Is 1080p worth it for 37" Televisions?

savemejebus

I'm currently looking at getting a new tv and have decided that 37" would be best for me. I will have between €1200 and €2000 as a budget. TV will be used for standard sky, Xbox 360 and plenty of DVDs.

Up to now I had pretty much decided on the Sharp 37XD1E which is a 1080p which looks like it will retail around the €1800 mark. However I'm getting cold feet now after hearing some people mention that 1080p will be indestinguishable from 720p on televisions under 40". There is a great 37" Toshiba for about €1300 on pixmania so i'm wondering is the extra €500 for 1080p worth it or just money down the drain?

Anyone have any opinions on this?

Mountjoy Mugger

I'd not worry about 1080p on a 37". I agree with those who told you the absolute minimum would be 40"-42".

720p should be absolutely fine with your XBox on a 37". Save your money and spend it on DVDs or games.

savemejebus

Thanks for the advice, however the plot has just thickened. The gap is only around 200 more now http://www.technikdirekt.de/main/en/lcd-plasma-tv/lcd-tv-ab46/116739/-/Article.html?fillspace=1&viewmode=search

The_g-man

This is the first wave of 1080p tvs starting to show up in the stores. I'm waiting for the manufacturers to iron out the creases of scaling dvds and 720p tv stations up to 1080p. Hopefully by that stage a blu-ray player will be a somewhat respectable price too.

Conar

I'd go for a 1080p tv.
They are calling 1080p "Full HD" and it is the max res of blu-ray etc so I reckon it will kinda be a standard for a while.
It would wreck my head spending so much money for older tech, but maybe thats just my issue.
As for not noticing the difference, I can always notice the difference in every resolution change on my desktop and I can't see how LCD tv's would differ.

They have one of the Toshiba LCD's for around 2k yoyo's on Dabs. Would you consider that?
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=414N&CategorySelectedId=11229&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11229,391770000

I'm gonna wait for the Sony Bravia X series to drop a little more or see which Samsung ones are released soon. Roll on the SSIA!!!!!!

savemejebus

That toshiba looks very nice, similar to the one I linked to yesterday (it was a 37" Toshiba full HD tv for €1480 - you have to click on ireland on the map to see the page i linked to)

I don't know if my room is big enough for a 42" though.

slave1

I'm waiting for the manufacturers to iron out the creases of scaling dvds and 720p tv stations up to 1080p.

Don't think we'll ever see tv stations broadcasting at 1080p, not for a very long time anyhow, Sky HD use 1080i, they dont ever go 720p, nobody in the USA broadcasts at 1080p, its either 720p or 1080i and the companies are split down the middle on whether 720p or 1080i are better

savemejebus

anyone know if there would be a problem using a tv designed for europe here, apart from the tuner issues?

The_g-man

Tv stations won't broadcast in 1080p because they can get 2 channels of 720p for any 1 station of 1080p (roughly).

720p tv stations

and

1080p tvs

is where the scaling comes in. Most Sony centres have a Sky HD demo running on one of their tvs, while I can appreciate the step up in quality, there is still a level of blockiness to the images. Pop in to a nearby store and see for yourself.;)

slave1

a gotcha, thought you were talking about 1080p tv broadcasting, you were actually continuing the same sentence referring to TV's handling upscaling to 1080p
I have Sky HD hooked up to my 50" Sony Bravia at home and from 10 feet away aint no blocking for me, but this does depend on the channel and the program, in any case the increase in quality over SD is awesome, I have my tv at 1080i to match Sky's broadcasting standard

acous

I find that even on a 15.2" laptop screen the difference between 1080p clips and 720p clips is noticeable. That's comparing two similar laptops side by side where each laptop's native display resolution matched the clips 1:1. Yeah, I'm a bit of a video geek

Also, all hd-dvd releases so far have been 1080p, so you'll be missing out on 50% of the delicious pixelage if you go for hd-dvd and a 720p tv.

Ciaran500

Acous wrote:

I find that even on a 15.2" laptop screen the difference between 1080p clips and 720p clips is noticeable. That's comparing two similar laptops side by side where each laptop's native display resolution matched the clips 1:1. Yeah, I'm a bit of a video geek

You have a 15" screen with 1920*1080 pixels o_O

Conar

Acous wrote:

Also, all hd-dvd releases so far have been 1080p, so you'll be missing out on 50% of the delicious pixelage if you go for hd-dvd and a 720p tv.

Yeah, thats what would swing me to a 1080p set.
Anyone seen the Bravia X 1080p in action beside any other 1080p sets (against the W range or Samsung set etc)?
I'm thinking of splashing the little extra for one but am I just paying for the badge or is the difference noticable?

acous

Ciaran500 wrote:

You have a 15" screen with 1920*1080 pixels o_O

Nope but a friend of mine did, it was a beast of a thing and he paid a fortune to get a screen with that high a resolution. Big waste imho he ended up just having to squint at photoshop the whole time. Not sure if the height was 1080 but I'm pretty sure the width was correct at 1920. Same with the powerbook at 1280x854... it matched the vid pixel to pixel but ended up with slight letterboxing.

savemejebus

savemejebus wrote:

anyone know if there would be a problem using a tv designed for europe here, apart from the tuner issues?

sorry to be a pain but has anyone got an idea about this. The tv i'm looking at seems to be a european only model (Toshiba 37 WL67Z)

acous

Don't see why there would be any problems using a hdtv from a different region, it's all the same standard apart from the tuner as you seem aware!

zt-OctaviaN

Id be carefull about those Toshibas. There have been quite a few returns I cant remember was it on boards but there were ppl complaing about tearing, lines running vertically down the centre of screen and others.

Also I have read they DONT support a 1080P native Signal. It says Full 1080 compatible but further down the supported resolutions only go up to 1080i

n

Sparky

I was viewing sky HD on this pioneer screen for some time
http://pioneer.co.uk/uk/products/62/63/413/PDP-507XD/index.html
and I have to agree, it would have been a beter tv picture if the tv had 1080.

HD just looked like normal res.

savemejebus

I don't know, i've never had problems with toshiba and my friend has the 37wl66 and it's fantastic. I just can't seem to find any reviews for this tv - toshiba 37WL67 Z - so maybe it's a new release (i know it's a european model). It does seem to accept and output 1080p though

gamer

Get a hdready hd 720,1080i tv HDCRT Plasma , samsung for a perfect tv picture on pal sd ,ntl tv as well as hd content.Samsung have new hdcrts coming out in january,07.They have slimline hdcrts, with flatscreens and TRUEsurroundsound, virtual surround.TV picture on sky ,ntl,video,is much better than any lcd,realistic warm,natural colors, no distortion on fast moving scenes at all.

Ciaran500

gamer wrote:

Get a hdready hd 720,1080i tv HDCRT Plasma

You've posted this a few times now and I have to correct you. CRT and Plasma are completely different technologies. Its either a CRT or a Plasma.

melekalikimaka

savemejebus wrote:

I'm currently looking at getting a new tv and have decided that 37" would be best for me. I will have between €1200 and €2000 as a budget. TV will be used for standard sky, Xbox 360 and plenty of DVDs.

Up to now I had pretty much decided on the Sharp 37XD1E which is a 1080p which looks like it will retail around the €1800 mark. However I'm getting cold feet now after hearing some people mention that 1080p will be indestinguishable from 720p on televisions under 40". There is a great 37" Toshiba for about €1300 on pixmania so i'm wondering is the extra €500 for 1080p worth it or just money down the drain?

Anyone have any opinions on this?

to answer you, the difference is minor, i'd only go 1080 if i was getting over 40"

gamer

ok, it says slimfit hdready crt 720p,1080i in the manual,i assume p means 720 progressive display hidef.

savemejebus

Thanks for the answers, still undecided though. Will have to wait and see what i can afford i guess.

Kevin2006

If you are using it for a console, xbox360 or ps3, then I would say you should go for the Sharp 1080p LCD. Even if it is only 37" (Which is still bloodly big!) you would notice a difference playing games or playing 1080p blu-ray dvds. Ive read alot of good reviews about that model aswell - supposed to be wicked tv's, well worth the extra e500!
If its only for sky HD, then a 720p/1080i tv would do the job aswell

DaBreno

Just a question here guys, is there any difference between 720p and 1080p while watching normal Tv? Im considering packing in the old Tv for a HD ready one, around 30-40 inch, and would like a 1080p to take advantage of HD DVDs but I dont want to make problems for ourselves while watching normal Tv stations.

gamer

Sorry ,that samsung tv is a SLIMFIT CRT , not a plasma.My advice is get a plasma tv 1080i, 720p,with hdmi,dvi,vga ,connectors ,good sound outputs for stereo,surround sound or else get a slimfit HDREADY,crt samsung tv.Theres new samsung models out in january,07.You,ll get a great sd picture on a plasma 37inch or 42inch,or slimfit crt tv.

GrumPy

Plasma are almost dead.

This time next year the'll prolly be no plasma HD displays left on the market

Conar

DaBreno wrote:

Just a question here guys, is there any difference between 720p and 1080p while watching normal Tv? Im considering packing in the old Tv for a HD ready one, around 30-40 inch, and would like a 1080p to take advantage of HD DVDs but I dont want to make problems for ourselves while watching normal Tv stations.

I'm certainly no expert but AFAIK it depends on which telly that you get.
Some are good at upscaling, some reportedly not so good.

I've read that the Bravia X is very good at this and I'll be hopefully getting one before Christmas. I'll post my thoughts when I do.
They are expensive though, so they'd bloody want to be good.

DaBreno

Cheers Conor, Im aiming for a Samsung myself. 30-40 inch models get quite good reviews and are a bit cheaper than eqivalent Sony or Phillps models. Must look up upscaling.

Conar

Don't quote me on "upscaling" I have a habit of inventing or mixing up terms. Maybe that just counts for DVD upscaling. But you get the point.

I recently picked up a 40" Samsung LCD for the in-laws and set it up for them.
I have to admit that at first I found the standard Sky digital signal to be extremely blocky and you needed to stand quite a bit back to get a decent picture but you get used to that quite quickly and it looks fine then.
I have not seen anything else yet that I can compare it to though so I haven't a clue how it compares.
Lovely looking telly though. I really do like the Samsungs.

One thing I did notice though is how quickly you get used to the 40" and think to yourself...."well its big, but it could be bigger"

Sparky

Conar wrote:

One thing I did notice though is how quickly you get used to the 40" and think to yourself...."well its big, but it could be bigger"

I know. It's a curse.
I was getting used to watching TV/films on the projector at a screen size of 82" and had to cut down because of the bulb life and that I was begining to suffer from the rainbow effect (it got to me over time). Going back to 32" was like trying to look at the outside world through a letterbox.

Conar

Its mad isn't it.

When the Sony Wega 32" widescreen trinitron thingemies first came out my parents were one of the first to have one.
People used to walk into the sitting room and gasp and make comments about how ridiculously large it was etc.

Now it just looks small!

People have started saying it about the 46" TV's now.
Thats too feckin big. Craziness sure what size sitting room would you want to have for that....etc etc.

Get with the program folks....I'd have a 1000" tv if I thought I could get away with it (or if it was remotely possible)

Sparky

You need one of these.
http://blog.loaz.com/media/050309ant1.jpg

I remember hearing a while back that with the screen sizes jumping up a size, that bigger screens will have a higher def than todays HD.
One report a while back said they demo'd it in Japan and it was so real people collapsed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_High_Definition_Video

Conar

Deadly.
Do they have them in Harvey Normans?

Kevin2006

just out of interest how much is the going rate for a 37"/40"/42" Samsung HDTV these days?

DaBreno

Komplett.ie are doing 40" Samsung LCDs between 1700 and 3600 depending on what kind of spec you want. you can pick up a pifling 32" for under a grand.

Conar

Dabs are cheap too.
Give them a look.

savemejebus

dabs are cheap alright and are fantastic as long as things go right. however if they go wrong their customer care is non-existent. It's almost impossible to find a phone no, and their email support system sucks the big one.

Pixmania are also cheap but again, dire customer service.

Raiser

The only opinions I'm seeing on this thread are the exact equivalent of slack-jawed tyre-kickers hanging around a forecourt with lots of loud opinions and feck-all substance :rolleyes:

For a thorough discussion and the actual facts - have a look here:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3605318&postcount=1

P.S. Personally I have no idea whats best for you - so I'm not going to make something up based on conjecture, hearsay, voodoo and pseudo expertise

Conar

Raiser wrote:

The only opinions I'm seeing on this thread are the exact equivalent of slack-jawed tyre-kickers hanging around a forecourt with lots of loud opinions and feck-all substance :rolleyes:

For a thorough discussion and the actual facts - have a look here:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3605318&postcount=1

P.S. Personally I have no idea whats best for you - so I'm not going to make something up based on conjecture, hearsay, voodoo and pseudo expertise

Would it have killed you to have just put forward the link?
Thanks for the input muppet!

Raiser

No information is better than misinformation.

I'd hate to see anyone drop €1,800 purely on the advice of "experts" who've demonstrated no knowledge/aptitude beyond the ability to type on da Interweb.

Muppet ? You're dead after school

Conar

I suppose I was being harsh but yeah I'll be there after school.
No one here claims to be an expert though and at the end of the day its advice on a TV not heart surgery.

tred

Raiser wrote:

No information is better than misinformation.

I'd hate to see anyone drop €1,800 purely on the advice of "experts" who've demonstrated no knowledge/aptitude beyond the ability to type on da Interweb.

Muppet ? You're dead after school

Hi Raiser,
can you recommened a good TV say up to 37" that is relativley future proof, with the best resoolution for Sky and and Sky HD and say XBOX. Best value that you think is out there.

Raiser

tred wrote:

Hi Raiser,
can you recommened a good TV say up to 37" that is relativley future proof, with the best resoolution for Sky and and Sky HD and say XBOX. Best value that you think is out there.

Short answer is no, I wouldn't be able to offer any advice personally.

- However if you are willing to do a bit of browsing head over to www.avforums.com and start reading. The boards there are jammed with the postings of guys with pasty faces and pink-rimmed eyes that only ever see the sun for 20 seconds every 3 months when the front door is opened to UPS as they deliver yet another TV.

- Plenty of advice here on all technologies as well as pro/cons of every aspect imaginable, with discussion on every point and argument possible on the subject of home entertainment.

- I wouldn't purchase without consulting this bible - only problem is that the site is huge and it can be difficult to find what you need.......Might make it easier if you pick 3/4/5 possible candidates at your local Curry's - online retailer etc. jot down the model numers and then start searching for independant reviews and in avforums.

savemejebus

I think that i'll go 1080p. 37" might be too small to see a real benefit but i've got the cash so i may as well futureproof my purchase as much as i can and with the way 720p prices are falling I think it's the only way that i'll even get a fraction of what i spent back if i decide to sell on in a year or two.

By the way the toshiba can't take a 1080p input, only does 1080i so it looks like i'll be picking up the Sharp 37XD1E just after xmas, it's only 200 more expensive and looks like it'll be a killer screen. I'll let ye know how i get on when i get it.

Headshot

savemejebus wrote:

I think that i'll go 1080p. 37" might be too small to see a real benefit but i've got the cash so i may as well futureproof my purchase as much as i can and with the way 720p prices are falling I think it's the only way that i'll even get a fraction of what i spent back if i decide to sell on in a year or two.

By the way the toshiba can't take a 1080p input, only does 1080i so it looks like i'll be picking up the Sharp 37XD1E just after xmas, it's only 200 more expensive and looks like it'll be a killer screen. I'll let ye know how i get on when i get it.

savemejebas where you getting the sharp tv from any way [if you dont mind me asking]

could we see 1080p on a 32" tv soon?

savemejebus

I hope to get it from here headshot, so far they're the only crowd i've found that will be both stocking it and delivering it to Ireland. Still it hasn't been properly released yet so it's possible that dabs and pixmania could have it soon too, in which case i'll go with the most competitive price

Conar

That place seems very dear to me Savemejebus.
They have the telly I want but for £600 sterling dearer than dabs.
I'd wait for more places to stock it and compare prices.

savemejebus

Hmm, interesting, it's actually the one of the cheapest of all the uk stockists of the 37xd1e. I was planning on holding out a few weeks anyway, possibly till after xmas as a) it's not in stock anywhere for another few weeks and b) I'd say the offers after xmas will be good.
Thanks for the heads up on the price though, what tv were you looking at as a matter of interest?

Conar

Probably getting this one:
http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=491L&CategorySelectedId=11229&NavigationKey=11229,46960000,50417&InMerch=1

Just waiting for some funds to clear then I'm going shopping