Full HD or HD ready

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jerry77

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Topic # 50128 23-Nov-2009 15:00

Will it make a difference which one i have for watching My sky hdi or is full HD the way to go?

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Reply # 275501 23-Nov-2009 15:22

Most people would be unable to tell the difference between HD content on a 720p panel vs a 1080p panel - certainly for anything under a 40" TV.

The reality is now most TV's are full HD so it becomes rather meaningless.

boby55

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Reply # 275509 23-Nov-2009 15:45

I would NOT buy a tv that is only HD ready as it will be old,

Like Sbiddle said most Tv's are full HD 1080p, so if you only buy a 720p HD ready tv your buying old technology

mentalinc

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Reply # 275516 23-Nov-2009 15:58

plus most HD ready tvs run at 4:3 resolutions (non widescreen)

Example 1: http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/tvs-dvds/televisions/plasma-televisions/panasonic-th-p42x10z-42-hd-plasma-television/prod12318.html

Example 2: http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/tvs-dvds/televisions/plasma-televisions/samsung-ps42b450-42-hd-plasma-television/prod11685.html

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sbiddle

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Reply # 275518 23-Nov-2009 16:07

mentalinc: plus most HD ready tvs run at 4:3 resolutions (non widescreen)

Example 1: http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/tvs-dvds/televisions/plasma-televisions/panasonic-th-p42x10z-42-hd-plasma-television/prod12318.html

Example 2: http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/tvs-dvds/televisions/plasma-televisions/samsung-ps42b450-42-hd-plasma-television/prod11685.html

I wouldn't go as far as saying it's normal for HD Ready TV's to only have a 4:3 resolution.

This is typically only the case with 42" Plasma panels that have a 1024x768 resolution and the odd 32" and 37" Plasma that may have appeared here. I don't think I've ever seen a 50" Plasma with a 1024x768 resolution and I certainly haven't seen a 16:9 LCD screen with a 1024x768 resolution for quite some time. It's also not an issue unless you're using a PC input where the issue becomes obvious.

Ragnor

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Reply # 275556 23-Nov-2009 17:58

I think it's a good idea to ensure you're getting a 1080p screen thesedays ie: full HD.

clevedon

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Reply # 275708 24-Nov-2009 08:10

We have Full HD 50" Plasma in the lounge for Blu-ray/MySky HDi and only have an 42" HD ready plasma in the bedroom being fed MySky HDi so don't really require a Full HD TV there.

jerry77

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Reply # 275846 24-Nov-2009 15:56

clevedon, much difference between the two with pic quality?

clevedon

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Reply # 275850 24-Nov-2009 16:08

jerry77: clevedon, much difference between the two with pic quality?

MySky HDi is much the same on both, but Blu-ray on the 50" Panasonic is awesome viewing at 3 metres ( 7.1 HD surround sound certainly enhances the experience )

login

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Reply # 275872 24-Nov-2009 17:10

My rule of thumb is that if you are buying 32 inch or smaller you are unlikely to spot a difference between HD ready (1366 x 720p/1080i) and full HD (1920 x 1080p) unless you habitually watch it from a distance of under 1 metre! And currently there is a price difference of roughly $500 between two 32" sets at these resolutions. So choose the one that best suits your pocket - as long as it has enough HDMI inputs for your requirements, for most requirements this will be 2 or 3. Remember too that if you are connecting devices to your TV via HDMI you won't have to worry about picture scaling (widescreen, 4:3 etc) because the picture signal carries this information and most sets will adjust to the correct aspect ratio automatically.

For TVs larger than 32" (37", 40", 42" etc.) you are likely to more easily see the difference between full HD and HD ready> So if your pocket can sustain the damage it's more important to buy full HD if you can. But also consider your content source. If you are going to be watching FreeviewHD, TV1 and TV2 are broadcast at 720p and TV3 at 1080i. So a HD ready TV should be all you need. If you are going to be watching Sky in HD via MySkyHDi it is broadcast at 1080i. So again an HD ready TV should be all you need. So you can save yourself a few dollars here too. The only source you are likely to get full HD content from is a blu ray DVD player playing content recorded in full HD. Frankly, I find a lot of blu ray content is not anything like 1080p. Some of it is barely good enough to qualify as SD, but that's another story.

I think a lot of people, me included, have purchased a full HD TV not realising it's not really going to deliver a tangeable benefit. However, we do have a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing we have the latest that should not need upgrading for at least a few more years.

scorpiworld

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Reply # 275918 24-Nov-2009 19:02

As Login say's "for watching My sky hdi" - HD Ready is all you need.

Save the dollars for the next TV when everything is in Full HD... Super thin LED TV's will be much cheaper by the time that happens! :)

sbiddle

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Reply # 275952 24-Nov-2009 20:37

login: My rule of thumb is that if you are buying 32 inch or smaller you are unlikely to spot a difference between HD ready (1376 x 1080i) and full HD (1920 x 1080p) unless you habitually watch it from a distance of under 1 metre!

Just as a minor correction HD ready is typically 1280x768/720 or 1366x768/720 depending on the panel type. It is not 1080 lines.

Full HD is 1920x1080 - and not necessarily progressive scan either - while the panel might be pregressive scan the TV doesn't necessarily support 1080p as a few people who purchased TV's in the past few years have discovered with cheap models from the likes of Philips that were 1920x1080 but only supported 1080i, not 1080p. I don't think there are any TV's now that are full HD that don't support 1080p but it wasn't the case with some early Full HD panels.

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Reply # 275970 24-Nov-2009 21:46

Yes, quite right. My faux pas is now fixed. I myself had a HD ready TV at 1366 x 720p/1080i. I think any manufacturer trying to pass off a full HD TV now that only supported 720p/1080i and not 1080p would rightfully be labelled a fraud.

scorpiworld

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Reply # 275985 24-Nov-2009 22:47

login: Yes, quite right. My faux pas is now fixed. I myself had a HD ready TV at 1366 x 720p/1080i. I think any manufacturer trying to pass off a full HD TV now that only supported 720p/1080i and not 1080p would rightfully be labelled a fraud.

I'm sure there are few still around getting rid of old stock

I still have a 32" 720p/1080i LCD and its great for Sky HDi (using 720p) / PS3 using (1080i).

If you have the money go for a 1080p but the visual difference is minimal unless you have a large collection of Blu Ray disks?

kiwijunglist

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Reply # 276209 25-Nov-2009 15:10

32/37" - Get 1366x768 panel or 1280 x 720 panel
42+" - Get 1920 x 1080 panel

Avoid any panel that is 1024x768

I also think that it's wierd how they try to squeeze a few extra pixels and go from 720P:1280x720 -> '720P':1366x768, I would of thought 1280x720 would be better for 1:1 mapping. I understand why they choose 1366x768 this is the most pixels that will fit in 1mb chip.

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Reply # 276241 25-Nov-2009 16:27

Most 42" Plasmas prior to the introduction of Full HD panels were 1024x768. My Panna PV70 is exactly that. When fed a MySkyHDi signal I struggle to see much difference to the PZ850. The difference is that the pixels are rectangular rather than square and different scaling is involved. In fact because there is a lower percentage of the screen real estate taken up with pixel boundaries the screen is brighter than a PZ (or PY for that matter).
Does a PS3 play any games at 1080p? Might be a good reason to go full HD.

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