Is 1080p worth the extra £££ for PS3 use?

TheKork

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After reading this section of the forum on a daily basis for about 3 weeks now I am looking at a few lcds and will be buying one within the next two weeks. My budget was £700 for 37-42" with a viewing distance of 7.5 feet. My only issue now being is it worth stretching my budget (not so comfortable) to purchase a full HD (1080p capable) LCD to take full advantage of my PS3?

There are many fantastic tv's within my price range but I would not be as they say "future proofed" if I went for the smaller resolution. I also hear talk that 1080p over 720p is not noticeable any closer than a few feet. I am simply looking for other peoples opinions on wether stretching my budget to full hd would make my viewing experience that good bit better and maybe your suggestions on what TV to go for within my budget?
 
Whether you could tell the difference between 720p and 1080p at that distance and screen size is debatable.

If we are talking about a PS3 specifically though a 1080 panel may not be needed but the ability to accept a 1080p source would be recommended if possible.

The reason for this is that currently (though this may change in the future) the PS3 is unable to output blu ray films at 720p

This means that if your television does not accept 1080p then for films you will be limited to setting the PS3's output to 1080i which in theory shouldn't matter too much but in practice a fair few televisions out there do not de-interlace very well.
 
Whether you could tell the difference between 720p and 1080p at that distance and screen size is debatable.

If we are talking about a PS3 specifically though a 1080 panel may not be needed but the ability to accept a 1080p source would be recommended if possible.

The reason for this is that currently (though this may change in the future) the PS3 is unable to output blu ray films at 720p

This means that if your television does not accept 1080p then for films you will be limited to setting the PS3's output to 1080i which in theory shouldn't matter too much but in practice a fair few televisions out there do not de-interlace very well.

I see, Ive also read however that 37" difference between 720/1080p is not noticible from any distance really and that you do need to go 42" and above. interesting about the blu-ray fact I didnt know this. Blu-ray disks are to expensive for me at the moment but I will be taking 2-3 years finance neway so if they were affordable after this time then I guess this could be an issue.

If I was to go 1080p I cud only maybe be looking at the sharp xd1e 37/42 and sammy m86 and thats a big IF

anymore thoughts?
 
I have been pricing lcds AGAIN tonight and the Sharp LC42XD1E can be had for £956 with 3 years warranty after 15% discount. This works out at £47 p/m for 2 years finance. Is that extra £10 a month worth it!!! :confused:
 
Kork, It's quite simple, you are going to have this TV for a number of years, If you can afford to spend an extra £10 a month then do it and get the Best TV you can afford. And since you have a PS3 already then you might as well get the best display possible.

For me, it's not a problem deciding, get the 1080p if you can afford it.

and If I was buying now, I would get the Samsung M86, Look at the review here

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Samsung-LE40M86BD/
 
Go for a 1080p panel, you'll be kicking yourself in a few years if you don't do it now.
 
yes ! just buy it is my advice

before it was like yeah i have a ps3 and i`ll play when i get time ... this new t.v has made me feel like i am playing a new game altogether, and i cant get away from it :devil:
 
I would say, since you're on a budget; don't make any decisions you will regret

getting a HD-Ready TV together with a PS3 will make you have a great experience.

There will always be newer and better things coming, so you might as well buy a 1080p or whatever is new in 5 years time for a much cheaper price, and move this lcd to the bedroom or whatever

I don't believe you will regret not buying 1080p; you would possibly regret it more if you spent too much money on something you forget about after bragging to everyone about your tv's resolution.
You will not notice the difference in everyday use at a respectable distance. And don't forget the awful reflections on the M86/M87 series from Samsung.

Although most people who have bought one say it is not a problem, I think it is only to justify their purchase. I have seen it in a dim setting in a store and it is definitely worse than the CRT I currently own.
 
Phusebox, if you read the review

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Samsung-LE40M86BD/

You will find that the reflections are there but are not a big problem, It's just like having a Plasma or CRT TV. The Glass panel is part of the reason that this TV gets such great black levels and picture.

So, it's just a case of careful placing of the TV.
 
When I was looking i was undecded about 1080p to.

I decided not to get a 1080P because of what I read reagrding cant see much difference on a 40" (that I am getting) froma bout 5-7 feet.

They cost a lot more, and the leap from CRT to HD ready 720P or 1080i for me was enough (or will be when my Samsung le40R87bdx comes tomorrow)

Its upto you really, you always get people saying yes yes get 1080P you have to have it etc etc, but can you really see the difference over 1080i or 720P I dont think I would.

the descision however is yours

hurry up tomorrow I want me TV!!!!
 
Phusebox, if you read the review

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Samsung-LE40M86BD/

You will find that the reflections are there but are not a big problem, It's just like having a Plasma or CRT TV. The Glass panel is part of the reason that this TV gets such great black levels and picture.

So, it's just a case of careful placing of the TV.
I have read the review... but I've seen the TV several times IRL, and that's what counts for me...

the reflections are more apparent than on a CRT, especially with the very cheap looking frame also reflecting everything in the room (more than others because it has rounded edges)

I couldn't see a difference in 1080p to 720p from 3 meters distance on a 40"
And I studied carefully. Maybe here and there a teeeny little more detail but too little to notice during normal viewing

people keep saying the reflections are not that bad... well maybe not in a dark room, but a dark room has lights, and you will see those

don't be fooled by these marketing techniques, same as it was with glossy laptop screens, they just suck
 
TheKork said:
My budget was £700 for 37-42" with a viewing distance of 7.5 feet. My only issue now being is it worth stretching my budget (not so comfortable) to purchase a full HD (1080p capable) LCD to take full advantage of my PS3?
I don't generally hang out in the LCD forum, so, very rapidly in passing, let me commend for your attention this thread ("Does 1080p matter?"): http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=409129

and also this one ("Screen sizes and viewing distances"): http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312431

As far as the screen size issue in particular is concerned, for a viewing distance of seven and a half feet, the optimum screen size for a 1080p screen is about 58 inches. The screen size at which 1080p is completely indistinguishable from 720p is about 38 inches. So, unless you're proposing to have a screen substantially larger than 38", at that distance 1080p is a waste of money. If you are going to have a much larger screen, then 1080p is (IMO) very much worthwhile.

Of course, if you sit closer than 7.5 feet, these sizes are correspondingly reduced. If you're sitting only five feet from the screen then the optimum screen size for 1080p is 38 inches, and "can't see any difference betwene 720p and 1080p" size is about 25 or 26 inches.
 
1080p does matter: Here's When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution)


resolution_chart.png
 
Its an interesting graph and shows that even for people buying 42" tv's, which seems to be the most popular plasma size, unless they are closer than 10 feet they may as well have an sd plasma.

Hd sources do make a difference over sd sources but for the majority of people with average viewing distances an hd screen is mostly wasted
 
Whether you could tell the difference between 720p and 1080p at that distance and screen size is debatable.

If we are talking about a PS3 specifically though a 1080 panel may not be needed but the ability to accept a 1080p source would be recommended if possible.

The reason for this is that currently (though this may change in the future) the PS3 is unable to output blu ray films at 720p

This means that if your television does not accept 1080p then for films you will be limited to setting the PS3's output to 1080i which in theory shouldn't matter too much but in practice a fair few televisions out there do not de-interlace very well.


The 720p Bluray issue will be fixed in a firmware update soon IMO, Sony always delivers thru firmware.

IMO you dont need 1080P unless you are going 40" or more.
YOu can if you want, i just feel it a bit wasteful.
 
IMO you dont need 1080P unless you are going 40" or more.
YOu can if you want, i just feel it a bit wasteful.

You may have a 40" panel but if you sit 9/10 feet away then you won't notice any difference so that's a bit wasteful too.
 
The 720p Bluray issue will be fixed in a firmware update soon IMO, Sony always delivers thru firmware.

IMO you dont need 1080P unless you are going 40" or more.
YOu can if you want, i just feel it a bit wasteful.

Just for calrification: If PS3 is set to output 1080i, and the 720p set can accept and downscale 1080i, then everything is fine! Most 720p sets I've seen accepts 1080i siganls. Still would be better if PS3 managed the scaling, and that might come around some day.
 
Just for calrification: If PS3 is set to output 1080i, and the 720p set can accept and downscale 1080i, then everything is fine! Most 720p sets I've seen accepts 1080i siganls. Still would be better if PS3 managed the scaling, and that might come around some day.

the Toshiba WLT68 also accepts 1080p, so that's even better when downscaling
 
Not sure I agree 100% with that graph, what happens if you use the PS3 as a Living Room PC?

If you decide to run applications on it, or even install Linux and use its web browsing capabilities or such. 1920x1080 vs 1366x768 is a massive difference. I would pick the higher resolution everytime. Even on a smaller panel.

My 24" monitor (1920x1200) would look so horrid if it was 1366x768. At the end of the day its all about viewing distance as the graph does show but its not as black and white as 42"+ = 1080p.

In my personal opinion, anyone running PC applications or a PS3 (maybe for anything more than games) would want a 1080p screen.

Mike
 

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