In today’s world, while we get to enjoy a lot of technology advancements, in the form of various competitive products, we are challenged to learn more on these technologies, so we do not get fooled by marketing tricks. So goes with HDTV models, which really change the way we watch television today. Indeed we are grateful for the leap in quality, which distances greatly any CRT we had back in the days installed in our living room. But now we have to deal with a lot of info and terminology, like Blu Ray discs, or 720p, and 1080i and 1080p. These are not just letters and numbers, but they play a major role in displaying video content on our flat screen HDTVs. In the beginning, high definition television networks – the main reason for buying an expensive gadget like a flat screen set – broadcast only in 720p and 1080i, the first benefiting from progressive scan, while the others displaying interlaced picture, but at a higher resolution. While both presented advantages, the next step in delivering greater value was to combine the two; this way, 1080p resolution appeared, its birth being requested by Blu Ray content.

1080p/60 and 1080p/24

Blu Ray discs usually contain movies, which are filmed with 24 frames per second. This little aspect posed another challenge for HDTV manufacturers which compete against one another all the time. It seemed that the regular 1080p, accompanied by 60Hz refresh rate, was no longer enough. To make the matters even more confusing for us, mortals, now we need to understand what 1080p60 does as well as 1080p24. But is it any difference to be accounted for?

The Way Movies Are Made

As we mentioned earlier, this confusion has to do with the way movies are filmed nowadays. They are shot at 24 frames per second, because they are to be displayed in movies theatre. While the technology in a movie theatre and your home cinema is not the same, some tweakings had to be done. This way, 1080p24 appeared. The thing about 24 frames per second content is that all the motion is displayed naturally; if the number of frames per second increases, then we would see the characters on the screen moving faster, in a sped up movement. On the other hand, we still have televisions that broadcast in 60Hz, and a lot of video content is displayed like this.

When we watch 60Hz content on a 60Hz device, then we see all the movement as being natural, and we have nothing to reproach here. But, when you want to play some 24 fps content on 60Hz refresh rate, you may encounter some problems: the video, and the sound alike, will be distorted, ruining entirely your experience.

1080p60 Works Like a Charm

Manufacturers had to do something about a problem like this, and they invented the 3:2 pulldown process, which does no more than making 24 fps content watchable on 60Hz. You will get no high pitch sounds or sped up scenes, even if you use the 1080p60 mode. What 3:2 pulldown does is to display the frames, one by one, like this: the first for three times, then the second, for two times, then again, the third for three times and so on and so forth. This way, you will get 60 frames per second from 24 frames per second, without feeling that something artificial occurs between you and the movement on the screen.

The Criticism

Critiques of 1080p60 say that even if 3:2 pulldown really pulls it off with 24 frames per second content, some judder appears and the smoothing of scenes has to suffer from it. If we are to be honest about it, the truth is that such problems are so minor, that they can easily be overlooked by an eye that does not necessarily look for flaws. But, if you want a perfect result and you do search for judder when you use 1080p60, then you may be able to notice it in slow camera movements, from an object to another.

Of course, even if this criticism has little ground for statements against 1080p60, manufacturers did not want to ignore these voices. So they came up with 1080p24. How did they do it? The problem was to make the movie display on the screen at the same refresh rate, of 24 frames per second, on the television screen. They just came up with a new technology, employed by Blu Ray discs and high definition DVD’s. You see, the content on these discs is already in 1080p24 format, which is, afterwards, pulled down by the 3:2 process, so you can watch it with no restraints.

The last link in this is actually your TV set. Most of HDTV models will just readjust the image, using the 3:2 pulldown. But, if you are one of those perfectionists that truly desire to see Blu Ray content at 24 frames per second, as it was shot and registered, then you need a HDTV that can deal with 24 Hz refresh rate, or a multiple of it, like 48, 72, 96, or 120 Hz. This is the only way to get rid of the annoying judder that we talked about earlier.

1080p60 Still Stands Strong

Do not get us wrong, we are not here the advocates of 1080p24, as the real difference between 1080p60 and this one are hard to pinpoint. Keep in mind that you are, by no means, required or constrained, to buy a new device that can handle 1080p24. 1080p60 will do just fine, and you will not notice the judder on the screen, unless you are nothing short of a perfectionist.

Where 1080p/24 is required

While 1080p60 does well when 24 frames per second content has to be displayed on the screen, the opposite is not true. 1080p24 will not handle well 60Hz content, which will look quite poor on your screen. If your device does not automatically return to 1080p60, then you will have to do it manually. As you can see, 1080p24 is beneficial only for movies that are shot at 24 frames per second, and it is very specific, without being able to deliver good quality for other type of content.

Natural Shortcomings

Another thing that you need to be aware of is that 24 frames per second inherently has some jerky effects that will not disappear, even if you have everything that is needed to display correctly the content. Do not go for the 3:2 pulldown, as this will not help either. The truth is that 1080p24 delivers the best image for such content, even if it cannot remove the jerkiness from the picture. For the most pretentious user, 1080p24 is the way to watch Blu Ray disc, but keep in mind that 1080p60 is not to throw away.