Longevity and quality of 720p vs 1080p

[smithyg22]

Hi everyone,

I am currently in the process of choosing a HDTV for my living room. I only know what i have learnt over the last few days so any help is much appreciated. I have been drawn towards the LG 42PT353K model for the simple reasons of its size, price and that plasma seems to give a better quality picture.

It only has a 768 resolution though and I am concerned this might negate some of the HD benefit. Will i notice a difference between this and a comparable 1080p TV? I dont sit closer than 1.5 m to it - so i dont think i'll experience screen-door effect?? I also don't have a high end blue ray player (only a ps3).

I have also read that 720s are being phased out by the industry and am worried for their support over the next 10 years plus.

If anybody has experience of this model or LGs other TVs and can give me advice i would be very appreciative. Alternatively if someone can recommend another TV (42 inch budget of £350 and 32 inch budget of £280) that has a better picture.

My requirements are:
2 HDMI cables
between 32 and 42 inches
usb input
I need it to last over 5 years, 10 preferably.

Thanks in advance,
Greg

[nibblitz]

Without going into too much detail as to why or what, I'd say you would be mad to spend a load of money on a new big 42" screen that isnt capable of 1080p.. With a 32" or smaller screen then an HD Ready is perfectly fine in my opinion, and even a HD Ready TV can still do 1080i anyway, and thats what HD TV is broadcast at... But yea, if you're buying new, and its such a large screen then Id say you'll at some point regret not buying a Full HD 1080p capable screen..

http://www.ebuyer.com sell some tasty Full HD 42" tellies within your budget..

[smithyg22]

Thanks for replying. I appreciate what you're saying, that's what i'm most worried about - buying a TV and finding out 5 years down the line it's technically redundant. I've read so many contradicting reviews about whether 1080 is noticeable in a 42inch and it seems that most people who have 1080 think it is - Which i think is good enough for me!! Seeing as I can't get a 1080p plasma TV (which seemed to be the best technology) for my budget. I'm now torn between LCD and LED. Am i right in thinking LED is just a better lit LCD?

If you had £350 to buy a 40 or 42 inch TV what would you buy and why?

Thanks again.
Greg

[brian]

720 isn't really proper HD - if you're getting a HD TV you really need to look to getting a 1080 one.

The difference between 720 and 1080 is very noticable on a 42" screen - your picture will be okay, but it will look little different to a CRT TV. With a 1080 HDTV you will see all the detail in 1080 broadcasts/blu-ray that HD TV's are really built for.

You only need to raise your budget very slightly to get a very decent 1080 Panasonic plasma:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-TX...2650804&sr=8-7

The picture you will get with that, with BBC HD nature programs and new blu-ray films, will easily outclass the LG model.

Also, as a point of note, my first HD TV was a LG plasma and it was crap - poor colours and sync problems with sound and vision. Not worth the hassle.

[nibblitz]

HD TV broadcasts are not actually Full HD, they broadcast out at 1080i, and all HD Ready TV's can display 1080i, so you dont really need a full HD 1080p TV to experience HD Television.. Its your bluray players and other media players that can send movies at 1080p to a TV, and for this you would require a Full HD 1080p capable TV to experience the beauty of full HD... Viewing movies on a big screen at 1080p is far far superior to watching them at 1080i, or even 720p..

But like I said, even if at the moment you dont have the means to watch 1080p movies, you'll certainly regret not buying Full HD capable TV at some point in the near future, so best not to save a few quid to get just a HD Ready TV...

Brian posted a link to a Panasonic, in my opinion Panasonic make the best panels and the engine they use to drive the panels beats all others, and the control afforded to you via menu settings is also superb.. But they do cost a bit..

[smithyg22]

Thanks guys,

The panosonic does look great - might be able to stretch to that!! Would you both recommend plasma over LCD/LED? If I am limited to £350 ( at my girlfriends mercy a bit) is there a TV that leaps out at you?

Thanks again guys.

[smithyg22]

Also sorry if I'm being silly but it says that th Panasonic has a resolution of 720 aswell. Or is it just that it can handle 1080p?

[BL4K3Y]

If your TV states that it is Full HD then it will be able to display the full 1080p resolution but if it says HD Ready then it will go up to 1080i (I would go for 720p in this instance because progressive looks better than interlaced in my opinion).

[nibblitz]

You're not going to get Full HD Plasma for your budget..

This Panasonic is a fantastic 42" Full HD LCD telly

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/panason...01486-pdt.html

Its not plasma, but still its a quality panel, superb viewing angle, network connection, usb, etc etc lovely lovely...

[brian]

Originally Posted by smithyg22

Thanks guys,

The panosonic does look great - might be able to stretch to that!! Would you both recommend plasma over LCD/LED? If I am limited to £350 ( at my girlfriends mercy a bit) is there a TV that leaps out at you?

Thanks again guys.

Originally Posted by smithyg22

Also sorry if I'm being silly but it says that th Panasonic has a resolution of 720 aswell. Or is it just that it can handle 1080p?

Ah, sorry, you may be right on the 720 for that model - there was another Panasonic on Amazon for around £450, I just looked for the cheapest by the company.

As nibblitz states, Panasonic are probably the best HDTV manfacturer to look at for quality and reliability - and they are normally well priced, too.

1080p I think really needs to be the goal for a HDTV - watch a recent Attenborough or Tangled on blu-ray, or Tekken 6 on PS3, and you will see incredible detail that really makes the HD experience what it is.

If the TV is going to be used for a few years, you're going to save more getting a better TV now, than a cheap functional one you want to replace in two years IMO.