Xbox 360 Which HD do i want? 720p or 1080i?

Im going to buy a 32" HDTV in the next few weeks. its mostly used with my 360 but im unsure as to whether i want a 720p or 1080i. I checked around and I heard a 720p is better for fast moving images and a 1080i is better for high detailed images. am i right to assume then that 720p would be better with a console or is 1080i just better. a 360 doesnt display 1080p does it?


If i use a HDMI cable how can i connect my surround sound(this might be a dumb question) i use the optical connection on the lead on the 360 at the mo. i suppose HD tvs with HDMI have surround outputs?

 

The 360 does output 1080p only via HDMI, DVI so if you can get a full HD tv get it.
I currently use 1080i on my dell 2407 as it doesn’t output 1080p on component video.
Not to sure about the surround sound as im in the same boat use optical out on the xbox360 video cable

 

A 720p tv will do 1080i. Afaik the 360 can output up to 1080p. I think you should be able to set the audio out on your xbox via the dashboard, i.e. use optical out or hdmi. Some TV's have Dolby Digital built in, or some form of artificial surround sound. Not all do though. Depends what you get.

 

The 360 will display 1080p (it didn't at first, but it got added in a dashboard update).

As for 720p over 1080i it's all down to personal preference, try them both out and see which you prefer (I prefer 720p).

I'm not sure on the HDMI (I'm running a first gen model which doesn't have HDMI) but I think there's a breakout box you connect to the AV out which will allow you to use Optical out with HDMI.

 

the optical out is on the lead with the AV lead you cant connect the normal lead with the HDMI cable at the same time, from the looks of it you can only fit one or the other. Id hate to loose my surround just to use HDMI, i guess ill just have to ask when i get it does it have surround outputs. If the 360 outputs in 1080p i mite get a 1080p, live in ireland on the northern border, gonna take advantage of the strong euro

 

This should answer your question about HDMI and Optical Audio.

 

In terms of picture quality, 1080i<720p<1080p, but 1080i TVs are few and far between - most tend to be either 720p or 1080p. 1080p is now widely available, and their prices have come down drastically in the last few months.

Of course, it depends on how close you're going to sit to your TV - if you're within 6ft or so, you'll notice the difference between 1080p & 720p. Any further away and the difference becomes less noticeable. If you're sitting at normal living room distances (10ft or more), either go with 720p or go for a larger TV.

As for surround sound, look to see whether the TV has an optical out - some do, which allows you to feed the audio back to a surround sound processor.

 

will have to check that out when i get home from work, bloody interenet restrictions. thanks

no i dont think ill be that far from the tv, 10ft at the very most. 32" would be the biggest id go because of the size of the room

 

at that size I personally would be happy with 720p.

 

You should have a small break-out adapter somewhere. Check your box. I didn't get one with mine because it was a straight swap for the previous gen one that RROD'd so I just stole the one from my mate's Elite.

 

ive two hdmi pro's so i didnt get an adapter. guess ill just have to buy one, just wanted to know before i bought the TV, nothing worse than expanesive toys you cant play with

 

For a 32" screen, unless you sit 1ft away from it, 1080p would be pointless really, 720p is generally considered to be better than 1080i

 

it also depends on how well your TV scales/deinterlaces. generally i'd prefer a progressive signal every time.

 

There is a breakout box, I can't imediately find the appropriate thing on Game, but hey. Doesn't mean there isn't one somewhere.

I've two Elites, and they came with the thing you need, but when you're looking for one make sure what you get is thin (if it ends up having to be a third party job) - Otherwise there's no way in hell you're connecting it aswell as an HDMI cable. On that note, you won't plug in a LINX HDMI cable in with one of these, as it is WAY too fat. You should be able to get away with a LUPO, assuming that the Pro with HDMI doesn't come with an HDMI cable.

The 360 will output sound via the HDMI cable AND the TOS-Link/Phonocable breakout box thing, whether you want it to or not. I haven't found a setting to turn that off either.

 

Or get a cheap AV cable and hack the connector apart, that's what I did.

 

With that size screen at that distance, stay with 720p.

 

I'd go with the 1080i better bang for your buck. Last I knew the new HDMI 360s still ran off a analog signal so you really don't get the full clear picture HDMI can produce. M$ said that they can produce a digital signal but all i've seen was conversion kits not a retail 360.

 

The 360 CAN output 1080p as people say but that doesn't mean that it does when you play your games on it. Many of the more graphically intensive games run at lower resolutions to keep the fps at a reasonable rate, so you'll probably get the same experience from a 720p if all you want HD for is 360 gaming.

You have to get a bigger screen for it to be able to do 1080p, it's all to do with pixel density. I've been looking at TVs and hoping that mine gives up soon (the only way to convince my wife we need a new one!), I think I'd be going for the smallest 1080p available. Our front room's not so big so it's important to have small pixels for close up viewing.

 

It usually states on the back of the box whether it goes to 1080p, in with the rest of the green+orange boardered boxes.

That said, I've never seen enough of a difference between 1080P and 720P to give a hoot whether it goes out in 720 or 1080

 

yeh 32" is really as big as i can go, the rooms not big enuf for anything bigger. i was thinking about going with a 720p but was just wondering would 1080p be worth getting(money isnt really an issue) its just i was wondering is it a waste of money on a 32" going for 1080p if the 360's only really gonna run at 720p anyway(while gaming) im not that intersted in HD films. like its only really for the 360 but i still want it to look as good as it can