It is possible that you have gone to buy a monitor or a television and you have found that it is of 1080i resolution. You may have thought that it is the same as 1080p resolution. The truth is that between these two resolutions there is an important technical difference that will affect the image quality.
Both denominations have the same amount of pixels, which indicates the resolution 1920×1080, but they work differently. The difference between these two denominations has to do with the frames that appear on the screen. Normally we will not notice the difference, but it exists and can be noticed especially in competitive video gamess.
Difference between 1080p and 1080i resolutions
We reiterate that for both resolutions we have 1080 horizontal lines and in each of these lines we have 1920 pixels. What changes between them is how each frame or image that makes up a video is updated.
What the 1080i format tells us is that it is an “intercaled” resolution. What it tells us is that the images are intertwined, which is a way of exposing the images or frames. The images or frames do not appear completely in the transition between frames, but are "split". First the odd horizontal lines are distributed and in the next change it is completed with the even lines. Normally this change is not noticeable, but in competitive games it could be a problem.
While the 1080p format, what it tells us is that it is progressive. The frames or images are displayed progressively, one after another. This means that the odd and even lines are displayed at the same time.
Let's say we have a 1920×1080 resolution video that offers us 60 images per second (60 FPS). In the 1080p format , what we will have is that 60 images will be displayed per second. While, in the 1080i format, 30 images per second will be displayed , half that. It is explained that for each "sweep" of image in the 1080i format, two wipes or image updates are required, while in 1080p it occurs only once.
Within the 1080i format we have a big problem and that is that tearing is quite common . This problem basically is that two images are displayed simultaneously, seeing the image as if it were split. An effect usually occurs in video games.
Choose well for video games
As we mentioned, the 1080p format, when loading an image or full frame, can offer twice as many images per second than the 1080i resolution. Although occasionally it is difficult to detect, in games like CS:GO, Fortnite or similar, it can be perceived more easily. They are action and fast games, where the load on the graphics is high and the defects in the 1080i format are noticeable.
Indicate that the 1080i format is usually used in DTT broadcasts and sporting events. The television does the conversion to 1080p and it is very rare to see these visual problems on the screen.
If you are going to buy a monitor for 1920 × 1080 resolution, you should verify that it is 1080p and not 1080i format. We must say that it is extremely rare to see monitors with this format, but it can be seen in cheap monitors, especially for office automation or multimedia.