3. To 1080p And Beyond, Or Not?

With plasma and LCD each sort of comfortably nestled into their own spot in the HD landscape, there’s room for a new battle - is 1080p worth the extra money? In HD speak, 1080p represents the highest number of pixels and the highest frame rate available in consumer HDTVs. It is also the crown jewel of the high-definition family, and for some, it’s the only true HD option.

The problem is that those extra pixels are going to pile onto the cost in the form of $1,000+ more than a comparable 720p/1080i set. Of course, if you want to buy the top of the line model, it’s going to be 1080p. There’s a huge price difference between the best and fairly close to the best. For example, Panasonic’s TH-50PX75U 50" plasma HDTV, with 720p resolution, is around $2,000. Compare that to the same company’s TH-50PZ750, with the only real difference being that it ups the resolution to 1080p. This set sells for around $4,000.

Panasonic’s TG-50PZ750 50" 1080p plasma HDTV

Is the price premium worth it? Yes. On the list of people who should care about 1080p, gamers are actually near or at the top. While it’s high-definition disc-based movies that offer the most complete 1080p library right now, games are going to be the medium that can best take advantage of it. Think about it. A movie will be over in a couple hours. A game, on the other hand, will have you staring at the screen for much longer than that. With constantly moving graphics at an often-rapid speed for such a prolonged period of time, you really will notice a difference with 1080p. There’s not a huge library of supported titles right now, but in a year it will become the standard for top-name publishers.

However, if you’re a gamer with a little less cash, HDTV is still undeniably worth the jump. Grab any TV with an official "HD" distinction and you’ll notice an incredible difference. The transition from a standard-definition TV (480i resolution) to even a lower-end HDTV (720p/1080i) is enormous.