Derrick
ლ(ಠ_ಠ )ლ
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,085
- Reaction score
- 5
High Definition is continuing to grow and has asserted itself as the high end standard. Whether it’s watching Blu-ray titles, HD TV or playing console games in HD, consumers are rapidly moving into the new technology.
As last generation’s HD TVs are replaced by newer models, prices are being pushed down and HD is becoming available to a wider audience.
HD TV sales are picking up, and so is the uptake of Blu-ray. With a wide range of Blu-ray titles becoming available, and Blu-ray players themselves slowly coming down in price, there has never been a better time to start shopping around.
HD explained
There is still some confusion surrounding the various HD standards. There are three basic varieties of HD TV: “full HD” with 1080p (progressive scan) and two variations of “HD ready”, 720p (progressive scan) and 1080i (interlaced).
HD TVs supporting 720p support a lower resolution of 1280×720. This means that there are 921600 pixels on the screen, as opposed to the 2million plus on show in Full HD. Even though this is low in terms of HD, it still provides a far superior picture to that seen on regular TVs. Furthermore, on a TV below 42-inches, the noticeable difference between HD ready and full HD is minimal.
As the television starts getting larger, 720p begins to suffer. There are actually other resolutions available, such as 1024×768 and 1366 x768, but these fall under the 720p banner.
Interlacing vs Progressive scanning
While 1080i offers the coveted 1920×1080 resolution, it makes use of interlacing which is an inferior processing method to progressive scanning.
In effect, interlacing is a trick employed to deliver the higher resolution by only projecting every second line of the image per split second. While progressive scanning (1080p and 720p) projects the entire image in every frame, interlacing alternates between lines on each picture.
Therefore, progressive scanning delivers a cleaner picture than interlacing.
Is 1080p worth it?
The problem with 1080p at the moment is that the only source material which supports it properly is Blu-ray. The much vaunted HD DSTV broadcast is transmitted in 720p. There is in-fact no broadcasting service in the world that transmits proper full HD signals, and this doesn’t look set to change for a while to come.
The vast majority of Xbox 360 and PS3 games are rendered at 720p. The signal is then converted to higher resolutions to fit 1080p and 1080i sets. This does not translate to native 1080p resolutions.
There are however a select few games on both consoles which do make use of native 1080p.
For everything but Blu-ray and a minority selection of console games, 1080p is a waste. So unless you have an extra ten grand in the bank that you need to urgently get rid of, or you plan to spend a lot of time watching Blu-ray movies, 720p may just offer better value.
As last generation’s HD TVs are replaced by newer models, prices are being pushed down and HD is becoming available to a wider audience.
HD TV sales are picking up, and so is the uptake of Blu-ray. With a wide range of Blu-ray titles becoming available, and Blu-ray players themselves slowly coming down in price, there has never been a better time to start shopping around.
HD explained
There is still some confusion surrounding the various HD standards. There are three basic varieties of HD TV: “full HD” with 1080p (progressive scan) and two variations of “HD ready”, 720p (progressive scan) and 1080i (interlaced).
HD TVs supporting 720p support a lower resolution of 1280×720. This means that there are 921600 pixels on the screen, as opposed to the 2million plus on show in Full HD. Even though this is low in terms of HD, it still provides a far superior picture to that seen on regular TVs. Furthermore, on a TV below 42-inches, the noticeable difference between HD ready and full HD is minimal.
As the television starts getting larger, 720p begins to suffer. There are actually other resolutions available, such as 1024×768 and 1366 x768, but these fall under the 720p banner.
Interlacing vs Progressive scanning
While 1080i offers the coveted 1920×1080 resolution, it makes use of interlacing which is an inferior processing method to progressive scanning.
In effect, interlacing is a trick employed to deliver the higher resolution by only projecting every second line of the image per split second. While progressive scanning (1080p and 720p) projects the entire image in every frame, interlacing alternates between lines on each picture.
Therefore, progressive scanning delivers a cleaner picture than interlacing.
Is 1080p worth it?
The problem with 1080p at the moment is that the only source material which supports it properly is Blu-ray. The much vaunted HD DSTV broadcast is transmitted in 720p. There is in-fact no broadcasting service in the world that transmits proper full HD signals, and this doesn’t look set to change for a while to come.
The vast majority of Xbox 360 and PS3 games are rendered at 720p. The signal is then converted to higher resolutions to fit 1080p and 1080i sets. This does not translate to native 1080p resolutions.
There are however a select few games on both consoles which do make use of native 1080p.
For everything but Blu-ray and a minority selection of console games, 1080p is a waste. So unless you have an extra ten grand in the bank that you need to urgently get rid of, or you plan to spend a lot of time watching Blu-ray movies, 720p may just offer better value.