Project in 720p vs. 1080p

Hello. This is my first post. I would like some input on whether there is any rule of thumb in choosing to make a Project at 1080p vs. 720p GIVEN THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO:

I am creating a video that will be shown at a training seminar. It will be played on a laptop computer at "full screen" and projected onto a screen.

The source footage I am using to create the video is a mix of 720p and 1080p footage. I initially thought that I should stay away from making the Project 1080p because the 720p footage would look fuzzy (due to upscaling, if this is the correct term) in the export of a 1080p project. However, I did a little testing and am finding that the 720p footage, exported from a 1080p Project (and played full screen) looks pretty much the same as if I export it from a 720p Project (and played at full screen).

The added benefit of using a 1080p Project is that the 1080p footage looks wonderful.

Are there reasons conventional wisdom would be to stick to a Project of 720p for my scenario, or would using a Project of 1080p seem reasonable alternative?

Thanks for any help.

Did you test the 720 on the same projector you'll be using, same distance, same screen size?

If the 720 is clear and clean enough, upscaling to 1080 can be seamless, although you technically lose something, it may not be anything anyone will notice.

.. hmm, funny, so many 'quality'-threads lately ...

And as in any quality-debate:
To nail the final delivery by just one factor is basically useless.

• What is the native res of the projector - would be my first question?
• How is the player connected to projector?
• Projection circumstances (dark room, back light, projection surface....)?
• What is the main content - real-life-video or graphics?
• What sort of delivery codec you're using?
• How is your material 'optimized' for projection (diff. gamma, sharpened, reduced colors, graphics: no extreme contrasts, details, ... ) etc etc etc ...............

you see: lots of knobs and screws to play with ... when your real life test results in '720 is fine, 1080 is better' - do it. Zillions of other options to improve quality ... Any discussion gets soon 'academic' :woohoo:

Thanks for the replies - I hadn't thought much about the projector specs or the projection environment, and appreciate knowing these additional things to consider.

I have mixed footage like you and I go for the 1080p. The reason is simple. No matter what playback environment is, you wanna export a video as clear as possible. The only perfect situation for setting 720p for the timeline is the playback screen is small enough so no upscaling happens. Otherwise, be inclined to the higher resolution makes your video adaptable.

Why not work in 1080p and export 2 versions and have both available to you?

Just in case the laptop that plays the videos chokes on 1080P files, you have an option of playing back the less processor intensive 720P version?

blakedog98 wrote: ...any rule of thumb in choosing to make a Project at 1080p vs. 720p...
The source footage I am using to create the video is a mix of 720p and 1080p footage. I initially thought that I should stay away from making the Project 1080p because the 720p footage would look fuzzy...

We encounter this situation frequently and use 1080p and upscale the 720p material. We capture a lot more in 1080 than in 720, so it makes sense to use 1080 projects. The upscaled 720p material looks fine.

In broadcasting this situation is common. ABC, Fox, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney, A&E and MLB Network capture and broadcast exclusively in 720p/60. If you have seen any material from these providers on a 1080p display, it has been upscaled -- either on your TV or somewhere in the distribution chain. That material looks fine. I seriously doubt if even 1% of viewers know this, and even fewer could visually spot the difference.

As already stated, there is a difference between the project vs export characteristics. You can easily have a 1080p project but export in 720p because of the smaller file size or because testing shows there's no discernable difference on your viewing hardware.