Understanding High-Definition’s Next Step: 4K UHD

It was not very long ago when a full high definition got all the buzz and people were excited about getting a full HD TV. And now the 4K age has arrived and become the new standard for a desirable TV investment.

Sowhat is 4K resolution ? Read on and find out…

What is 4K resolution

Before talking about what a 4k resolution is, it might be useful to provide a little background information about resolution. Resolution is a term used to describe the clarity and sharpness of an image. It is measured in pixels, the individual colored dots that display vertically and horizontally and make up the picture of your screen. The higher the pixel density, the more details a screen can deliver and the clearer and sharper an image is.

For example, a 720p resolution is a display that consists of 1,280 columns and 720 rows of pixels, which add up to a total of 921,600 pixels. The name ‘720p’ is derived from the height of the pixels. A 720p resolution is the minimum resolution of a high definition display. Next up comes the 1080p, which is also known as the full high definition. There are 1,920 columns and 1,080 rows of pixels which together yield 2,073,600 pixels. Unlike the 720p, 1080p got its name from the width of the pixels.

If you follow this naming logic, you might be thinking that a 4K resolution is a resolution of 4,000 pixels horizontally or vertically. Well, the answer is not quite. For a 4K TV, a 4K resolution refers to a resolution of 3,840 columns (approx. 4,000 hence the name) multiplied by 2,160 rows of pixels for a total of 8,294,400 pixels. While in the film industry, a 4k resolution also refers to a screen of 4096 x 2160 pixels. This may sound confusing, but generally both resolutions are called 4K, 2160p, or ultra high definition (UHD). Having roughly four times as many pixels as a 1080p does, a 4K resolution is capable of delivering a cinema-quality display with much more clear and life-like pictures.

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