HDTV and Cable question

[o-BacklasH-o]

Ok I just got an HD receiver for my new HDTV. I had one HDTV previously which was 720p, but I couldn't game on that one as I wasn't feeling it (too big for games, but great for TV/movies). I just bought a 46" Sharp Aquos LCD HDTV in December and finally got my HD receiver installed by Comcast Tuesday. I have been busy hunting all week/weekend and last night was really the first time I got to sit down and watch some TV with the new HD receiver. My TV shows the settings for everything being displayed on the screen like the PS3 menu comes up as 1080p, Call of Duty comes up as 720p, but when I watch TV it says the Comcast comes in as 1080i. Why is it not coming in as 1080p? My guess was that Comcast doesn't broadcast in 1080p, but then if that's the case why is my TV displaying it at 1080i instead of 720p which is much better? I feel like I'm losing so much quality watching in 1080i instead of 720p or 1080p. Please help!

[Chili327]

I would guess you are right in Comcast not sending a 1080p signal.

Is 720p better than 1080i..?

 

I know "p" is better than "i" but I didn't think a lower number with "p" was better than a higher number with "i" :-\

 

Does that make sense.. lol

[o-BacklasH-o]

1080i is equivalent to 540p or if you prefer to look at it the other way 720p is equivalent to 1440i, so yes it's better lol. I hate that noone is really using 1080p yet, I would really love to see a football game or baseball game broadcast in 1080p.

[Guest MultipleTarget]

720p and 1080i is the same thing

[Chili327]

So i should switch my x360 to 720p instead of 1080i.. hmm sounds weird, but i'll try it.

 

Do you REALLY know, or did your read that online or somewhere else..?

I'm a skeptic.. so i'd like to have something back you up on that. but i'll try it anyway ;D

 

 

*edit*

See that what i thought.. they were even

[o-BacklasH-o]

Are you sure about that Multi? I have read otherwise in every article I read.

[Guest Stealthknight]

A 720p signal is made up of 720 horizontal lines. Each frame is displayed in its entirety on-screen for 1/30th of a second. This is know as progressive scan (hence the 'p')The quality is like watching 30 photographic images a second on TV. A 1080i signal comprises 1080 horizontal lines but all the lines are not displayed on-screen simultaneously. Instead, they are interlaced (hence the 'i'), ie every other lines is displayed for 1/60th of a second and then the alternate lines are displayed for 1/60th of a second. So, the frame rate is still 30 frames per second, but each frame is split into two fields, which your brain then puts together subconsciously.

 

Most of the time interlacing works fine, but for fast moving images, such as sports like baseball and hockey it can cause problems which manifest themselves as a 'stepping' effect on-screen. Progressive scan signals don't have this problem and so are better suited to sports.

 

ESPN puts it like this: 'Progressive scan technology produces better images for the fast moving orientation of sports television. Simply put, with 104 mph fastballs in baseball and 120 mph shots on goal in hockey, the line-by-line basis of progressive scan technology better captures the inherent fast action of sports. For ESPN, progressive scan technology makes perfect sense.'

[Chili327]

And if they are even in quality whats the difference of the two..?

Which one is better to run.? (assuming the actual quality is even)

 

My TV is only 1080i, so i just want to know what to set everything to.

[Chili327]

ok so based on that info..

Why would you ever set it to 1080i instead of 720p.?

 

Does it not look as good for slower moving things ..lol

[-SouthwoodS-]

Most television studios dont broadcast in 1080p yet. Most television studios broadcast in 1080i. Since most people have 1080i or 720p tvs then 1080p tvs.

[UNCLE-SID25]

Hmm... Where is the ever handy GOAT post... Maybe he will make it on in here soon.

[Chili327]

You know he will..

Hopefully he types it in english for us. ;D

[SEQUOYAH]

Oh...it will be in English...Just 16 pages long! LMAO! I love ya goat!!

[Red0ctobeR]

If you have a plasma screen with 1080i it is better! The lines run across smoother and you don't get the choppiness that the LCD provides.

[GOAT]

LOL!

 

Holy schit! who knew! looks like I've created a bunch of AV specialist here! LMAO

 

okeedokee... here we go.. and no not 16 pages! by the way.. Dayam Soulja! good stuff you're looking for a job With AVC or something? LOL.

 

Ok ok 1080i 1080p or 720p.

 

Well here's the scoop... unless your TV is very expensive.. i.e. you paid way more than most for the same size and type.. than THEY ARE ALL NATIVE 720p..

 

What??? yep that's right.. recently the HD sets are now Native resolution at 1080 but for the most part almost all are Native at 720.

 

what's this Native you speak of. Well take a close look at your TV's spec's , regardless of the highest resolution capacity more than likely it's native or base res. is 720p they achieve the higher res by line doubling and over scanning.

 

Which to use? it all depends on personal preference. Your set and your signal. If you have just got a HDTV and bought the higher grade model than it's Native res.. is indeed 1080 and so that's what you want to give it or set it to. Otherwise it doesn't make that big of a difference if it's native res is 720.

 

Lastly if you run an HDMI cable or RGBHV and are not getting 1080p or 1080i from your PS-3 and are getting 720p than here's what you do.

 

Go to your pS-3's Video settings and uncheck everything except 1080, Call of Duty will now be 1080 and not 720.

 

p.s. (the higher res means better recognition of enemies and higher contrast.) since all of you are now my enemies.. don't go looking for any more helpful tips from the Goat until after Crucible. LMAO!

[Guest Stealthknight]

Exactly, I know my TV is native at 720 so I keep it there. Plus with me playing mostly Shooters (which tend to have an overwhelming amount of fast motion) I prefer a progressive scan.

 

While 1080i has more scan lines than 720p, they do not translate directly into greater vertical resolution. Interlaced video is usually blurred vertically (filtered) to prevent twitter. Twitter is a flickering of fine horizontal lines in a scene, lines that are so fine that they only occur on a single scan line. Because only half the scan lines are drawn per field, fine horizontal lines may be missing entirely from one of the fields, causing them to flicker. Images are blurred vertically to ensure that no detail is only one scan line in height. Therefore, 1080i material does not deliver 1080 scan lines of vertical resolution.

[GOAT]

Yep! you got it right amigo.

 

Of course if you have a 1080p TV with 1080 Native Resolution (like of course I do) than it kicks the schit out of 720p...

 

 

LOL.

[Guest Stealthknight]

yea, I didnt have the 1400 to spend on my TV lol. Had to fit the PS3 in my budget.

[o-BacklasH-o]

Goat ]

Yep! you got it right amigo.

 

Of course if you have a 1080p TV with 1080 Native Resolution (like of course I do) than it kicks the schit out of 720p...

 

 

LOL.

 

That's what I have Goat and my question now is how do I get my cable to 1080p (I use Comcast Cable) if possible.

[STREETSWEEPR1]

GREAT TOPIC. I AM DEBATING GETTING COMCAST HD RIGHT NOW I JUST GOT A NEW TV...ONLY A 32 INCH LCD SAMSUNG 720P....

 

WHAT SHOULD I DO SMOKE IS IT WORTH IT SHOULD I BOTHER..

AND GOAT IS MY T.V ANY GOOD FOR THE HD SHIT...

 

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO GET USE TO THIS BIG ASS TV (compared to the last one i had)

ive been playing on my old tv for ever ...this is like i'm tripping my ass off playing

 

it is amazing the difference from this t.v to my old console t.v..

 

SIMPLY FRICKING AMAZING////// :o :o

[o-BacklasH-o]

Goat ]

Lastly if you run an HDMI cable or RGBHV and are not getting 1080p or 1080i from your PS-3 and are getting 720p than here's what you do.

 

Go to your pS-3's Video settings and uncheck everything except 1080, Call of Duty will now be 1080 and not 720.

 

p.s. (the higher res means better recognition of enemies and higher contrast.) since all of you are now my enemies.. don't go looking for any more helpful tips from the Goat until after Crucible. LMAO!

 

Thanks for this Goat, it worked like a charm! CoD is now at 1080p and looks alot better!

[STREETSWEEPR1]

smokeosama ]

Goat ]

Lastly if you run an HDMI cable or RGBHV and are not getting 1080p or 1080i from your PS-3 and are getting 720p than here's what you do.

 

Go to your pS-3's Video settings and uncheck everything except 1080, Call of Duty will now be 1080 and not 720.

 

p.s. (the higher res means better recognition of enemies and higher contrast.) since all of you are now my enemies.. don't go looking for any more helpful tips from the Goat until after Crucible.  LMAO!

 

Thanks for this Goat, it worked like a charm! CoD is now at 1080p and looks alot better!

WHAT AM I CHOPPED LIVER..... ;D

[GOAT]

No street! LOL your question just took a bit of time to answer..

 

Schit I didn’t want to do a long goat post but sorry Seq. I don’t see how I can go through it all and not so… here we go.

 

 

Well broadcast cable or if you simply run your cable right into the back of the TV via the RG-6 (cable) Ant hook up than all you will ever get is 400 lines (480p) -- (yea I know they call it 480 but trust me it's only 400 lines of res.) any way cable straight to the set will always be 480p. For high Res, you need a HD-capable tuner/unscrambler's from your cable provide. The black box as it’s called will give you a HDMI or RGB output along with the bonus of Digital audio.

 

Unless your set is DCR or Digital cable ready. *Thanks to the FCC guidelines DCR began rolling out in 04, (I should note CABLE companies don’t like DCR and have been slow to adapt it… mainly because it doesn’t allow two way communications and eliminates their pay per view scheme) so they are developing (goat figgur) IDCR or interactive DCR to appease the cable companies. *Another note if you have a DCR TV there’s a good chance you can get HD programming from your cable provider without paying for it.. although I’m sure they will correct that soon enough.

 

HD.. #1 Off air antenna Yep the good old rabbit ears will even work.. all you need is a HD DTV (ATSC) tuner built in your set which many have.. BEST of all it’s Free!!

 

HD #2 Cable- well you get more channels and the picture may look better, but don’t believe them.. ITâ€S NOT HDTV. Also like I said above you need a DCR (better known as Qam card or a receiver box from your provider and don’t forget you need a subscription (more money!) to get it.

 

HD #3 Sat.- this is actually High Def. but you need both a HD Sat receiver and an upgraded HD capable Dish. Along with of course the subscription (more money) to get the programming. Also some channels may require SAT/cable or Sat/ant hook ups to get HD.

 

So there ya go.. as for your TV. Well I’ll just say this THERE IS A BIG Difference between a High Def TV and a High Def Ready TV. The HD ready means it’s really just a monitor, you will need a separate tuner/box/ receiver etc. to give it HD. Yes they cost a lot less than HDTV’s but HD ready just means it’s ready for you to spend more money to get HD. Again don’t be fooled by Sam’s club and others low prices. The models may look exactly the same, but there is a huge difference in models both in what they provide as well as the price. Many times I point out to customers who say “I saw the same TV at Circuit Shitty for a lower price†to which I inform them it’s not the same. You have a PL50X700UX that one at CirShit is a PL50700U. LOL yea confusing right until you look at the specs and notice the huge difference in models do you realize why one cost twice as much as the other.

 

[STREETSWEEPR1]

Goat ]

No street! LOL your question just took a bit of time to answer..

 

Schit I didn’t want to do a long goat post but sorry Seq. I don’t see how I can go through it all and not so… here we go.

 

 

Well broadcast cable or if you simply run your cable right into the back of the TV via the RG-6 (cable) Ant hook up than all you will ever get is 400 lines (480p) -- (yea I know they call it 480 but trust me it's only 400 lines of res.) any way cable straight to the set will always be 480p. For high Res, you need a HD-capable tuner/unscrambler's from your cable provide. The black box as it’s called will give you a HDMI or RGB output along with the bonus of Digital audio.

 

Unless your set is DCR or Digital cable ready. *Thanks to the FCC guidelines DCR began rolling out in 04, (I should  note CABLE companies don’t like DCR and have been slow to adapt it… mainly because it doesn’t allow two way communications and eliminates their pay per view scheme) so they are developing (goat figgur) IDCR or interactive DCR to appease the cable companies. *Another note if you have a DCR TV there’s a good chance you can get HD programming from your cable provider without paying for it.. although I’m sure they will correct that soon enough.

 

HD.. #1 Off air antenna Yep the good old rabbit ears will even work.. all you need is a HD DTV (ATSC) tuner built in your set which many have.. BEST of all it’s Free!!

 

HD #2  Cable- well you get more channels and the picture may look better, but don’t believe them.. ITâ€S NOT HDTV. Also like I said above you need a DCR (better known as Qam card or a receiver box from your provider and don’t forget you need a subscription (more money!) to get it.

 

HD #3 Sat.- this is actually High Def. but you need both a HD Sat receiver and an upgraded HD capable Dish. Along with of course the subscription (more money) to get the programming. Also some channels may require SAT/cable or Sat/ant hook ups to get HD. 

 

So there ya go.. as for your TV. Well I’ll just say this THERE IS A BIG Difference between a High Def TV and a High Def Ready TV. The HD ready means it’s really just a monitor, you will need a separate tuner/box/ receiver etc. to give it HD. Yes they cost a lot less than HDTV’s but HD ready just means it’s ready for you to spend more money to get HD. Again don’t be fooled by Sam’s club and others low prices. The models may look exactly the same, but there is a huge difference in models both in what they provide as well as the price. Many times I point out to customers who say “I saw the same TV at Circuit Shitty for a lower price†to which I inform them it’s not the same. You have a PL50X700UX that one at CirShit is a PL50700U. LOL yea confusing right until you look at the specs and notice the huge difference in models do you realize why one cost twice as much as the other.   

 

DAMN ALL THAT AND DIDNT EVEN ANSWER MY QUESTION......LOL......BUT ANSWERED QUESTIONS I DIDNT EVEN KNOW I HAD......

 

DO YOU THINK IT IS WORTH GETTING HD FROM COMCAST FOR MY T.V.....I'M STUCK WITH WHAT I GOT..720P...I GOT THE CABLE BOX ..I KNOW THAT WHAT WAS ON A THE STORE WAS HD WITH PROBALLY THE BEST WIRING AVAILABLE ....

 

IT IS $10 A MONTH EXTRA I THINK AND I'LL HAVE TO BUY THE WIRE OF COURSE ...

 

BUT IS IT WORTH IT....

[Guest Stealthknight]

The answer to your question is YES! Seeing as how your cable company comcast is most likely broadcasting their HD signals at 720p anyways your TV is perfectly well equipped to give you a quality picture. 1080p is typically just a bonus for those who want the extreme picture (which typically isnt a visible difference on TV's under 40") to play TRUE HD movies on Blueray and Gaming in 1080p. Right now those are basically the only uses for TRUE HD. Your 720p will give you an excellent picture through your HD programming and if your have a newer model it is most likely cable ready. I suggest you go through and do a Channel Search and see if you get any ATSC Stations. These typically are numbered with dashes like 641-1. Not all of the HD stations would be available but most locals such as NBC, ABC, FOX, ect... provide them. However they are not always quality signals so test them for a week and if you arent satisfied try getting a box and see if it is any better.