Will somebody please explain about high def?

[student_trap]

OK guys, so i have a high def TV (40" with res 1366x768), i have a 12" powerbook, and i will probably buy a 13" mbp (if we ever see them, otherwise a 15" mbp) in the fall.

What i'm curious about though, is what this whole high def thing is. I know that i can play 720p video on my powerbook, but not 1080p, although neither fit on the screen. Also, i can play 1080p video on my girlfriends mbp, although that doesn't fit on her screen and when dual monitering with my TV it doesn't fit on the TV either.

Are the 3 different formats different quality? can you buy TV's that support the full resolution? what will my TV support, because none of the 3 formats have the same resolution as it! What should i expect from the coming change to hi def TV

Also, what are your opinions of the format? You guys in america have it already right?

 

[Chundles]

Your TV will display 720p HD TV. It requires a resolution of 1280x720 and as such falls into the resolution of your TV.

You can scale it though, 1080p will fit on the MBP if you play it in full-screen, it just won't be the correct size. To play full-size full-screen 1080 HD you need a monitor with a resolution of at least 1920x1080 (23" Apple Cinema Display HD).

 

[Shamus]

HD has a richer, clearer image. What the numbers mean is the clarity of that image. For instance, 1080p is higher quality than 720p. These articles should explain it .

 

[student_trap]

Your TV will display 720p HD TV. It requires a resolution of 1280x720 and as such falls into the resolution of your TV.

You can scale it though, 1080p will fit on the MBP if you play it in full-screen, it just won't be the correct size. To play full-size full-screen 1080 HD you need a monitor with a resolution of at least 1920x1080 (23" Apple Cinema Display HD).

so what strength signal will eventually be broadcast? will scaled 1080 look better than say 720? is 1080 much better quality than 720?

 

[Chundles]

1080 is bigger than 720 but on your TV it will look exactly the same as 720. It only has a fixed number of pixels so your TV will scale down a 1080 image to 720 to fit it in. A 720 image will be enlarged to 1080 on a 1080 size screen.

I'm not aware of any 1080 broadcasting at the moment, it's a massive amount of information to come down the lines. Most stuff is 720p at the moment.

Your TV will be fine, don't worry.

 

[Shamus]

will scaled 1080 look better than say 720? is 1080 much better quality than 720?

It all depends on your screen size. The image will appear stretched if you screen does not match the screen size ratio. 1080 will appear better if it is on a screen that can support it.

 

[student_trap]

thanks for the info guys...what do you guys get broadcast over in oz?

 

[Shamus]

Im not sure, dont have HD set top box yet, but we have ABC 2.

 

[Chundles]

All 5 channels broadcast in HD or SD digital if you have a set top box or integrated tuner. ABC and SBS each have a second station with other stuff on it or repeats. That's about it.

My folks have a big CRT TV and an SD set top box with a 120GB HDD in it. We get awful analogue reception but the digital is crystal clear. HD is just not worth it as yet here although others will disagree.

 

[Abstract]

Not to completely hijack the thread, but I have a related question. What's widescreen format? Is it 16:10 ratio, or 16:9? I think Dell monitors are 16:10, but I believe when you show widescreen movies on it, there's a very small black area above and below the movie picture. Why doesn't everyone just stick with either 16:10 or 16:9, but not have both ratios?

Oh, and yes 1080p is better, but when scaled down to a smaller size (because of a smaller screen that doesn't have enough pixels), it won't look better than 720p. If 720p is scaled to a larger TV, then it won't look as good as 720p would on a smaller screen, or 1080p on the same screen. Someone verify or correct me.

 

[Shamus]

16:9 is standard widescreen. I think the Dell monitors are perhaps a sort of a merge between standard letterbox and widescreen.

Yes, it is confusing why we cant settle on a standard size for screen, much like every company needs to have their own proprietary audio standard .

And I believe you are correct about the different HD types, and the effects of scaling.

 

[Chundles]

Widescreen broadcast format is 16:9. Monitors are 16:10 so that there is enough room for palettes and stuff to fit on the screen with the image being worked on. It's a professional requirement. Most TV screens are 16:9 because 99% of their use is watching 16:9 footage. Monitors are 16:10 because of the above reason and that a lot of their usage doesn't involve watching footage and therefore more height is handy to have.