htv cables

[tw]

Originally Posted by mbpark

I can pick up the difference between 480, 720, and 1080 very easily. Maybe it's because I have a 1080p laptop at work.

Additional factors are at play. I am not sure if these numbers are exact since it has been a while. A 1080 screen looks sharper when a ratio of screen size to distance from screen is 3 to 4. If that viewing distance increases beyond four, then the screen is no different than a 720 screen. One factor defined by how the human eye works. Factor that explains why many 'feel' a screen is better when it really isn't.

Resolution is but another parameter often distorted by hype. Beta VCR quality was clearly superior to VHS. So why did VHS end up the superior standard? Most layman could not see a difference.

Other 'betters' that a layman did not appreciate included quadraphonic sound, many of the Dolby standards, 3D computer video (from maybe 8 years ago), and 3D TVs. (Those are two completely different 3Ds.)

Since you are probably closer to a computer (than the 3 to 4 ratio), then better resolution might be more apparent. But in so many other cases, consumers do not really know a difference. Many spend more money only because it sounds better - a placebo effect is at play.

I just compared a same TV broadcast on two channels simultaneously. One broadcast in 720. The other in 480. Both screens have similar resolution. Another example of how observation not tempered by underlying concepts can easily be deceptive.

Long before cable companies were providing HD, I setup an antenna to watch football playoffs. At the party, nobody noticed the difference until I pointed out a key difference. You could see divots in the grass on HD (from the antenna); not on a lower resolution cable on a bigger TV. Until I pointed that out, virtually everyone 'knew' the big screen (with a lower resolution) was the better picture. An example of why only a fewer can actually tell the difference.

How many could see a difference between S-video and composite? The difference clearly existed. How many actually saw it? Big box electronics store salesmen profit on these games.