What is 4K Resolution?

4K refers to the resolution of devices—with a particular emphasis on TVs in recent years—and is the next step up from HD 1080p resolution. 4K resolution was introduced in the early 2000’s, but it wasn’t until around 2012 that we saw a push for this technology with the launch of Blu-ray players and DVDs. Now, it’s becoming increasingly common to find projectors or TVs with 4K resolution. More and more devices are launching 4K resolution as a standard to show impeccable visuals. 

While 4K has taken over for now, it’s apparent that screen resolutions will continue to develop and improve. But until then, let’s discuss the details of 4K resolution and break down how it works and its advantages and disadvantages.

What is 4K?

4K resolution has become the standard for projectors, TVs and cameras, but what exactly does it mean? 4K describes a high-definition screen resolution, which might also be called 4K UHD or UHD, but these resolutions all refer to the same quality. 

4K UHD resolution is 3840 x 2160 pixels or 2160p. This is around four times more than a Full HD 1080p image, which is just 1920 x 1080 pixels. In fact, 4K resolution has around eight million pixels, doubling the number of pixels in both directions of your TV to enhance the picture quality. Simply put, a higher resolution means more pixels per inch, resulting in a high-quality, crisp image. Lower resolutions contain fewer pixels, decreasing the quality and leading to fewer details and more blurs. 

The important thing to know is that while 4K screens are sharper than 1080p ones, this resolution doesn’t automatically mean better quality. If you upgrade your device from HD to 4K to the same size as your previous one and sit close to the screen, you may not encounter much difference. This is because the human eye can’t squeeze out more detail from a 4K image than a 1080p image. Consider sitting at an appropriate distance from your TV based on its resolution for the best quality (refer to this chart for guidance) and even increase the size of your TV to get your money’s worth. A 4K TV stays sharp at a closer distance than more TVs because of the sheer number of pixels.

How is 4K Used?

4K resolution is commonly used on projectors, TVs, monitors, cameras, etc. The number of on-demand services offering 4K content, including Netflix and Amazon Prime, is growing. 

Advantages of using 4K Resolution

Detailed picture quality

4K resolution has more pixels than Full HD, which allows you to see every detail of a picture, including the hair on actors’ heads, pupils in a dog’s eyes and blades of grass on a pitch. Everything appears to snap into focus when you have a 4K TV. Plus, you’ll encounter little jagged edges or blurs in an image, as everything appears sharper as though the action is taking place in your living room. 

Enhanced colours

Since 4K technology offers so many pixels, it renders colours realistically, creating immaculate details that appear solid, making it feel lifelike.

Works well with larger TVs

The size of TVs is growing while becoming slimmer. However, the bigger your TV screen is, the more likely you are to see weaknesses in quality. But with 4K, the image quality won’t decrease with bigger screens, as there are more pixels to cover a larger area.

Disadvantages of using 4K Resolution

It might not be essential for smaller screens

4K won’t deliver as many advantages on a small screen as it does with a larger one. 4K’s impact is related to the size of the screen you’re watching it on. Your eyes simply won’t notice the difference between 4K and HD on a 30-inch TV as they would with a 60-inch screen.

4K is a more expensive option

The downside of enhanced picture quality is the increased price. 4K technology is becoming more available through subscription services, though you need to pay extra for a 4K upgrade. Additionally, 4K screens are pricier than HD TVs, and rightfully so if they’re more beneficial to viewers. But it’s something to keep in mind if you’re on the lookout for a new TV. 

Resolution isn’t the only important characteristic

Resolution has a large part to play in image quality, but other components affect picture standards, such as contrast, brightness and motion handling. Don’t just assume that a 4K TV will automatically deliver the best results if the TV is missing some other features.

4K Technology

Your TV consists of pixels that make up an image, and the number of pixels can affect the image quality. 4K TVs are packed with more pixels than an HD TV, increasing the number of pixels by four. 

TV screen resolution is clarified by the number of pixels across the screen horizontally and vertically. 4K TVs double the number of pixels, helping to minimise blurs. 

To put things into perspective, let’s imagine two 60-inch TVs—one is HD, and the other is 4K. If you place all of the pixels from the HD TV into the 4K one, they would only fill one-quarter of the 4K screen. This is because HD TVs have fewer pixels spread across the same size TV, leading to stretched pixels that break up the picture quality and details. The picture quality is more detailed by cramming eight million pixels into a smaller space. Though these details in such a small area can be difficult for the human eye to see, it’s best to increase your screen size when upgrading to 4K.

Different types of 4K technology

There are two different types of 4K technology: Native 4K and UHD. As discussed, Native 4K resolution (known as 4K DCi) boasts 4096 x 2160 pixels, as is commonly used in cinema and movie projections. The most common type of 4K resolution is 4K UHD, also called Ultra HD, which is four times the resolution of HD. 

Advancements in 4K tec over the years

One development is 4K upscaling, converting non-4K pictures to a near-4K quality. Processors built into TVs improve the quality of images frame by frame and present them at a much higher standard. The images then appear sharper and more detailed, thanks to the processor. So even if you’re not watching 4K content, 4K upscaling allows you to experience a clearer image.

Future of 4K

The future of 4K looks promising, with it being readily built into TVs, making it more accessible to households. However, it seems that 8K will eventually become the new resolution standard, four times the resolution of 4K with over 33 million pixels. 

With the increase of pixels, 8K provides an amazing amount of detail, which is highly noticeable when sitting close to the screen or watching content on a TV at least 55 inches. 

8K is the highest resolution available right now, and as the pixels are so small, they provide a detailed picture that can feel like you’re in the scenes for a more immersive viewing experience. 

When it comes to unravelling whether 8K resolution is better than 4K, it’s hard to say no. With that being said, 8K TVs are more pricey than 4K ones, so it might not become a household name but something we see more commonly in cinemas.

Furthermore, 8K technology is relatively new, so there isn’t enough 8K content available to stream. Fortunately, 8K TVs do have an upscaling function to adjust the quality of lower-definition content and transform it into a full 8K experience.

Future developments in 4K technology

As presented by EnterpriseAppsToday, sales in 4K technology are predicted to reach $679.5 billion in 2032, with the sales value currently at $114.3 in 2023. Recent advances, such as HDR and WCG (Wide Colour Gamut), helped to enhance image quality even further. Plus, introducing new applications, such as gaming and virtual reality, requires high-resolution displays that will expand the popularity of 4K technology. 

Meanwhile, the greater availability of 4K technology will make its way into healthcare to assist with improved medical images.

Summary

4K TVs have four times as many pixels as traditional Full HD, making image quality more vivid and detailed due to the greater pixel density. This quality is particularly evident in larger screens, though 4K will always appear more vivid than Full HD, even with TVs with the same size screen. 4K resolution limits restrictions on viewing distance, and you can even watch up close without seeing any individual pixels. 

Overall, 4K technology is becoming more available, allowing scenes to be more immersive and vivid.