system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What's the difference between 1080p and 1080i?

I know it has to do with interlacing, but what does that mean, exactly?  Is one inherently better than the other?
gpt
With 1080p, the entire picture is sent every time.

With 1080i, half the picture is sent (every other line) each time. So the first time it just sends odd lines, the next time just the even lines. The TV then combines the two together.

1080i uses half the amount of information, and produces half as smooth a video. 1080p is better because you get smoother video.