720p or 1080i ?? What do people prefer?

[flyingpig]

Of course 1080p is superior, but my TV only does 720p or 1080i, and I cannot work out what gives the best performance - that is if there is any difference in performance.

What do you folks prefer out of the 2 options, and why? Or are my eyes just crap and there is a difference.,.,??

[Omsali]

To be honest, i'v never noticed much difference between the two, the other problem you end up running into is that different equipment runs either of the two 720 or 1080.

But i agree, its hard to tell the difference so i settled for 720p as it works out cheaper viewing .

[flyingpig]

Well at least its not my eyes deceiving me.....Interested why you say its cheaper?

[happy_highlander]

Well at least its not my eyes deceiving me.....Interested why you say its cheaper?

He says it's cheaper because 720 are only classed as hd ready but as far as I'm aware 1080i will still be sold as full hd. I may be wrong I quite often am but it makes sense in my head

[zindgee]

720p

i mostly use 720p res as I got p at the end.

[jessmonkey1]

you only get 720P from sky HD how bad is that?

[Captin]

Technically 720p is better then 1080i as 720p is 720 lines where as 1080i has 540 lines but displays them twice, so you can get pictures like this,



But most people can't tell the difference or see the flicker on 1080i.

It's always better to watch whatever is closest to your TV's native resolution as anything else has to be downscaled or upscaled.

[andy1weir]

if it helps , p is for progressive scan, i is for interlaced dunno what they mean , but my sky and ps3 is always on 1080i

[billy2]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JXfyvlPh0]720p vs 1080i HD Explained - YouTube[/ame]

[gc1966]

i can not tell the difference between sd and hd to be honest.

[gmb45]

i can not tell the difference between sd and hd to be honest.

[DJSimo]

you only get 720P from sky HD how bad is that?

SkyHD is 1080i and always has been.

[tshirtman]

you only get 720P from sky HD how bad is that?

SkyHD is 1080i and always has been.

you have the choice to switch from one to the other, or auto
settings - picture,
I usually keep it on 1080i because that's what the broadcast source is, I sometimes put on 720p to watch footy, but because the source is interlaced you can hardly see a difference.

[lagerland]

How 1080i and 1080p Are Both The Same and Different 1080i and 1080p are both High Definition display formats for HDTVs. 1080i and 1080p signals actually contain the same information. Both 1080i and 1080p represent a 1920x1080 pixel resolution (1,920 pixels across the screen by 1,080 pixels down the screen). The difference between 1080i and 1080p is in the way the signal is sent from a source component or displayed on an HDTV screen.
In 1080i each frame of video is sent or displayed in alternative fields. The fields in 1080i are composed of 540 rows of pixels or lines of pixels running from the top to the bottom of the screen, with the odd fields displayed first and the even fields displayed second. Together, both fields create a full frame, made up of all 1,080 pixel rows or lines, every 30th of a second.
In 1080p, each frame of video is sent or displayed progressively. This means that both the odd and even fields (all 1,080 pixel rows or pixel lines) that make up the full frame are displayed together. This results in a smoother looking image, with less motion artifacts and jagged edges.
Differences Within 1080p
1080p can also be displayed (Depending on the video processing used) as a 1080p/60 (Most common), 1080p/30, or in 1080p/24 formats.
1080p/60 is essentially the same frame repeated twice every 30th of a second. (Enhanced video frame rate.)
1080p/30 is the same frame displayed once every 30th of a second. (Standard live or recorded video frame rate.)
1080p/24 is the same frame displayed every 24th of a second (Standard motion picture film frame rate.)
For more details on how video frames are processed and displayed on a TV, refer to my article: Video Frame Rate vs Screen Refresh Rate
The Key is in the Processing
1080p processing can be done at the source, such as on a Upscaling DVD Player, Blu-ray Disc Player, or HD-DVD player - or it can be done by the HDTV itself.
Depending on the actual video processors used, there may or may not be a difference in having the TV do the final processing (referred to as deinterlacing) step of converting 1080i to 1080p.
For instance, if the TV is utilizing a Faroudja Genesis, DVDO, Silicon Optix HQV, or homegrown processors, such as the ones used in higher-end Sony, Sanmsung, Sharp, and Panasonic sets for example, may be equal to the processors used in many source components - so the results displayed on screen should be equivalent, or very close. Any differences would be more noticeable on larger screen sizes.
1080p, Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD
Also, keep in mind that with both Blu-ray and HD-DVD (although HD-DVD has been discontinued there are still players in use), the actual information on the disc itself is in the 1080p/24 format. Most Blu-ray Disc players now that have ability to output the 1080p/24 to a compatible TV in that native form. However, there are variations on how some players accomplish this task. Here are two interesting past examples from two players that are no longer in production, but are in still use.
The first example is the LG BH100 Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo player (no longer in production). Since not all HDTVs can display 1080p/24, when you connect the LG BH100 to an HDTV that does not have 1080p/24 input and display capability but only has 1080p/60/30 or 1080i input capability, the LG BH100 automatically sends its 1080p/24 signal from the disc to its own video processor which then outputs a 1080i/60 signal. In other words, this player can only output a 1080p signal if the TV is 1080p/24 compatible. This leaves the HDTV to do the final step of deinterlacing and displaying the incoming 1080i signal in 1080p.
Another example of 1080p processing, is the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray Disc Player (no longer in production) - what it does is even more complicated. This Blu-ray player reads the 1080p/24 signal off the disc, then it actually reinterlaces the signal to 1080i, and then deinterlaces its own internally made 1080i signal in order to create a 1080p/60 signal for output to a 1080p input capable television. However, if it detects that the HDTV cannot input a 1080p signal, the Samsung BD-P1000 just takes its own internally created 1080i signal and passes that signal through to the HDTV, letting the HDTV do the final deinterlacing step.
Just as with the previous LG BH100 example. The final 1080p display format depends what deinterlacing processor is used by the HDTV for the final step. In fact, in the Samsung case, it may that a specific HDTV has better 1080i-to-1080p deinterlacer than Samsung has, it which case you may see a better result using the deinterlacer built into the HDTV.
1080p/60 and PC Sources
It is also important to note that when you connect a PC to an HDTV via DVI or HDMI, the graphic display signal of the PC may indeed be sending out 60 discreet frames every second (depending on source material), instead of repeating the same frame twice, as with film or video based material from DVD or Blu-ray Disc. In this case, no additional processing is required to "create" a 1080p/60 frame rate via conversion.
Final Take
In the final analysis, the proof is in the actual viewing - how the image looks to you in the real world with your specific HDTV, in combination with your source devices. Short of having a tech come out and doing actual measurements, or comparing results using different TVs and source components yourself, even if you don't have a 1080p input capable Television, as long your HDTV has 1080p internal processing, you may still be able to get the benefits of 1080p. The key is in the processing, and, of course, not all HDTVs and video processors are created equal - let your eyes be your guide.
For more on 1080p, check out my additional reference article: 1080p Facts and an article offering useful tips when buying an HDTV at About.com's site for TV/Video: Which HDTV Should You Buy: 720p, 1080i, 1080p?.
Also, be sure to read my additional supplementary articles: 720p vs 1080i and 720p vs 1080p.

[Captin]

How 720p and 1080i Are The Same and Different 720p and 1080i are both high definition video formats, but that is where the similarity ends. There are significant differences between the two that may affect the TV you buy and your TV viewing experience.
720p is 1,280 pixels across a screen horizontally and 720 pixels down the screen vertically. This arrangement yields 720 horizontal lines or pixel rows that are sent to a TV or other display device progressively, or each line sent following another (that is where the "p" comes from). In other words, the entire image (720 lines or pixel rows) is sent every 60th of a second (or twice every 30th of a second).
1080i represents 1,920 pixels arranged horizontally and 1,080 pixels arranged vertically. This yields 1,080 horizontal lines (pixel rows), sent to a TV alternately (referred to as an interlaced signal). In other words, all the odd lines or pixel rows are sent to the TV, followed by all the even lines or pixel rows.
This means that 1080i, since it is interlaced, only sends 540 lines (or half the detail) every 60th of a second, with all the detail sent every 30th of a second. On the surface, 1080i produces more detail than 720p, but since the increased detail is only sent every 1/30th of a second, rather than 1/60 of a second, fast moving objects, will exhibit slight interlacing artifacts - which can appear to look like jagged edges or a very slight blurred effect.
720p, 1080i, and Your TV
HDTV broadcasts from your local TV station, cable, or satellite service are either 1080i (such as CBS, NBC, WB) or 720p (such as FOX, ABC, ESPN).
However, although 720p and 1080i are the two main standards for broadcasting HDTV signals, that does not mean you are seeing those resolutions on your HDTV screen.
It is important to note that 1080p (1920 x 1080 lines or pixel rows progressive scanned) is not used in television broadcasting, but is used by some cable/satellite providers, internet content streaming services, and, of course, 1080p is a part of the Blu-ray Disc format standard.
Also, it must be pointed out that most TVs that are labeled as 720p TVs actually have a native pixel resolution of 1366x768, which is technically 768p. However, they are usually advertised as 720p TVs. Don't let this through you off, these sets will all accept 720p and 1080i signals. What the TV has to do is process (scale) any incoming resolution to its native 1366x768 pixel display resolution.
In addition, since LCD, Plasma, and DLP TVs can only display progressively scanned images, they cannot display a native 1080i signal. If a 1080i signal is detected the TV has to scale the 1080i image to either 720p or 768p (if it is a 720p or 768p TV) or 1080p (if it is a 1080p TV). As a result, the quality of the image you see on the screen depends on the how well the TV's video processor works - some TVs do better than others. If the TV's processor does a good job, the image will display smooth edges and have no noticeable artifacts for both 720p and 1080i input sources.
However, the most telltale sign that a processor is not doing a good job is to look for any jagged edges on objects in the image. This will be more noticeable on incoming 1080i signals as the TVs processor only has to scale the resolution up to 1080p or down to 720p (or 768p), but also has to perform a task called "deinterlacing". Deinterlacing requires that the TV's processor combine the odd and even lines or pixel rows of the incoming interlaced 1080i image into a single progressive image to be displayed at least every 60th of a second. Some processors do this very well, and some don't.
Final Take
What all these numbers and processes mean to the consumer is that there is really no such thing as a 1080i LCD, Plasma, or DLP TV. If an LCD, Plasma, LCD TV is advertised as being a "1080i" TV, it really means that while it can input a 1080i signal - it has to scale the 1080i image to 720p for screen display. 1080p TVs, on the other hand, are simply advertised as 1080p TVs and any incoming 720p or 1080i signals are scaled to 1080p for screen display.
In the final analysis, when inputting a 1080i signal on either 720p or 1080p TV, what you see on the screen is the result of many factors, including resolution, motion response, color processing, contrast, brightness, and background video, and video scaling and processing.
For more on 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, read my additional articles: 720p vs 1080p and 1080i vs 1080p.