[jeddati]

Hi All,

Sorry if this has been answered.

Is it worth upgrading from a 720p to 1080p projector ? Will I clearly notice the difference ? on a 106" screen size ?

Many Thanks

Regards

[Alphathon]

I can't speak for projectors, but in general, if you can see a difference between SD and 720p you will probably see a difference between 720p and 1080p (the jump in actual definition, that is number of pixels, is about the same...roughly 2.25x). I watch all my movies on my PC monitor (via PS3) and I can certainly tell the difference btween the two. How far away from the screen do you sit? My monitor is 24" but, as its a monitor I sit about 1-2' away. As it's a home set up though, I would imagine that you will notice the difference however far away you sit* on a 106" screen

*assuming you don't own a mansion and have stupidly huge rooms

You will need some good HD content to take advantage of it though. The Dark Knight is a brilliant example, but most Blu-rays will look better. Some however will look exactly the same, as they are mastered at 720p, or even lower in some cases (a few even look worse than the DVD versions upscaled :o). The only example I can think of a 720p master is the movie Stargate, but there are definitelly others, I just can't remember them

[kbfern]

Really seating distance is going to be the main factor, if you sit closer than say around 10ft you will see a difference but if 12ft + i doubt if you will see much better resolution.

There are other factors such as maybe better contrast etc.

What do you have now and what will you be watching and what budget do you have.

[flyinmunky1]

Sorry for jumping in on the thread but im also in the same boat. I have a Sanyo Z5 and im thinking its time to upgrade to 1080p.

I sit 8-10ft away with a 86" screen, room is light controlled.

I find the 360 to be excellent via VGA, PS3 games via HDMI dont seem to be as sharp and as vibrant as i want.

Blu ray is excellent but its missing that "pop" effect.

I also want to use it for PC gaming and HD movies i have on my hard drive. So the higher the PC resolution supported the better.

But will it be worth paying £1500+ for a great 1080p if i can hardly notice the difference.

[jeddati]

Thank you for your comments

I have a Optoma HD700X was thinking of getting a JVC’s DLA-HD1 or a Sony VPL-HW10 I sit about 15ft from the screen.

But as mentioned by flyinmunky1 is it worth spending £1500 if I am not going to notice the difference. from the comments above it looks like seating distance is going to be the main factor.

I don't watch telly on the screen though only movies played from the ps3.

[Klippie]

You know I've been having the same though recently, a while back I briefly had a Sony Pearl (which was given to me as a replacement for a faulty HS10) I sold it on as I had bought a 720p Infocus IN78 before I knew I was getting the Pearl...anyway when the guy came to pick-up the Sony I hooked it to a PS3 for him to test which was the first time I'd seen 1080p in all its glory and I must admit it looked amazing part of me wanted to keep it but the money more than paid for the IN78 but now after reading the reviews of the IN83 etc I'am starting to think about 1080p again, I'll bet that IN83 is one hell of a projector if the IN78 is anything to go by...

[pho]

This is a good read on the subject.

1080p-720p shoot-out in Athens! - AVS Forum

It is very true that sitting distance makes the difference. I sit 24' from a 150" screen and both 720p DLP and 1080p SXRD looks very much alike. It is in those highly detail 1080p source that you will see some jaggies on the 720p projector.

[Mad Monk]

I had this dilemma a while back. Here is the thread where I compared two identical PJ's (aside from resolution) and came to the conclusion that 1080p was not worth the premium as the difference was negligible.

Save yourself the money and take a holiday, buy some bigger speakers or even spend it on your wife; upgrading to 1080p in your situation probably is not a wise move regardless of what the ill educated 1080p fanboys tell you (no disrespect to the posters in this thread)

[spooney]

Simply spoken if you move from a 720p to a budget 1080p the difference depends on the quality of your source and is not that big. Personally I would not switch.

If you move to a premium full-HD projector and move to BluRay the difference is HUGE. Talking from personal experience here.

[The Spaniard]

Originally Posted by spooney

Simply spoken if you move from a 720p to a budget 1080p the difference depends on the quality of your source and is not that big. Personally I would not switch.

If you move to a premium full-HD projector and move to BluRay the difference is HUGE. Talking from personal experience here.

I agree

[Avi]

Originally Posted by jeddati

Thank you for your comments

I have a Optoma HD700X was thinking of getting a JVC’s DLA-HD1 or a Sony VPL-HW10 I sit about 15ft from the screen.

But as mentioned by flyinmunky1 is it worth spending £1500 if I am not going to notice the difference. from the comments above it looks like seating distance is going to be the main factor.

I don't watch telly on the screen though only movies played from the ps3.

Personally I think you need to consider what else you may gain from a new PJ that just happens to be 1080 resolution rather than buying just for 1080. Most of the development is going into 1080 products and I'd be surpised (depends on the product of course) if you didn't notice an improvement in PQ even if it wasn't due to the increased resolution in isolation.

It's worth researching on what is a good and not so good about different aspects of the models you mention as depending on you PQ priorities you may end up having to compromise.

AVI

[isayisay]

Is it really the resolution or is it the quality of certain products?I say this because for example a pioneer plasma @ 720p is considered by many to be better @ SD and HD than say a panny pz model @1080p so does this apply with projectors?I dont know its just a theory QUALITY or QUANTITY

[Avi]

Originally Posted by isayisay

Is it really the resolution or is it the quality of certain products?I say this because for example a pioneer plasma @ 720p is considered by many to be better @ SD and HD than say a panny pz model @1080p so does this apply with projectors?I dont know its just a theory QUALITY or QUANTITY

Image quality does vary by product. There are many variables such as lens quality, overall MTF, chip type, video processing, light engine design, manufacturing tolerences etc. This can make it more challenging to compare different product on paper based on resolution alone. You may find that some higher end 720 based products out perform some average 1080 based product. However, if you compare a higher end 720 to a higher end 1080 the 1080 will be better in many respects due to teh increased development that it benefits from beyond just resolution increase.

AVI

[gunark]

Originally Posted by isayisay

Is it really the resolution or is it the quality of certain products?I say this because for example a pioneer plasma @ 720p is considered by many to be better @ SD and HD than say a panny pz model @1080p so does this apply with projectors?I dont know its just a theory QUALITY or QUANTITY

My XV-Z3000 is one of the better 720p's and due to its quality and being DLP I'd prefer this over a bottom end LCD 1080p. Like you say it's a bit like awesome 720p plasma TV vs good 1080p LCD - plasma everytime.

As we all know, the res is like 4th or 5th down in the things to take into account when watching a PJ, with colour, contrast, etc coming higher.

If you have a good 720p PJ, you'd have to get the equivalent in quality at 1080p to justify your expediture.