# 1080i vs. 720p vs. 420p



## GatorDave (Aug 28, 2006)

Obviously the higher number means higher resolution. But progressive is also an improvement over interlaced. So my question is, does the progessive part of 720 make up for the lower resolution when compared to a 1080 interlaced picture? Basically, why would you ever want to set your picture to 720p if your tv can handle 1080i?


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## derwin0 (Jan 31, 2005)

Progressive is better for fast moving things like sports.
For other things, the higher resolution is better.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

not 420p, but 480p

the source is different - some channels in 720p some in1080i


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## GatorDave (Aug 28, 2006)

So then do you set yours to 720p to say watch a football game, then switch it back to 1080i for normal programming? How do you know which channel is broadcasting in which source? If a channel is broadcasting in 720p and your box is set to 1080i, does it try to upconvert to 1080i and thus result in a worse picture than if the box was set to 720p? I have the vip 211. Sorry for the onslaught of questions all at once.


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## tnsprin (Mar 16, 2003)

GatorDave said:


> So then do you set yours to 720p to say watch a football game, then switch it back to 1080i for normal programming? How do you know which channel is broadcasting in which source? If a channel is broadcasting in 720p and your box is set to 1080i, does it try to upconvert to 1080i and thus result in a worse picture than if the box was set to 720p? I have the vip 211. Sorry for the onslaught of questions all at once.


Ideally, if your set really displays both, you set it to 1080i if the channel broadcasts 1080i and 720p if the channel broadcast 720p. The type of programming doesn't matter.

However just because a TV accepts both does not mean it displays it. At that point other questions come into play. For example is your TV better at converting from 1080i (or 720p) then the DIsh receiver.

Dish has said that native passthru is coming which should make this decision easier.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

GatorDave said:


> So then do you set yours to 720p to say watch a football game, then switch it back to 1080i for normal programming? How do you know which channel is broadcasting in which source? If a channel is broadcasting in 720p and your box is set to 1080i, does it try to upconvert to 1080i and thus result in a worse picture than if the box was set to 720p? I have the vip 211. Sorry for the onslaught of questions all at once.


ABC, ESPN and FOX all do HD in 720p. All others are 1080i.

Ideally your set could do both, but few can. Try both on both sources and see how your TV looks. Use whatever looks best.


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## GatorDave (Aug 28, 2006)

My tv can display, not just accept 1080i. In fact it's a first generation 1080p. So basically I should leave it set to 1080i?


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## Jolard (Feb 14, 2006)

Yes, I would. You will get the most benefit from your wonderful (me jealous) 1080p TV by having your output set to 1080i.


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## kckucera (Aug 1, 2005)

GatorDave said:


> My tv can display, not just accept 1080i. In fact it's a first generation 1080p. So basically I should leave it set to 1080i?


Agree keep it at 1080i save for hockey where 720p does seem better (doesent seem to help on football or basketball) on my native 1080 set.


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## tnsprin (Mar 16, 2003)

GatorDave said:


> My tv can display, not just accept 1080i. In fact it's a first generation 1080p. So basically I should leave it set to 1080i?


No, you want it to match the broadcast. Almost certainly your TV can better displaying 720P then the dish receiver can convert it.

Hopefully Dish will enable passthru mode with the "October" update.


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## retexan599 (Aug 1, 2006)

tnsprin said:


> No, you want it to match the broadcast. Almost certainly your TV can better displaying 720P then the dish receiver can convert it.
> 
> Hopefully Dish will enable passthru mode with the "October" update.


With the DISH ViP622, it is rather a nuisance to switch resolutions. I usually leave it at 1080i, as the (to me) marginal improvement to match 720p to my 768 tv are not worth the hassle most of the time. Just my way of looking at it....


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

My display does both 720p and 1080i and I just leave it on 1080i, the motion artifacts are not that bad most of the time, and the grass looks better.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Jim5506 said:


> My display does both 720p and 1080i and I just leave it on 1080i, the motion artifacts are not that bad most of the time, and the grass looks better.


It is also worth noting... most of the motion artifacts that people talk about seeing with 1080i vs 720p are less about the interlaced vs progressive scan but more about the higher resolution and the lack of quality real-time compression at that higher-resolution... in other words, blame the MPEG compression and to some extent the bitrate starving on some channels as well.

Where I'm going with this is... people who think 1080p will be awesome compared to 1080i will be in for a surprise... as 1080p will still experience the same pixelization problems unless and until they improve the compression/transmission... at which point 1080i will also be better and you won't be able to tell a noticable difference.

Folks who aren't completely up to speed on the technology are quick to blame interlaced for the pixelization on the fast-motion... but completely forget that they are dealing with higher resolution images too... and that is more the cuplrit than the progressive vs interlaced.


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