General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The difference between normal and high-definition TV, for the non-technical among us. [View all]Atman
(31,464 posts)There is no discussion. You CAN see the difference. There are twice as many scan lines (almost) and twice the resolution. There is no difference between a 1080i and a 720p. The 1080i (I standing for "interpolated" just duplicates every other scan line, so it is just displaying a 720p picture larger. But a true 1080p display actually does have twice the resolution. Now, that doesn't mean your cable company is actually sending you 1080p content. Most likely they are not, it takes up too much bandwidth. Even the so-called hi-def channels are just 1080i, not true progressive scan. But when you watch a 1080p Blu Ray movie, especially if it displayed at a high refresh rate (120hz), the difference is very noticeable. The reason smaller TVs tend to be 720p is because they don't need the extra resolution. They're often used as bedroom TVs, as mine is, viewed fairly close. I also have a 22" Samsung tv which I use as a computer monitor for my Mac. It is a true 1080p. We used to use it for a TV. The picture quality compared to the 720p 26" TV is dramatically better. Just to be clear, the "big" TV is an LED 120hz Samsung, so that helps account for the better picture quality. But to say the eye can't tell the difference is just ridiculous. Maybe your eyes can't, but mine sure do!