Does 1366x768 make for an enjoyable 720p experience?

M

mavalpha

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Jan 3, 2005
Messages
10,448
My old monitor (Samsung 940MW) is dying, so I'll be replacing it soon. I'm looking at this 26" LCD TV: Samsung LN-S2641D (Samsung's Specs Page), but I'm curious about the res. I do not want a monitor-with-tuner this time, as I don't like looking at a high resolution in a small space. I prefer the opposite, so it seems natural to get a TV-with-VGA-input.

It looks like all LCD TV's now are 1366x768, which is an odd number when you compare it to the actual TV signal: 720p=1280x720, which means the screen will be doing an inordinate amount of interpolating. Is this really an ideal solution, or are there better ways?

If you'd like to suggest an alternative, I have $700 in Best Buy credit- I'm not spending any cash.

I don't know if it matters, but I have two quirks:
I love Samsung. If two companies make comparable models, I'll spend up to 10% extra for the Samsung name.
I hate HDCP/HDMI, and really wish this TV didn't have it. I'd much prefer clean DVI, but it seems that's gone.

Edit:
Does anyone have any experience with the Westinghouse LTV-32w6 32" LCD?
 
I had a bear of a time trying to get pixel perfect (1:1) display on a 1366x768 display. In fact I never got it to work and ended up returning the display. However, it was awhile ago, and the drivers may have been the issue.

I do not have a BestBuy alternative for you, but $700 is quite a bit of cash for the size and the 720p. I believe most people are buying 1080p displays (or the hype, I did) and the 720p displays can be had for a decent price.

Also, do not worry about HDMI plugs, they are fully compatible with DVI connections if you purchase the converter. I know you don't want to spend any cash, but these can be had for about $10 on the net, or $150 :mad: at BestBuy.
 
Cables and adapters I'll buy, I just meant I'm not spending anything out of pocket on the screen itself. I don't mind the adapter- I don't want copyright protection built into my screen, as I believe it's a bunch of bull.

I'm a little confused; are you suggesting I not get a 720 at all? I couldn't find any 1080's in my price range. Furthermore, the difference between 720 and 1080 should be unnoticeable on anything short of a 50" screen.
 
Most HDTVs are actually 1366 these days. What you should note is that not all 720p films are actually 1280x720, which is the ideal resolution for 720p, but ultra-widescreen films like most action movies are much wider than 1280 at 720p, unless the film is cropped.
 
Why not sacrifice 2 inches and goto the Dell 2407WFP wide screen 24 inches at 1080P and then some, and you can use it as a PC monitor too :) ahh just noticed the comment about best buy cash.

I'd save up and go the westy LVM-37w3.. 1080p panel great reviews.. theres a thread here even :) tons of pics etc
 
mavalpha said:
Cables and adapters I'll buy, I just meant I'm not spending anything out of pocket on the screen itself. I don't mind the adapter- I don't want copyright protection built into my screen, as I believe it's a bunch of bull.

I'm a little confused; are you suggesting I not get a 720 at all? I couldn't find any 1080's in my price range. Furthermore, the difference between 720 and 1080 should be unnoticeable on anything short of a 50" screen.
Click to expand...

HDMI and DVI are connections, I may be incorrect, but I think you are thinking of HDCP via the HDMI port. Not all HDMI ports are HDCP compatible. Meh.

Get 720p or 1080p, what fits for you. I want a 1080p display because I double it as a PC screen (not just a movie display).

What I meant is there are plenty of quality 720p displays. With 1080p displays getting all the hype, you'll be able to find a nice one in your price range.

Maybe alot of screens are 1366x768, but I (me personally) will stay away from them. This is on personal experience. Maybe you will have a plug and play experience, but I did not. I am sure there are a lot of variables, but I am done with off resolutions.
 
Weenis said:
Why not sacrifice 2 inches and goto the Dell 2407WFP wide screen 24 inches at 1080P and then some, and you can use it as a PC monitor too :) ahh just noticed the comment about best buy cash.
Click to expand...
Because I don't want the high-res. I wear glasses and want a lower resolution monitor.
Also, the Dell doesn't have a TV tuner.


Liver said:
HDMI and DVI are connections, I may be incorrect, but I think you are thinking of HDCP via the HDMI port. Not all HDMI ports are HDCP compatible. Meh.
Click to expand...
I think you're mistaken- IIRC, HDCP is a requirement for HDMI.
http://www.hdmi.org/consumer/faq.asp
Near the bottom said:
The HDMI standard does not require HDCP. However, it is required by industry groups and governmental regulation (details below).
Click to expand...
 
mavalpha said:
Cables and adapters I'll buy, I just meant I'm not spending anything out of pocket on the screen itself. I don't mind the adapter- I don't want copyright protection built into my screen, as I believe it's a bunch of bull.

I'm a little confused; are you suggesting I not get a 720 at all? I couldn't find any 1080's in my price range. Furthermore, the difference between 720 and 1080 should be unnoticeable on anything short of a 50" screen.
Click to expand...
That is correct....actually 50" is a little too small for all but the most discerning videophile to notice a difference. 1080p is really pretty much hype at this point in time unless you have a 55"+ tv or plan to use it as a computer monitor. For a straight up tv...I would choose a high quality 720p over a "affordable" 1080p. I know I'm repeating myself from another post somewhere here but....the difference between 1080p and 720p is not noticeable on a small (under 55") screen but poor contrast ratios and black levels show up at any size.;)
 
Bestbuy sells the LG 24inch. Its got HDMI, VGA, 1 RBG, and I think 1 S-Video port.
 
You didn't read my what I was looking for, did you?
That LG is 1920 x 1200. I WANT LOW RESOLUTION!
 
Dude. I was at BB the other day, and they had a 42 Westy 720P display model, with box remote docs etc & warranty for $999 and a $325 giftcard back.
 
I have a Samsung 26'' 1366x768 LCD - a little blocky/blurry for PC use for my taste but if you want low-rez (I don't follow why but your choice) it's decent enough.

Also, unless you sit really close, you aren't going to be able to tell 720p from 1080i/p on that size/rez screen - I upgraded to a Samsung 50'' plasma since I couldn't see any difference from 480i/p > 720p > 1080i on my Sky HD box on the smaller screen. I STILL can't see any difference from 720p > 1080i on the 50'' but both are noticeably better than 480i/p (bear in mind the resolution of the plasma is still only 1366x768).
 
1366x768 is not a standard PC display size and video cards wont output this resolution without hacks. Many of these TVs can't do 1:1 display with this resolution. I had a Viewsonic that could do 1:1 at 1360x768 with some tweaking (it left 6pixels blank, not noticeable from even a foot away), and the difference is huge. If you plan on using this as a PC, make sure the display can do proper pixel mapping or you're going to be looking at one very blurry screen.
 
Both my Samsungs do 1:1 mapping - 1024x768 can be used for 4:3, or 1360x768 for widescreen.
 
my plasma is 1366x768 and I love it, I thinks it a damm god resolution for sitting back 15 feet form the screen and the couch with my blue tooth keyboard and mouse. Its crystal clear as well
 
mavalpha said:
You didn't read my what I was looking for, did you?
That LG is 1920 x 1200. I WANT LOW RESOLUTION!
Click to expand...

You seem to be pretty adamant about a worse resolution.. if you have glasses that would mean you see perfectly.. which means higher would be better. But its your TV. Regardless don't yell at people who are trying to help, especially when you want something thats very opposite of what would be expected.

I'd suggest going with the Westinghouse 37W2.. its 720p.. use VGA or DVI using an HDMI converter.

Complaining about HDMI isn't going to solve anything.. the only way you will get that quality of a signal without HDCP is if you find an older TV that has DVI.. you just have to goto the store and look I guess.
 
Weenis said:
You seem to be pretty adamant about a worse resolution.. if you have glasses that would mean you see perfectly.. which means higher would be better. But its your TV. Regardless don't yell at people who are trying to help, especially when you want something thats very opposite of what would be expected.
Click to expand...
Yeah, sorry about that. Rough day yesterday, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. This whole discussion was about TV quality and TV inputs, and he suggested a monitor; it wasn't what I was looking for at all.
I'd suggest going with the Westinghouse 37W2.. its 720p.. use VGA or DVI using an HDMI converter.
Click to expand...
It's also beyond my budget, unfortunately.
Complaining about HDMI isn't going to solve anything.. the only way you will get that quality of a signal without HDCP is if you find an older TV that has DVI.. you just have to goto the store and look I guess.
Click to expand...
One can dream... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top