4K vs 1080p: What's the difference?
Currently, 4K TVs are more popular than older 1080p TVs. While 4K TVs may have better resolution and brighter colors, they are also more expensive and offer less content than 1080p TVs. When buying a 4K TV, the most critical consideration when choosing an HDMI cable capable of supporting a 4K resolution TV picture is its speed. So, is buying a 4K TV really worth it? This article will walk you through what 1080p is, what 4K is, and the difference between 4K and 1080p.
What Is Screen Resolution?
Resolution is a term that refers to the total number of pixels that a screen can display. It is typically measured in the number of horizontal pixels by vertical pixels. TVs with higher resolutions will usually have sharper images, more vivid colors, and deeper blacks.
Every flat-screen TV is made up of a grid of tiny pixels. Each of these pixels can light up in different colors. If you stand close enough to your screen, you will be able to see individual pixels. Then, when you stand back, the pixels will come together to form an image.
The most common TV resolutions these days are 1280×720 (also known as 720p or HD), 1920×1080 (also known as 1080p or Full HD), and 4K (also known as 2160p or Ultra HD).
However, it's important to remember that higher resolutions won't necessarily give you better images. If you want the best picture quality and color contrast, you should also consider the cable the TV is connected to, the TV's pixel density, or pixels per inch (PPI). Higher PPI means more detail and dynamic color range on the screen.
What Is 1080p?
A 1080p display resolution has 1,080 vertical pixels and 1,920 horizontal pixels, for a total of roughly 2 million pixels. The “p” in 1080p stands for “progressive scanning,” which means the image is transmitted all at once, as opposed to interlaced scanning.
With interlaced scanning, images are split into even and odd rows. So, a 1080i TV will only display half the image at once, but it switches between the two halves of the image so quickly that it’s hard to see. However, that means 1080i TVs might show some flickering during motion. One the other hand, progressive scanning displays the entire image on every frame at once. This means 1080p TVs offer a much cleaner image, especially when it comes to motion.
What Is 4K?
When talking about TV resolutions, a 4K display has 3,840 pixels horizontally and 2,160 pixels vertically, for a total of roughly 8.3 million pixels. The “K” in 4K stands for kilo (1,000), and it refers to the 4,000 horizontal pixels on the screen.
4K vs 1080p：Compare
When comparing 4K vs 1080p, there is no question that 4K TVs offer better image quality. This is because 4K TVs have four times as many pixels as 1080p TVs. However, 1080p TVs are much cheaper and offer a better selection of content.
Resolution
Since 4K TVs have so many more pixels than 1080p TVs, you will be able to see more details, the colors will be more vivid, and blacks will be deeper. However, you won’t notice a difference unless you have a large TV, and you are sitting close enough to the screen.
Content
When it comes to the amount of content available in 4K vs 1080p, there’s still a lot more to watch in Full HD. However, there are hundreds of 4K movies and TV shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, and other streaming services now.
It is also important to keep in mind that 4K content will have larger file sizes, so it is recommended to have an internet speed of at least 25 Mbps to stream 4K content.
Availability
When it comes to the availability of 4K TVs vs 1080p TVs, things are starting to shift. In 2019, 4K TVs became more popular than 1080p TVs in the US, according to Statista. Now that 4K is the norm, it is harder to find a 1080p TV anymore.
Cost
As you might expect, 4K TVs are generally significantly more expensive than 1080p TVs of the same size. For example, a 49-inch 1080p TV from TCL currently sells for about $250, while a 4K TV from the same brand sells for about $435. However, most 4K TVs will cost over $400.
Colors
When comparing the color quality of 4K vs 1080p, Ultra HD TVs win by a long shot. Since 4K TVs have a higher resolution, they can render more dynamic colors than 1080p TVs. This means there are more subpixels that can display more hues and shades.
In addition, screen technologies, like liquid crystal display (LCD) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED), can control the amount of light for each pixel, which will give you even more realistic colors and darker blacks.
Is 4K worth it?
A 4K TV is only worth it if you have a big enough TV and you're close enough to the screen. According to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, you'll need to sit within 8 feet of a 65-inch TV to notice the difference between 4K and 1080p.
That means if you're going to buy a smaller TV or if you're going to sit further away from the screen, a 4K TV might not be worth it. However, these are just general guidelines, and if you have good eyes, you may notice the difference from further distances.
Also, if you plan to stream content and your internet speed is below 25 Mbps, then a 4K TV might not be worth it.
Finally, most of the latest smart TV features only work with newer 4K TVs. While 1080p TVs have lived up to expectations, 4K TVs can now offer you great value for money and are a great investment for future-proofing your home or office entertainment.
Conclusion
With the surge in the use of high-resolution displays around the world, we are seeing a growing need for audio/video transport to keep up with this scalable growth. Mainstream monitors at 4K resolution have become commonplace, and with the start of 8K resolution broadcasts in recent years, it's clear that the amount of data being transmitted around the world has grown exponentially. The bandwidth required for these transmissions is beyond the capabilities of traditional HDMI cables, so we need fiber HDMI 2.1 cables that provide ultra-high speed and bandwidth.
