Something to think about - 720p vs 1080i

1. Rob Grauert
   Post Production Host

   

   At first glance, you may think 1080i is superior because there are more pixels, but think about this:

   Since 1080 is usually interlace (only high end cameras truly shoot 1080p) at any given moment you're only viewing 540 lines. Why? As some of you already understand, interlace frames are comprised of 2 fields. One field scans first THEN the next field. It's not all 1080 lines being viewed at the same time; you only ever see 540 lines.

   When it comes to 720p, you're obviously look at progressive frames, and since they are progressive you are always looking at 720 lines. Make sense?

   By now you're probably thinking, "But 1080 has more pixels being displayed...it's 1080." Well, lets do the math. 1280 X 720 = 921,600 pixels where as 1080 X 540 = only 583,200 pixels. HMMMMM!

   So, for those of you who get caught up in having the latest technology or big number and say, "I need the best quality possible! BIGGER IS BETTER, RAAAAAWR"...I don't know where I'm going with this statement.

   Let the arguing begin...

   Rob Grauert, Jr
   http://www.robgrauert.com
   http://command-r.tumblr.com

   Posted 3 years ago #

2. CraftersOfLight
   Member

   

   You're only looking at 1/2 a frame on the 1080 side. Wouldn't a 1080 interlaced frame be your "...1080 X 540 = only 583,200 pixels" X 2 (2 fields per frame) or 1166440 pixels/frame? For an instantaneous field of view your math works but frame for frame the 1080i will give better resolution.

   I deal with cameras, the company I work for make, that use 640X480 detectors (CCDs) and are able to use a technique that quadruples that count greatly increasing the resolution. Bringing it to a comparable 1280 X 720 frame size(more closer to 1280 X 960 but top and bottom are trimmed to display system status bars). It's an old school technique that was the forerunner to some of the now popular optical stabilization processes being used in video cameras today.

    

   Life is not a guided tour nor a destination.
   It is a journey. Take the time to enjoy your family, friends and surroundings.
   Build memories. Share experiences. Travel at sight speed not light speed. (C)

   Posted 3 years ago #

3. Coreece
   Member

   

    Rob, are you drinking again?  lol  : )

   Those 2 fields in 1080i are flashed so quickly that the human eye can't detect the difference fast enough to even care...It's still a bigger, brighter, better picture. (depending on camera of course.)

   nice try though... :) lol

    

    

   Posted 3 years ago #

4. Rob Grauert
   Post Production Host

   

   haha nah man. I wish I had some money for some beer. Money is tight as I'm finishing school and I'm sad to say I had to cut beer from my budget. ha. 

   Posted 3 years ago #

5. JMM
   Member

   

    im whit Coreece,

   also think about in 1280 your matching 1280 pixel on a 1920 pixel screen ( if you have a 1920/1080 tv instead of a 1280/720 ).

   The fact that P is better than I is thrue, 1080p is better than 1080i. But i still go whit 1080i instead of 720p

    

   Television Technician
   http://www.vimeo.com/julienmarion
   Sorry for my english im french

   Posted 3 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

youtube, myvideo, funnyordie, gametrailers, collegehumor, dailymotion, glumbert, liveleak, redtube, googlevideo, sevenload, metacafe, clipfish, vimeo