Is 720P half HD?

[googler]

Hi. A quick question. Is 720P Half HD if 1080P is fullHD. I am seeing tv's that are 1080p stating that they are fullhd. Reason being is that I want to buy a tv but the cheapest 1080p set is about £800 whilst the 720p sets are around £390. Thanks

Well, there are some "gadgets" (ie playstation3, hd dvd, computer in/out, etc) that allow 1080p resolution displayed on the screen - but there is NO REAL 1080P broadcasting of any TV network which makes 1080p very not desirable at this moment - if we are talking about TV programs transmitted in 1080p - there's none - and if there is - it's coming from the "gadget" not the real TV network.

[hordaktheman]

Both 720P and 1080i/P are full HD. There is no half. It's either HD or it isn't.

evilchris is exactly correct. It all depends on your screen size and viewing distance. I have a 42" 720P DLP set and I sit about 10' or so away. It looks friggin amazing.

1080P FULL HD is just Sony Marketing FUD just like bloorhey being beddar cuz it gotz more Gigabytzzzzzzz.
Eh, I don't really agree with that. Sure, both 'HD' and 'Full HD' are just arbitrary labels, but 720p and 1080p are absolutely not arbitrary but actual physical dimensions. The labels are used to differentiate between the two and so there is full reason to use them, just like we use VGA, SVGA, XGA, WXGA, etc. as arbitrary labels for physical computer resolutions, or E6300, E6400 and E6700 to differentiate between Intel processors. I'd be pretty pissed if I bought a 400$ C2D and found it only ran at at 1.8ghz, and would likewise be so if I bought a 'Full HD' television that was only 720p.

Given that both HDDVD and Blu-Ray ship at native 1080p resolution, it only stands to reason that manufacturers differentiate between 720p and 1080p in terms that the consumer can vaguely understand. Sure, they're basically just marketing terms, but the twofold resolution difference definitely warrants some distinction between the two.

I'll agree that calling it 'Full HD' is somewhat disingenuous, but given the native resolutions of the media formats it's also somewhat understandable.

[-=Gib-McFragger=-]

Eh, I don't really agree with that. Sure, both 'HD' and 'Full HD' are just arbitrary labels, but 720p and 1080p are absolutely not arbitrary but actual physical dimensions. The labels are used to differentiate between the two and so there is full reason to use them, just like we use VGA, SVGA, XGA, WXGA, etc. as arbitrary labels for physical computer resolutions, or E6300, E6400 and E6700 to differentiate between Intel processors. I'd be pretty pissed if I bought a 400$ C2D and found it only ran at at 1.8ghz, and would likewise be so if I bought a 'Full HD' television that was only 720p.

Given that both HDDVD and Blu-Ray ship at native 1080p resolution, it only stands to reason that manufacturers differentiate between 720p and 1080p in terms that the consumer can vaguely understand. Sure, they're basically just marketing terms, but the twofold resolution difference definitely warrants some distinction between the two.

I'll agree that calling it 'Full HD' is somewhat disingenuous, but given the native resolutions of the media formats it's also somewhat understandable.Fair enough. They would have been better off using the term "1080P Full Resolution HD", or something to that effect, instead. :)

[npras42]

Yes indeed, it is the way they differentiate rather than the fact they do differentiate. HD in itself is pretty stupid term, it like when we talk about new consoles and call them 'next-gen'. Well soon as we get to the next standard, what's next-gen???

With HD, say we ever move to TV transmission of around 1620p (not that I expect this to happen for many many years), what are we gonna call that? We couldn't call it HD, because it would be ridiculous to compare 720p and 1620p as within the same definition of a standard.

Ideally, TVs should just be marketed as '720p HD', or '1080i HD' or '1080p HD'. The words 'Full' or 'Maximum' should never come in to it, as resolutions are theoretically infinite in the long-term future.