Deciding betwen 720 and 1080

However, I would estimate it to be about 5ft - 6ft, give or take a little. And I'm looking at the 32". Comparing tvs in the store it seems like the perfect size. I think that larger tvs may be getting a little too larger and I think the smaller ones are a little too small for watching videos and playing video games.

It will mostly be used from the bed which will be directly in front of it, so that is where I am getting the estimate from.

Thanks

You said that if you bought the 720p TV you wondered if you might be missing something by not going the 1080p route. Yes, the 720p would be a good choice, but when hooked to a PS3 that is capable of 1080p, I would bet that you would be second-guessing yourself about the 1080p set. In either case, the PS3 has a setup option where it will match the resolution of your TV and it will output 720p if that's the direction you go. Another thought: 1080p is what all TVs will be doing, so why get last year's resolution if you can get the latest option?

So I thought I would ask to see if it really makes that big of a difference. Since it will be a gift for someone and won't be their primary tv, I wasn't sure if needed to be as nice. Not that I want to buy them a less than perfect gift, but I'm just looking into my options. The main reason I was even questioning whether or not go with 1080p instead is because so far the tvs I have liked that are in the size I am looking at are all 720p. I just need to keep looking, I'm sure I will find something I like just as well.

Thanks again!

I looked around on several sites and wasn't able to find it, but I will see if I can find it at a store somewhere near me. I have only compared a few Vizio tvs to the ones I was looking at, the sales rep had told me it may be a good idea to look into to. In the store it seemed like the Bravia TV had much richer colors and a better picture quality, both were 32" 720p displays. But, I am not sure how the 1080p would compare, so I will definitely look into it. I know once you actually get the TV home and set it up you don't notice it because you don't have all the tvs to compare to, but I was going by the best picture quality in the size I was looking so I was heading away from Vizio.

Thanks again, I will be sure to check this out!

Straight talk is that 1080 cannot be appreciated on any TV of such small size. The benefit of resolution of 1080 vs. 720 pretty much only becomes apparent (for normal viewing distances) at a size of about 50" or larger. The larger the more possibility of appreciating 1080 over 720.

I am all for many folks saving the incremental money difference when their needs are not critical. Why chase state of the art when that is not particularly needed? Fortunately the available 720 sets include, for instance, a nice Panasonic that I have seen today @ Costco for $899, but featured now @ Sears for $799!!!

I have no business making up your mind. Some folks are currently urging bargain TV shoppers to hold off until you can see what big price drops will be offered on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) by desperate sellers because retail business right now STINKS because of the financial mess. How can many doubt we are now in a recession.

Yes, I urge conservative safety with money, but when business has nosedived like this, it is just a matter of time some sellers get a bit more desperate & cut prices sharply. Having cash purchase ability in times like this can yield extra value for something you also have reasonable buying consideration for.

she will have to be within 5ft of the display to really enjoy 1080p. That's quite close.

I actually found that Pana for $699, at the request of my brother. instant $100 rebate. he's actually waiting for even better deals. haha

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11292542&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|79|2341|3314|74671&N=4018656&Mo=2&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=74671&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=79*2341*3314*74671*&topnav=

I think you have helped to make up my mind... If it really isn't worth it to upgrade to the 1080p, then I will just take the money saved and put it into something else. I'd rather spend the money on something that can be appreciated.

So, in your opinions, which brands should I be paying the closest attention too... As I said, the Bravia is the one that has really stood out for me. Comparing it to all the TVs I've seen so far (unfortunately I have only been to Wal-Mart and Kmart in person, everything else has been online, hoping to get to some better stores soon) the Bravia just seemed to have the most pop and the best quality. It is also the TV that my local Wal-Mart has setup with the full setup and it looks amazing (it is the TV I seen with 1080p that made me really think going with 720p would be a dissapointment after seeing that one, but it was a larger TV. Since it was playing Blu-Ray I'm hoping that is why the quality was so much better than the other TVs and the smaller, 720p screen will be just fine) I have a Panasonic, but it is almost 3 years old and I have never really been all that impressed with it. I basically bought it, used it a few days and moved it to one of my storage closets because the quality just wasn't that good. When I got that TV I upgraded to HD programming and everything, but the channels that don't come in HD just seemed to go way down in quality and movies were so-so, so I have kind of been staying away from them. But, I am willing to look into any company, and filtering some out could really help my brain right now, there are way too many options!

Thanks Bill for the suggestion on Black Friday. That is one morning I stay in bed! I live in a small town (last year I went to Staples to get some ink on the day after thanksgiving, oops! Anyway, this was around 9 or 10 in the morning and they still had some of their best bargains available because most people in the area go to the bigger stores outside of town) and even here the crowds are crazy and uncontrollable (some of the things that have been reported locally was one lady actually had a heart attack while waiting in line and when the store opened nobody even stopped to help her and several customers actually walked over her. One person said people were knocking things off shelves and stuff while they ran to get stuff at Wal-Mart one year, the thing that sticks in my mind was a whole skid of salsa was knocked over. I also remember a year or two a go a woman was at Wal-Mart (we only have like 4 stores that participate!) grabbed a cart and was running in the store and dropped her baby.) So I definitely stay away. A few years ago our Wal-Mart was so excited about this great deal they had on a TV and everyone was waiting to get one and so excited. They ended up getting so many they still had them well into the next year and dropped the price much lower than they had on it after Thanksgiving. So, for me at least, saving a little money is not worth going through all of that.

I will be waiting until closer to Christmas to buy all of this since it is a gift I liked to be closer to the holiday in case of problems. Thanks again to both of you for your help, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately we put a spending cap on our family Christmas (to avoid any controversies, though several don't follow and cause problems anyway, but that is why they are family!) so it has made this a little more challenging... I'm just trying to figure out the better places to put the money, hence the 1080p over 720p, etc. So, your examples on price has made it a little easier and I may be able to save a little money on the TV to put elsewhere.

Thanks again!

I know a lot of people feel this way about 1080p at smaller sizes, but as I said it was just my personal preference. I also tend to sit quite close (probably too close) so that could definitely be a deciding factor. In response to the original post there is also a Vizio VO32L that is 720p and likely to hit fantastic prices in the coming weeks especially with Black Friday coming up. I saw that the 720p version (VO32L) just got recommended in the December Consumer Reports too, so that is always a good thing to look at.

either this weekend or next. Probably next because this weekend is already full. But, I want to get to some stores like Circuit City and Best Buy before making any final decisions. I mostly would like to compare some tvs side by side. The problem is that the stores I have visited so far don't have the same brands together. What I would like to do is compare the same TV, but in 1080 and 720 to see if I notice a difference. Right now the only 1080 tvs I have seen were much larger than what I need to get and even then they have Sony next to Vizio and Sharp next to RCA, etc. So it is hard to tell if the quality is from one company to another, or the 1080 vs 720.

Thanks again!