1080p-to be or not to be?

[admin_exported]

after much badgering of my local av dealer i finnaly persuaded him to set up a demo for me. samsung 558 50 plasma full hd and samsung 457 50 plasma hd. now these were set up side by side, source in both was a samsung 1500 bd player through an onkyo 606 amp showing the new indianna jones flick now dont get me wrong both showed stunning picture and sound but i could not tell the difference i tried veiwing from all distances and angles and still both sets produced to my untrained eyes almost perfect picture and sound. i want to buy a 50in screen and now am confused as to why pay the premium for a 1080 set. I know this and other forums hark on about the "must have" 1080 but i just cant see it (no pun intended). advice please?

 

[professorhat]

I think this is one of the few places which doesn't actually say you must have 1080p - most people here would advise getting the TV with the best picture. Whether it has 1080p or not shouldn't really be that crucial (IMHO). You only have to look at the HD Ready Pioneer sets vs Full HD Brand X sets to see 1080p does not necessarily equal better picture.

 

[Anonymous]

Profs right go with what looks good and is the right price, although the one thing that makes me lean to 1080 is the fact that there very little proccessing going on when watching native hi def material. It doesnt necessarily make much difference but im happer knowing that im getting a untouched picture

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the reply,this is my point exactly why pay for the 1080 when i cant see a difference with hd source.i couldnt see these sets with sd as the feed wasnt set up but i guess1080 makes no difference with sd.im sure those of you out therewill say there is a difference and quote various specs at me and i would welcome the dialouge but i remain to be convinced.on a second note how do the samsungs compare to other simaler priced sets,now i know whf gives in awards/reveiws but i prefer opinions from people who live with these sets day in dayout and dont just test them for a few days

 

[farawaydave]

now im in the same position do you pay the extra or save the cash i imagine it will be one of those eternal questions which only you can answer

 

[Anonymous]

cashless:thanks for the reply,this is my point exactly why pay for the 1080 when i cant see a difference with hd source.i couldnt see these sets with sd as the feed wasnt set up but i guess1080 makes no difference with sd.

Chances are the non 1080p panel (XDA) will look better for SD footage than the 1080p panel. Fewer pixels, less scaling to be done.

In my opinion, once you're at a reasonable seating distance, most people would not be able to tell the difference between a Full HD panel and a 'regular' HD panel. At least not at this screen size. I've spoken to a Pioneer rep in the past, talking about the first gen Kuros and even he said that most people could not tell the difference.

Once you get to projector territory I think there is a valid argument for 1080p. But having said that, I have seen a demo using an InFocus IN76 (720p projector) with an Arcam DV137 DVD player playing Transformers upscaled to 720p. Almost everyone that saw it said, "Wow is that Blu-Ray?!".

If you must have the peace of mind knowing that you've bought the latest and greatest, get the 1080p model. If you trust what your eyes tell you, buy the XDA model and your wallet will thank you for it.ÿ

 

[Andy Clough]

For what's it worth, I have a two-year-old 40in Sony Bravia LCD which is HD-ready, not Full HD, and the picture still looks fab with Blu-ray. Are the new Full HD, 1080p models better? Marginally, yes, but not enough for me to scrap my existing TV.

And don't forget Full HD sets have to do even more upscaling on standard-definition TV pictures, which can cause problems.

 

[Anonymous]

so andy, considering i have a limited budget would it be better to buy a better amp or bluray say than spend a few hundred quid extra on the 1080

 

[D.J.KRIME]

cashless:on a second note how do the samsungs compare to other simaler priced sets,now i know whf gives in awards/reveiws but i prefer opinions from people who live with these sets day in dayout and dont just test them for a few days

I have last years Full HD offering in the Samsung PS50P96FDX and IMHO it is a fantastic set offering staggering VFM. It also copes well with SD but excelles with native HD material from both my Sky HD box and BD on my PS3. DVD also looks fab via my Denon DVD3930.

I have been throughly satisfied with my Samsung after upgrading from my old Panasonic 42"" and so were other members of my Family with both my Inlaws and Brother-inlaw getting 50"" Samsung plasmas after seeing mine (they both have the 457 you mentioned)

The Full Hd or HD ready is only really a descission you can make, but I would think how much HD material you will be watching as if this is low then maybe it is worth saving the extra money. But BD is defnatly crisper with more coulour fidelity on my set over that of the HD ready ones and smoother thanks to 24fps support.