Question: I’m shopping for a high-definition TV and keep hearing about “Full HD,” or 1080p sets. What are those, and are they worth the extra money?

Answer: Sometimes technology advances faster in one area than in others – and that’s exactly what’s happening with the highest of high-end HDTVs.

Basically, 1080p is the highest level of definition that’s made in TVs today. Many brands or stores will refer to this level of resolution as “Full HD.”

Here’s the catch: Broadcasters haven’t caught up to this level of quality yet, and even the high-definition programs on national networks are still broadcasting in 1080i, the quality level just below 1080p.

1080 refers to the number of lines of vertical resolution on the screen – which is way more than standard TV broadcasts of 480. The “p” refers to “progressive” scan, a more powerful way of rendering images than the earlier “interlaced” method of refreshing a screen.

Make no mistake, 1080i is still way better than regular TVs – but if you get a 1080p set, in most cases won’t be displaying the show you’re watching in 1080p.

For now, the only way to see true 1080p programming is with a next-generation DVD player such as a Blu-ray or HD DVD. But with those players starting at around $500 and many people reluctant to get stuck with the loser of the latest format war, that revolution in viewing technology is still on hold.

What’s more, says Peter Putman, a video display technology consultant, if you spend most of your time watching standard-definition television and DVDs, you might be disappointed with the way regular TV shows look when they’re blown up on a big screen.

“I personally wouldn’t rush out to buy it, unless you’re going to watch a lot of mostly high def content,” Putman said. “1080p is not something to rush into.” Putman says it’s not clear if or when broadcasters will send out programs in 1080p, and there’s no standard format for broadcasting in that resolution yet.

Paul Reynolds, the electronics editor of Consumer Reports, which has a cover story on HDTVs in its latest issue, said that in his magazine’s tests, it was only sets that were 50 inches or more in size that the difference between 1080p and other hi-def TV sets became apparent.

Associated Press