Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Which gives better picture...720p or 1080i?

If you had a choice of picking one of them, which one would you select? I know progressive is better but the 1080 has more lines but not progressive. I thought maybe 540p = 1080i making the 720p better? Educate me on this.

Maybe I should give better idea based on my equip and tv set. I have Toshiba HDX82 50 inch rear projector. Ithink it only supports 1080i, maybe 720p. Currently I'm using Denon dvd player which only outputs to 420p but the tv itself upconverts to 540p on all 420i and 420p material. I'm thinking about getting upscaling dvd player such as the oppo and I'm just not sure if I should be using the one that supports only 1080i/720p or 1080p version? Not sure if my tv does 720p but I know it does 1080i. Maybe someone who is more familiar with rear projections such as mine which is few years old might know the best scan rates for the tv.

I think it just depends on your equipment and scalers built into your products on how good of a job they display the material.

In my guess, my projector is a native 720p projector, so I have found the picture is better if I match that with 720P. When I use 1080i mode, the projector has to adjust for this higher resolution.

I would say just try both and see what you think.

Here is a good read on the subject.

Wow, now I understand the differences. The only question I have is my tv, I'm not sure if its best to feed my Toshiba 50hdx82 720p or 1080i because I have no idea what the native is (can anyone tell me?) I'm deciding between the oppo 981 vs 971. Currently I have the denon 1600 dvd player 420p through component and the picture is great, but now its time to upgrade. Also I noticed I have only DVI on my tv, no HDMI. So would it be best to use the cheaper 971 since it has dvi already, or best to use the 981 which has HDMI but can use the HDMI to DVI cable? Is it the same quality or best to use direct DVI to DVI without HDMI to DVI? I'm just upgrading my home theater from few years to get better picture from my dvds the best as possible. Its hard to explain, just trying to find the best combo for my tv in the meantime.

Judging by the following, I'd say it's a 1080i set.

Features of Toshiba 50HDX82
Like most HDTVs, the 50HDX82 can display high-definition 1080i material, and it converts incoming 720p HDTV, the format used by ABC, to 1080i. To watch HDTV on this set, you'll need to connect it to a compatible HDTV receiver. When fed standard NTSC video--such as VHS, satellite, or cable--this set's progressive-scan converter kicks in and up-converts the image to 540p. Converting the signal to 540p provides more lines (a.k.a. picture information) than that of the 480p display found in many other HDTVs.

Source

Regarding the 971 vs. the 981, the 971 will play DVD-As, but not SACDs. The 981 will play both. If you're not interested in Hi Rez audio, the 971 should suffice. I don't think (speculation, on my part) there's much difference in their video quality, particularly if your TV doesn't have an HDMI input.

Ok, I guess that means my tv is 1080i and not 720p right? So it would be best to use DVI-D from player to tv and use 1080i for movies from the player? Since I've never seen anything other than 480p from my player/tv combo, I wonder how much better 1080i is from my current dvds. Also is the DVI cables with this player good enough or are they cheapo cables and get better ones from bettercables, signalcable, bluejean cable, etc?

The bandwidth required by a signal is usually a good indicator of the quality of the signal. The higher the bandwidth, the better the signal. If you look at 1080I and 720P signal bandwidths, you will find out that they are almost the same.

So, I would say that they are about the same!!!

Basically you have it figured out. The set shows alternating 540P signals which ends up being 1080i.

If you are looking for a DVD player, the Oppo's are great and should have both HDMI and component output. I have a Panasonic S-77 which uses a similar Faroujda chip as the Oppo-971. Oops.... I see the Oppo 981 does not have component outputs and according to the CNET review is really targeted to the videophile with 1080P.

I'd say then go for the 971 and run component cables to your set for DVD and set it to 1080i.

My 1080P set handles 1080i input better than 720P as the conversion is easier. I think you will find the same.

good luck.

My display only accepts component and DVI-D with HDCP compliant. Currently I'm running my Denon dvd-1600 via component 480p to my display which upconverts to 540p according to Toshiba. I think I have to run DVI cable from dvd player to tv to get better signal than 540p, right? I love my combo right now, but it wouldn't hurt to upgrade the video to try to get the best out of my HD display. The display is the Toshiba 50hdx82 by the way.