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Originally Posted by ajkron
excuse my ignorance but if it records in 720p is that not hd?
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No. 720p is just a resolution and width pixel count. Let me explain....
The native resolution mentioned in HDTV specification sheets is a measure of the number of pixels a display has. All video sources will be scaled to match the native resolution of the display. If the video source is a match then no scaling is required. If you are choosing a HDTV for gaming then you should match the screen native resolution to the video output resolution of your games console. This avoids the annoying scaling lag which can be annoying to avid gamers.
All fixed-pixel displays have a native resolution spec that tells you how many pixels the display actually has. Native resolution is the absolute limit on the amount of detail you’ll see.
Two common broadcast HD resolutions are 1080i and 720p. Generally the progressive scan 720p should provide a smoother image which is sharper during action scenes. The most recent standard, 1080p has the smoother, sharper image of 720p while gaining the extra lines of resolution of 1080p. The 1080p video standard is not broadcast yet but is available from Blu-ray discs and some video game consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3.
When shooting 720p with a consumer grade camera or video recorder, the video is shot at 640x480 but uses video codecs to achieve the 720p resolution. Much like using Nero or Cyberlink software to upscale a 640x480 video to AVCHD to be played in a Blu-ray player to achieve a native resolution of 1080p. Otherwise it will automatically be viewed in a letterbox format or it will auto upscale (depending on your tv) and look stretched.
Compare the difference between the NATgeo HD station and the NATgeo regular station. There's a world of difference in picture quality because the NATgeo HD is formatted to fit 1080p HDTV's and the other is not even though they are shot with the same camera. BUT....High-end commercial grade cameras shoot in 720p or 1080p natively as where consumer grade cameras do not. Hence the difference when watching NATgeo HD about gorillas then a commercial comes on and it's in a different format and looks fuzzy and in a box. The commercial was NOT shot with a HD camera with a native resolution of 720 or 1080p.
The EVO doesn't shoot 720p natively, it just shoots 720 pixels to fit your HDTV. Shoot a video with your EVO in 720p and compare it with NATgeo HD, Fox HD, etc. and notice the difference in quality. HD is slung around these days like the word hero. Just by being able to hook up something electronic to an HDTV using an HDMI or Composit cable is considered HD to manufacturers for marketing hype even though the cam, etc. doesn't shoot in 720 or 1080p, but the box will say HD.....only because it can be hooked up using a digital cable such as HDMI.