What would you expect to play for a 52″ 120Hz 1080p Full HD LCD HDTV, with a 50,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, and support for DVI, HDMI, and Component Input?  Well the average consumer might have understood 1/3 of that information, so they would honestly not have a clue. 

One of the most important specifications to look at is the “Vertical Resolution”.  This figure will be a number, then either an “i” or a “p”.  Making sense of this is actually very simple.

The number is how many pixels the screen has vertically, which ultimately tells us the TV’s resolution.  This number will either be a 720 or a 1080, referring to a resolution of 1280×720 or 1920×180.  Just for reference a standard definition TV is 640×480.  More pixels equals a clearer picture, but on a TV of 32″ or less, 1920×1080 is unnecessary, as the viewer will not notice any better of a picture unless they are a few feet away from the screen.

The “i” or “p” represents either interlaced or progressive scanning.  An interlaced picture refreshes it’s pixels in two steps.  In one step the odd horizontal lined of pixels is refreshed (line 1,3,5 an so on), then on the second step the remaining pixels are refreshed to complete the next frame (2,4,6…).  A progressive scanning television refreshes every line at the same time.  Interlacing is used by CRT TVs.  A progressive scan is superior, providing a smoother picture especially if what you are watching has a lot of movement and action.

So…

• 1080p = 1920×1080, with progressive scan (best quality, great for sports, video games and action)
• 1080i =  1920×1080, with interlacing (high quality, great standard viewing)
• 720p = 1280×720, with progressive scan (best choice for smaller TVs)