somewhat true
if your tv is ONLY a 1080i set (most of the 1st gen HD sets)
a 720p t.v. will blow those t.v's picture quality out of the water, because the original 1080i sets are only 540 fixed lines of resolution, barely better than a dvd, much less than a 720p set
a 1080i program will only ever show half the detail in any given frame 1080/2=540 on a 1080i t.v.. a 720p t.v. will actually look much better because it shows the same 540 lines of resolution, only it also upscales them to 720 lines.
1080i set = 960*540= 518,400 total pixels
720p set = 1280*720= 921,600 total pixels
1080p set = 1920*1080= 2,073,600 total pixels
so in summary a 1080i program on a 1080i t.v. is CRAP, it should be called "barely HD"!
a 1080i program on a 1080p t.v. will look amazing
J.R.