Sony,let me change screen resolution in-game!

Most of the time the PS3 does this in the background for the best resolution possible with the media it's using at that time when using HDMI cables (the component cables just doesn't do as well as the HDMI cables, although they do a good job for the signal there using).

I never have to change any settings even when playing SD DVD's or PS/PS2 games when using the HDMI cables.

the reason it doesnt look any different from 720p to 1080i is because the size of your tv... the main reason there is 1080p/i is for better picture with larger size TVs, if your tv is 34 inch or smaller odds are you wont notice a difference between 720 and 1080

for your tv i would recommend using 720P (progressive scan) on all games since its a lot better for moving images compared to interlaced... you probably wouldnt notice a difference even with the movies

the reason it doesnt look any different from 720p to 1080i is because the size of your tv... the main reason there is 1080p/i is for better picture with larger size TVs, if your tv is 34 inch or smaller odds are you wont notice a difference between 720 and 1080

for your tv i would recommend using 720P (progressive scan) on all games since its a lot better for moving images compared to interlaced... you probably wouldnt notice a difference even with the movies

oblique465

That may be true about most games, but there are also other cases such as Rainbow Six Vegas which were made to output in 720p and use an upscaler to achieve 1080i and due to the upscaler being poorly done, 1080i looks noticibly worse than 720p.

What happens if you don't have an HD TV at the moment?

Because right now I'm just playing my PS3 on a normal TV and within about a month I will be buying my own HDTV. So what do you guys reccommend you set the resoultion to if I'm on a normal TV?

ummm... you shouldnt have the option to change resolution on an SD TV almost all of them are automatically 480i (yes, a horrifying thought i know) unless you have a model tv that has component video then it MIGHT do 480p but no higher

as for hdtv's i would recommend you get a bravia LCD unless your strapped for cash

1st, Component cables can arguably be better than HDMI, Digital over Analog doesn't always mean better. Do some reasearch if you're truley interested. Lets just say theres more standards and practices in the long time format of Component and it holds signals better over longer distance.

2nd Yes P(orgressive) is better than I(nterlaced) any time. so if you dont have a big TV and dont need 1080 (unless its a 1080p TV) then go with 720p. this changes every line on the TV on every frame so w/ fast action or when paused, you will see sharper cleaner images. Interlaced switches between odd and even lines every frame to save on the amount of data it has to send. so half of the frame is the old image.
(smaller HQ image > Larger LQ Image if you are looking at it on a small screen (say an ipod) if you have a projector or large TV and stand far back then its the other way around)

and after SD but before HD, there is such a thing as ED. Enhanced Def Tvs take component cables for 480p (again better). This would be perefect for a Wii since thats also the best output it does.
So you're TV may have it if its not HD, but its rare. Just look for all those extra color plugs.


Tomorrows lesson: Fiber optic Digital Audio Output!
jk

I have noticed that some games like skate look and play better at 720p but I have my PS3 set at 1080i for blu-ray movies and some games like ninja gaiden sigma.This means I have to keep changing screen resolution before I start a game and change it again when I want to watch a film in the display settings.I wish sony would let us have the game automatically change it as it starts.Marcbarr1

I never have this problem as i leave my consoles on the same resolutions always.

I use 720p(my tv only supports 720p/1080i)for ps3 and i use 1280x1080 for my xbox 360(i have a vga cable which allows you to choose more resolutions).

720p is the best resolution for gaming between 720p/1080i(of course 1080p is better than them both) because its a progressive picture which is much better for fast moving images like games/sports etc etc.

And the difference between the two is so minor, its barely noticeable except to pixel junkies.

Heres a little copy and paste info.

Is 720p vs 1080i worth being concerned about? Yes and no. If you're a consumer looking for a new TV, you can happily ignore the 720p vs 1080i debate because every TV which is described as HDTV or HDTV Ready is required to support both formats.

NOTE: You should be aware though that lots of TVs which support 1080i have fewer than 1080 lines and so scale the 1080 signal down. That's not a huge issue as even scaled down 1080i is far ahead of a regular NTSC signal. It is worth bearing in mind that more expensive HDTVs tend to have better scalers than cheaper ones, and this may be an issue.

However, for broadcasters it's a live issue. Should they broadcast 1080 lines of interlaced video or 720 lines of progressive scan? They could just broadcast two signals, one in each format, but that would use up a huge chunk of bandwidth and be hugely expensive for very little gain.

To answer the question, it's important to understand the difference between 720p vs 1080i. A 720p signal is made up of 720 horizontal lines. Each frame is displayed in its entirety on-screen for 1/30th of a second. This is know as progressive scan (hence the 'p')The quality is like watching 30 photographic images a second on TV. A 1080i signal comprises 1080 horizontal lines but all the lines are not displayed on-screen simultaneously. Instead, they are interlaced (hence the 'i'), ie every other lines is displayed for 1/60th of a second and then the alternate lines are displayed for 1/60th of a second. So, the frame rate is still 30 frames per second, but each frame is split into two fields, which your brain then puts together subconsciously.

Most of the time interlacing works fine, but for fast moving images, such as sports like baseball and hockey it can cause problems which manifest themselves as a 'stepping' effect on-screen. Progressive scan signals don't have this problem and so are better suited to sports.

ESPN puts it like this: 'Progressive scan technology produces better images for the fast moving orientation of sports television. Simply put, with 104 mph fastballs in baseball and 120 mph shots on goal in hockey, the line-by-line basis of progressive scan technology better captures the inherent fast action of sports. For ESPN, progressive scan technology makes perfect sense.'

Bottom line? For us, as consumers 720p vs 1080i is not a debate worth worrying about, so you can relax and focus on all the other criteria on your list when you buy your next HDTV.

http://ezinearticles.com/?720p-Vs-1080i-HDTV&id=91443

Changing the resolution is harder than it sounds.....tfaa

Yes, I rank it right up there with nuclear fission and quantum physics.