Creator media glossary
Interlaced vs progressive: what is the difference?
Short answer
Two ways to store video frames: progressive (the p in 1080p) stores each frame whole; interlaced (the i in 1080i) stores alternate lines in two fields captured at different moments.
Key takeaways
- Progressive video stores whole frames; interlaced video stores two fields of alternate lines.
- Interlacing was a 1930s bandwidth trick for TV; on modern screens it shows as comb-like edges on motion.
- Phones and modern cameras record progressive; TV recordings and older camcorders are the usual interlaced sources.
- Deinterlace before uploading: YouTube asks for 1080i60 to become 1080p30.
Interlaced vs progressive explained
Interlacing comes from broadcast TV: each frame is split into odd and even lines (fields) recorded a fraction of a second apart, which smooths motion on old screens. On computers and phones, which show whole frames, the two fields do not line up on moving objects and you see comb-like jagged edges.
Online video is progressive. YouTube asks for progressive scan and says interlaced footage should be deinterlaced before upload (1080i60 becomes 1080p30), and the Instagram API lists progressive scan too. If you work with broadcast or older camcorder footage, deinterlace in your editor before export.
Why interlacing was invented
Early television could not send 50 or 60 full pictures a second over the airwaves, but showing only 25 or 30 flickered badly. Interlacing, patented in the 1930s, split each picture into two fields: the odd lines, then the even lines a fraction of a second later. The screen refreshed 50 or 60 times a second while sending only half the lines each time. It was a bandwidth trick, and it stayed in analog TV, DV tape and 1080i broadcast HD.
How each scan works
Progressive (p)
- Every frame is a complete picture, drawn top to bottom
- What phones, modern cameras, computers and streaming use
- Clean motion and still frames, easy to scale and edit
Interlaced (i)
- Each frame is two fields of alternate lines, captured at different moments
- 1080i50 and 1080i60 in broadcast TV, older camcorders and DV
- Smooth motion on old CRT TVs, but combing on modern screens
What platforms ask for
| Platform | Scan | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Progressive | Deinterlace first: 60 interlaced fields per second become 30 progressive frames |
| Instagram (API) | Progressive | Listed with closed GOP and 4:2:0 chroma subsampling |
Telecine and 3:2 pulldown
Film shot at 24 fps had to fit 60-field NTSC television, so each pair of film frames was spread over five fields: three, then two (3:2 pulldown). The result plays at 60i with a characteristic judder. Inverse telecine reverses it and recovers the clean 24 progressive frames, which is better than ordinary deinterlacing for film material on DVDs and broadcast recordings.
Interlacing artifacts
- Combing: jagged, comb-like edges on anything moving, because the two fields show the subject in two places.
- Interline twitter: fine horizontal lines, such as stripes on a shirt or thin text, flicker.
- Wrong field order: footage with top and bottom fields swapped judders back and forth.
- Upload damage: platforms that receive interlaced video may bake the combing in.
How to deinterlace
| Method | How it works | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Weave | Combine the two fields into one frame | Perfect on still scenes, combing on motion |
| Bob (line doubling) | Turn each field into its own frame | Smooth, double frame rate, less vertical detail |
| Motion-adaptive (yadif, bwdif) | Weave where still, interpolate where moving | The usual best choice |
| Inverse telecine | Rebuild original 24p frames from film carried in 60i | Restores clean film frames |
With FFmpeg: ffmpeg -i in.ts -vf bwdif=mode=send_frame -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -c:a aac out.mp4 makes one progressive frame per interlaced frame (1080i60 to 1080p30, as YouTube suggests). mode=send_field keeps the full motion at 60p.
How to tell if a video is interlaced
- MediaInfo shows "Scan type: Interlaced" and the field order (top or bottom field first).
- Pause on fast motion: horizontal comb lines mean interlacing.
- The format name ends in i: 480i, 576i, 1080i.
- Sources to suspect: TV recordings, capture cards, DV and HDV camcorders, older broadcast archives.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between interlaced and progressive?
Progressive (p) stores each frame complete. Interlaced (i) splits each frame into two fields of alternate lines recorded a moment apart, a technique from broadcast TV.
Is 1080i or 1080p better?
For online video, 1080p. Screens that show whole frames reveal interlacing as jagged, comb-like edges on anything that moves.
Does YouTube accept interlaced video?
YouTube asks for progressive scan and says interlaced content should be deinterlaced before upload, for example 1080i60 to 1080p30.
How do I fix interlaced footage?
Deinterlace it in your editor or converter before export. Footage from broadcast sources and older camcorders is the usual culprit; phones and modern cameras record progressive.
Is 1080i the same resolution as 1080p?
Both are 1920 × 1080, but 1080i only carries half the lines in each field, so moving detail is lower. After deinterlacing, 1080i60 becomes 1080p30 or 1080p60.
Do phones record interlaced video?
No. iPhones and Android phones record progressive video, so phone footage never needs deinterlacing.
Let Koldflux pick the settings
Koldflux chooses the codec, container and bitrate for each platform when it exports.
Free tools that use this
Sources and how we checked
- YouTube Help: Recommended upload encoding settings (checked 2026-10-05)
- Instagram API: IG User Media (reel, story and video specifications) (checked 2026-10-05)
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Definitions follow the specifications and platform documentation linked above; platform tables come from the same registry the Koldflux tools use.