24oowattman? First of, I'm sorry for not getting right back to this thread. I've been so busy lately, that I've been having to pick and choose what things I get to! I'm sure you can relate.
Regarding 720p and 1080p, there is a difference, but of course (as always) it depends on the source. Not all TV stations adhere to the same standards? For instance, FOX and ESPN broadcast 720p, but CBS and NBC broadcast 1080i (which is far more common, in the world of broadcasters). They both look great. the progressive frame rate naturally lend themselves toward sports and other material with quick lateral motion, but 1080i has a greater pixel density.
Darkstar01 is right, but the issue isn't nearly as bad as it once was. Earlier generation plasma TVs had a terrible problem with burn-in. It happened often and with little effort. It's not quite like that anymore, and many models of both LCD and Plasma now have screen savers that will kick in after a period of inactivity. Of course, that doesn't stop static graphics that stay on a screen for hours at a time in a game from causing problems. I think many gamers would pick LCD for this reason alone, but I've heard from people in our digital media department that games actually look better on a plasma. I don't have too much experience here, though.
1080p is good to have, in my opinion - especially if you're also using a nice AV receiver or some other device capable of scaling your video. For instance, in my HT setup, I use my AV receiver as a source selector, so it handles switching audio and video from all my sources, with just one cable going out to the TV. The receiver takes all my my signals and upconverts them to 1080i (my CRT cannot accept 1080p) - even composite signals. I don't stretch the picture, though, as I like watching video in its original aspect ratio. 1080p is a great format to upconvert to, if your TV can handle it - and of course, a Blu-ray authored to 1080p will be unrivaled!
Side-by-side, 1080p will usually outshine 720p (content being more-or-less equal), because its the same frame rate (60 fps), but a higher pixel density on the same size panel. Also, if you buy a TV that has a native 720 vertical resolution, it will have to scale down any 1080 video (most cable or FiOS-type broadcasts, and Blu-rays) to fit in the 720 lines of resolution - and then your picture will depend ultimately on the quality of the scaler built into the TV. You'd be much better off purchasing a TV that can handle 1080p natively, and thus any resolution below it.
And tomhug - if I were in the market, there's only one TV I'd buy right now, and it's a Panasonic Viera! I'm sure you're LOVING it! The Viera line is the first Panasonic to incorporate (albeit not fully) the Pioneer Kuro technology they purchased a few years ago. It's really the only TV I've seen that can rival the mythical Kuro.
2400 - I hope you continue to investigate and learn about the different technologies, and I hope you get a chance to see them in person in a decent environment - it makes such a difference.
?and then, of course, it all comes down to content!
CJ
