Ever since Blu-ray and the now defunct HD DVD came out with their 1080P resolution everybody has been clamoring for a 1080P television set. It doesn’t matter what size TV they are looking for only that they have that 1080P set. The reality is that most people who buy, let’s say, a 50” TV and sit more than 8 or 10 feet away from the TV will not see a difference between a TV with 1080 and a TV with 720 lines of resolution.
A TV with 1080P resolution basically has a complete resolution of 1920 lines across the screen by 1080 lines up the screen. That resolution is the equivalent of about a 2 megapixel photo that you would take with a digital camera. A TV with 720P resolution has 1280 lines across the screen and 720 lines up the screen. This resolution is close to a 1 megapixel digital photo. There are definitely many more pixels on the screen of a 1080 TV, however because of how far away you are sitting you are unlikely to see the differences. It is like comparing a 1 megapixel and 2 megapixel 4” X 6” photo. No matter how closely you look at it, the difference would be nearly impossible to see.
The bottom line; don’t worry about the resolution of the screen because all new HDTVs can except a 1080P signal into them; so even a 720P set will not be outdated anytime soon. Concentrate more on the quality of the picture and whether the TV has all the inputs you need and want on it and you will be happy. The only exception to this rule is once you start getting looking at a larger TV (like 60” or larger) and you are sitting really close to it (like 8 or 10 feet away). Then you will then start seeing some clarity differences especially when watching a Blu-Ray or any other 1080 signal such as an NBC or CBS HD broadcast.
A TV with 1080P resolution basically has a complete resolution of 1920 lines across the screen by 1080 lines up the screen. That resolution is the equivalent of about a 2 megapixel photo that you would take with a digital camera. A TV with 720P resolution has 1280 lines across the screen and 720 lines up the screen. This resolution is close to a 1 megapixel digital photo. There are definitely many more pixels on the screen of a 1080 TV, however because of how far away you are sitting you are unlikely to see the differences. It is like comparing a 1 megapixel and 2 megapixel 4” X 6” photo. No matter how closely you look at it, the difference would be nearly impossible to see.
The bottom line; don’t worry about the resolution of the screen because all new HDTVs can except a 1080P signal into them; so even a 720P set will not be outdated anytime soon. Concentrate more on the quality of the picture and whether the TV has all the inputs you need and want on it and you will be happy. The only exception to this rule is once you start getting looking at a larger TV (like 60” or larger) and you are sitting really close to it (like 8 or 10 feet away). Then you will then start seeing some clarity differences especially when watching a Blu-Ray or any other 1080 signal such as an NBC or CBS HD broadcast.
1080 vs. 720
Jim Carter's Technology Blog
Posted 3/13/2008
