Picture Quality
For many, there will be little to no noticeable difference between 1080p — known as Full HD — and 720p — known as HD. However, those who pay more attention will definitely notice that 1080p results in a smoother, clearer image, and that 1080p is clearer than 1080i.
Comparing the visual quality of different resolutions and standards. Click to enlarge.
Not everything comes down to resolution, however. Image smoothness is affected by many other factors, including how big a TV is, how close one sits to it, what DVD player is in use, what a TV's refresh rate is or what its aspect ratio is set to, and even what the frame rate of the video or game content is.
The video below offers a summary of the differences between 1080p and 720p in terms of picture quality.
Content Availability and Creation
The FCC defines high-definition (HD) quality video as 720p, 1080p, and 1080i, and all modern TVs carry support for at least 720p resolution, with many supporting 1080p. Some video content is filmed or trimmed to a smaller vertical resolution than 1080 pixels—or it's interlaced, rather than progressively scanned—but it is still considered HD.
When watching digital TV, video quality can vary wildly. Those who want the best picture quality need to change their TV's settings to accommodate changing video feeds. New TVs may attempt to automatically change settings to whatever is most appropriate, but they may fail to do so in some cases.
HD DVDs contain 720p content and sometimes 1080p, while all Blu-ray discs contain 1080p content. Regular DVD quality can vary considerably, with some displaying content at a resolution lower than 720p, such as 480p. Moreover, there are still DVD players around that only carry support for up to 480p or 480i, meaning a viewer cannot get the full experience of any high-definition DVD they insert into the player.
Netflix typically streams at 720p, but with the release and expansion of what it calls "Super HD," users are able to stream more and more content at 1080p quality with a high-speed internet connection. Apple TV allows users to choose between 720p and 1080p streaming. DirecTV displays a "1080pHD" logo on 1080p pay-per-view content, and all their latest DirecTV Cinema content is in 1080p. On YouTube and Vimeo, high quality videos often allow for 720p or even 1080p streaming.
Modern smartphones, like the iPhone 5c/5s, the Samsung Galaxy S5, and the HTC One, tend to film at 1080p quality and at 30 frames per second, if not better. Again, resolution is not all there is to picture quality, but for the average user, modern smartphones' video recording capabilities have the potential to be just as good for casual video-making as cheap camcorders.
1080p and 720p in Gaming
Screen resolution can be especially important in video gaming. Because there are more pixels in 1080p, less anti-aliasing is required for a smooth visual experience. This means that 1080p will not only likely look better than 720p, but will lead to a better gaming experience overall, as anti-aliasing can slow down a console or computer.
The following video further discusses the differences between 1080p and 720p and what the two concepts mean for gamers.
References
FAQs
The primary difference between 720p and 1080p is the resolution. FHD has a higher resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) compared to HD (1280 x 720 pixels). This results in more detailed images and sharper picture clarity in FHD.
Can you tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 32 inch TV? ›
Resolution: The majority of 32-inch TVs have 720p (1366×768) HD resolution, but we're seeing more models that offer 1080p (1920×1080) full-HD resolution. We found the difference between 720p and 1080p to be almost negligible at this screen size while watching movies and TV shows from a few feet away.
Is it worth it to watch 720p? ›
On mobile, 720p starts to get shoddy once your screen hits 5 inches across. So while 4k is situational, and encoding quality is more important than the extra resolution most of the time, 1080 vs. 720 is pretty clear-cut; 1080 should be considered the minimum for most content.
Can a human eye see 1080p? ›
So yes, despite the rumors you may have heard floating around, the human eye is capable of seeing the difference between a 1080p screen and a 4K screen. The most important factors to remember are the quality of your eyesight, the size of your screen and the distance you sit from that screen when watching it.
Is there a noticeable difference between 720p and 4K? ›
Yes, the difference between 720p and 4K is considerable. 4K resolution offers significantly more detail and clarity than 720p. It boasts four times the number of pixels of 1080p, and sixteen times that of 720p. Consequently, the image quality of 4K is substantially more detailed and sharp.
What happens when you play 1080p on 720p TV? ›
If it's a 720p monitor, you can't get a resolution higher than 720p on it. So if you try to run at a resolution of 1080p, it will just fake the missing pixels and lose some quality (I think this is what you are referring to with 'downscaling').
Why are 32 inch TV not 1080p? ›
Why are 32-inch televisions not full HD? Because there is no visible difference between 32″ TVs with 720x1280 (or 768x1366) resolution and 32″ sets with 1080x1920 resolution at most viewing distances. ... Even before full HD was popular 32 inch LCD TVs had a resolution that afterward is termed as HD ready.
Why is my TV 1080p but shows 720p? ›
Most likely your output signal from whatever device your streaming from is set at that. If it is cable or satellite you can go in and change your resolution using your remote from that device.
Is 720p obsolete? ›
720p displays are the lowest resolution commonly available today, and also the oldest display standard still in use. These days you can generally only find 720p in small, budget-priced TVs. 1080p is much more common and a significant step up in visual quality.
Is 720p ok for a 32 inch TV? ›
Size isn't everything, as the best 32-inch TVs can attest to. Many of these smaller screens offer much sharper 720p or 1080p picture quality thanks to their compact display. This means there's much less risk of the displayed image appearing blurry as a result of poor upscaling on a larger 4K-capable TV.
720p (HD Ready): This is mostly found on smaller TVs, and it has a resolution of 1,280 x 720. Because smaller screens have smaller pixels, most people won't notice much loss of detail. Standard definition (SD): Although SD TVs are no longer sold, the format is still used for many TV channels, as well as DVDs.
Is 720p high quality video? ›
720p is a high-definition (HD) display standard used to describe the resolution of a television or computer display that measures 1280 x 720 pixels. As such, each complete raster in the display's image has 1280 vertical lines and 720 horizontal lines.
Is 720p HD good for streaming? ›
720p: Requires less data to transmit compared to 1080p, which means smoother playback for viewers with limited bandwidth internet connections. 1080p: Consumes more data, which can lead to buffering or lag for viewers with slower internet.
Is there a noticeable difference between 720p? ›
For many, there will be little to no noticeable difference between 1080p — known as Full HD — and 720p — known as HD. However, those who pay more attention will definitely notice that 1080p results in a smoother, clearer image, and that 1080p is clearer than 1080i.
Is there a big difference between 720p and 1080p webcam? ›
While 1080p doesn't seem to provide much greater resolution than 720p, its total picture size actually contains twice as many pixels, since width increases proportionally as images become larger. This can help with better long-distance identification and recognition.
What does 720p resolution look like? ›
720p is a high-definition (HD) display standard used to describe the resolution of a television or computer display that measures 1280 x 720 pixels. As such, each complete raster in the display's image has 1280 vertical lines and 720 horizontal lines.
