HDTV Resolutions

The first thing that most people consider when they plan their first HDTV purchase, is the resolution of the HDTV screen.

Often, many new buyers fall into the trap of the bigger number is better.

In this post, we take a look at common HDTV resolutions and hopefully help you figure out which one is the best for your individual needs.

Before you look at the resolutions in detail - you have to consider that there are two resolutions that you should consider, the resolution of your source (i.e. DVD player, Cable box, Gaming system) and the resolution of the display.

Common Source Resolutions:

Resolution	Pixels	HDTV?	Wide Screen?	Progressive Scan	Sources
1080p	1920×1080	Yes	Yes	Yes	PS3, Blu-Ray Players
1080i	1920×1080	Yes	Yes	No	Broadcast TV like CBS, NBC and Xbox 360
720p	1280×720	Yes	Yes	Yes	ABC, FOX and other cable TV channels
480p	852×480	No	Yes	Yes	Progressive Scan / Up-scaling DVD players

Unfortunately, like most things hi-tech these days, explaining one simple thing, leads to a digression where we have to explain some new terms that have been brought into the picture because of our explanation.

The alphabet “p” or “i” added to the end of the source resolution indicates if the picture is interlaced or progressive.

An interlaced source sends out information (or content) about alternative lines and a progressive source sends out every single line for the display to interpret.

It can best be explained with this image found on Wikipedia

As you can see, non-interlaced or progressive sources offer the best quality.

Now, we need to consider display resolutions.

Display Resolution	Can Support	Found In	Availability
1920×1080	1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p	LCD, High End Plasma, DLP, LCD, LCoS projectors	Fairly common in high and medium end sets in 2008. Usually available in larger sizes.
1366×768	720p, 1080i, 480p	LCD and 50 inch plasma	Very common and usually available in all sizes
1024×768	720p, 1080i, 480p	Plasma based HDTVs	37″ to 40+” plasma resolution - being replaced by 1366×768 sets
852×468 and 640×480	480p	Rare for manufacturers to release new sets with this resolution	Usually in older / used sets which are 2+ years old.

So, once you understand what your resolution choices are the multi-thousand dollar question is - what TV should you buy?

As a rule of thumb, most home theaters will be well served with 720p capable sets, unless you’re going for a larger sized display (50″+) or have the eyes of a eagle and can would have no problems being classified as a film nerd.

Needless to say, our opinion will probably change in 2009, but for 2008, we recommend buyers to opt for the 720p screens and spend the money they save on upgrading their receivers and accessories.