1080p or not?

Popular Mechanics has a great article on the current hype of 1080p with popular explanation of the resolution and available sources. As we know, current HD broadcasts are either in 1080i or 720p and there is no trend to switch it to 1080p due to the costs associated with equipment and obviously bandwidth. The only true 1080p sources yet to be released are HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players. HD-DVD has been released by Toshiba in Japan few days ago and US will be seeing both on the shelves in the summer of 2006. The first batch of HD-DVD players will not even support 1080p.
While having more resolution is better, there is no significant improvement compared to native 720p (1280x720) resolution displays and that contrast fades even more on a smaller displays ( 60-inch and down).
 

Is the extra resolution worth the price premium of a 1080p set? That depends a lot on what you want from your TV. If you insist on neighborhood bragging rights in the resolution department, then you may want to buy a 1080p model to "futureproof" your purchase. But if you choose to make the 1080p splurge, you should do it knowing that it might be a couple of years before widespread 1080p content becomes available. And, even then, the 1080p advantage will be pretty subtle on anything less than the largest screens. On the other hand, if you are interested in making the jump to high definition today--and enjoying the HD content that is already available--then most current 720p and 1080i sets will deliver stunning results right now.

Besides the format, article covers current prices of 1080p displays available or hitting the market shortly. According to the article, not all new technologies are priced high with an example of upcoming Akai PT42DL27L DLP LED TV priced at only $1799 or Sony Sony KDS-R50XBR1 SXRD at $3500

Read ...