# DirecTV - 1080p Plasma Settings question



## rjanson (Sep 5, 2007)

So I just bought a new TC-P54S2 and I've got it all setup and working nicely.

In the DirecTV Video settings, I've set it up to support output for 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The TV supports each of these resolutions fine. The only issue is when changing channels between a 720p station and a 1080i station there will be a brief 1.5 seconds or so where the TV reformats the display. 

My question is, would I be better off setting the DirecTV reciever to only output 1080i *or* 720p along with 1080p? Or would I be missing out on the quality of displaying at a channel's native resolution?

Hope this makes sense.

--Rich


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

rjanson said:


> So I just bought a new TC-P54S2 and I've got it all setup and working nicely.
> 
> In the DirecTV Video settings, I've set it up to support output for 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The TV supports each of these resolutions fine. The only issue is when changing channels between a 720p station and a 1080i station there will be a brief 1.5 seconds or so where the TV reformats the display.
> 
> ...


In theory, if you let the TV take care of all the scaling/de-interlacing of the original signal, you'll have chosen the path of "least conversion/highest picture quality".

In practice, you probably won't see a difference. That said, I'm a "purist", so I set my HR to "Native On", "Original Aspect Ratio" and check all resolutions. I watch very little "live" TV, so channel change times aren't a big issue for me.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

Though some folks have disagreed with me, in my experience, having your TV switch display modes constantly will reduce the lifespan of the TV. Depending on your viewing habits, it may not be a big deal. If you tend to "guide surf" and watch DVR recordings, you won't switch modes too often. If you are a channel surfer, then, IMO, you definitely want Native set to OFF.

While it's *possible* that you'll see a slight improvement in picture quality by having your TV's scaler do the scaling work instead of the DVR's scaler, most people will never notice the difference (in cases where there is one), but everyone notices the slow channel changing. So, by default, I recommend Native Off unless you understand why (or if) Native On might be important to you.

Again, some folks will disagree. I can only share my experiences of being in well over 2500 customer homes to work on their TV setups...


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

I have a Panasonic TC-P50G10. I have Native ON, and 480p/720p/1080i/1080p checked.

I perfer to let the TV do the scaling. As I see it, the TV's scaling is optimized for the panel, so I'm most likely to get the best results.

Mike


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

The difference in PQ is so minimal to non-existant I would just leave 1080i and 1080p checked and not have it change modes constantly.

Works much better that way IMO.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

It depends on the system. I don't mind the slight lag on my Panasonic plasma as it adjusts for different resolutions, so I have my preferences like Steve's. I, too, am a purist.

But I'm also practical. For my kitchen TV, to get it to show 4:3 broadcasts without being stretched, I had to let my DVR do the scaling and send only a 1080i signal to the TV. Plus, really, who is that picky about the resolution of a kitchen TV, anyway?

The most telling statement in the above posts is "you probably won't see a difference." I totally believe these things affect people more in the head than in their eyes. For you, it sounds like you are bothered by the lag. I was bothered by stretched images in my kitchen. I had to do what was necessary to get rid of the bother. rjanson, I'd recommend the same to you.


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## rjanson (Sep 5, 2007)

Thanks all for the informative replies.

I'm leaving it at native with all resolutions checked for now.


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