How do you determine an HDTV's "Best" Resolution?

swambast · Post by **swambast** » 04 Jan 2007, 18:13

I guess the question says it all:
How do you determine an HDTV's "Best" Resolution?
What if the manufacturer does not post specs for a "native" resolution - how would you find this info out?

Thanks for any insight! :)

emanuel.en · Post by **emanuel.en** » 04 Jan 2007, 19:12

HD Ready = 1280x720 or 1368x768
Full HD = 1920x1080

swambast · Post by **swambast** » 04 Jan 2007, 20:05

Cool, thanks for the reply, but my next question would be:

Hmm, not sure then how to decide whether it's "HD Ready" or "Full HD"?

My model just says "1080i/720p/480p/480i Input Compatible"...
See here: http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/projection/16-9digital/51F59.shtml

Post by **The_cranky_hermit** » 05 Jan 2007, 04:04

The answer is simpler than you think. Just look at the page you posted. It says many times on that page that the TV's native res is 1080i.

As for cases where the manufacturer doesn't state the native res, I would avoid that manufacturer completely. Manufacturers who don't make basic specs immediately available tend to be after an audience that doesn't care about basic specs, and it's obvious you do.

ChickenSoup · Post by **ChickenSoup** » 05 Jan 2007, 14:16

Trial and error....You try all resolutions and choose the one that YOU like.....Doesn't meen it will be 1080i, could 720 or 480, let your eyes decide, not the media hype....

geeman · Post by **geeman** » 06 Jan 2007, 16:03

1368x768

It is 1366x768 to be exact. it's just most computers can only output/the TV can only accept 1360x768 or 1368x768.

Sleepwalker · Post by **Sleepwalker** » 21 Mar 2007, 10:51

[quote]1368x768

It is 1366x768 to be exact. it's just most computers can only output/the TV can only accept 1360x768 or 1368x768.
Isnt it usually that way that those type of TVÃ‚Â´s can just be used on 1024 x 768 when connected to a PC?

Sweetz · Post by **Sweetz** » 22 Mar 2007, 04:31

The answer is simpler than you think. Just look at the page you posted. It says many times on that page that the TV's native res is 1080i.

Ugh, I hate when TV manufacturers list it like that. Technically speaking, 1080i can't be a native resolution.

You probably know this, but for the benefit of others: 1080i means an interlaced signal broadcast at 1920x1080. Interlaced means it only sends half the lines on the screen at once, e.g. it sends a 1920x540 image with the odd lines on the screen then another with the even lines on the screen. This happen quickly enough that your eyes interpret it as a single image.

The overall image is still 1920x1080, which means you'd need a TV with that native resolution to display it without scaling. 1080p (the p stands for progressive) is the same resolution, it just sends the whole image in one shot instead of breaking it up into halves.

Anyway when manufacturers list 1080i as the native resolution it means the TV is 1920x1080 but for whatever reason doesn't support a 1080p signal even though, based on the number of pixels, it should be able to display that.

I don't think you'll be able to run at 1920x1080 as PCs essentially output a progressive signal. If you're PC is connected to the TV using a DVI-HDMI cable you can probably only use standard HD resolutions, in which case the highest res you can use is probably 1280x720.

kyleb · Post by **kyleb** » 23 Mar 2007, 19:28

Ugh, I hate when TV manufacturers list it like that. Technically speaking, 1080i can't be a native resolution.

It can and is, his TV is a rear projection CRT which is 1080i native.

Also, to get 1080i on your PC, simply right click on your desktop select > properties > settings and then set your resolution to 1920x1080. Then select > advanced > monitor and under "screen refresh rate" select the option that says 30hz (interlaced).

But as for the original question, the best resolution to use is the highest one you can use with decent framerate. Some TVs will handle higher than their native resolution in which case the TV downsamples that to it's native resolution which effectively gives you some extra FSAA, but then sometimes it is best to run lower than native with AA, AF and other graphics options on to get decent framerate rather than turning those graphics options down to run smooth at a higher resolution.

TigerClaw · Post by **TigerClaw** » 26 Mar 2007, 03:20

The cheapest HDTVs that are out there have a native resolution of 1366x768. They can accept 720p or 1080i sources. The TV will just upscale 720p and downscale 1080i to 1366x768.

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