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At what screen size is 1080p worth it?
- Thread starter Dr_Boris_Goltz
- Start date
You should go 1080p no matter what imo, just to get the picture on the screen pixel-mapped.
720p TVs are usually 1360x768 screens, so first the picture (next-gen) would get converted to 720p, then upconverted to the 1360x768 resolution of the screen.
Gradient colors can look pretty bad on some screens if not pixel-mapped.
720p TVs are usually 1360x768 screens, so first the picture (next-gen) would get converted to 720p, then upconverted to the 1360x768 resolution of the screen.
Gradient colors can look pretty bad on some screens if not pixel-mapped.
That's not true at all.
1. 1080p for 5" phones is a little extreme, but not for tablets.
2. I have a Playstation 3D Monitor that's 1080p at 24". It's damn easy for me to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. It depends on viewing distance, and I usually sit fairly close. Even with my 42". (around 6-7 feet with the 42".)
scakko84
Member
If by that you mean people bought a lot of HD Ready TVs back there it might be.
If you mean you walk into a store and there are still HD Ready TVs for sell then i have to disagree.
it's like one year and a half i don't see an HD Ready TV in every electronic-store i've been.
ItaGAF here btw.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Nah, I had a 32" and noticed the difference. Totally depends on how far away you are from the tv.
hgarrett54
Banned
Don't bother with 720p ._.
careless mango
Member
Just get a FullHD TV, you're buying for the future, not the past. I have a HD ready 32" TV that is about 4-5 years old and while I'm happy with it right now I would never buy anything other than FullHD when shopping for a new one.
Acheteedo
Member
This only applies to movies/video content. Games come with jaggies which are visible from much further away, their impact is reduced with higher resolutions so as a gamer you should always go for 1080p in a TV no matter the size.
BINGO... also, I imagine gamers sit closer to the tv when gaming than when they watch TV. Maybe someone wants to display pics from a 1080p camcorder or dslr, in these cases you may be viewing very close to the tv to make out fine details, maybe you want to sometimes use the tv for surfing, cant really see how 720 is an option if you are doing anything other than vanilla tv watching.
Betta Lines
Member
People still sell 720p TVs?
drkOne
Member
Looking at nowadays' phones, anything above 4inches.
Seriously, there's no reason to go 720p these days. As someone who bought a 720p 26inch TV at the start of the gen, I don't really see the point of even bothering to find something that is 720p.
A 1080p 42incher is like what, $350?
Seriously, there's no reason to go 720p these days. As someone who bought a 720p 26inch TV at the start of the gen, I don't really see the point of even bothering to find something that is 720p.
A 1080p 42incher is like what, $350?
specialguy
Banned
you beat me to it.
too be fair, the reason is that we view phones from very close. much closer than our hdtv's.
Horseticuffs
Full werewolf off the buckle
I've got like an 18 or 20 a inch TV at 720p and I sit like 5 or 6 feet away from it.
Looks good to me
I guess I'm not too discriminating.
Looks good to me
I guess I'm not too discriminating.Because 720p is not its native resolution.
Noisepurge
Member
if i remember correctly the human eye cant tell the difference if the screen is under 37"
(but this was probably from a movie standpoint at a few feet away from the TV or something)
(but this was probably from a movie standpoint at a few feet away from the TV or something)
1st Course
Member
This needs to be quoted again.
Also unlike games, movies are rendered at much higher resolution first (4k,8k) then encoded again to 1080p/720p etc, so of course the difference is going to be much smaller between 720p/1080p in movies and 720p/1080p in games.
Not really. Depending on the size and distance, using the same money on a 720p TV can mean a better experience than having to go for 1080p. This is all very theoretical and I'm merely playing the devil's advocate.
Pyrrhus
Member
Most displays are not true 720p, as others have said. They're 1360x768. So you're still not going to get native res images even on a "720p" display.
Yeah, but who sells good quality 720p monitors anymore? Unless you're going for off brand stuff, I haven't noticed 720p for years.
I'm with the crowd that says 1080p or bust.
specialguy
Banned
I have the GS3 which is a 720P phone. It's nice n sharp so I'm not sitting here craving a 1080P phone (like I was craving a 720P phone when I had a SD phone).
But from what I understand 1080P phone is just that much more refined/nicer, if you had a choice. The difference is likely subtle but there.
Anyways as people have mentioned, this is a non discussion. Do they even make 720P Tv's any more?
And next gen, presumably, will actually have 1080P native games as a norm (yes before some cynic cuts in some will probably cheat, but they'll still be way better than 720P)...
Huh? where are you seeing these 720P sets? LOL
Anyways for 400-500 if you do your homework and also shop around a bit I imagine you can get something in a quality 1080P 40" range easily. I paid ~600 for my 42" Philips years ago.
I'd say just check the input lag stats wherever you do that. And be advised to my thinking, even something like a Vizio is considered quality to me. Just not some really off brand...
specialguy
Banned
I've gotten in online debates about this, and it's inconclusive.
Basically, will 720P content look better on a native 720P set, or a native 1080P one?
It seemed obvious to me the former, but in the debate many people claimed the latter, and the more I thought about it the less sure I was.
Canis lupus
Member
5'', no pixels on Xperia Z
RumblingRosco
Member
I was able to get this Toshiba 39" 1080P for $299 brand new from Best Buy about 2 months ago. I think, in a $400-$500 range, you can easily find a 42-46 inch, 1080p from a good brand if you are patient and check SlickDeals often.
ScepticMatt
Member
I made a graph for 20/20 vision, meters distance vs diagonal needed
doesn't seem to be the same as the one posted, maybe the creator forgot that the pixel diagonals are larger than their width (square root of 2 difference)
my calculation
doesn't seem to be the same as the one posted, maybe the creator forgot that the pixel diagonals are larger than their width (square root of 2 difference)
my calculation
spectre_assassin
Neo Member
THIS! He knows what he's talking about!
drugstore_cowboy
Member
Displays with a higher fill rate (DLP,DiLA) doesn't look so bad at 720p. Visible pixel structure is far more distracting than aliasing imo, I based my viewing distance on losing sight of it more than sheer size.
Still, there's no need to go lower than 1080p these days.
Still, there's no need to go lower than 1080p these days.
sixteen-bit
Member
At any size, imo
Again, it depends on how far you sit from your TV.
Let's say you have a 60" 4K TV. You would have to sit no further than 7 1/2 feet before you even START to see a difference beyond 1080p. To FULLY resolve 4k (assuming 20/20 vision) you'd have to be sitting 2.5 feet from the TV which is really fucking close.
THIS CHART IS FAKE AND WRONG
Sorry for the all caps but this gets posted any time and is factually wrong information.
Here is a real one.
Short explanation abstract into 4k: to give the appearance of perfect clarity you need about 10MP. Whenever you are far enough from such an image to that you can see it completely the pixels will always be so small that you will be unable to tell, roughly speaking. 4k is 8MP... close enough.
Indeed. High pixel density on smartphones looks awesome. But now it's enough, you don't hold a smartphone close to you nose.
At this point I cringe when I see 720p on anything larger than 20".
I almost wouldn't want 1080p on anything larger than 32" or so. I don't care what the charts say, I can tell from a glance and the difference bothers me. I will be waiting for decently priced 4k monitors before I consider any screen over 40".
Admittedly, I am rarely sitting more than 10' from a screen, but I don't think viewing distance is as great a factor to the equation.
I almost wouldn't want 1080p on anything larger than 32" or so. I don't care what the charts say, I can tell from a glance and the difference bothers me. I will be waiting for decently priced 4k monitors before I consider any screen over 40".
Admittedly, I am rarely sitting more than 10' from a screen, but I don't think viewing distance is as great a factor to the equation.
FoZzI bEaR
Banned
I believe to state a screen size is completely irrelevant as it is assuming the person is viewing the screen at a sensible distance. The correct answer would be to say: "any size".
shakin_haitian
Banned
Your second chart is derived from one person who literally had the best natural vision ever measured.
People have a lot of problems with the first chart because they don't seem to understand the difference between native and upscaled pictures. They'll have a 1080 display and have something running 720. Of course, you're going to see the difference because the lower resolution is magnified. It's a shitload different than having a 720 native and viewing a 720 video.
The only 720p TV in my house is on the wall in my 5 year old Daughter's room. It's a 32" I got on black Friday.
The other 3 wall mounted TVs in the house are all larger and 1080p. I don't think I'd buy anything less than 1080p for myself and will probably upgrade my daughters in the coming years.
I wouldn't buy another 720p larger than 23"...and I'd probably buy a 1600x900 monitor cheap and just rig it up instead of buying a 720p TV.
The other 3 wall mounted TVs in the house are all larger and 1080p. I don't think I'd buy anything less than 1080p for myself and will probably upgrade my daughters in the coming years.
I wouldn't buy another 720p larger than 23"...and I'd probably buy a 1600x900 monitor cheap and just rig it up instead of buying a 720p TV.
CitizenCope
Member
Nice! That chart says 1080p will look dandy to me at 100 inches from 12 feet away. =)
elcuervo75
Banned
I have tested 32" 720p vs 1080 at about 4 feet away and can see a difference with games and bluray. DVD not so much.
40" definitely go with 1080p.
40" definitely go with 1080p.
Monomythian
Neo Member
Just buy a quality, highly reviewed/recommended 1080p tv at your preferred size.
You don't need a chart or spreadsheet to buy a tv, seriously people, get a grip.
You don't need a chart or spreadsheet to buy a tv, seriously people, get a grip.
This is exactly true, and the most important item impacting your viewing pleasure. Netflix, for example, has (too) many 720p and even 480p shows & movies... regardless of what your TV can push you're limited by the content. I mean, a 4K TV playing DVDs will still look like crap, and would be beat, image quality-wise, by a blueray player with a 720p TV
30 FPS/720p looks noticeably different than 60 FPS/1080p on just about any size over 24" by my eye. It's noticeable on smaller tablet and phone screens because of the closer viewing distance for sure, but you can't really play Angry Birds on your iPhone from 4 feet away...