If you are in the market for a new TV or Video then the term 1080p is something which you will be now used to seeing and hearing. Most people associate 1080p with High Definition TV but what does it actually mean?
Nowadays more and more TV channels are being offered in HDTV format. HD gives you exceptionally clear, crisp pictures with vivid colours and a massive improvement in picture resolution with up to 5 times greater detail than with a traditional TV display.
Ready or Not?
Because electronics manufacturers want to stay ahead of developments they often produce goods which will be able to exploit new technologies as they become available. For this reason you will often see the term ready applied to the HD logo.This simply means that the TV is ready to use an emerging broadcast standard and will not become obsolete.
At the moment there are currently 4 main types of logo associated with High Definition products.
HD Ready applies to display devices such as monitors and projectors, DVD recorders and integrated digital televisions compatible with 720p and 1080i formats . These type of devices must be connected to a HDTV device in order to decode and process the signal.
HDTV applies to devices such as set-top boxes and integrated digital TVs capable of receiving and decoding 720p and 1080i broadcast signals. This logo can often be confused with ‘HD Ready’ and is best described by saying that with HDTV you do no not need a separate device in order to process the signal.
HD Ready 1080p applies to devices such as monitors and projectors that can accept 1080p process and display High Definition. They can also display 1080i and 720p formats. These devices need to be used with an HDTV device to enjoy 1080p broadcasts. The HD ready logo also guarantees that signals can be processed at a minimum 24Hz or 24 frames per second.
HDTV 1080p applies to display devices with a 1920×1080 screen resolution which can process and display 1080p broadcasts. They can also rceive and decode 720p and 1080i transmissions. HDTV means that a tuner is incorporated within the TV so you can enjoy HDTV 1080p without a separate device.
Resolution
Most of the HD Ready TVs currently available use a resolution of 1336 x 768 pixels and employ either the 720p and 1080i formats.
720p uses 720 lines of vertical scanning as opposed to 1080 and is therefore not as sharp or precise. The greater the number of vertical lines the more detailed the result.
1080i uses 1080 lines but the image is interlaced, rather than progressive so it is inevitable that there will be a degree of flicker within the image displayed. Interlaced is fine for still or slow moving images, however, the best high speed video will be viewed with a Progressive scan model or setting.
The two different standards were developed to overcome problems experienced in making and broadcasting HD TV. Many of these problems have been overcome and 1080i will become the standard format in time.
Interlaced and Progressive
The letter i stands for interlaced – which means that the screen is filled with lines in two stages, the odd lines are loaded first and then the even lines. Although this happens very quickly, at high definition a certain amount of flicker is inevitable.
The letter p stands for progressive – this is a more advanced format which loads all of the lines at once, thus eliminating the flicker effect.
Progressive scanning results in a clear sharper display opposed to the traditional method of Interlaced scanning which is the common standard used to display analogue television broadcasts. There is a detailed explanation of the difference between Progressive Scanning and Interlaced Scanning here
1080p
Whilst 1080p is commonly associated with screen display resolution it can also be used to describe the capabilities of video equipment. Some video equipment can use lower resolution material and reformat or upscale it for a higher resolution display. Obviously, the quality of these images will never be as high as a pure or ‘native’ 1080p display but is often a satisfactory compromise.
Conversely, equipment designed to display lower resolutions such as 720p and 1080i will often not have the capability to render 1080p and will downscale it accordingly. The term ‘1080p’ or ‘native 1080p‘ describes equipment which can display the format fully without any compromise or re-formatting.
Simply put, ‘1080′ refers to the 1,080 lines of vertical resolution in a TV display. Most wide screen TVs have an aspect ratio of 16:9 (In other words, for every 9 lines vertical there are 16 horizontal) with a horizontal resolution of 1920 pixels and 1,080 pixels of vertical resolution, or 2,073,600 pixels in total.
Is Current HDTV Broadcasting 1080p?
Currently both SKY and the BBC HD channel transmit programmes using the 720p and 1080i standards. Sports and action based movies will often be broadcast at 720p and general programs where there is less movement and an emphasis on detail will usually be broadcast at 1080i.
The BBC say that they will develop their service as technology progresses and it is thought that SKY will not broadcast 1080p because it is not economical to do so. Although advances in the technology may make it more commercially viable in the future?
So as the current broadcast standard seems to be fixed for the time being at 720p or 1080i is it worth upgrading?
Traditional DVD players output at a lower resolution of 480i and will upscale the output in order to display properly. Most players manage this quite successfully, although the results will vary, depending on the quality of the DVD player and the final image will never be as good as ‘native 1080p’.
For serious game players the upgrade may well be worthwhile because the Xbox360 can output video at 1080p, as will the Playstation 3. The difference in image quality is quite spectacular and will certainly appeal to many.
Furthermore, the new Blu Ray video format also outputs 1080p so any serious movie fan will probably want to consider it?
The Future of HD and 1080p
It’s not uncommon for formats to come and go but 1080p is certainly a long term concept. At the moment it’s widespread use is more of an aspiration than a reality. Given that it will take a while for this ambition to be realised 1080p is not going to be out dated for some time yet.
The range of electronic products adopting HD 1080p is growing by the day. The latest edition of the high end CANON EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera includes the ability to record High Definition Video for 1080p output. Even some budget range video cameras such as the HD-8Z Camcorder are adopting the standard. And Ericsson have announced that their mobile phones will be able to shoot Full HD Video by 2012
High Definition display has redefined expectations in terms of TV and Video display. Standards that were unthinkable just a few years ago are now commonplace and Full HD 1080p takes this even further.
Although it’s impossible to imagine how this standard can be improved the past has taught us that it always can be, however, given the standard now attained it’s going to be a long time before this happens.
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