[maxwalrath]

Don't know, I guess that was my question.  I'm flexible with formats....I'd be fine with trying a projector.  I guess I'd want at leasst a 32 inch if it was non-projector.

[budyog]

I am considering a new video display purchase to go with my Onkyo Sp1000 player which includes the HDMI, whatever that means! I am considering this a Samsung 46" DLP HDTV because I like what I see.

Would someone be so kind as to shed a little light on the differences between 720, 1080I and P and HDMI?

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

[MaxCast]

Here is a great link
http://hdguru.com/
Maybe not about DLP but a good resource for tec info.

[BobM]

Congrats!  Is that a 1080p display? 

Yeah, its 480p/720p/1080i, 10000:1 contrast ratio, 2 HDMI connections.

If it's 480p/720p/1080i screen, then it's not 1080p...

Still a superb TV....

Yup, you're right (my mixup). But from what I've been reading I don't think I'll be missing much until Blu Ray and such becomes more mass market. At that point I expect I'll have enough stuck pixels showing that I'll be in the market for another TV. 

I do plan on getting an upconverting DVD player, like the Samsung, to take advantage of the HDMI connections when watching movies. I do notice a picture improvement on my 32" LCD, which is also 1080i.

I don't know if the upscale version of this TV (TH42PX600U) might support the 1080p. But it at least passes the tests for deinterlace and 3:2 resolution, but it's about $500 more for essentially a card slot and PC connectivity, which I don't need.

Bob

[ctviggen]

You could try an Oppo, which supposedly is a good upconverting DVD player.  I say supposedly good, because I purchased an Oppo to use while my Proceed PMDT was being repaired, and when I got the Proceed back, I compared the two.  The Proceed was amazingly better basically in every way.  However, the Proceed only outputs 480p over component, while the Oppo only outputs 480i over component but higher rates over HDMI/DVI (which I do not yet have).  Comparing 480i + internal TV processing with 480p isn't really a fair test.  Niether is the price -- $200 (I think) versus $5,000 plus $1,500 for an internal scaling card.  Nonetheless, I wasn't expecting as large a difference as there was.  When I get my 1080p/720p front projector, I'll rerun this test using the Oppo's best rate (720p?) versus the Proceed's best rate and see what happens.

[bubba966]

Bob, the OPPO doesn't look very good over component video. It's only good over DVI or HDMI. And I'm familiar enough with the PMDT to know that over component the PMDT is easily better than the OPPO. But run the OPPO over DVI/HDMI and the OPPO is better in virtually all video parameters with the exception being fine detail. THe PMDT will have an edge in that department. But the overall picture quality will be better on the OPPO on DVI/HDMI than the PMDT will be over component.

Send the OPPO to Bolder Cables to have it modded for a good step up in video & digital audio performance.

[elcaptain88]

I am considering a new video display purchase to go with my Onkyo Sp1000 player which includes the HDMI, whatever that means! I am considering this a Samsung 46" DLP HDTV because I like what I see.

Would someone be so kind as to shed a little light on the differences between 720, 1080I and P and HDMI?

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

I got an Elite 1130-HD on closeout at the end of the summer and have just gone through this learning process.

IMO - there is very little (if any) difference in PQ among the various upsampled outputs for DVD players vs. 480i/480p - this is viewing on a 50inch HDTV plasma. I think 'upsampling' is a marketing gimmick for most players. Each resolution mode may product some differences - but not necessarily better image quality. With an HDTV, you will also have the scaling (aka upsampling) and deinterlacing capabilities in the set itself, and often the TV produces better results than the DVD player. I prefer using the 1130HD for these functions over my Denon DVD player, which I have outputing 480p. Of course every combination is different and you have a very good DVD player - so you can experiment. HDMI is useful if you plan on routing all video & digital through a receiver - but beyond that convenience it doesn't offer any visible advantage over component connections. Of course using HDMI also reduces cable clutter & many DVD players only provide upsampled output via HDMI for copy protection reasons.

I would not pay extra for a 1080p set. All current HDTV programming is compressed 720p/1080i and will not be 1080p in the forseeable future due to limited bandwidth. The better HDTV's have good noise reduction to deal with these compression artifacts and also make standard definition programming more bearable. I would imagine on HDDVD & Blueray 1080p sources (are there 1080p discs yet?) any perceivable advantage of 1080p would be dependant on the size of the display & viewing distance.

[EDS_]

I am considering a new video display purchase to go with my Inky Sp1000 player which includes the HDMI, whatever that means! I am considering this a Samsung 46" DLP HDTV because I like what I see.

Would someone be so kind as to shed a little light on the differences between 720, 1080I and P and HDMI?

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

I got an Elite 1130-HD on closeout at the end of the summer and have just gone through this learning process.

IMO - there is very little (if any) difference in PQ among the various up sampled outputs for DVD players vs. 480i/480p - this is viewing on a 50inch HDTV plasma. I think 'up-sampling' is a marketing gimmick for most players. Each resolution mode may product some differences - but not necessarily better image quality. With an HDTV, you will also have the scaling (aka up-sampling) and deinterlacing capabilities in the set itself, and often the TV produces better results than the DVD player. I prefer using the 1130HD for these functions over my Denon DVD player, which I have outputing 480p. Of course every combination is different and you have a very good DVD player - so you can experiment. HDMI is useful if you plan on routing all video & digital through a receiver - but beyond that convenience it doesn't offer any visible advantage over component connections. Of course using HDMI also reduces cable clutter & many DVD players only provide upsampled output via HDMI for copy protection reasons.

I would not pay extra for a 1080p set. All current HDTV programming is compressed 720p/1080i and will not be 1080p in the forseeable future due to limited bandwidth. The better HDTV's have good noise reduction to deal with these compression artifacts and also make standard definition programming more bearable. I would imagine on HDDVD & Blueray 1080p sources (are there 1080p discs yet?) any perceivable advantage of 1080p would be dependant on the size of the display & viewing distance.

Are you certain your set isn't "locked" into an upconverting mode....meaning maybe your set is sampling different "up samples" into say 1080i?

Last Saturday, I showed my family the different up sampling modes from our new Oppo 970. It was unanimous that 1080i was far superior to 480p (if 100 people were in the room no one would have said there was little difference). Frankly, on our set 1080i DVD is markedly better than 720p DVD. 1080i and 720p HDTV signals are indistinguishable.

[elcaptain88]

Are you certain your set isn't "locked" into an upconverting mode....meaning maybe your set is sampling different "up samples" into say 1080i?

Last Saturday, I showed my family the different up sampling modes from our new Oppo 970. It was unanimous that 1080i was far superior to 480p (if 100 people were in the room no one would have said there was little difference). Frankly, on our set 1080i DVD is markedly better than 720p DVD. 1080i and 720p HDTV signals are indistinguishable.

I think it depends greatly on the DVD/TV combination. I did notice significant differences between the outputs - but it was primarily color and black levels, once I corrected for those it was hard to pick any one as better. The 1130 displays the input mode (480p, 720p, etc.), so I can tell what signal the TV is receiving. The best conventional DVD player I've tried is the Ayre Dx-7, which outputs 480p and has no scaling options.

[PhilNYC]

Yup, you're right (my mixup). But from what I've been reading I don't think I'll be missing much until Blu Ray and such becomes more mass market.

You know, it's funny...my first plasma was a 42" Panasonic purchased in 2002.  Got a high-def box and was enthrallled by the picture....even after I realized I had the "eTV" version (480p) instead of the "hdtv" version (720p).... .  I use that TV in my bedroom now, and honestly it is still a superb picture. 

[F-100]

Another price drop today... Panasonic TH-50PH9UK for $1699.99 shipped to your door after $100 rebates from NewEggs.com

[95bcwh]

Another price drop today... Panasonic TH-50PH9UK for $1699.99 shipped to your door after $100 rebates from NewEggs.com

This is not real....it used to be $3200 shipped about 6 months ago

[Captain Humble]

Another price drop today... Panasonic TH-50PH9UK for $1699.99 shipped to your door after $100 rebates from NewEggs.com

This is not real....it used to be $3200 shipped about 6 months ago

My bet is prices will drop more after Christmas.

[95bcwh]

Another price drop today... Panasonic TH-50PH9UK for $1699.99 shipped to your door after $100 rebates from NewEggs.com

Ok, minor correction, you have to add $99 to shipping..

[F-100]

Another price drop today... Panasonic TH-50PH9UK for $1699.99 shipped to your door after $100 rebates from NewEggs.com

Ok, minor correction, you have to add $99 to shipping..

Sorry, I forgot to include special coupon code for additional $100 off.  aa

From www.gotapex.com:

Very nice price drop on Panasonic's awesome 50" Professional Series HD plasma display with 10,000:1 contrast!  It's $2899.99 minus a $1,100 instant discount, which takes the price down to $1799.99.  Use coupon code: EMC1210PNSC50 for $100 off, taking the price down to $1699.99.  There's a $100 mail in rebate (expiring 12/31/06), taking the price down to $1599.99!  Shipping is very reasonable at just $99.99.  Don't miss out.

[bummrush]

Anybody use the newer Hitachi plasma's,and how do you like them?Thanks

[JoshK]

so I just pulled the trigger on a 58" Panny....only 720p, but given our sources, that is pretty good.  That will keep us till the HT is built and we put in a FPJ.   I got a good deal to make is a bit under $3K. 

[Levi]

Congrats on the 58" Panny! 

ISF Pro calibration should be next in your list I take it.

[JoshK]

I plan to...just if I can get them out to NJ without mucho $$$.

[jqp]

I am considering a new video display purchase to go with my Onkyo Sp1000 player which includes the HDMI, whatever that means! I am considering this a Samsung 46" DLP HDTV because I like what I see.

Would someone be so kind as to shed a little light on the differences between 720, 1080I and P and HDMI?

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

 HDMI is useful if you plan on routing all video & digital through a receiver - but beyond that convenience it doesn't offer any visible advantage over component connections. Of course using HDMI also reduces cable clutter & many DVD players only provide upsampled output via HDMI for copy protection reasons.

I would not pay extra for a 1080p set. All current HDTV programming is compressed 720p/1080i and will not be 1080p in the forseeable future due to limited bandwidth. The better HDTV's have good noise reduction to deal with these compression artifacts and also make standard definition programming more bearable. I would imagine on HDDVD & Blueray 1080p sources (are there 1080p discs yet?) any perceivable advantage of 1080p would be dependant on the size of the display & viewing distance.

Excellent points here...

First of all, HDMI is a scheme by the companies in the TV industry and the media companies. Sony of course is a leader in both camps. Sony has gotten tons of bad press lately for the PS3, the exploding laptop batteries, the rootkit and and spyware from audio CDs, and HDMI kind of fits in with this whole overbearing control of the consumer.

My KV-40XBR800 manual has almost NO discussion about High Definition, although it is capable of 1080i\720p\480p\480i over 2 component inputs and 1 DVI input (same video as HDMI). THis came out I think in 2002, and HD was even less understood back then, but did Sony try to educate us about HD in the  manual of this expensive monster of a tube TV? No. But hey, here is this DVI jack, and also 2 sets of component.

HDMI, and DVI for some sets, is a way to allow for a copy protected digital connection to a TV, a TV that has to have a computer built into the TV. This copy protection is call HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). HDMI\DVI is the hardware interface vehicle for this HDCP. It won't work over Component (R,G, and B cables), which is analog.

So you can play high definition content over HDMI and Component, and probabaly get better PQ over HDMI\DVI if you really can engineer to take advantage of it. But to play the copy protected media of the future you would need HDMI\DVI.

There is no copy protected media yet (I dont think). So currently it is a moot point. But in case it comes, and in fact, to prepare an installed base of TVs that can display this copy protected media, your TVs are coming with HDMI jacks.

When will this world of HDCP copy protected media/broadcast signals get here?

I'm not sure if Blu-Ray players and the Blu-Ray PS3 already implements this HDCP copy protection, or  more acurately, if Blu-Ray media implements this? But Microsoft has opted out for now with their HD-DVD add-on for the XBox 360. It does not have an HDMI interface, only Component. And the MS VP who deals with HD-DVD technology has said it will not have one. (I guess after a year or two  from now all bets are off). But does this means that the HD-DVD format will not be copy protected, and thus will not require HDMI\DVI, for the forseeable future. That's what it kind of looks like to me!

And as elcaptain88 points out, there is no true High Definition video being broadcast that is not compressed, and definitely no 1080p. And I don't think anyone will pay for this copy protection scheme if  it does not come in 1080p. It takes 4x the bandwidth to do HD as compared to standard definition which is what I have on my analog cable feed. It looks pretty good on many stations though because my Sony upgrades the Picture Quality. There is also some decent HD on local broadcast stations, but again not "true HD" (1080p) signals.

And thats the thing about HDTV. It is not one resolution that is "High Definition". HDTV is whatever the TV set you are buying says that it is!

The TV industry has begun to move consumers to midrange HDTV and HDMI. But the promise of 1080p just hasn't been fullfilled yet.

And remember, as in audio,  you can get a great picture if and only if the source material is recorded well. DVDs can look amazing but they are only 480. It depends on how much effort the put in to make a quality original source. The Conan O'brien broadcast TV show is recorded in a high resolution, and so on my analog cable feed it looks great.

Broadcasters don't like HD because at this point consumers aren't demanding it with their dollars and their display equipment. If you can sell 4 shows in lower definition with the same bandwidth that it takes to deliver 1 HD show...

The Hardware manufactureres, Media creators, and consumers all have to move forward, as in a 3-legged race, for HDTV to become a reality.

From what I see, about the only arena where you can have a full HDTV experience right now, is with a Gaming Console (MS or Sony) environment, that employs an expensive 1080p capable set. Then you can watch some movies and play a few games in 1080p. And pay a very high price to do so.

So...currently IMHO that is why the 720p and 1080i levels of HDTV are the "current sweet spot" for "high-end" HDTV. And they won't make much 1080p content until folks can consume it form disc or from broadcast\cable\satellite.