4K Resolution Size comes in handy mostly for Youtube videos. This post explores what 4k resolution display or TV viewing is. It also shows reasons why you need to opt-in for a Home Theater & Entertainment movies TV shows in Ultra HD displays or resolution. To start with, let’s talk about what 4k means.
What Does 4K Mean? what Does 4k Resolution Mean
To get started, What is 4K Resolution Size? A 4K TV or display is a video or motion picture display with 4K resolution. In technical terms, it means the TV or video has 3,840 horizontal pixels and 2,160 vertical pixels. For a total of about 8.3 million pixels. It’s named 4K because it has about four times as many pixels as a 1080p TV. Also, it is nearly 4000 pixels wide horizontally (The “K” in 4K stands for Kilo). Also, note that 4k resolution is known as Ultra High Definition (UHD).
What is Resolution?
To get a better insight into the 4K Resolution Size, we need to discuss the word resolution. Resolution is a term that tells you just how densely your TV tiny dots, the pixels, are put together on the display. Individual pixels collect together to make up the image you see on the screen. So the higher the pixel count, the higher the resolution, and the higher the quality of display or image you see.
Aside from the 4k display or TV set, they still exist other High Definition displays or TV resolutions such as 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2K. The higher resolution four times the 4k, the 8K resolution. Most television sets like LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and Vizio use these HD, UHDs and Ultra HD displays to show better motion pictures. Though they still exist lowers resolutions like 144p, 240p, 230p and 480pixels.
How Do I Know If a TV Set, Monitor, or Projector is 4K Display?
You need to know that not all TV sets advertised as 4K resolution is 4K. That’s why you need to check the technical characteristics of such TV before it grading it as a 4K TV set as HD displays sometimes show an image similar to that of 4K. To Know Ultra HD TV, monitor, or projector, you need to check for the following characteristics;
- A resolution of 3840 × 2160 anything higher than this should be graded as 8K resolution.
- An aspect ratio of 1.77∶1 (16∶9)
- Support for color depth of 8 BPC (24 bit/px)
- At least one HDMI input capable of supporting 3840 × 2160 at 24, 30, and 60 Hz progressive scan (might not have RGB / Y′CBCR 4:4:4 color), and HDCP 2.2
- Capable of processing images according to the color space defined in ITU-R BT.709
- Capable of upscaling HD content (i.e. 720p / 1080p)
Why You Need 4K Resolution Display?
4K TVs have four times more pixels than traditional Full HD (1920 x 1080) TVs. Even on TV screens of the same size, the 4K TV picture quality ends up being more vivid and detailed thanks to the greater pixel density.
This difference is especially obvious in big-screen TVs. For example, if you compare the quality of a traditional 65″ Full HD TV to a 65″ 4K UHD TV, you’ll notice a difference in the pixels that make up the screen. For high-resolution TVs, the pixels are smaller than in a lower-resolution TV of the same size. So you can enjoy a more immersive experience without restrictions on viewing distance and watch from up close without noticing the individual pixels.
In other words, 4k gives a better image looks and experience compared to the lower counterparts but more on the high image display is the 8K resolution.
4K Resolution TV Brands – TV with 4K Resolution
Apparently, the new TV released from the past 7 years has a 4k resolution. The reason has been that the first 4k resolution or TV set was first announced on August 22, 2012. LG announced the world’s first 3D UHDTV using the 4K system.
On August 23, 2012, UHDTV was officially approved as a standard by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), standardizing both 4K and 8K resolutions for the format in ITU-R Recommendation BT. 2020.
So, unless there’s a specific reason that you’re looking for a 1080p TV, you should be able to cover your needs with one of the 4k models that are available on the market. Here is a list of TV set makers or brands that sell 4K TV displays;
- LG
- Sony
- Samsung
- Hisense
- TCL
- Panasonic
- Vizio
Ultra HD, 4K and 8k and Beyond, the 16K Resolution
Recently, Japan started broadcasting one channel of 8K content. Making it so easy for the emergence of 16K content.
While 4K Ultra HD may seem like the big thing, there’s already a new display. It’s called 8K, and with a resolution of 7680 x 4320 (or 4320p), it’s four times that of 4K Ultra HD and 16-times that of Full HD. That may seem all too appealing, but there are a couple of reasons you don’t need an 8K TV or display right now;
- Currently, 8K TVs or displays are incredibly expensive.
- 4K Ultra HD is the new industry standard, and there’s a lot of work to be done before 8K replaces it. Among other reasons.
Though as we advise to stay clear from 8K the telecommunication industry is already beginning to talk about 16K, which you shouldn’t even be considering if you’re not a member of the 1%. Even then, there’s no real 16K content right now, save for some pseudoscience that allows manufacturers like Sony to show off its fidelity as best it can.
Your only real reason to spring for something in this category at present is if you have massive display needs, as the latest TV tech supports sets much larger than current mainstream 4K models are capable of.
TV Components To Considers Other Than Resolution; Color, Contrast, and Size – 4K Resolution Size
Resolution is one of the most common specifications used to sell TVs, partly because of “4K” and “8K” sound high-tech and impressive. However, a resolution is not the most important ingredient in picture quality. Just because a TV has a higher resolution than another, doesn’t always mean it looks better. It might, but not always, and for reasons that have little to do with resolution.
A TV with better high dynamic range (HDR) performance, a better overall contrast ratio or better color will look better than one that just has more pixels, video processing/upscaling, color consistency, black level response, screen size, physically looks and room fitness are all factors to be considered before choosing which television set to buy that will give the best video experience.
What Is 4K Resolution Upscaling?
Upscaling converts low-resolution material (most often video or images) into a higher definition. Yes! Upscaling occurs when you output DVD footage to your Full HD television.
Upscaling produces video that utilizes your monitor’s maximum aspect ratio, even when playing a lower resolution video.
Most flat-screen TVs have a 1920x1080p resolution, resulting in 2,073,600 pixels in total—that’s 1,920 across, multiplied by 1,080 rows of pixels. A 1280×720 HD movie doesn’t use all the available pixels; it only uses 921,600 of them. That’s a huge deficit. A device that supports upscaling, then, “fills in the blanks”, effectively stretching the image across the entire screen.
It does so using an interpolation algorithm. This infers new data by extracting from known elements; it tells “blank” pixels what to do based on what those surrounding it display, and then duplicates that content.
This doesn’t sound like a fair interpretation of a film. To counter this, many manufacturers apply sharpening software to market their products, thereby reducing pixelation or softening. Contrasts are often tampered with to make an image look more vivid.
Should I Buy 4K TV as a Consumer?
Let’s reiterate the four primary resolutions you’ll need to know as a consumer before buying your next TV:
HD: 1280×720
Full HD: 1920×1080
Ultra HD/4K: 3840×2160
Ultra HD/8K: 7620×4380
However, only the first three are widely used. 8K televisions are huge and never took the market by storm. They look amazing, but prices are similarly incredible. Most consumers consider 4K displays as the best quality display available for home viewing.
Ultra HD and 4K – What’s the difference?
There is a difference between Ultra HD (UHD) and 4K—but for all intents and purposes, these differences don’t affect regular household consumers. Their disparities are typically only notable for those in video production.
So, at the consumer level, there is no difference. The two terms are practically interchangeable. But talk to professionals in the video production or cinema industry and they’ll chew your ear off about how what we lowly consumers call 4K isn’t 4K at all. Technically, they’re right.
In the professional world, 4K is a digital cinema standard that calls for a 4096 x 2160-pixel resolution. That first number is a horizontal measurement, the latter vertical, and they work out because they fit a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Looking at those numbers, it makes sense to use the term 4K, because the horizontal measurement is in the four thousand neighborhood and is double the prior 2K (2048 x 1080) standard.
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Can you tell from the human eye, the difference between 4K and 1080p?
Now if you had a 1080p picture and a 4K Resolution Size picture on something like a smartphone screen you would notice very little difference. This is because a smartphone screen is so small. That is, even very close to the screen you would not be able to see the tiny pixels and the difference to the two pictures.
However, let’s expand this screen a bit. If you have a 38″ TV and you had a 4K picture vs a 1080p picture, now you are starting to get into the realms of actually seeing the difference. Because the picture is now larger. So also, those pixels are now also larger. Thus, so a higher resolution means more pixels per inch.
Ok so let’s scale it up even further – let’s imagine a 4K vs a 1080p resolution screen on a projector. If you were to sit close up to a 4K picture on a 4K native resolution projector and compare it to a 1080p resolution picture and you were to put the picture on to a 6ft screen – now you would notice the difference.
Now if you had a 6ft projector and you displayed both a 4K image on it and a 1080p image on it, it had enough native resolution and you were close enough, now you should be able to see a difference. However again there can be more at work here to make you see a 4K image from an HD source. If the source is not 4K the projector or TV might do a thing called upscaling.
Do I need a 4K screen to watch 4K YouTube videos?
Not only can you watch 4K videos on a 1080P monitor, but you also get most of the benefits of 4K. That’s because 4K cameras are capturing 2 green, 1 blue, and 1 red pixel so each pixel isn’t a full-color pixel. Displays and HDTVs on the other hand render full RGB. When you merge 4 pixels (2×2) from a 4K stream, it produces a full RGB 1080P image which renders perfectly on a 1080P monitor. That’s why it looks so much better when you view the 4K YouTube video on a 1080P display.
The higher bitrate that Google allocates to 4K contributes to the quality too, but the higher source resolution being supersampled down to 1080P is where most of the quality gains come from.
The 4K display resolution market forecast
for the period 2015-2025 is likely to be exceptionally promising. Trends encircling the global market for 4K display resolution are redefining the market dynamics for a resolute growth.
Key trends influencing 4K Display Resolution
Below are why 4K resolution has turned to be the telecommunication industrial high definition display standard and will continue to be till the creation of 8k content becomes ramparts as Japanese is the only country that streams 8k content currently.
Superior Quality and Blur-free image
One of the most appealing features of 4K display resolution, where the consumer can view the very minute details of a motion picture. Unlike LEDs or LCDs, 4K Resolution Size TVs are efficient in providing blur-free images at all times.
High-Quality Video Recording
The 4K resolution technology is not restricted as an advancement in display technology. It is also incorporated in cameras that click photos and capture videos in high definition.
The proliferation of Electronic Devices
Availability of smartphones, tablets, portable gaming devices, and TVs and any similar display devices are growing opportunities for the applicability of 4K display resolution technology.
Multiple Utilization
Personal and public entertainment aren’t the only verticals driving demand for 4K display monitors. Such monitors are being significantly utilized by industrial verticals such as product design, consumer electronics, advertisement, aerospace, and defense technology, among others.
Rising Tech Enthusiasm
A growing number of tech enthusiasts are catalyzing the growth of the 4K display resolution market.
Shifting Consumer Preferences
Tech-savvy and entertainment-craving consumers are preferring to buy 4K display TVs as the “ultimate” television experience. Additional services such as smart TV and interactive applications are generating hype among consumers.
The Viral use of 4K – How 4K is Changing the Telecom Industry
- 4K Ultra HD TVs are in mass productions by different TV set brands like LG, Sony, Samsung, etc.
- There are 4K-enhanced video projectors in high circulation in the market
- Most AV home theater receivers come along with 4K pass-through and/or 4K video upscaling capability.
- There are mass production or creation of 4K content available in video streaming platforms like Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Zulu, Amazon, Vimeo, and Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc format and players like VLC player, etc.
- United States satellite provider DirecTV became the first pay-TV provider to offer access to 4K content, although limited to selected video-on-demand films.[87] In August 2015, British sports network BT Sport launched a 4K feed, with its first broadcast being the 2015 FA Community Shield football match. Two production units were used, producing the traditional broadcast in high-definition, and a separate 4K broadcast. As the network did not want to mix 4K footage with upconverted HD footage.
- Some 4K Resolution Size, like 3840 × 2160, is often casually referred to as 2160p. This name follows from the previous naming convention used by HDTV and SDTV formats. Which refer to a format by the number of pixels/lines along the vertical axis (such as “1080p” for 1920 × 1080 progressive scan, or “480i” for the 480-line interlaced SDTV formats) rather than the horizontal pixel count of 4K Resolution Size (4000 or “4K” for 3840 × 2160)