If you are looking for a new high definition television (HDTV) and you have little confuse about lots of terminology such as 1080i, 720p and 1080p HDTV on the LCD display or Plasma TV . When you ask for the salesperson then he will recommend you for 1080p. So the question is why you should pick 1080p and what is the difference with others? In this article you will find out all about high definition television terms 1080p and 1080i.

The first thing you should consider when choosing a HDTV is the structure of the screen. It means refer to the pixels on its display. This would be similar with scan lines on the previous tube type television screens. The image on the displays will look better with the more pixel (or lines) they have.

1080p HDTV

The definition of 1080p is the number represent of how many lines of vertical resolution and the letter “p” is stand for progressive scan or non-interlaced. In this case 1080p means the display have 1080 lines of vertical resolution with progressive scan.

1080p resolution which equates to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels is the highest resolution of HDTV currently. That’s because on paper 1080p HDTV are capable of displaying every pixel of the highest-resolution HD broadcasts. On paper, 1080p HDTV is able to provide 2,074,000 pixels/frame.

1080p vs 1080i

Today in the market there are two kind of 1080 HDTV, that 1080i (interlaced) and 1080p (progressive).

What make the difference is the 1080i only the even horizontal lines are drawn in one frame/field and only followed by the odd horizontal lines in the following field. This means is that in any given frame/field, only 540 lines of horizontal resolution are being displayed. If an interlaced image is showing fast motion, sometimes a type of breakup can be seen.

The “p” in 1080p stands for “progressive,” and what it means is that all 1080 lines of resolution are shown in each frame/field. The best of all is the 1080p HDTV option offers the best of both world, 60 frames per second at 1920 x 1080 pixels.  The total bandwidth is 124 million pixels per second, double that of 1080i.  It can display any HDTV signal without any down converting, while 1080i signals only require some gently “de-interlacing” to work properly.

Conclusion

The factors that make up image quality on a TV are Resolution, Contrast Ratio, Color Accuracy & Saturation and Black Level.

If you are watching from 1080p HDTV, you should concern for the viewing distance because if you sit too far, the benefit of 1080p HDTV will be lost. The recommended viewing distance is 1.5 to 3 times the screen width.

You might be interested in reading my other guide on Samsung 1080p HDTV and Peerless Wall Mount

Recommended LCD / Plasma HDTVs

There’s nothing like watching your favorite sports activity on a big screen Plasma Televisions, high definition TV. High definition means having a lot more pixels than Standard Definition. Much like a 600 DPI printer will give you much greater detail than a 300 DPI printer, a high definition television will be able to display a lot more dots on the screen than a standard TV. The result - much better picture quality.

The two primary kinds of flat screen TVs are Plasma TV and LCD TV. Along with their other benefits, both of these sets showcase exceptional picture quality. Of the two, it’s generally conceded that the LCD technology produces a better overall image quality - especially in terms of color saturation and more naturalistic skin tones. However, the Plasma models have the advantage in a better “black level” displays which makes the image crisper and clear. Both LCD and Plasma Televisions have their adherents. Which one is better for you is a matter of personal preference which only you can determine.

Old style CRT televisions used a cathode ray or electron gun to paint the screen with a picture. The newer Plasma Televisions work on a different principle

The difference in Plasma Televisions is that Plasma Television don’t use scan lines to display a picture. Instead a plasma TV is pixel based. The pixels form a matrix of cells or transistor electrodes filled with an inert gas. The cells are coated with phosphorous and are sensitive to electrical current and emit red, green and blue lights in response to electric current.

Plasma Televisions

When you turn on the TV, the cells are activated. When you turn it off, the cells are de-activated.This is the same way that computer monitors work. The three primary colors can create all the colors needed. The end result is a crystal clear and smooth image being displayed on the screen. But another reason for the stellar picture quality of Plasma TVs is that while CRT televisions can display images in thousands of colors, Plasma Televisions can produce millions of colors.

Most Plasma Televisions also have a built in line doubler. A line doubler takes an interlaced video source and strip out the extra lines to create a single-interlaced frame output. Essentially it “doubles” the resolution of a regular TV signal. The result is a smoother and higher resolution image. Since Plasma Televisions cannot play interlaced signals directly, they use a line-doubler to change the signal into a form that they can read. There are various algorithms to “deinterlace” a signal and the quality of the resulting image depends to a large extent on which algorithm is used.

People with CRT screens, sometimes have a problem with glare, especially when watching TV in a room filled with sunlight. This is mostly due to the curvature of the screen. Most of the flat screen models, now available, have pretty much eliminated this problem.

Another advantage of Plasma Televisions are that because of the flat screen, they aren’t susceptible to the image distortions that CRT televisions are subject to. So no matter where you view the picture from, you get a true view of the picture.

Hopefully you will find this guide useful in choosing a Plasma Televisions. You might be interested in reading my other guide on Samsung 1080p HDTV and Articulating Wall Mount

Recommended LCD / Plasma HDTVs