32" HD TV need HD receiver?

If you have a 32" HD TV, will you need an HD receiver to see HD quality?
I always thought that anything less than 42" TV, you didn't need it to be an HD TV or or need an HD receiver.

I had someone tell me that they have a 32" HD TV and need an HD receiver because they can see the difference between HD and SD on their 32". Does sound right?
From what I've read on AVS and the many threads here on SD, pretty much the only time you'll see the difference is when you go higher than a 42" TV.

Thoughts?

nope. if your tv supports 1080p/i then get a HD Receiver. If it only goes upto 720p, its in the grey zone and you can stick with a SD and get 480 or get a HD receiver.

Now depending on your cable provider. Like Directv has like 100 HD channels. So when you use a SD receiver, you wont even pick up the channels. When you use a HD receiver you will see the channels and can play them. The HD receiver will also play the SD channels at 480p.

Long story short, you will see a difference between 480p and 1080p on a 32" screen. I own (2) Westy 32" 1080p, a LG 32" 720p, and a Vizio 42" 1080p and a Sharp 60" 1080p.

They say at about 10 feet the difference between 1080p and 480p on a 32" tv isn't noticeable.

Quote from maramos : They say at about 10 feet the difference between 1080p and 480p on a 32" tv isn't noticeable.

they'd be wrong.

You can easily tell the difference between HD and SD material at almost any size screen. Compare videos on your cell phone/ipod touch if you don't believe me.

It's very difficult to tell 1080p HD vs 720p or 1080i on smaller screens, however.

Quote from Jedi5 : If you have a 32" HD TV, will you need an HD receiver to see HD quality? I always thought that anything less than 42" TV, you didn't need it to be an HD TV or or need an HD receiver. I had someone tell me that they have a 32" HD TV and need an HD receiver because they can see the difference between HD and SD on their 32". Does sound right? From what I've read on AVS and the many threads here on SD, pretty much the only time you'll see the difference is when you go higher than a 42" TV. Thoughts?

No. HD is easily visible. You're thinking 1080p vs 720p/1080i

Quote from amoghthegamer : nope. if your tv supports 1080p/i then get a HD Receiver. If it only goes upto 720p, its in the grey zone and you can stick with a SD and get 480 or get a HD receiver. Now depending on your cable provider. Like Directv has like 100 HD channels. So when you use a SD receiver, you wont even pick up the channels. When you use a HD receiver you will see the channels and can play them. The HD receiver will also play the SD channels at 480p. Long story short, you will see a difference between 480p and 1080p on a 32" screen. I own (2) Westy 32" 1080p, a LG 32" 720p, and a Vizio 42" 1080p and a Sharp 60" 1080p.

720p and 1080i look about the same to the human eye. Both look far superior to 480p. And no TV is 1080i. It can be supported (meaning that the TV displays a picture) but it's not a native resolution. i means interlaced -- that half the picture is displayed at any time. p means progressive, meaning all scan lines are displayed simultaneously. The numbers are the resolutions.

Comparing 1080p and 720p/1080i is more of a grey zone filled with pseudoscience and bad psychophysics.

Totally agree. HD vs non hd can be easily seen on any tv. You should upgrade your source.

Quote from bonkman : they'd be wrong. You can easily tell the difference between HD and SD material at almost any size screen. Compare videos on your cell phone/ipod touch if you don't believe me.

First 480p isn't standard definition, second I'm not quite following your cell phone comment.

Quote from maramos : First 480p isn't standard definition, second I'm not quite following your cell phone comment.

Yes it is. It's progressive scan, meaning all lines are displayed at once (vs 480i) but it's still SD. Sometimes people call it "enhanced definition" but it's still standard rather than high res. There are more pixels on an HD screen compared to an SD screen, meaning that images can contain finer details.

My cell phone comment means watch an SD video and an HD video on a small HD screen, like a droid phone or ipod touch. You'll clearly be able to tell the difference between HD and SD even though the screen is tiny. The only exception to that will be with certain animated/CGI videos.

Quote from bonkman : Yes it is. It's progressive scan, meaning all lines are displayed at once (vs 480i) but it's still SD. Sometimes people call it "enhanced definition" but it's still standard rather than high res. There are more pixels on an HD screen compared to an SD screen, meaning that images can contain finer details. My cell phone comment means watch an SD video and an HD video on a small HD screen, like a droid phone or ipod touch. You'll clearly be able to tell the difference between HD and SD even though the screen is tiny. The only exception to that will be with certain animated/CGI videos.

SD is strictly 480i, while 480p is not necessarily considered HD it's most certainly not SD. Also your phone comment is complete bullshit. Perhaps you could tell me how a screen that is only 800x480 or lower like 90% of cell phones would benefit from anything higher than 480p. Any difference you see is either imagined or because of a lower bitrate or higher compression.

Quote from maramos : SD is strictly 480i, while 480p is not necessarily considered HD it's most certainly not SD. Also your phone comment is complete bullshit. Perhaps you could tell me how a screen that is only 800x480 or lower like 90% of cell phones would benefit from anything higher than 480p. Any difference you see is either imagined or because of a lower bitrate or higher compression.

As I said, it's "enhanced definition." But it's still standard definition in that there's no resolution change. It's just not interlaced. It's DEFINITELY not, as you state "not necessarily considered HD." It is CERTAINLY not HD. We're arguing semantics here, but the gist is that you're wrong -- the significantly higher resolution of an HD screen is easily detectable to the human eye. As I've stated before, what's NOT easily noticeable is the gain in resolution from 720 lines to 1080 lines.

Indeed, how would 800x480 benefit from more than 480p? If only there were phones/devices with higher res. Like the ipod touch (960x640), LG Nitro (1280x720), recent galxies (720p or higher), or any qHD screen like on many Droids (960x540). Etc etc. Watch SD and HD on them. Hell, even do it on an ipad or other HD tablet. If you want an extremely analogous comparison, grab a new ipad 3 and look at SD content, HD content, and super HD optimized for the new retina screen. You'll really notice the jump from SD to HD but you might not notice the next jump unless you focus on the edges of zoomed in content. And that's a 10" screen.

Bonkman has it absolutely correct. There is an ENORMOUS quality difference between 480 and 720/1080, i or p notwithstanding, and you will notice it on any screen that is capable of displaying more than 480 lines. Unless maybe we're talking about a 13 inch screen, and that screen is located across the street in you neighbors house.