One of the most difficult things to understand, when looking for a new television or projector, is understanding what the resolutions and scanning methods mean to you as a consumer. Sure, you can find all kinds of technical information, but what most people just want to know is which option is the best.
What are we talking about here? If you’re building a home cinema, or are simply in the market for a new television, you’re seeing a lot of options as far as HD resolution go, from 480p to 1080i, and you might not even be sure what this means. You simply see advertisements for things like a 1080p projector, as if they expect everyone to be a technical expert on the subject.
Resolution? Pixels? What Does It All Mean?
So, for starters, let’s cover what the number means, and ignore that letter for now. The number designates how many horizontal lines are in your picture. The more horizontal lines there are, the more pixels there are in your image; the total amount of pixels being the multiplied total of horizontal lines and vertical columns. More pixels means a sharper picture. Here, your instinct that a larger number is better is correct. 1080p is better than 720p, and both are better than 480p. The real sticking point is going to be that letter after the number.
Many people will argue that a 720p picture is better than a 1080i, and they are generally correct. Interlacing is an old technology invented for use in CRT monitors and televisions. It is responsible for flickering images and eye strain. The “i” after the number indicates that the system uses interlacing, rather than progressive scan. Progressive scan is the newer technology used in the televisions and monitors being made today. It gives a much crisper picture, because intentional blurring is often used to reduce interlacing flicker. This isn’t present in progressive scan, so everything is going to look a bit sharper. That being said, “p,” or progressive scan, is better than “i” for most applications.
Which Type of HD TV Should You Purchase?
Right now, the best commonly available resolution for televisions and projectors is 1080p. There are actually higher resolutions being produced, but they are not widely available as of yet. When shopping for a new television, monitor, or projector, simply remember that for the number, bigger is better, and that the letter “p” is better than “i.”
