720p and 1080p explained

720p explained

720p is the shorthand name for a category of HDTV video modes. The number 720 stands for the 720 horizontal scan lines of display resolution (also known as 720 pixels of vertical resolution), while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced.

Progressive scanning reduces the need to prevent flicker by filtering out fine details, so sharpness is much closer to 1080i than the number of scan lines would suggest. A 720p frame has about 1 million pixels. Compared to it, a 1080p frame has 2 million pixels so the amount of detail doubles. However in practice the difference between 1080p vs 720p is not as obvious as the one between standard definition vs high definition (480p vs 720p). For example a regular DVD isn’t even considered high definition because it is either 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL) but it looks much better than regular NTSC or PAL TV broadcasts and not as great as 720p. That being said, you do get more detail from 1080p than from any resolution if you have the “winning” formula for screen size, resolution and viewing distance – that is if you have the optimum conditions to get the most out of 1080p.

1080p explained:
The number 1080 represents 1,080 lines of vertical resolutions (1,080 horizontal scan lines), while the letter p stands for progressive scan (meaning the image is not interlaced). 1080p can be referred to as full HD or full high definition although 1080i is also “Full HD” (1920×1080 pixels). The term usually assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a horizontal resolution of 1920 pixels. This creates a frame resolution of 1920×1080, or 2,073,600 pixels in total.

The only pure 1080p content comes from high definition DVDs like Blue Ray and HD DVD. Regular DVDs are way below that, having just 480p or 576p. You also get HD content from TV broadcasts but for now only 1080i and 720p. Basically 1080i offers pretty much the same amount of detail as 1080p but the quality of fast moving scenes is a bit inferior to 1080p. To understand this better read the 1080p vs 1080i guide. 720p content will of course look the same (or very similar) on a 1080p screen as it does on a 720p screen because what also matters is the content resolution not just the screen resolution.

Here is a sample with the difference between 720p and 1080p:

480i - Total image resolution 337,920 pixels

480p - Total image resolution 337,920 pixels

720p - Total image resolution 921,600 pixels (roughly equivalent to a 1 mega pixel camera)

1080i - Total image resolution 2,073,600 pixels (equivalent to a 2 mega pixel camera)

1080p - Total image resolution 2,073,600 pixels (equivalent to a 2 mega pixel camera)

More lines is nice but don't forget about the 'p' and 'i' in the 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The letter is an abbreviation for the type of scan the TV uses -- 'p' stands for progressive and 'i' stands for interlaced.

360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p Measure Up

360p
This is an Animoto video’s default resolution. The majority of YouTube and Hulu videos are displayed in 360p, so that’s about the video quality that 360 lines of resolution provides. This (as well as the 480p) is a great resolution for mobile devices since the mobile screen rarely has enough pixels or enough memory to support HD videos.

480p

640x480 (480p) is the resolution that almost every camera can shoot at, most digicams from the last two years shoot at least 480p. Although there are lower resolutions (typically for high speed video), 640x480 should really be the lowest resolution to consider. 640x480 is a pretty good resolution, its not HD but its the resolution of standard definition television (SDTV) and a good quality source at 480p can look pretty good. Most people will be happy with this resolution but those who love the idea of widescreen, high definition home movies will want to venture into the two HDTV options. A 480p video will play beautifully on both your laptop and desktop monitors, and though it isn’t quite HD, it is definitely good enough to view on that spiffy new flatscreen TV you just bought

How does 480p Measure Up?

§  480p vs 720p: 480p has 1/3 the resolution

§  480p vs 1080p: 480p has about 1/7 the resolution

§  Click on the full resolution sample and you'll see that a clean 480p image can be fantastic - DVD is after all "only" 480p

720p (1280x720)

1280x720 (720p) is the lowest of two HDTV resolutions. The ability for digital cameras to shoot high definition video started to pick up in 2009 and is now available on many cameras. 720p provides fantastic video quality that is perfect for large screen TVs and high definition home movies. An HD 720p Animoto video is crisp, sharp, and takes full advantage of any display you want to view it on

How does 720p Measure Up

§  720p vs 480p: 720p has 3X the resolution

§  720p vs 1080p: 720p has about 1/2 the resolution

§  720p is a fantastic high definition resolution to shoot at

 1080p (1920x1080)

1920x1080 (1080p) is the highest of two HDTV resolutions. 1080p is also known as Full HD and is very high resolution video. Because of it's extreme size it requires more storage space, faster computers to edit, more powerful camera processors and a very large TV to notice the difference. Currently 12 of 500 cameras released in the last 2 years shoot 1080p

How does 1080p Measure Up?

§  1080p vs 480p: 1080p has 7X the resolution

§  1080p vs 720p: 1080p has about 2X the resolution

§  1080p is a fantastic high definition resolution to shoot at

§  1080p is the pinnacle of HD quality - but more suited for pros and hard core enthusiasts.

High Definition Formats (I.E. HDTV):

720p - The Resolution is 1280x720 pixels, sent at 60 complete frames per second.

1080i - The Resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, sent at 60 interlaced frames per second or 30 complete frames per second.

1080p - The Resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, sent at 60 complete frames per second.