As you pointed out I think the biggest misconception with 1080p is that a lot of people assume that its only of benefit with a 1080p signal, and then follow through with the conclusion that if there arent any 1080p broadcasts why should I bother?. The reality is there are a LOT of benefits a 1080p screen can deliver, but many of them are only relevant if the set supports 1080p input (which many dont yet). Thankfully it seems that most 2nd generation 1080p screens should be equipped to support 1080/60p input (and the better ones will accept 1080/24p 48p 50p and 72p as well).
As far as getting the full benefit of 1080p goes there are many things to take into account, such as seating distance and the quality of the scaling/de-interlacing to the native 1080p resolution of the screen (if using anything less than 1080p input which people obviously will be).
If a 1080p screen DOES support 1080p input then the following are the major benefits of a 1080p display:
1. Much better detail from 1080i and 1080p sources (providing you sit close enough to see it).
2. The ability to accept a native 1080p signal 1:1 mapped (from Blu-Ray/2nd gen HD-DVD players/Playstation3/external scalers or a PC). Result: Zero de-interlacing/scaling artifacts (no uneven interpolation artifacts, no aliasing, better defined edges, and a sharper picture with better detail). Put simply 1080p input means there is no margin for error as there sometimes can be with the scaling and de-interlacing of 1080i sources.
3. 1080p input will often (but not always) mean support for the original native 24p frame rate of film sources, and if so it can apply 2:2 or 3:3 pull-down for display at 48hz or 72hz. Result: No 60hz 3:2 judder (or 4% speedup for people in 50hz countries). In other words a 100% faithful spatial and temporal reproduction of the original 1080/24p film source.
4. Compatibility with a 1080/60p signal from a PC, providing a sharper picture, less screen door effect, far better detail and lots more screen real estate.
5. Support for 1080p input from an external scaler (1:1 mapped) for high quality motion adaptive de-interlacing and scaling of all other lower quality sources. This is admittedly a niche enthusiast area, but given the sub-standard de-interlacing/scaling present on the majority of 1080p displays in the US at the moment, this can be a very advantage down the track for those wanting to get the best possible image quality out of their display. Keep in mind if a 1080p set doesnt support 1080p input, then youre limited to the de-interlacing/scaling capabilities of the display (when dealing with a 1080i signal) for its entire lifetime.
6. Many 1080p displays currently use bob de-interlacing for all 1080i input, meaning you are only getting up-scaled 540p at all times, with the addition of aliasing (jagged edges), shimmer, line twitter and moir?rom bob interpolation. 1080p input gives you full 1080 line resolution with no interlacing/interpolation artifacts. However any good 1080p display should definitely also feature weave de-interlacing (for film sources) and in the best case scenario would feature motion adaptive 1080i de-interlacing (for native interlaced 1080i video sources such as sport). Good 1080i de-interlacing is rare on current 1080p displays, but the situation is improving.
7. Compatibility with any future native 1080/60p devices such as Playstation 3.
8. Put simply 1080p input means your display will fully resolve all recognised HD formats on the planet at maximum resolution and detail!
Its worth noting that most of the above is currently niche HD enthusiast stuff, and wouldnt be noticed by many regular consumers. Its also generally accepted that you have to sit very close to a 1080p screen less than 60 to perceive the full level of detail difference over a good 720p/768p screen.
It would seem the HDBeat guys agree that the most importance thing with a 1080p screen is to make sure it has proper weave de-interlacing of 1080i sources (or motion adaptive de-interlacing!), and that it accepts 1080p input. Not to mention people should look for all the typical important image quality factors such as black level, colour rendition and response time. People often get caught up on raw resolution, and its important to remember that a 768p display with good processing and black level will often look better than 1080p panel with poor black level and processing. Resolution isnt everything!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Simon Reidy @ Apr 20th 2006 4:42PM
Excellent post Richard.
As you pointed out I think the biggest misconception with 1080p is that a lot of people assume that its only of benefit with a 1080p signal, and then follow through with the conclusion that if there arent any 1080p broadcasts why should I bother?. The reality is there are a LOT of benefits a 1080p screen can deliver, but many of them are only relevant if the set supports 1080p input (which many dont yet). Thankfully it seems that most 2nd generation 1080p screens should be equipped to support 1080/60p input (and the better ones will accept 1080/24p 48p 50p and 72p as well).
As far as getting the full benefit of 1080p goes there are many things to take into account, such as seating distance and the quality of the scaling/de-interlacing to the native 1080p resolution of the screen (if using anything less than 1080p input which people obviously will be).
If a 1080p screen DOES support 1080p input then the following are the major benefits of a 1080p display:
1. Much better detail from 1080i and 1080p sources (providing you sit close enough to see it).
2. The ability to accept a native 1080p signal 1:1 mapped (from Blu-Ray/2nd gen HD-DVD players/Playstation3/external scalers or a PC). Result: Zero de-interlacing/scaling artifacts (no uneven interpolation artifacts, no aliasing, better defined edges, and a sharper picture with better detail). Put simply 1080p input means there is no margin for error as there sometimes can be with the scaling and de-interlacing of 1080i sources.
3. 1080p input will often (but not always) mean support for the original native 24p frame rate of film sources, and if so it can apply 2:2 or 3:3 pull-down for display at 48hz or 72hz. Result: No 60hz 3:2 judder (or 4% speedup for people in 50hz countries). In other words a 100% faithful spatial and temporal reproduction of the original 1080/24p film source.
4. Compatibility with a 1080/60p signal from a PC, providing a sharper picture, less screen door effect, far better detail and lots more screen real estate.
5. Support for 1080p input from an external scaler (1:1 mapped) for high quality motion adaptive de-interlacing and scaling of all other lower quality sources. This is admittedly a niche enthusiast area, but given the sub-standard de-interlacing/scaling present on the majority of 1080p displays in the US at the moment, this can be a very advantage down the track for those wanting to get the best possible image quality out of their display. Keep in mind if a 1080p set doesnt support 1080p input, then youre limited to the de-interlacing/scaling capabilities of the display (when dealing with a 1080i signal) for its entire lifetime.
6. Many 1080p displays currently use bob de-interlacing for all 1080i input, meaning you are only getting up-scaled 540p at all times, with the addition of aliasing (jagged edges), shimmer, line twitter and moir?rom bob interpolation. 1080p input gives you full 1080 line resolution with no interlacing/interpolation artifacts. However any good 1080p display should definitely also feature weave de-interlacing (for film sources) and in the best case scenario would feature motion adaptive 1080i de-interlacing (for native interlaced 1080i video sources such as sport). Good 1080i de-interlacing is rare on current 1080p displays, but the situation is improving.
7. Compatibility with any future native 1080/60p devices such as Playstation 3.
8. Put simply 1080p input means your display will fully resolve all recognised HD formats on the planet at maximum resolution and detail!
Its worth noting that most of the above is currently niche HD enthusiast stuff, and wouldnt be noticed by many regular consumers. Its also generally accepted that you have to sit very close to a 1080p screen less than 60 to perceive the full level of detail difference over a good 720p/768p screen.
It would seem the HDBeat guys agree that the most importance thing with a 1080p screen is to make sure it has proper weave de-interlacing of 1080i sources (or motion adaptive de-interlacing!), and that it accepts 1080p input. Not to mention people should look for all the typical important image quality factors such as black level, colour rendition and response time. People often get caught up on raw resolution, and its important to remember that a 768p display with good processing and black level will often look better than 1080p panel with poor black level and processing. Resolution isnt everything!
My 2 cents :)