Differnce in HD Resolutions

Why do HDTV's look so amazing?
     Simply because there are 1,000,000+ more pixels that combine together to give you a stunning HD picture. Everyone knows that 1080P is the best, but still people settle for less. Here is the difference between the various resolutions.

1080p

Pixels- 1920x1080
Progressive Scan- Yes (hence the "p" after 1080) (Check below for what progressive scan is)
Widescreen- Yes
Supported- Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Blu-ray, ROKU, etc.

1080i

Pixels- 1920x1080
Progressive Scan- No (hence no "p" after 1080)
Widescreen- Yes
Supported- CBS, NBC, PBS, Discovery HD Theater (the broadcast is 1080i)

720p

Pixels- 1280x720
Progressive Scan- Yes (again note the "p")
Widescreen- Yes
Supported- ABC, FOX, ESPNHD

480p

Pixels- 852x480
Progressive Scan- Yes
Widescreen- Yes
Supported- Progressive Scan DVD Players

480i

Pixels- Up to 480 lines
Progressive Scan- No
Widescreen- No (This is why when you are watching an HD channel and a commercial comes on you have 2 black rectangles on both sides of the commercial)
Supported- All standard TV broadcasts

Progressive Scan- A way of displaying, storing, or transmitting moving images in which all the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence. (This helps with eye strain)

Word of advice: If someone tells you that 1080i & 720p (which there are alot of those people out there) they are not well educated in the Home Entertainment world. Just look @ the information above 1080i has more pixels yes but does not offer progressive scan. My advice is to get a HDTV that is 1080p/64.