1080p HDTV

If you're interested in HDTV, you're interested in a superior viewing experience. There are several factors that go into the viewing experience, and one of them is the native resolution of the display. Simply put, the native resolution is the largest number of picture elements and detail that a set can display at one time, and naturally, more is better. A 1080p set has 1080 rows of pixels, and 1920 pixels in each row, which is the most currently available.

The "p" in 1080p stands for "progressive", a method of display which appears smoother than the "i", or "interlaced". For more information: HDTV Basics

No matter what the resolution of the source is, the TV will scale it to fit the set's native resolution. So, if the source has a higher resolution than the display, you'll lose some detail and sharpness in the picture, though it will still look great. Most content available today is actually not 1080p- most broadcasts are in 1080i or 720p, and regular DVD players are in 480p, so you could get the best out of almost all content with a 720p or 1080i set.

But, there are a few sources of 1080p, like the high definition DVD players, and the PlayStation 3, and there is certainly potential for lots of growth in this area. So if you want to make sure you're not going to miss any detail and sharpness, ever, then you will want a 1080p set. Check for the resolution in the details of the HDTV descriptions.