1080p vs 4K. is there a tangible difference?
I’m pretty sure that everyone who reads the title of this article answered mentally: Well, of course there is a difference! And he will be absolutely right: there is a real difference! over, recently YouTube began to support UltraHD videos. But is this difference really significant and is it worth buying a monitor or TV with 4K resolution, for which they are currently asking a lot of money??

Experts calculated that in order to feel the advantage of a 4K display over Full HD (1080p), the screen should be much larger in size and sit much closer to it. Although the difference of 2 million pixels and 8 million sounds impressive, most users won’t even feel the difference due to the resolution of the human eye.
In support of their position, experts show a graph that shows the distance (Y-axis) and what should be the screen size (X-axis) to really feel the difference between 480p, 720p, 1080p and 4K.
Typically, users watch TV from a distance of approximately 2.7 meters (9 feet). And to take full advantage of 4K resolution, you need an 84-inch TV, which must be viewed from a distance of 1.6 meters (5.5 feet).
But even if you do decide to upgrade to 4K, we wish you the best of luck finding the right video content for your purchase 🙂 And here are the reasons:
- Ultra-HD Blu-ray players and discs will not appear until late 2015. Then it will take at least another couple of years for the amount of available (and also for the price!) 4K content to have a good selection. So far, only a limited number of UHD videos can be downloaded from Sony Pictures via several types of Sony Pictures media players.
- Microsoft Xbox One and Sony Playstation 4 both have 4K hardware support, but neither platform has the power to render 4K video games. Sony Playstation 3 can only display photos in UHD resolution. there is no question of any video.
- A limited number of providers abroad already provide some content with 4K resolution when using their set-top boxes, but the streaming quality leaves much to be desired due to a high degree of stream compression. Acceptable 4K online is nothing more than a dream so far. In our country, the Internet can barely cope with FullHD playback, and we can only dream about 4K speeds 🙂
Do you need 4K and is it worth buying a TV with such a screen? Summing up, we can confidently say that until you start looking closely at TVs with a diagonal close to 100 inches or more, 4K resolution will be absolutely useless for you and not worth the money spent. 1080p displays are more than enough for everyday home use today.
Comment from February 22, 2020.
There is no online content for viewing, even for FullHD, with the exception of torrents.
All IPTV providers, cable, satellite broadcasts mainly in HD, and with a compressed bitrate. The picture looks the same or even worse than on Soviet color TVs with a good analog signal without interference! The fact that they provide FullHD channels are not so many, two or three dozen, and a couple of 4k, but I don’t need it, I also look blurry on FHD!
The difference is not visible from afar, moreover, 720 × 576 with a good bitrate looks even better than FHD with a low one! I see the difference and the grains are noticeable only on TV from a distance of half a meter on a 40dm screen.
I am racking my brains if I need FHD content or is it better to download higher bitrate DVD quality movies. In addition, the TV set normally displays films with low resolution, a slight blur, on the contrary, makes the film more mysterious.
And watching a movie in general used to be interesting where there was interference.
I also did not understand about the sound, the difference between 384 and 448 kbps is not clear. As if the 448 standard, I noticed that the sound is better with it, but everything is relative and all the distributions are shaken by fools and homemade products, so it’s better to download 640 kbps for AC3 and 755/850 for DTS.
For DTS, there is no point above, since there is no such acoustics.
PC. The acoustics are not all digital, or even without a decoder, bluetooth players are not sold separately, only a set of plastic called home theater, with dummy speakers from the gnusmas that are not needed for nothing. In general, in order to look normally, you need a level effort as for launching a satellite with your own hands! There are no discs on sale either, there are no recording drives either, except that someone still has Chinese ones, probably this is a conspiracy! So that no one can watch and download a movie with a good Dolby sound, because realtek on PC does not allow to output the Dolby 5.1 sound by digit without shamanism or a separate card for a horse price tag, and on TVs, too, the figure is limited, in new TVs it is not, and the notorious HDMI comes with protection, we go back to buying a shitty cinema, which did not give up to us! There are no Dlna media servers available either, apparently so that everyone buys new discs in maagizna and does not download or save anything, and if there are rare copies, they are all at cosmic prices, so the way out is to take a mini-itx board with hard drives and assemble our server using handicraft methods with a hammer made of boards, we put an axis on it and the software is minimally demanding. Now we have everything for watching movies and online.
Oh yes, there is no point in using official providers, because they are a horse price tag for a couple of hundred channels of reaped quality!
This is not all, I missed to write a whole book, there is no time, you have to devour and download.
I remembered and dug up an old CRT monitor Samsung sync master 757dfx, it turns out it already had a 4k resolution! I don’t know what and how many pixels there are, but the picture looks much better than in FHD when connected via DVI! now very few people will check it already. ghastly HDMI and dp connectors that fall out and break the connectors in technology, this is how you need to be an asshole to call it progress, not thinking that the monitor will turn several times a day and the cable will bend, and the picture will lose contact and disappear!
4K vs. UHD
The term “4K” originally comes from the DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) consortium, which standardizes specifications for digital cinema production. In this case, 4K is a resolution of 4096 by 2160 pixels, which is four times more than the previous digital processing and projection standard (2K or 2048 x 1080). 4K is not only a resolution standard, it also defines how content is encoded. DCI 4K is compressed using JPEG 2000, can be up to 250Mbps and uses 12-bit 4: 4: 4 color depth.
Ultra High Definition, or UHD for short, is the next step in Full HD, the official name for a 1920 x 1080 display. UHD upscales the resolution to 3840 x 2160. This is not the same as 4K, since 4K is higher, but nonetheless almost every UHD TV or monitor is advertised as 4K. Sure, there are panels with a resolution of 4096 x 2160 and an aspect ratio of 1.9: 1, but the vast majority are 3840 x 2160 with a ratio of 1.78: 1.
Why not 2160p?
Of course, manufacturers know the difference between 4K and UHD. But, probably for marketing reasons, they stick to the term 4K. But in order not to conflict with the real DCI standard, they often use the phrase 4K UHD, although some write just 4K.
Even more confusing is that. UHD is actually split into two parts. 3840 x 2160 and then a significantly increased resolution of 7680 x 4320, which is also called UHD. The terms 4K UHD and 8K are used to differentiate them, but to be more precise, 8K UHD should be renamed QUHD (Quad Ultra HD). The real solution would be to abandon the 4K name and use the designation 2160r. Broadcast and display standards always use a lower value with the letters “i” or “p, resulting in 720p, 1080i, 1080p, and so on.
Although it is likely too late to change the naming convention, as 4K TVs are already available worldwide. The more important issue is the lack of content for such permission. So far, only a few, like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, offer something similar. But without high-quality and affordable video, 4K and UHD are unlikely to gain popularity in the near future.
What are the differences between 4K, Full HD, etc.
In recent years, the evolution of screens has made such progress that few people can be surprised by a high-quality picture at Full HD resolution at 1920 x 1080 pixels with a frequency of 120 Hz. It seemed that what else is needed to enjoy viewing? But Full HD is no longer the ultimate dream. The market already sells 4K and Ulta HD models.
4K is a designation of resolution in digital cinema and computer graphics, approximately corresponding to 4000 pixels horizontally.
A quick note about the Frequency that is applicable to screens of different resolutions. What does it give? This is (roughly speaking and simplistically explaining) the flickering speed of your screen and the associated delay between image frames. The lower the frequency, the worse the frame change is perceived: they become “ragged”. On the contrary, the higher. the less the pause between frames, the image becomes smooth and well perceived.
Difference between HD, UHD, 4K and 8K
The letter “p” in both variants means progressive, which means that the entire image draws each line of the frame sequentially, and such lines are 720 or 1080, respectively. An alternative is the letter “i” which stands for interlaced (1080i is the HDTV standard). Odd and even lines are displayed alternately in each frame, resulting in a slight degradation in image quality.
The term 4K refers to any display format with a horizontal resolution of approximately 4000 pixels. This is a bit confusing, since at lower resolutions the format is written as the number of pixels vertically, i.e. 1080i or 720p.
UHD or Ultra HD is the same as 4K, except for one thing: it is more suitable for consumers and television, it also has a lower resolution of 3840×2160 pixels (2K) than 4K.
- (DCI) Digital Cinema Initiatives standard is the professional production standard that is most widely used for digital production at 4096 x 2160 dots.
- UHD-1, often referred to as 4K UHD or just 4K, and sometimes as 2160p, which has become the standard for TVs with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is four times the number of pixels in Full HD.
Shooting in 4K VS 1080p. Best Resolution For YouTube Videos
Most modern UHD-1 TVs do not use the wider DCI 4K aspect ratio, as it is not suitable for most TV content.
Can you REALLY SEE the DIFFERENCE 1080 VS 4K?
There is also Full HD Ultra, sometimes referred to as 8K, with a resolution of 7620 x 4320 pixels. There are several TVs on Yandex Market that can boast of such a screen resolution and an impeccable picture, but it is recommended to choose a Full HD Ultra TV with a diagonal of at least 85 inches. On a smaller diagonal, you simply will not see all the splendor of the picture that is possible at 8K.
Is it worth taking something higher than Full HD?
It is worth it, only if you have enough 4K or UHD video sources. These can be both video files and providers who can present such content. It should be noted that there are still few providers providing such content.
Apple has begun adding 4K HDR content to iTunes ahead of time. It began appearing on iTunes for the US and several other countries.
What’s the Difference Between HD, Full HD and 4K Resolutions. Which is Better to Choose?
Modern TVs are produced with support for high quality formats. Many customers are wondering which device is advisable to purchase: in modern 4K, or is it better to entrust the already tried and tested Full HD. To solve the problem, you need to understand what the difference is.
Full HD resolution: what is it, how much resolution
The standard SD is 720576 pixels. Full HD is an extended definition with an increase in the number of pixels. 1280720. Comparing with the previous version, this indicator is 2 times higher.
There are also subcategories on the market: HD 1080, progressive, interlace. A distinctive feature of progressive is the instant video output to the screen. At the same time, high-quality detail is preserved.
4K TVs: advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of 4K is the ability to view video or photos at close range without clearly distinguishing pixels, as in the standard format. It is a technically recognized display of ultra-high quality.
Compared to earlier TVs, the picture will be as clear as possible. Among the main advantages are the following aspects:
- High definition image transmission, which is provided by increasing the total number of pixels. It will not be difficult for the human eye to perceive such a picture.
- Progressive scan per second is 120 frames. The load is evenly distributed and causes less damage to vision, the eyes practically do not get tired.
- Deep color rendering.
- Increased dynamic range. Even when watching a movie, darkened corners can be seen as clearly as possible. Now there is no need to stare at the image.
- Improved sound quality that can only be compared with the performance of a movie theater.
These TVs are ideal for video game lovers, since the characteristics allow you to convey all the movements as clearly as possible.
Among the nuances, it is important to highlight only one. this is the high cost. For such a TV, you will have to pay 2 times more money than for a standard.
What is the difference between 2D and 3D and Aimax in the cinema, find out here
What else is the difference between Full HD and HD formats
A distinctive feature of Full HD is the ability to play content in a variety of formats, unlike standard HD. Another aspect that distinguishes Full HD is its scanning:
- Frames are divided into two fields, which are represented as strings. The image appears on the screen in sequence.
- The progressive version assumes the instant appearance of the picture. It does not blur and is perfect for displaying dynamics.
The modern Full format is not a new standard, but a modification of the accepted standard for precise definition.
Back in 2007, renowned tech manufacturer Sony used this criterion as an advertising weapon in its campaign.
FHD TVs and set-top boxes: what is this and how it works?
Modern devices that support FHD try to pull the video format to the highest possible resolution. The prefix works on the same principle. TVs that do not support FHD are unable to play high-definition content, resulting in lower playback quality.
For buyers looking to indulge in modern technology, FHD will have to pay more money than standard HD, SD. This is due to the improved development of the standard by 4 times.
What do the two permissions have in common
Experts are sure that there is not much difference between Full HD and 4K. The only caveat is that the first format is suitable for most technical devices and has smaller parameters 38402160.
4K. the future is near: what is this resolution?
The new 4K format introduces an improved version of Full HD. A distinctive feature is the increase in the number of pixels by 4 times compared to full HD 1080. Accordingly, watching a movie, each user can see an improved fourfold detail. This function is especially useful for devices with a diagonal of more than 50. The total number of pixels is 8294000. The resolution is 38402160.
Purpose
One of the main questions that you need to answer before purchasing a video card is why you need it. If you are not going to play, edit video or work with 3D, then the power of the video chip built into the processor is probably enough for you.
If you want to consume content in 4K or play undemanding games, then take a look at video cards of the lower price segment. for example, NVIDIA GT 1030 Ti or AMD RX 550. Video cards more powerful. GTX 1060 and RX 570. will allow you to play most of the new products without much problems. The upper segment starts with the GTX 1070 and RX Vega 56 graphics cards. these devices are enough to run even the most demanding games at high settings in 4K.
rockpapershotgun.com
Of particular note, the Titan Xp, RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti are great choices for machine learning, video processing, and 3D modeling.
How to choose a video card
Monitor resolution, processor power, and other criteria to look out for.
Budget
The cheapest of the current models of video cards are GT 1030 and RX 550. These are ultra-budget options. their performance leaves much to be desired, but for two-dimensional, old and simply undemanding games like Fortnite or Borderlands 2, these are enough. They cost in the range of 6-8 thousand rubles.
Slightly higher in rank. GTX 1050 Ti and RX 560. Theirs, and they are powerful enough to pull new items at minimum and medium settings.
tomshardware.com
The GTX 1060, RX 570 and RX 580 are mid-range. They are enough for comfortable playing at medium and high settings. for them vary from 15 to 25 thousand rubles. It is worth noting that the GTX 1060 has modifications with 3 GB and 6 GB of memory. Better to take the older version: some modern projects 3 GB is no longer enough.
The high-end graphics card segment includes the GTX 1070, GTX 1070 Ti, RX Vega 56, RX Vega 64 and GTX 1080. These devices will handle any game on ultra settings, and are also great for virtual reality, ultra-high definition and multi-monitor configurations. GTX 1070, GTX 1070 Ti and RX Vega 56 will cost about 35 thousand rubles, and RX Vega 64 and GTX 1080. 40-45 thousand.
blogspot.com
The RTX 2070, RTX 2080, RTX 2080 Ti and GTX 1080 Ti stand out. These are the most powerful video cards available to the mass consumer. It would be rash to take them for games in Full HD. there are still no projects that need such power. These cards will be useful only for those who are engaged in the creation and processing of video and images (streamers, editors, 3D artists and animators), or those who want to enjoy the latest games on “ultra” in ultra-high resolution at 60 or more frames per second.
CPU power
When choosing a video card for games, you need to keep in mind how powerful the processor you have installed. Modern projects are very demanding on this component of the computer. So, a top model like the RTX 2080 will not be able to fully open up with a mid-range processor. for example, the i5-7500. That is, even having spent fabulous money on a video card, you will not be able to play new items on “ultra” because of this circumstance.
It is best to take a video card from the same segment as the processor. For the budget i3 or Ryzen 3. the budget GTX 1050 Ti. For i5 or Ryzen 5, GTX 1060, RX 580 or GTX 1070 are better suited. For the most powerful i7 or Ryzen 7, you should take at least a GTX 1070, or better. an RTX 2070 or GTX 1080 Ti.
instructibles.com
The exception is Intel processors of the eighth and ninth generations: you can safely select video cards from the segment above, because they are faster and more powerful than their predecessors. The generation number is the first digit in the processor number. For example, i3-8100 belongs to the eighth generation.
Resolution
The performance of video cards in games is greatly influenced by the resolution of the monitor. If your display has less than Full HD resolution. 1,600 × 900, 1,280 × 720 or 1,366 × 768. then even a budget option like the GTX 1050 Ti will be enough for you to play at high settings.
techradar.com
For Full HD, you need at least a GTX 1060 or RX 580, and better. a GTX 1070. For a resolution of 2,560 × 1.440, for example, a GTX 1070 Ti is perfect. For a comfortable game in 4K (3 840 × 2 160), you need a card no worse than a GTX 1070, but for the best performance you should take an RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 Ti. they give out 50-60 frames per second at “ultra”.
Modifications
Video cards differ not only in models, but also in manufacturers. for example, MSI, Gigabyte, Palit and ASUS. and modifications. If you have decided on a model, but cannot choose which version to take, then pay attention to the cooling system, the power of the chip and the line to which the card belongs.
For example, turbine cooling is usually louder than analogs. Two or three coolers are a relatively quiet and efficient solution. For a small card (about 170 mm) one cooler is usually sufficient. Video cards with passive cooling (that is, without coolers and turbines) do not emit any sounds at all, but it is better to put them in well-ventilated cases.
guru3d.com
In the name of some modifications, you can find the letters OC. They mean overclocked. That is, the power of the chips of these cards has been increased, which means that they are obviously more productive than their analogs.
Some companies create whole series of video card modifications. So, the AORUS line from Gigabyte, ROG Strix from ASUS, GAMING X from MSI and GamingPro from Palit include the most powerful versions.
tomshardware.com
What is smartphone screen resolution?
First, let’s define the term “screen resolution”. Smartphones and computers use the millions of small pixels (dots) that make up the display to display images. The number of pixels horizontally and vertically is the screen resolution.
Screen resolution is usually denoted as 1024 × 768 pixels (or 1366 × 768, 1920 × 1080). These numbers mean that the screen has 1,024 horizontal pixels and 768 vertical pixels.
Naturally, the more pixels on the screen, the higher the image and video resolution will be. But to be precise, you need to take into account not only the number of pixels, but also the screen size (diagonal). The best picture is displayed by displays with more pixels per inch of screen. This is called pixel density. Read more about it here.
Manufacturers of all kinds of devices with screens, so as not to confuse buyers with numbers, have come up with beautiful names for standard resolutions. They look like HD, qHD, WQHD, Full HD, 4K, etc. Below you can see a table of correspondence between names and numeric values of screen resolutions.
Screen resolution 2K (2K, WQHD, 1440p)
Over the past five years, manufacturers have been desperate to integrate higher-resolution screens into smartphones. Even where they are not particularly needed. As a result, Quad High Definition (QHD) screens have become popular in today’s mid to high end phones.
QHD has four times the pixels of standard 720p (HD). Namely 2560 × 1440 pixels. Therefore, it is also called 1440p for short. Often this resolution is also called WQHD (Wide Quad High Definition. eng.). It’s all about the aspect ratio. We will talk about it a little later in this article.
QHD resolution is sometimes referred to as 2K. Implying that this is half the 4K resolution. This is not entirely correct. Technically, the 2K resolution is 2048 × 1080. So QHD is still better. QHD can even be called 2.5K.
4K and UHD resolution
As with QHD and 2K, 4K and Ultra High Definition (UHD) resolutions are often mixed and replaced. Again, this is not entirely fair and correct.
4K screens have a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels. UHD differs in the number of pixels: 3840 × 2160. The confusion stems from the fact that 4K is the professional term for filmmakers. And UHD is a term for people and technology manufacturers. Again, this has to do with aspect ratio. Be patient! We will tell you about it soon.
Both resolutions (4K and UHD) are often referred to as 2160p. Until now, most manufacturers have tried not to put 4K screens in their phones. Since the higher the resolution, the more battery the display consumes. But you can still find ridiculous and rare 4K phones on the market. For example Sony.
What is smartphone screen resolution and how to distinguish HD, Full HD from 4K
Read what is smartphone screen resolution. And what display resolution names like HD, Full HD, WQHD, UHD, 4K, 5K, 6K and 8K really mean?
There are countless smartphones on the market with different display sizes, different screen resolutions and specific names for these characteristics. It is not easy to understand the difference between all of them. Full HD or WQHD. what do these abbreviations mean? And how do they relate to numbers like 1920 × 1080?
5K, 6K and 8K resolution
5K resolution is rare. You won’t find that on phones. 5120 × 2880 pixels in a smartphone screen already seems like overkill even for the most figure-hungry manufacturers. This is double the QHD resolution.
There are also 6K and 8K. Let’s hope that such smartphones will not appear soon. And when they do, new types of batteries will be invented that can handle the energy appetites of such displays.
Table of popular phone screen resolutions
Permission name | Horizontal × Vertical Pixels | Other permission names |
720p | 1280 × 720 | HD, High Definition |
1080p | 1920 × 1080 | Full HD, FHD, Full High Definition |
4k | 3840 × 2160 | 4K, Ultra HD, Ultra-High Definition |
8k | 7680 × 4320 |
What is Screen Aspect Ratio
Since the manufacturers of screens are people with a sick / large / stormy (choose the one that suits you) imagination, then, in addition to the resolution, diagonal and pixel density, they also came up with the characteristic “aspect ratio”.
Aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between the width and height of a video image. This is how it is usually spelled: 1: 1, 16: 9 and 4: 3.