# 720p or 1080i?



## bayrider (Jul 25, 2006)

My TV supports 1080i. Just wondering if it's better to go with 1080i res or 720p?

I'm currently using D*


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

There is a lot of discussion on this. My guess is that you have a TV with a panel resolution of 768x1366. This doesn't match the resolution of either 1080i (1080x1920) or 720p (720x1280)signals. In both cases, your TV is going to have to process the signal to fit its actual panel resolution. Most TV's do a good job with this and many people can't tell the difference. My advice is to try changing the output resolution on your receiver and see what you think. Many people find that setting the receiver to "native" is best. What this does is have the receiver send the signal to your TV exactly as it comes form the broadcaster and then let the TV deal with it. This does the least amount of processing of the picture, so it stands to reason that it would give the best results. However, this can make changing channels "slow" as the receiver and TV re-sync their signals.


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## vurbano (May 15, 2004)

I would ouput 1080i or maybe native if the TV can do the converting. Depends on wehther the TV or the reciever has the better quality circuitry. I would certainly not output 720p as some 1080i channels would go through 2 conversions. 1080i to 720p and back to 1080i. You lose PQ every time that happens. Native may be the way to go if the TV is superior and let it do the conversion of 720p to 1080i. If not, then set the reciever to output 1080i only.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

vurbano said:


> I would ouput 1080i or maybe native if the TV can do the converting. Depends on wehther the TV or the reciever has the better quality circuitry. I would certainly not output 720p as some 1080i channels would go through 2 conversions. 1080i to 720p and back to 1080i. You lose PQ every time that happens. Native may be the way to go if the TV is superior and let it do the conversion of 720p to 1080i. If not, then set the reciever to output 1080i only.


Keep in mind that there is really no such thing as a "1080i" TV. All digital LCD and plasma panels display progressive images, so an interlaced signal will immediately be de-interlaced. Since the OP's TV only accepts 720p and 1080i, I assume that it's a 768x1366 panel. No matter what broadcast TV signal standard you send it, the TV has to do some conversion. You are right about not wanting to do "too much" conversion, and that's why I suggested "native". That way, his TV gets either the 480i, 720p or 1080i signal as broadcast without the IRD doing any conversion. The only conversion takes place within the TV, and usually they do a better job than the receiver as their circuitry is optimized for their panels.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

bayrider said:


> My TV supports 1080i. Just wondering if it's better to go with 1080i res or 720p?
> 
> I'm currently using D*


Most HDTV's support 1080i. What is more important as some of the other posters have referenced is what is the native resolution of the tv. The specs should clearly show this, if not post the make and model and I'm sure someone here can find it quickly. The goal is to setup your tv to show the best PQ for you. Some find native on works best for PQ, but it does make channel changes slower. Some find based on their tv and their eyesight, they prefer to set the HR to one resolution, 720p, or 1080i gives the best results. A little experimentation on your part will yield which you prefer.


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## redsoxfan26 (Dec 7, 2007)

rudeney said:


> Keep in mind that there is really no such thing as a "1080i" TV. .


Unless you have a CRT TV. Case in point: my RCA F38310.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I think you should conduct your own tests and decide what works best. My 720p has had three different DIRECTV DVRs hooked to it, and I found that one of them looked better set to 720p while the other two looked better at 1080i. Go figure.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

redsoxfan26 said:


> Unless you have a CRT TV. Case in point: my RCA F38310.


Yes, you are correct - some CRT HDTV's supported 1080i native (I meant to put an asterisk there and mention that, but it was late!). I think there were some DLP sets that had a native resolution of 720p. I don't recall any LCD or Plasma panels that used those as native resolutions, but I guess it's possible that somewhere along the way, such a screen might have been manufactured. The vast majority of HDTV's now are either 768 or 1080 native.


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## bayrider (Jul 25, 2006)

Yes, the native res is 768x1366. I don't notice a difference between 720p or 1080i to be honest. I have it set to native for the moment but for some reason it takes a while for the channel to show up if I change channels.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

bayrider said:


> Yes, the native res is 768x1366. I don't notice a difference between 720p or 1080i to be honest. I have it set to native for the moment but for some reason it takes a while for the channel to show up if I change channels.


That's the trade-off with using native mode. The receiver takes a few seconds to match the broadcaster's signal, then it can take your TV a few seconds, too. I think mine takes about 6 seconds total. It was annoying at first, but now we don't even notice it.

If you can't tell a difference, then you might want to disable all modes on the receiver except 720p and that will make channel changes faster. I'd go with 720p over 1080i if you watch a lot of sports or fast-motion images since interlacing can cause some choppiness to be visible.


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## 4HiMarks (Jan 21, 2004)

rudeney said:


> I think there were some DLP sets that had a native resolution of 720p.


Yes. My Samsung DLP set is 720p native.


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## Movieman (May 9, 2009)

I have my STB locked at 1080i. On my Sammy the picture looks the best.


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

rudeney said:


> I think there were some DLP sets that had a native resolution of 720p.





4HiMarks said:


> Yes. My Samsung DLP set is 720p native.


Same here I have a Sammy HLR4667W. I have my HR20-700 set to native off, 720P.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

Many 1366x768 native resolution TVs actually upconvert everything to 1080 first, then convert down to 1366x768, so you may be working against yourself by choosing 720p. I recommend reading the reviews for your TV on AVSforum.com.


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## JeffChap (Feb 10, 2007)

I tried both with my 40" Samsung LCD, and found the that scrolling text banners, like at the bottom of Fox News Channel, appeared jerky with 720p, whereas they were smooth at 1080i. So 1080i it is for me.


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