It is more expensive to make a plasma tv with 1080p vs 720p than it is with LCD 1080p vs 720p.

What is it that 1080p DVD players claim to do?

DVD players, etc that are designed to be 1080i or 1080p compatible will have set up adjustments that you set for your TV's resolution.

What brand and model plasma TV did you buy?

Panasonic (viera) The display model @ 720 had a better picture than the LCDs @ 1080. Both were playing the same hi-def show.

The "Upconversion" recorders & or players claim to convert standard resolution DVDs to 1080p & to record @
1080p. While I don't expect a blueray quality picture from them, I just wondered if there would be enough of an improvement in picture quality be worth the trouble. I've got almost 300 standard def DVDs

A 720p plasma can typically accept a 1080i and/or 1080p input signal and interpolate/downconvert it to 720. Putting an upconverting DVD player on it may provide a small but discernable difference in viewed picture quality on a 50" screen. The player would upconvert the 480 standard DVD source to 720 or 1080. 1080 may not make for any improvement since the plasma would have to downconvert it back to 720.

I have a 42" 720p plasma. I tried an HD player and couldn't see any appreciable difference even when running an HD DVD. A 50" screen being larger does show more difference.

In any case, consider that there can't really be more resolution gotten from the source material than it already has. The upconversion process basically fakes it by interpolating/generating new data to "fill in the spaces."

If you go with a Blu-Ray DVD player/recorder then you will be limited in resolution to 720p instead of the full 1080p. There will be a notifiable differences.

If you have a Blu Ray DVD player or plan on getting one, it makes far more sense to get a 1080p plasma or LCD, since the output of a Blu Ray player is also 1080p.

Also, many people omit getting a reasonably good surround sound system. The dialog, sound, and music is very much a integral part of movie watching. The Blu Ray players have the newest high resolution audio codecs, besides the best video performance. One should get at minimum a sound sytem called a 5.1 That means a left and right front speaker along with with a center speaker (which is very important, as most of the dialog comes through that). Then you add a left and right suround speaker along with a self-powered subwoofer, which handles the low sound frequencies along with a lot of the lowest special effects.

If for design purposes you don't want speakers out in the room, then it is possible to get good on-wall speakers or even in-wall and in-ceiling speakers.

Greg

I second oskiebabu remarks. A good home theater audio is equal in importances to the Video. I just installed a Hardon Kardon 5.1 speaker system and it has a very high quality subwoofer with it. It only a 10" but it is a throw down design and it sounds close to a much bigger subwoofer like my Definitive 12" which is $1,500.00 alone. I love playing music on it. Very clear sound and low bass equal real great sound.