What does 1080 refer to? What is the difference between 1080p and 1080i?
When you watch TV, the picture you see is made up of hundreds of scanned lines that make up the image on the screen. Depending on the type of digital TV you have, there will be more or fewer lines of resolution—480, 720 or 1080. If you have more lines (1080), then you’ve got a clearer picture. Interlaced (that’s what the “i” is short for) and progressive (and that’s what the “p” stands for) are the two scanning techniques that are used. Experts agree that progressive images tend to look better than interlaced, so a 1080p image will look better than a 1080i on the screen. If you have digital cable, you’re most likely getting content at 1080i, which is good, but not the best possible resolution. As a reference point, your DVDs are all 480p and all HD DVDs are 1080p. So HD DVD offers you the best quality, as long as your TV can handle it.
