Fat screen TV advice.

There was a huge thread about this a few weeks ago:
http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=102134

i got a 26" samsung had it over a year not been pukka! p is better than i. p is true definition. i normally stick to makes i know plus the samsund tv's are rated really well. the only thing they suffer is sound really because the tv's are so slim- cinema sound soon sorted that out tho have a look around the net before you buy theres alot of **** around mate

Rick

£900 42" Samsung at this end broke 1 year and 1 day in to the warranty; there's a whole line across the middle of the screen that tends to glow red and Samsung (& Currys) aren't willing to do anything about it.

It's barely even been used, Samsung are *****.

It's gonna be for my main tv in the living room and possibly for PS3 in the future.

Only got cable at the mo with no plan to change to HD at anytime in the near future.

So what's the shortlist?

Originally Posted by BluePete

Can someone who KNOWS what's what, tell me why 1080p is so much better than 1080i? My PS3 upscales std DVD's to 1080i and they look better, but I have heard that 1080p is waaay better. Care to explain?

Cheers, Pete

OK. I get paid lots by Sky to know all about digital TV. I'll try to keep it simple-ish.

There are two standard resolutions for high-definition video: 1920x1080 and 1280x720. Most HD TV's flat panels are one or other of these resolutions (or thereabouts). 1080 panels are sometimes referred to as 'True HD'.

Broadcast video in the UK runs at 50 frames per second. With progressive scan, a complete frame is sent every 50th of a second. However there isn't enough bandwidth to send 1920x1080 pixel frames 50 times a second, so what happens is that all of the odd number lines are sent in one 50th, then the even numbered ones in the next 50th, then the odd numbered ones again etc. This is called interlacing and sending 1080 lines interlaced is 1080i.

Since LCD and plasma panels are progressive scan displays, the TVs contain a deinterlacing chip which turns the 1080i broadcast back into 1080p for display. Some deinterlacing chips are very sophisticated, whilst others are quite simple.

If the image isn't moving, then the quality of 1080i and 1080p are identical. If the image is moving, then the 1080i will be a bit worse than 1080p, but this depends on the quality of the deinterlacing chip in your TV. You're unlikely to notice a lot of difference, so it isn't really accurate to say that 1080p is 'waaay better'.

Your TV contains an upscaler that will convert normal standard definition to the native resolution of the panel. Your PS3 will also upscale. Like deinterlacers, upscalers can also vary in quality. I've heard that the PS3 is very good at deinterlacing and upscaling, so it probably upscales standard DVDs better than your TV can. You should only upscale to the resolution of your TV, so if your TV has a 1280x720 panel, then it's pointless upscaling to 1080i, as the TV will just downscale it again.

Hope that helps. I'm off to bed now. If you've any questions, I'll try to answer them in the morning.

Originally Posted by wyrdness

technical stuff

Awesome mate, thanks for making it much simpler for us mere mortals. I would highly recomment a Samsung 1080P tv. Very nice indeed.