I know this is probably asking alot, but any help for a newbie is appreciated.
What is the difference betweeen 480i and 480p and 1080i and 1080p.
Plus my digital cable offers 4 settings, Fixed, Auto DVI, upconvert1 and upconvert2. I know upconverting has something to do with the resolution of my tv and the signal from the cable box.
The number indicates the number of horzontal lines that will be displayed on your television screen in order to make up the picture. The more lines you have, the better the resolution will be. The "i" stand for interlaced and "p" stands for progressive. Interlaced scan first displays the odd numbered lines and the goes back and fills in the evens. Progressive on the other hand displays both the odd and even numbered lines in a signle sweep. Progressive scan displays double the information over interlaced over the same time span.
You will need to do some research on the cable box settings as the may differ slightly from manufacturer and what they do so it's hard for me to offer advice there.