Is Bigger Really Better? 720p vs. 1080p

If you've recently found yourself perusing the aisles of your local electronics store or poring over online sites researching your first LCD HDTV purchase, you have no doubt run into two identical TVs displayed side-by-side with no visible difference between them: two mirror image flat panel 42 inch plasmas or LCDs from the same manufacturer, whose only striking difference is in price. Most likely one of them was 720p and the other was 1080p. The price difference between the two can be upwards of nearly $250 - $700.

This has no doubt left you with a couple of nagging questions: 1) "Why?" and 2) "What the heck does 720p and 1080p really mean?" To keep your head from exploding from too much techno babble, I'll keep this brief, sans a lot of technical verbiage, and to the point. Hopefully this will help you decide just which one of those twin HDTVs to scoop up and take home.

In this case, yes, bigger is technically better. That is to say, if bigger is represented by higher resolution, then LCDs running at 1080p are the gold standard of the HDTV market. 720p and 1080p refer to the number of pixels and the resolution of the overall picture. Higher resolutions lead to smoother, cleaner on-screen images. You will particularly see a difference between the two when watching motion-sensitive programming such as auto racing, football games and other sports. Many 1080p sets will offer sharper images, better contrast ratios, more detailed color accuracy, black levels and saturation in addition to the jump in overall resolution. The 1080p sets are great when it comes to watching Blu-ray discs which generally run at 1080p.

All that being said, the next big question is "Is there really a discernible difference to the naked eye?" In all honesty, a 720p flat screen is a great introductory model into the world of HDTVs. Unless you are a hardcore movie watcher or game geek like myself, you really won't be able to tell much of a difference between the resolutions unless you plan to sit about two to eight feet away from the TV. Whichever you choose, you'll still come away with a great, clear, beautiful picture.

For 50 inch televisions and below, go with whatever your budget dictates. For any models 55 inches and up I'd say it would be best to save up some significant coin and splurge on a 1080p model. That jump in size is where you will really see the power of having resolutions that high. For gaming considerations, take note that most Xbox 360 and PS3 games have a native resolution of 720p. Some games are now being developed at 1080p, but not most. If you have a 1080p television, the games can be upscaled to perform at that resolution via the settings menus of the individual consoles. Games with a high degree of frame rate (the speed with which consecutive images move across the screen) will look just fine on a 720p screen.

720p LCDs or plasma TVs are perfect additions to a bedroom or family room. As a secondary set they should be less costly than the unit you choose for the main room of the house. As far as first purchases and size go, anything 32 inches to 40 inches I'd suggest going with either a 720p or 1080p as long as it's from one of the top manufacturers such as Sony, LG, Panasonic or Samsung. The naked eye details will be pretty much identical and the price differences will not be as steep. For those models 47 inches to 50 inches, my personal preference would be to lean more towards the 1080p units for reasons I mentioned before. To reiterate: anything upwards of 55 inches, make it 1080p.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below. Next week I'll be exploring the differences between LCDs and plasmas. Don't forget to check me out on Twitter for more money saving tips, info on new tech, and general links to the latest gadget news and reviews @SavingsGCapes.