Screen resolution, 1080p or 720p?
Non-Technical Summary
You have two resolutions to pick from 720p and 1080p. 1080p is twice as good as 720p, but is also be more expensive.
I highly recommend buying a 1080p HDTV if you are looking for a 40 inch or greater television, the 1080p really shines in larger screen sizes.
HDTV’s smaller than 40 inches don’t benefit nearly as much from 1080p and usually the cost savings make the 720p the right choice for these smaller televisions. The exception to this rule is if you’ll be using the HDTV as a computer monitor, or you’ll be sitting closer to the television than normal. In these “close range” situations, 1080p will make a noticable difference even at a smaller screen size.
Technical Discussion
Screen resolution is a measure of how many pixels (or dots) make up the picture displayed on your HDTV; the more pixels (the higher the resolution) the sharper the picture will be. Screen resolution is written as: Number of Pixels Wide x Number of Pixels tall; Example: 1920 x 1080. Something to keep in mind about resolution when it comes to HDTVs: A HDTV with a specific resolution (Ex. 1920 x 1080) on a 52″ will have EXACTLY the same number of pixels as a 32″ HDTV of the same resolution. This means that the actual pixels on the 52″ HDTV will HAVE to be bigger than the pixels on the 32″ HDTV. There is a delicate balance of Screen Size/Screen Resolution/Viewing Distance that decides if you’re going to get the most of a HDTV.
The two major screen resolutions categories for HDTV’s are 720p and 1080p.
720p is the older of the two with less resolution. 720p means that the the screen’s vertical height is made up of at least 720 pixels. The most common 720p is 1366 x 768; however others include 1024 x 768 and 1024 x 720. The resolution of 1366 x 768 is the most desirable 720p resolution because it 1) Offers the highest resolution of the three aforementioned resolutions, meaning it has the ability to offer the clearest picture and 2) the resolution has a native 16:9 aspect ratio.
1080p is the newest resolution for HDTV’s providing a much sharper picture than the 720p resolution. 1080p HDTV’s come in one resolution: 1920 x 1080. This means that 1080p HDTV’s use 2,073,600 pixels to create an image where as the best 720p HDTV only uses 1,049,088 pixels to create it its image.
Most of the time if you want a nice HDTV that will last you several years, look amazing while playing Blu-Ray Movies, HD channels or hooked up to your Xbox 360, PS3, or computer a 1080p HDTV is going to be the best deal for you. Buying a 1080p HDTV will also future-proof your purchase - meaning as more 1080p video sources roll out your HDTV will be able to display them at maximum quality.
Note that 720p and 1080p displays will look very when playing current HD Channels (most HD Channels are recorded in 720p), DVD’s, or non-HD TV channels. This is because the resolution of these video sources are below or equal to 720p. This means there is no extra image data that a 1080p HDTV could use to make a clearer picture over a 720p HDTV.
You also need to take into account your screen size/viewing distance. Generally speaking you will not see a noticeable different between 720p and 1080p 32″ and small HDTVs. This is because when the screen gets so “small” and you are sitting 4 - 5 feet from the 32″ HDTV, your eyes wont be able to see to differentiate between 720p and 1080p.
The good folks over at CarltonBale.com put together a chart that will help you understand at what viewing distance/screen size different resolutions make the most sense. (Note: They include 1440p which isn’t a consumer grade HDTV resolution yet)
