What does 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p mean? Really?

First off, I’m not a whole tech nooby or oblivious. I have a somewhat high tech understanding but I’m only 18 and haven’t taken courses in anything relative to computers.

This is what I know so far.
360p – Low quality ( Unsure. ???x360 )
480p – Standard quality ( Unsure. 720×480? )
720p – High quality ( 1280×720 )
1080i – High quality ( 1900×1080 ) -Interlaced
1080p – Highest at-home quality ( 1900×1080 )

With that life known, here is the vital part.

I bought a TV about 2 years ago. It was a 26″ Samsung HDTV advertised at 720p resolution.
My computer monitor had a conundrum with the VGA input so I chose to see what it would look like if I hooked my computer up to my screen and ditch my monitor with a hurt plug. Needless to say, the TV looked terrible. I was very disappointed at how the quality looked. I did know that LCD screens need to be set to their native resolution to look excellent, so I set the resolution to 1280×720 thinking that was assess as it was labeled 720p. This lead to a terrible picture and ultimately me not using it as a monitor and life disappointed.

I then chose I should get an HDMI cable for my monitor and see if that fixed my monitor’s conundrum (Horizontal Banding / LCD Rainbows) and it did. After this fix, I had a spare VGA cable laying around and a TV just in range of using a dual-monitor setup without paying any money for it. I figured even if the quality was terrible, it was worth plugging in right? Well. I’m glad I did but at the time it wasn’t that fantastic.

I just found out that the resolution on it is not 1280×720, it is in fact 1680×1050 which is a lot nicer than the 1280×720 I thought it was. The only business that gave away my TV’s right resolution was the software that came with the NVIDIA Control Panel I was using while background up a dual monitor setup. It showed up as 1680×1050 (Native) and I was like, no, that can’t be. But sure enough it was. So I realize now that my TV is 720p with 1650×1050 resolution. I thought 720p was only 1280×720 and I was incorrect. Ok.

I now have to question what 720p earnings as I apparently have no thought. While I’m at it, I map I’ll question what a few additional well known resolutions are in hopes of some excellent answers.

Here is what I want to know.
-Why do the TV brands advertise their harvest strictly as 720p, 1080i or 1080p rather than the right resolutions?
-What does 360p really mean?
-What does 480p really mean?
-What does 720p really mean?
-What does 1080i really mean?
-What does 1080p really mean?
-What are all the possible variable resolutions for 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p that I can expect to encounter when buying a tv that is labeled so simply?
-Do they mark their harvest as 720p/1080p to show what it can show, but is not the maximum? For example would a 1899×1199 resolution TV be labeled 720p purely because it can fully show 720p but can’t yet do 1080p?
R T, your answer was thorough and informative but near irrelevant to my question. I advise you to try again if you want best answer.
Also, yeah I know the NVIDIA business isn’t always right about Native resolutions but this time it was. I set it to it and everything is apparent as can be. I can see each individual pixel if I look close enough and I did a screen image test. This is the assess resolution, all the NVIDIA business did was make me try that resolution.

Answer by R T
I’ve never seen 360.

But they refer to the number of scan lines in the picture counting from top to bottom. More scan lines mean smaller pixels so more detail can be shown.

I = interlaced scanning (first the odd number lines are showed, then the evens).
P= progressive scanning (all the lines are showed in order from top to bottom).

P will look better than I because there is not a time gap between when the even field is showed and the odd field. Also, with interlaced scanning, you are only seeing half the picture at a agreed moment.

What you have to look at is the “native resolution” of the panel. That is the number of rows of pixels that are built into the screen. This is set when the panel is manufactured and can not be changed. The electronics in the TV will extent (convert) whatever signal you give it into the panel’s native resolution. So, just because a TV will accept a 1080 signal, that doesn’t mean what you really see is 1080, you see the native resolution of the panel. You need to look in the owner’s manual or Google the specs to find out what that is.

The same is right for the computer resolutions you feed it; the electronics in the set extent the image so, just because you found a resolution on your NVidia card that the TV likes, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what the panel is showing you.

Answer by Eugene
Don’t forget 720×576.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Workstation – May 2010


Image by Forrestal_PL

Is there any way to install the SAMSUNG SH-D162D DVD-Drive onto a computer without installing it internally. Is it possible to install it externally, like an external hard drive? What tools/wires are required? What about an IDE to USB adapter?

I bought the DVD from here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150207455958

Is there any adapter for this??????

PLEASE HELP!! THANKS!!

Here are the specs:

Features

Stabalizes DVD Playback
Compatible with Innumerable MPEG II Cards & Soft MPEG

Specifications

Data Transfer Rate Read CD: 7,200 KB/sec (48x)
Data Transfer Rate Read DVD: 21,600 KB/sec (16x)
Burst Transfer Rate PIO Mode 4: (16.6 MB/sec)
Burst Transfer Rate DMA Mode 2: (16.6 MB/sec)
Burst Transfer Rate Ultra DMA Mode 2: (33.3 MB/sec)
Drive Type: Internal
Interface: EIDE / ATAPI
Loading Type: Mechanical Tray
Average Access Time: 100ms
Dimensions (WxHxDmm): 148.2 x 42 x 184
Memory Memory: 512KB
Drive Mounting: Horizontal / Vertical
Supported Disc: X360, DVD-RAM, DVD+

Answer by Colanth
If you have one of the larger computer supplies (Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA) near you, look for exactly what you questioned for – an IDE-USB adapter. It’s a cabinet with power supply and cables. You place the drive inside (for a CD or DVD drive you’ll have to keep the case open), plug in the cables and you have an external DVD drive. I haven’t noticed any cases made for CD or DVD drives, byut they’d be the same business, except for the cutout on the front. (I’m curently using 3 of them for “external” IDE hard drives.)

Answer by John W
I bought my external samsung kreon drive from www.kreonxtreme.co.uk it plugs in to my USB 2 port and I can switch it on and off at the back. I reckon you bought your drive from the incorrect seller on ebay as I judge kreonxtreme also sell on ebay.Drop them an email

Add your own answer in the comments!

Wireless Network Adapter X360

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