Continuing our TV/monitor theme, I was asked to shed some light on the pluses and minuses of 4K versus 1080p displays. On the surface, it seems like a no brainer. 4K and 1080p refer to the number of lines that make up a display. 4K means just that, 4000 lines, or approximately four times more lines than that of a 1080p display. To get a little more technical, each dot that makes up an image on a television or monitor is called a pixel. If you’ve ever played around with the screen resolution on your computer monitor, you’ll see it expressed as something like 1024×768. If you were to multiply those numbers you’d get 786,432. This is how many pixels are being used to create the image on your monitor. 1080p (also known as Full HD) has a native resolution of 1920×1080 resulting in 2,073,600 pixels. A 4K (also known as Ultra HD) television boasts a 3840×2160 resolution and 8,294,400 pixels. Ever heard of an 8K display? They do exist at 7680×4320 equaling a mind boggling 33,177,600 pixels. But, before you run to the store, there are some things to consider. Let’s take a look.
The speed of technology is often enough to make your head spin. You can buy something today and it’ll be obsolete by next week. That’s just the way things seem to work. Unfortunately, your cable company doesn’t work at the same speed. If you buy a new 4K television today, don’t expect to see the most incredible picture you’ve ever seen in your life. If you don’t have a cable box capable of transmitting a 4K signal, your television will have to “upscale” the picture. Upscaling is a process that transfers video meant for a lower resolution (fewer pixels) into a video with more pixels. A 4K TV with an “upscaled” picture will appear smoother thanks to the extra pixels, but it won’t vastly improve the picture quality as if you were to go from a standard definition television to a high definition TV. Keep in mind also if you’re interested in a 4K monitor for your computer, you’ll need a 4K video card that can handle it. Like we talked about last week in “Ahead of the Curve” viewing angle and distance play a major role in your viewing experience. If you were to purchase a 60″ 4K (Ultra HD) TV, you would need to sit less than eight feet away from the television to see it in all it’s glory. If you were to sit more than eight feet away, the image quality would look exactly the same as a 1080p (Full HD) TV. Obviously you’d need to consider the size and layout of the intended room before making a purchase.
4K TVs are definitely cutting edge. They can provide a beautiful picture under the correct circumstances. More Ultra HD programming is available now than in the past, but in my opinion, there isn’t enough available to justify making such an expensive purchase. Thanks to Ultra HD technology, it’s possible to get a large Full HD television or monitor for a steal. If it were me, that’s where I’d be looking!