1080p LCD

Basic Introduction and Facts

Been hearing a lot about LCD TVs with 1080p resolution and wondering what all of the hub-bub is about? Well, let’s break it down and see.

To start, ‘1080’ represents the total number of lines of vertical resolution on a TV screen and ‘p’ stands for ‘progressive’, which is a type of scanning display system. In comparison with a 1080i TV wherein the ‘i’ stands for interlaced scanning, progressive scanning is said to produce a shaper picture.

If you’re wondering what ‘scanning display’ is, it’s the process a particular TV uses to display images, basically in rows of pixels. To delve a little further, let’s take a look the differences between interlaced and progressive scanning:

• Interlaced scanning is a process of displaying an image on the TV screen wherein it produces that picture in rows of pixels (little rectangular boxes of color), in intervals. There are 1080 total rows of pixels in the picture on your TV screen. 540 are the odd-numbered rows which appear first on the screen, and the second set is the 540 even-numbered rows which follow and complete the picture. This process occurs very quickly – within 1/60th of a second - 1/30th of a second for each sequence – so you won’t see it happening.

• Progressive scanning displays every single line of resolution at once, instead of even after odd as in an interlaced system. It also displays every single pixel – over 2,000,000 – in the picture whenever you are viewing an HD broadcasted program. A TV with a progressive scanning system is said to produce a much cleaner, sharper picture, and is particularly well-equipped for watching any high-motion programs, like sporting events.
  

Now onto the LCD part. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. These types of TVs are very friendly to the environment because they don’t draw on a lot of electrical power. The way an LCD TV works is by utilizing a florescent backlight to project the images coming through the network onto the TV screen. The backlight travels through the liquid crystal molecules using red, green and blue pixels. Then wiring sends electrical voltage through those pixels, which darkens them and is why you won’t see any backlight showing through an LCD TV screen.

Some of the other popular features of an LCD TV are their sleek, high-tech designs and also that that they’re really lightweight. Liquid Crystal TVs also produce exceptional sharpness and outstanding color on the screen in addition to having a long life-span.

Since the progressive scanning system that is built within a 1080p resolution TV provides the optimum resolution in digital high-definition, and with testimony to the best color, contrast and clarity available, if you put that together with the exceptional viewing display of an LCD TV for a 1080p LCD – you’ll end up with quite an amazing television.

But before you start out on any 1080p LCD TV comparison shopping excursion, just keep in mind that with certain models of LCD TVs, 1080p is only accessible through HDMI* and DVI** inputs so you’ll have to purchase those separately if applicable.

*HDMI is short for High-Definition Multimedia Interface and is an all digital, audio/video interface. It supports high-definition, enhanced and standard video, in addition to multi-channel audio. Through the use of one cable, it transmits high-definition TV standards as well as 8-channel digital audio through bandwidth and was developed to accommodate specific requirements as well as updates/enhancements.

**DVI is short for ‘device-independent’ and allows DVI files to be viewed properly.