Are you considering buying a 1080 H panel but don't know which version to get. 'i' or 'p'? LCD or Plasma? 40" or 50"? There are a lot of confusing choices to make and one of the most important is the decision if buy 1080i (interlaced) or 1080p (progressive). Interlaced displays every other line (1,3,5..) then redraws the entire screen to fill in the evens. Progressive panels draw from the top of the screen down (1,2,3..).
Progressive has a technically better picture and can make sense if the extra quality is worth paying for to you. But don't pull out your wallet so fast. Just because you bought a 1080p television doesn't mean that you'll be watching the best picture. Huh!? You have to remember that your HDTV doesn't create TV signals it only processes them. It's the familiar GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) scenario. It doesn't matter how good the panel it can only look as good as the signals that are fed into it.
1080p may be the hot buzz word but don't expect you cable company to help you justify the purchase. Don't forget that 1080p transmits every line to the video to your HDTV. That's 1,080 separates lines - 1080i skips every other line so it only takes 540 lines to fill the screen and almost every cable providers transmits in 1080i.
It makes sense for them. They can squeeze two programs in the bandwidth space of one. Since they pay the government for bandwidth don't expect this to change anytime soon. (If fact as they add channels I fully expect them to transmit older sitcoms and pre-HD content at even lower resolutions. They know you can't see the difference.)
So my best advice is to buy the panel according to your viewing habits of the room the HDTV will be in. If this is going to be your first HD purchase and it's going to be the centerpiece viewing station that's connected to most of your digital goodies (HD receivers, PS3, XBox360, HD DVD Players, Etc.) then I recommend 1080p.
If it's a secondary station (bedroom, kitchen, den) then you should seriously consider 1080i. In most situations these HD panels are only connected to Cable/Satellite Sources. As stated before these are interlaced broadcasts and spending extra money for 1080p would be 100% wasted.
A variation to this recommendation is a den or game room HD that gets serious amounts of play. Casual gamers would never know the difference but if this was the HD that my gum-chewing, ipod-toting, low-pants wearing teenager sat in front of for untold hours per day playing video games I would get 1080p. Because 1080p draws the picture from the top down in one solid frame the picture appears most solid and stable. You current TV flickers quite a bit but its so subtle that you cant see it with the human eye. (if you've ever accidentally recorded a TV with a video camera you can easily see the massive flickering!)
Viewing a 1080p picture should result in reduced eyestrain and eye fatigue over hours of continuous viewing. That should save on your future eyeglass bill (aren't the braces bad enough!) but remember this does not apply to broadcast TV viewing.
So the natural advice is: 1080p will only benefit you if 1080p sources are fed into it! Broadcast TV is not transmitted in HD and even the HD channels available are only broadcast in 1080i. For HDTV panels that will display mostly broadcast TV 1080p is a waste. Spring for 1080p for your first panel if you plan on watching a lot or hi-def dvds, playing the handful of 1080p games (most aren't and don't need to be) or feeding it content that you know if 1080p. Quality 1080i panels are stunning and you can save quite a bit of money by shopping smarter for the HDTV of your dreams.
Enjoy!
P.S. The Panasonic 1080i plasma panels look GREAT!! They easily compete with higher priced 1080i and 1080p panels! For lower light rooms they're almost perfect. The color is A++ (For bright/sunlit rooms LCD displays brighter).
The author Jarvis McCrary researches and writes extensively about Technology and Geek Gadgets for 1080p-OnSale.com
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