Video Resolution
While using our computer monitors or LCD/LED screens, we use resolution terms like 1080p, 2K, 4K, etc. However, these are usually denoted in another format where two numbers are separated by an “X”. Let’s see what these mean and which resolution is best suitable for what type of work.
Before starting with the numbers, we must be aware of the meaning of the resolution. In this article, we cover everything related to resolutions, pixels, and why they matter.
What is Resolution?
Pixel is the smallest square dot on the monitor screen which emits a specific color. Whereas resolution is the total number of pixels that can be displayed on a monitor.
The number of pixels matters a lot when we are talking about image or video clarity. More pixels in an image form a much sharper image. This feature is denoted by Pixels Per Inch (PPI). If your image has more pixels it would be easy for you to see the details of an image even if you zoom in a lot.
What is Resolution?
Pixel is the smallest square dot on the monitor screen which emits a specific color. Whereas resolution is the total number of pixels that can be displayed on a monitor.
The number of pixels matters a lot when we are talking about image or video clarity. More pixels in an image form a much sharper image. This feature is denoted by Pixels Per Inch (PPI). If your image has more pixels it would be easy for you to see the details of an image even if you zoom in a lot.
What Do “p”, “i”, and “K” Mean in Resolution
Most of us have only come across resolutions suffixed with either “p” or “K.” But what do these actually mean?
The “p” in the resolution number stands for “Progressive” and the “i” in the resolution number stands for “Interlaced.” The “K” just symbolizes the multiple of thousand (1000). For example, 4K means 4000 pixels. However, there aren’t exactly 4000 pixels when talking about 4K resolution. We will get back to this later in this section.
Screen resolutions are stated with an “i” on older monitors and screens that had Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) technology. The pixels on older display devices were painted horizontally back in the day and were interlaced. This meant that the odd-numbered rows were painted first, and then followed by all the even-numbered rows.
The CRT painted the pixels so fast that the transition was invisible to the naked eye. However, if you looked closely, you could identify the slight blurriness because of the interlacing.
When the technology changed for display devices, the interlacing technology was also changed to progressive scanning. Instead of painting the rows as odd first and then even ones, all pixels were refreshed in a sequence. Therefore, the screen resolution naming changed from 1080i to 1080p.
The screen resolutions ending with “K” is an alternate method to name certain resolutions. As we mentioned earlier, 4K essentially means 4000 pixels. However, unlike other naming conventions that name the resolution based on the verticle number of pixels, the “K” is used with the horizontal number of pixels.
For example, if a resolution is 3840×2160, then instead of calling it “2160p,” they decided to name it 4K since the number of horizontal pixels is near to (and not exactly) 4000. The same applies to 8K, for which the actual resolution is 7680×4320.
