found mixed things on google but whats the differences between 480i,p 720p 1080i

which one should i be on for the best quality or does it dpend on what im watching? i have a 1080p tv (so i guess thats the best) but does p trump all i or does the highest resulution trump being p (progressive scan?) or not.

i tried switching my box back and forth to compare but the black screen delay is too long for me to see the difference.

1/23/2010 12:57:46 PM

Quote :

"This rough animation compares progressive scan with interlace scan, also demonstrating the interline twitter effect associated with interlace. On the left are two progressive scan images. Center are two interlaced images. Right are two images with line doublers. Top are original resolution, bottom are with anti-aliasing. The interlaced images use half the bandwidth of the progressive ones. The images in the center column precisely duplicate the pixels of the ones to the left, but interlace causes details to twitter. Real interlaced video blurs such details to prevent twitter, but as seen on the bottom row, such softening (or anti-aliasing) comes at the cost of image clarity. A line doubler could not restore the previously interlaced image at bottom center to the full quality of the progressive image on the top left."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_resolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_scan

1/23/2010 1:08:03 PM

ya but if p is better than what is better between 1080i and 720p

1/23/2010 1:38:59 PM

Define "better".

If you can't tell the difference between 1080i and 720p, does it even matter which one is supposedly better?

1/23/2010 1:52:01 PM

i'm sure i could tell te difference if i could look at them at the same time.

1/23/2010 2:12:04 PM

But you can't view both of them at the same time.

It may not be possible for you to distinguish between the two even if you could view both at the same time, depending upon the size of the television and viewing distance.

1/23/2010 2:29:12 PM

given the options which would you choose?

1080i right?

1/23/2010 5:04:17 PM

i would pick 720p because the only reason I would be making this choice would be on a computer monitor.

1/23/2010 5:15:50 PM

for a game on tv though...?

1/23/2010 5:32:09 PM

I assume we're talking about a set top box here.

The answer about what's "best" depends on what you're watching. Your HDTV is going to come in either 720p or 1080i. If the output of the set top box is 1080i, then it will convert the 720p shows to 1080i. If it's set to 720p, then it's going to convert the 1080i stuff to 720p. The "best" thing to do is set the output to match the signal.

Set top boxes tend to suck at deinterlacing (converting an interlaced 1080i signal to a progressive 720p signal). Mine certainly does, so I leave it set to 1080i. Yeah, you lose some motion detail upscaling and interlacing a 720p signal, but the end result (in my case anyway) is better. Most cable and satellite HD signals are incredibly overcompressed, which is why it's hard to see a difference at all.

If you're watching sports live, use the internal tuner of your TV (assuming it has one) instead of the set top box.

1/23/2010 5:54:47 PM

you're right. this was a stupid question.

1/23/2010 7:42:32 PM