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This is a very gaming related question as I'm asking because I have my PS3 connected to a Full-HD TV set but I'm not seeing any difference compared with my other TV set, which is a not Full-HD capable TV set. Both display the very same information when switching resolution: 1080@24.

The smaller TV set is a Samsung 26" (HD) and the big TV set is a Samsung 32" (fullHD).

Edit: The question is not about my Full-HD being unable to display 1080p. It is about my not-Full-HD being able to display 1080p. When I use my Samsung 26" it says 1080p. I also tried a non-Full-HD Samsung 50" and it also says 1080. My setup is: PS3, HDMI, Gran Turismo 5 (or PS3 menu). My Full-HD was expensive compared to a comparable non-full-HD TV. So the question is:

Why my non-Full-HD TV display is capable of 1080? What is the difference with a full-HD TV set?

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Please list full make and model. – SgtOJ Nov 30 '10 at 11:16

3 Answers

up vote 7 down vote accepted

My response to the new question:

Your TV is probably telling you what the input resolution is, not what it's displaying.

My response to the original question...

A couple of possible reasons:

  • You'd have to have fantastic eyesight and be sitting very close to the TV to notice the difference between 720P and 1080P on a 32" screen. It's possible you're getting full 1080p on your screen but you just can't see the difference. Some sources say that you need a 55" TV to see the difference between 720p and 1080p at normal distances from TVs.

  • Many PS3 titles are in 720p not in 1080p - are you sure you're watching a 1080p source?

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Good point about checking that the source is actually 1080p. – ChrisF Nov 30 '10 at 12:23
I can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on my 19" computer monitor easily enough... – BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft Nov 30 '10 at 17:58
2  
Do you sit as close to your TV as you do to your computer monitor? – Chad Birch Nov 30 '10 at 21:08
2  
You sit between 1 and 2 feet away from your monitor and changing the resolution of your monitor often alters the size of the items being displayed.Try watching a blu-ray full screen at 1080p and at 720p from a comfortable distance to play a games console and tell us if you can still see a difference. – Joe Gauterin Nov 30 '10 at 21:49
Didn't change my question. Someone misunderstood the original question and edited the title. I'm not a native english speaker. Thanks anyway. – licorna Jan 28 '11 at 0:13
up vote 2 down vote

In short a larger display will not look as pixel-perfect as a smaller one, at the same resolution.

Are they both 1080p? On 1080i displays if you look closely enough you will see faint horizontal lines when the image is moving.

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up vote 0 down vote

Chances are good your HD cable is a culprit. Are you using and HDMI, Red/Green/Blue cable or a standard Audio video cable? These cables have different capabilities (1080p, 1080i, and 720 respectively). You can also check system settings in your PS3 to verify that your resolution is set on the correct setting.

Hope this helps

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