360 HD TV Question

Doonhamer · 7 Oct 2007 at 22:46

Wasn't sure where to put this one.

Looking to dip my toe in the land of High definition gaming. Really just wondering if there are/or will be in the next few years, enough games that will take advantage of 1080p if I go to the extra expense?

ps.No idea on what tv I am after so feel free to pimp your

wedgie · 7 Oct 2007 at 22:49

The difference between 720p and 1080p is marginal and takes a larger screen to become noticable anyway.

I wouldn't say don't go for a 1080p set, I've just upgraded to one, but don't feel it necessary.

Doonhamer · 7 Oct 2007 at 22:52

Just that I would rather pay a little more now as it will have to last a few years, rather than go for the 720 only to feel I am missing out further down the line.

This whole tv thing is just hurting my head to be honest. Wish I was around for Black and White televisions. Must have been so much easier to choose.

ic1male · 7 Oct 2007 at 22:52

I would go for 720p (1366x768) for the next few years. The Xbox 360 and PS3 both work best at 720p. Both have some games which run at 1080p but sacrifice framerate (and possibly visual quality) to do so (not PSN games).

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are still fledging media and will take a few years to become mainstream. By which time 1080p sets will be the same price as 720p sets - £500 or so.

1080p sets will be more useful in 2010 with the next batch of game consoles.

Kreeeee · 7 Oct 2007 at 23:03

It's well worth getting a 1080p set now.

1080p is noticeably better than 720p when it is used and a 1080p set is a far better investment.

hashcake · 7 Oct 2007 at 23:03

Doonhamer said:
Just that I would rather pay a little more now as it will have to last a few years, rather than go for the 720 only to feel I am missing out further down the line.

This whole tv thing is just hurting my head to be honest. Wish I was around for Black and White televisions. Must have been so much easier to choose.

I was around back then and yes monochrome was much easier.
However, the only gaming console available was the Bintatone Pong

Doonhamer · 8 Oct 2007 at 09:06

When you put it like that....I retract my previous statement, I would rather keep my 360.

ic1male · 8 Oct 2007 at 09:17

Don't see why a 1080p TV is a better investment.

If you pay £500 now for a 720p set and say keep it three years, then upgrade to a 1080p set for £500 and keep that for three years, you've spent a grand.

If you get a 1080p set now for £1000 and keep it three years, then get a new one and pay £500, you've spent a grand and a half in six years.

Surfer · 8 Oct 2007 at 09:35

1080i on ps3 looks better for me so meh

i thought for true 1080p you had to have a 50" or higher tv? or have they got round that? otherwise the tv just downscales it so not really TRUE 1080p native

Margaret · 8 Oct 2007 at 09:47

Surfer said:
i thought for true 1080p you had to have a 50" or higher tv? or have they got round that? otherwise the tv just downscales it so not really TRUE 1080p native

24" monitors and some 40" TV's do 1080P fine, my friend uses 1920x1080 on his PC using his 40" TV.

Dutch Guy · 8 Oct 2007 at 10:00

Surfer said:
i thought for true 1080p you had to have a 50" or higher tv? or have they got round that? otherwise the tv just downscales it so not really TRUE 1080p native

Nope, there is the issue that to see the difference between 720p and 1080p you need a screen that is ideally 40" or larger.

I went for a 1080p LCD 6 months ago, but also because my Sony 40W2000 has a very good scaler so analogue cable and SD DVD also looks very good and my PS3 is awesome at 1080p

ic1male · 8 Oct 2007 at 10:18

Don't know if this is a load of old cobblers or not. Work out how far you sit away from your screen and what size TV you've got to determine which resolution you should go for.

As I only sit about 5ft from my TV, I'd need a 40" screen for 1080p or 26" screen for 720p.

TheNumber42 · 8 Oct 2007 at 10:30

With tvs I find your always best off not trying to keep ahead of the trends as the cost of trying to keep up is massive. I'd suggest go for a 720p one and use the extra spare cash to buy yourself some games, this years Christmas lineup is definitely worth the moolah

davejm · 8 Oct 2007 at 11:39

It depends really. I sit quite close to my 37" TV, and I can notice the resolution increase from 720p to 1080p, so I went for a 1080p set. The price increase isn't massive over a 720p set. I paid £750 for a Samsung M87 and I'm really happy with it, and although I don't have a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player, it's good to know that I'll be able to play them without losing any detail. I've been downloading some 1080p encodes too, which look fantastic.

I do agree that 1080p isn't necessary if you're viewing content quite far away. That chart seems quite good actually, and it fits in with my viewing (6ft from a 37"). Any further and I'm sure I wouldn't notice the extra resolution, and I think I sit closer than a lot of people would to their TV 's.

Certainly with the 360, most games are going to render at 720p (or even less, see Halo 3) so 1080p isn't necessary at all. The console will just upscale to whatever resolution you're set to.

El_Watcher · 8 Oct 2007 at 12:17

That chart makes some sense, although if you were sitting 2 feet from a 120" screen , resolution doesn't matter because your face will have melted