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What is the 1080p format? 1080p refers to a high definition television, projector, or video source that displays or produces
Full HD 1920 pixels horizontal x 1080 pixels vertical native resolution.
A 1080p HDTV or 1080p projector can accept a 1920 x 1080p input
signal from a 1080p HD source, such as a Blu-ray Disc (or 1080p upscaling DVD player) when connected
with an HDMI cable.
So, why all the buzz about 1080p
televisions? 1080p TVs are currently the highest-resolution high definition televisions you can buy. Basically, the advantage to owning a 1080p
television is a much more detailed image -- assuming you'll be connecting it to one or more high definition video sources. For example, 1080p Blu-ray Disc players output video in Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, along with up to
8 separate channels of digital audio for 7.1 surround sound. Blu-ray
Discs provide the best way to show off the full beauty of movies
and music on your 1080p HDTV. In fact, if you connect a Blu-ray Disc player
to anything less than a 1080p TV or projector along with a home theater surround sound audio system, you won't get Full HD!
1080i vs 1080p Now that CRT direct view and rear projection televisions have
pretty much gone the way of the dinosaurs, you don't see many
1080i televisions on the market. The i at the end of 1080i
stands for interlaced, and the p at the end of 1080p stands for
progressive. Basically, they are just two different ways of
creating the image on the screen. Since 1920 x 1080p Full HD television programming is
NOT yet
widely available, the best source of 1080i high definition TV programming for your 1080p HDTV or projector is from a digital satellite dish and HD programming package from either Dish Network or DIRECTV. |
New satellites launched into orbit promise a lot more
additional HD channels in the near future. A drawback to satellite TV is that you may lose signal during bad weather.
Another possible choice would be to get HDTV programming from your local cable company (Charter,
Comcast, Time Warner, etc). A cool thing about getting HD programming via either satellite or cable is that you can usually lease multiple HD
receivers on your monthly bill instead of having to buy them. Better yet, many new 1080p TVs feature
a built-in QAM tuner or CableCard technology that allows you to get the unscrambled digital channels from your cable company without the need for a separate box.
But the cheapest way to pick up the off-the-air broadcast HD networks now available in most areas of
the country for FREE is to just connect a high definition television antenna! (Unlike 1080p HDTVs, 1080p projectors lack integrated TV tuners, so you will need to connect a
separate HDTV receiver to your projector to be able to view HD TV programs.)
720p vs 1080p A 1080p
TV or projector can display approximately double the number of pixels on the screen
compared to televisions and projectors with 720p native resolution. To use a digital camera comparison, a 1080p HDTV can display about 2 megapixels on
its screen, while a 720p television displays about 1 megapixel. While a 1080p TV isn't required to perform
any scaling of 1080p and 1080i video signals, any 720p television had better be able to do a flawless job of reducing 1080 lines of vertical resolution down to 720 lines to match it's lower resolution screen. |
