720p vs 1080i explained

by Jennie Lees on Dec 7th 2005 7:00PM

If you've been encouraged by the comparison to think more seriously about HDTV (or you already have one), but you're not sure what all this 720p and 1080i nonsense is about, read on. The Xbox 360 supports both HDTV resolutions, but there are already two different camps of thought on which is the best for gaming.

This comic strip might help you work out the difference, and which is best for you. It might not, but it'll amuse you on the way. It all boils down to Oompa-Loompas or hobbits in the end--which do you support?

[via Major Nelson]

Source

Reader Comments (4)

Uhm, this comic strip has some very troubling errors. It also leaves out some VERY important information.

I'm not going to go through the whole thing here, but please get your info elsewhere if you need to understand the workings of HD.

Basically, 1080i is like getting 1080 lines at 30 fps, while 720p is getting 720 lines at 60 fps. Now its a little more complicated than that, but thats the best simplified way.

Basically, due to the visual trickery, 1080i will give the look of higher resolution.

People will argue that there is more data in a 720p stream. They are correct in technical aspects... but as to what LOOKS better? I'd go with 1080i.

The bandwidth for 1080i is the same as 540p... however this does not mean you get the same image as a 540p. You ARE getting 1080 lines... Just at a slower pace, and half at a time.

There are some negative aspects to interlacing. Due to the methodology of interlacing frames, visual quality can suffer, especially under high motion scenes. There will be a greater blurring effect. In a relatively still image though, 1080i will be noticeably sharper.

1080P , not i, is the future. 1080p will become the new standard for a while. Unless you have a 70" tv, there is no need to go beyond 1080p. You will get all the benefits of progressive scan, with the higher resolution.

I got a HD teli and a X360. From personal experience, 1080i looks better than 720p. I must note that this is on my setup, other manufactures TVs may be the different. Bottom line, both resolutions display sufficient lines for any purpose - static or moving - especially on a smaller TVs. 720p theoretically is better for motion while 1080i is better for static, but the average user will not notice.