hdtv, buy now, or not?

[Darkknighttt]

im looking to buy a new hdtv at the end of this month, and an xbox 360 to follow shortly after. i have 2 questions:

whats the best resolution so far 1080p? if so, how come i can hardly find any with this setting.

also does xbox 360 support 1080p if it is the highest?


lastly, does it make sense to buy onen ow, is there any new technology coming out soon or anything?

 

[Stigmata]

1080p (1080 horizontal lines, progressive scan) is the highest HDTV resolution at the moment, but there are very, very few output devices that support that resolution right now. You don't see many 1080p televisions because almost nobody can use 1080p yet.

The Xbox 360 supports 480p, 720p, and 1080i. What the "i" and "p" represent are whether the resolutions are "interlaced" or rendered in "progressive scan". TV's generally run at about 60hz (60 "frames" per second), but the i and p change how they render images.

If a resolution is rendered as an interlaced image, it means that for every "pass"/hz/"frame", only half the screen is updated with the newest image, using alternating pixel lines. The first frame is updated with the first, third, fifth, seventh, etc. pixel lines of the output image. The second frame is updated with the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, etc. pixel lines from the output image. And so on.

If it is rendered using progressive scan, this means that each frame is updated with every line of pixels from the output image. Essentially the way a computer monitor refreshes itself. As a result, using progressive scan means getting a higher-quality image.

As for purchasing an HDTV right now... I have no idea. But if you're purchasing it for an Xbox 360, you should probably consider whether you want the highest resolution with the lowest rendering quality (1080i, which runs at 1920*1080 resolution), or a lower resolution with the highest rendering quality (720p, which runs at 1280*720 resolution).

[edit] See the attached image for a better representation of interlaced vs progressive-scan.

 

[giant384]

nvm

 

[Warbie]

I say now is not the time for hdtv. I've worked my way through various lcd and plasma screens over the last few months and have retunred them all. Use your monitor or find a 2nd hand crt that does 480p.

 

[destrukt]

i bought a 26" sharp lcd hdtv for my room about 5~ months ago and it was well worth it, especially so since i got about $700~ off (paid cash and it was a floor model, though they had just set it up).

the only thing i don't like about mine is the resolution (though it's fine, i'm just a whore for super hi-res) and it doesn't have 1080p, but apparently there aren't really any tv's that have true 1080p support and i don't plan on getting a ps3 for awhile so it doesn't matter.. it even has hdmi.

if you can find a good price (and good brand), i'd go for it now (as long as you don't care about 1080p for ps3) though if you have a decent sized monitor (preferably a widescreen lcd type) i'd just use that.


oh yeah, my personal preference for x360 is 720p over 1080i, i just like it better as do most of my friends, and don't dare use a x360 without a hd tv or monitor, hd is soo much better, seriously.

 

[Moto]

So if you were to buy a 1080p HDTV and an Xbox360, could you run the Xbox360 in 720p still or would the TV not allow that? Would it look nice on a TV like that? Kinda confused, help a brother out please.

 

[destrukt]

So if you were to buy a 1080p HDTV and an Xbox360, could you run the Xbox360 in 720p still or would the TV not allow that? Would it look nice on a TV like that? Kinda confused, help a brother out please.

in the system settings on the 360 you can choose between 480p, 720p or 1080i, so a 1080p tv would be able to do any of those.

since the 360 doesn't render in 1080p, it wouldn't matter but i'm sure any tv that supports 1080p would look awesome.

 

[Warbie]

The image would have to be scaled more, though, and probably look worse than on a cheaper screen with a native resolution closer to 720p (which is basically every lcd and most plasma)

I say wait a year or two and see what technology brings.

 

[Icarusintel]

My family finally caved and got a new tv after 20 years. We got a Mitsubishi 57" DLP 1080p HDTV. Sure there's barely any 1080p sources yet, but they'll start coming. I'm planning on getting a PS3 soon after launch and can't wait to watch movies in 1080p and play the few games that come out in that resolution. And my brother played Halo 2 on it the other day, which only supports a 480p resolution, and it still looked amazing clear and beautiful. If you have the money to spend on a 1080p set, then go for it. They're absolutely breathtaking. But there are supposed to be some new technologies coming out soon that you may want to wait for. Or you could get a projector. Those are cheaper, my friend found a good one that is DLP and supports 1080p for only $500.