, insignificant increase in detail, they represent over 200% more pixels and over 200% better resolution. Back to the comparison made to digital camera and mega pixels. The difference between a 1080p set and a 720p set can be likened to the difference between a 4 mp camera and an 8 mp camera. As you can see, this difference is substantial.

However, this difference is not always noticeable and I will tell you why. The current problem is that very few broadcasts are presented in true 1080p. The only way to take full advantage of a 1080p set is to watch a broadcast that is recorded in 1080p. However, most broadcasts are recorded in lower quality formats such as 720p or a format known as 1080i. These formats offer lower resolution than the TV can display and therefore do not take full advantage of the sets abilities to display detail. Right now about 20% of all broadcasts in HD are in the 1080p format.