1080p vs 720p resolution 1080p#
1080p vs 720p resolution tv#

Set the AVR to output the same resolution as your display, which means it will do the scaling, and watch the same channel or, even better, the same recorded content as before.

Next, set the cable/satellite box to output the native resolution of whatever channel it's tuned to, which prevents it from doing any scaling. If your cable/satellite box includes a DVR, record a few minutes of material so you can watch the same content in the next two tests. Then, select an HD channel that broadcasts at a resolution other than your displaythat is, if your display is 1080p, select ABC, Fox, or ESPN if it's 720p, select CBS, NBC, or another 1080i channeland watch for a few minutes. If the signal passes through an AVR, set it to pass-through mode, so it does no video processing. Also, be sure that overscanning is disabled in the display, because this can cause its own artifacts.

1080p vs 720p resolution 1080p#

Most cable/satellite boxes cannot output 1080p, so if you have a 1080p display, something else in the signal chain will have to deinterlace the signal.

1080p vs 720p resolution tv#

To see if the cable/satellite box, A/V receiver, or TV does the best job, start by setting the output resolution of the cable/satellite box to that of the display (720p or 1080i). Nothing can be done about the quality of the incoming signal, but there are typically several devices in the signal chain that can scale the signal, and you can determine which one does the best job. You are also entirely correct that the real-world impact depends on the incoming signal and the quality of the scaler that's doing the job. Of course, the opposite is true if you watch a 720p channel such as ABC, Fox, or ESPN on a 1080p display, so the signal is sometimes going to be scaled one way or the other no matter what the resolution of your display. And you're exactly right that most HD channels are broadcast at 1080i (1920x1080), so they must be scaled to 1280x720 or 1366x768 (the actual resolution of some so-called '720p' TVs) if viewed on such a set. It's true that you can't see any difference in detail if you're farther than a certain distance from a screen of given size, but scaling artifacts could be very visible. What do you think? Is this a noticeable issue?Īctually, I make this very point every time I talk about the difference between 720p and 1080p displays.

If most high-definition channels are broadcast at 1080i, aren't there scaling issues if you're viewing it on a 720p TV? Obviously, the real-world impact depends on the incoming signal and where the scaling occurs (TV, receiver, cable box).

But there's one thing I've never heard addressed as part of this debatethe issue of scaling. I've long heard the argument that you cannot tell the difference between 720p and 1080p displays unless you have a large screen and/or you sit very close to the TV.