Ultra HD and 4K are the other terms used for a 2160p resolution image, and it is seemingly an impressive four times higher than a 1080p image.
You could have a 1080p screen, and you are tempted to buy a 2160p screen since it sounds better.
What is the best resolution to use in making videos? Understanding all this is essential so that you know the advantages and disadvantages that come with each resolution.
In theory, it seems like 2160p is so much better than 1080p but, is it a good choice? Is the difference so significant that it should force you to make the upgrade? Let us look deeper into the specs of this topic to give you an answer;
Is 2160p Worth It?
A short answer is no, but it might differ depending on the size of the screen and the distance you are from it. For big screens of say 55 inches, anything above 1080p will look the same from 3 meters away.
The difference between 1080p and 2160p is tough to notice since the human eye is limited in terms of the amount of detail it can discern.
In addition to this, there is limited 4K content, and you will end up using the 4K screen with 2K content without noticing a change.
Understanding Pixels And Resolution
Atoms are the most minor components of matter; they come together to form plants, objects, people, and even whole planets.
A pixel is like an atom in a digital picture; it is the smallest element that makes up an image.
Pixels appear as tiny squares on the screen, and they come together to form images that are discernable by humans. To make a recognizable image, you need millions of pixels on the screen.
Since the pixels are square, if you use too few pixels, the image will look blocky, and the lines will look like stair steps. Using more pixels will enable the image to more closely take after the original picture.
The resolution of a screen refers to the total number of pixels used on a screen. Today’s screens mainly offer a resolution of 2073600 pixels, 2 megapixels.
The screen resolution is determined using the number of pixels displayed vertically and those displayed horizontally.
A single static image displays 2 megapixels, but a full-motion video constantly refreshes the pixels many times each second to depict a video.
Frames are the refreshed video images, and their rate determines the quality of the image.
Thirty frames per second are the minimum for achieving high-quality video, but some screens can go as high as 60 frames per second.
Using 30 frames per second on a Full HD screen will produce 6 million pixels each second. Ultra-High Resolution screens can display 8 million pixels per image.
This resolution is four times the pixels you would get from a 1080p screen. To achieve such high video quality and refresh rates, screens need APUs to help with the video rendering.
An APU consists of a CPU and GPU working together in an optimized manner to generate the best video for today’s monitors and TVs.
What Is The Best Resolution For Shooting A Video?
There is a misconception that if you want better quality, you need more megapixels. It is not that straightforward, and there are a lot of factors that affect the resolution.
Currently, there are numerous options when it comes to the resolution of a camera or screen.
These options might make selection a bit complicated, but by knowing all the perks of using each resolution, you’ll be able to know the best resolution to use.
The specifics will differ depending on your needs and situation, but you should record your videos in high definition as a general guide. The best resolution would be 1080p. This means that it should be 720p or more.
Some cases would be better if you used 720p rather than 1080p, for instance, when using a smartphone to record your videos. The rear camera is mostly 1080p, but the selfie-cam is often lower at 720p.
In such a case, the front-facing 720p camera would make for a better video recording than the back camera that needs you to keep checking to see if you got the shot right.
You can always edit the video and improve its quality to match that of a 1080p camera.
What if you have a camera that can support 1080p? Should you film at 1080p or lower the resolution? Many factors will affect this decision, and most of them deal with editing.
The first aspect is storage space. The higher the resolutions, the more storage space it needs. A 20-minute video of 2160p resolution will need much more space than a 20-minute video of 720p.
You will therefore need massive storage if you are to record everything in 4K. The resolution will also affect the processing power you need to edit the video.
If you don’t have a very powerful computer for editing, you should stick to lower resolutions like 1080p and 720p to avoid damaging your computer.
The type and size of your camera’s sensor will have an enormous impact on your image quality. There are two sensor types, CCDs and CMOS sensors, and they both receive light and transform it into an image.
The sensor type primarily affects power usage, but its size and format will significantly impact image quality.
The lighting and environment will also have some say in the quality of the image, so you should not bank everything on the resolution.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using 2160P
Both cameras and screens that can go as high as 2160p are costly in the market. This implies that some advantages come with it, which justifies the high price. Let us analyze these advantages to better understand 4K;
- The most significant advantage with 4K is that it produces high quality. If you have a good 4K screen, you will enjoy games and movies with better quality since they have a graphics processor integrated into the screen.
- Another advantage of 4k is that you can reframe your video and output Full High Definition video without losing quality. The size will fit nicely inside 1080p screens, and it makes video editing more satisfying.
- Using high resolution gives you more flexibility in your editing. Even exporting the video will be better for you since there will be no apparent loss of quality.
- 4K TVs have better color handling, and they will give a more immersive and cinematic experience. Having many pixels allows the screen to render the colors very distinctively. This precision will make the experience much better than using a low-resolution screen.
- It works very well with large TVs. Giant screens are becoming more and more popular, and it makes sense to have more pixels with a large screen. With 2160 pixels, you won’t see any blurs or distortions even if the screen is much larger than average.
- 3D images might not be a concern for many people, but 2160P screens handle 3D images very well. It is best with the passive 3D format, which reduces the resolution on other screens of lower quality.
You should aim for a minimum video resolution of 1080p if possible to get the best experience. 2160P has significant advantages, but it is not without some flaws that are worth looking at;
- High resolutions require more storage space than lower ones. This requirement implies that you would spend more on storage if you use 2160p than a person using 1080 or 720p.
- The content for 2160p is limited. Most movies and games are recorded at 1080p, and you need to upscale them to use, yet there is almost no difference on a 2160p screen. In addition to this, the difference between the two is almost unnoticeable to most people.
- The displays offering 2160p are expensive and limited. There are more and more in the market, but they are far from the standard. That said, recording video at 2160p might limit your audience.
- 4K footage requires a lot of processing power to work with. If you have a low-powered laptop, you might be unable to work with 2160p depending on the software you use for editing.
Conclusion
You could decide to upgrade to a 2160p TV since that is the future of video, but it is not worth it for now.
The difference between 1080, 720, and 2160 pixels is almost unnoticeable on a screen unless you are keenly looking for the differences.
2160p has many advantages since it offers you a high-quality video that will be clear even on large screens.
It will handle the color better; thus, it will give you a more cinematic experience than a 720p or 1080p screen.
The problem with 2160p video is that it requires a lot of storage space and editing; it needs a computer with powerful processors.
In addition to this, the screens and cameras are significantly more expensive than HD and Full HD screens.
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