4K resolution has stalled or 6 reasons why a Full HD monitor will last you for a long time

High-definition video, or as it is commonly called Full HD, at the instigation of Sony, appeared back in 2007. Any movie, clip or video whose pixel density is defined as 1920 horizontally and 1080 vertically is labeled as 1080p or Full HD.

But technology does not stand still, and manufacturers of televisions, camcorders, smartphones and tablets are increasingly talking about ultra high resolution 4K . Apple has gone even further and decided to expand its range of iMac computers with 5K support.

UHD or 4K - what is it? Another advertising ploy that will cost the consumer a pretty penny or a technological miracle that can give a lot of pleasure?

What is 4K video?

Ultra High-Definition (UHD) or 4K is a picture consisting of more than 8 million pixels. On television, the scan was standardized to 3840 x 2160 px. Most television cameras and consumer electronics that support 4K shoot at a higher resolution of 4096x2160 pixels (2160p).

Multiplying these two numbers and we get an impressive number of pixels, the combination of which adds up to an image of stunning detail.

“The standard of the passing century”, Full HD, contains 4 times fewer pixels, and analog TV - 23 times. But that's not the only difference between 4K and Full HD

Bottom line

So, let’s consolidate the material of today’s article. Ultra HD is just a 4K standard used in consumer technology. It falls a little short of full-frame 4K, the characteristics of which are described in the relevant standards, although it does not cease to be a qualitatively new resolution with high detail.

The only noticeable difference was the resolution. We hope that now, when approaching a counter with TVs or other equipment, you won’t have to rack your brains with prefixes in the name, understanding the differences between 4K and Ultra HD.

What's the difference between 4K and 1080p?

Place two TVs with the same screen diagonal in front of any person, one supporting Full HD, the other supporting 4K, and you will no doubt hear: “4K is much clearer.” This is true. Exactly four times: 1 pixel of information in 1080p is equal to 4 pixels in 4K. This is precisely what explains such an impressive difference in color rendering, contrast and sharpness.

But high resolution requires increased cable and port capacity. This is how HDMI 2.0 appeared, a port that supports 4K resolution by default and easily plays 2160p video at 60 frames per second. The previous generation of HDMI also supported 4K, but did not allow 60fps playback.

What does this very FPS give (from English frames per second - frames per second)? Video perception. It becomes sharper, and any movement and dynamics are perceived more “alive”.

Today you can watch 4K video from many devices, but it has certain hardware requirements and the need for high Internet bandwidth. Thus, the popular streaming service Netflix recommends a stable connection speed of 25 Mbit/s for 4K playback.

But what happens if you run 1080p or lower resolution video on a TV that proudly displays the 4K logo? The engineers also foresaw this point.

After launching 1080p on a 4K TV, a special software and hardware converter comes into play, which artificially increases the scan rate of the source video. No, it not only multiplies pixels in a ratio of 1 to 4 or 1 to 10 (in the case of 720p), but also applies special filters that control the sharpness and smoothness of the picture transition between each independent pixel.

So, 1080p and even 720p videos can look great on a 4K TV. Of course, everything depends on the quality of the built-in converter. That is why, by connecting, say, the same Apple TV set-top box, you can still enjoy excellent video quality.

Another difference between 4K and 1080p is the requirement for screen diagonal. I personally have repeatedly met fans of UHD quality who have proven to me that 4K movies are much more spectacular on the 11-inch MacBook Air. Alas, this is a global misconception. On the MacBook Air screen you can only see the difference in frame rate, but not in resolution. Therefore, 4K at 60 FPS supposedly looks “much more spectacular” than 1080p at 30 FPS. It seems so. That's just...

You can really notice the difference on a screen with a diagonal of 50 inches, and the generally accepted starting point in the world of 4K TVs is 55 inches. What about Retina? Yes, the resolution of the latest generations of iPad deserves praise, a smartphone with a 4K screen from Sony is great, but why such a display on a device whose diagonal does not exceed 5-10 inches? Do you see the difference? I doubt.

Do I need a new computer?

Just as 4K video requires a lot more storage space, it also requires a lot more processing power to handle the load when it comes to editing the footage.

As always, when looking at computer performance, you need to pay attention to the speed of the processor, the number of cores, the performance of the video card, how much RAM is installed, as well as the type and capacity of the hard drive.

Minimum PC requirements

4K+HDR or “full feng shui”

These three letters, HDR, should be understood as high dynamic range imaging. In the field of photography, we are already accustomed to HDR, but now it has reached video.

Today, HDR video is supported by a limited number of flagship TV models. The resolution of such a video is exactly the same as that of 4K, but each individual pixel has an expanded color palette. As a result, the picture turns out even more natural and bright, all the nuances of shadows and shades are displayed.

Today, viewing HDR video is possible if two mandatory conditions are met. First, you have a display that supports HDR transmission technology. The second is the corresponding content in HDR10 or Dolby Vision format.

Benefits of 4K

This type of device has a number of positive qualities that you should pay attention to before purchasing:

• The newest matrix.
  It allows you to display images with a resolution of 3840×2160. With its help, excellent quality is created, noticeable to a person, regardless of his location in the room and level of technical proficiency.
• Can be used comfortably in small spaces.
  4K devices are gentle on the eyes, so you can watch TV from short distances.
• Total immersion in video games.
  Due to the realism, the technology allows you to completely immerse yourself in virtual reality, making the game more interesting and exciting. Over time, more video games will add features that support this format.
• Wide color gamut.
  Due to this parameter, the slightest difference in shades will be noticeable, which contributes to the most realistic image rendering.
• Contrast and detail.
  Another factor that ensures the colorfulness and accuracy of the picture.

Price issue and how much is a 4K TV today?

The price gap between a Full HD TV and a TV that supports 4K is gradually disappearing. 4K has already ceased to be premium, and the cost of individual models of the corresponding TVs is practically no different from those designed for 1080p.

The average cost of a TV that supports 4K varies from 500 to 1200 dollars (33,000 - 80,000 rubles). Samsung, Sony, Philips, Sharp, LeEco, Xiaomi - the range of manufacturers and models is growing exponentially every day. But…

Disadvantages of 4K

Any device, even the most modern and high-tech, can still have a number of disadvantages. Although there are much fewer of them than advantages, they are also worth paying attention to:

• Limited content.
  At the moment there are not many platforms that support this format.
• Intermittency.
  Unfortunately, even content adapted for 4K is unable to transmit such a huge amount of data perfectly and without interruption.
• Price.
  TVs are included in the premium segment, but in some stores you can buy a budget 4K TV from 30 thousand rubles.

Do you need a 4K TV?

Answer a few questions for yourself. What TV do you have at home? What is its diagonal? How much time do you spend at the box?

Streaming services like Netflix have made it much easier to find 4K movies and TV series. Content shortages are a thing of the past, and manufacturers have sorted out standards and specifications, reaching a consensus. That's why buying a 4K TV today will guarantee you video compatibility for years to come.

And if the old plasma is already beginning to fail, distressing you with faded and faded colors, consider that you are ready to purchase.

What content can you watch in 4K?

As was written above, not everything can be watched in this format. But there are several fairly large platforms that offer this kind of content:

• Netflix.
  One of the most famous and popular services that provides high quality videos for every taste. The downside is that a subscription costs $11, but it removes absolutely all restrictions. Trial version available.
• Youtube.
  It becomes possible to watch videos in high definition if you enable the appropriate option. After this, a super-detailed image appears on the screen. It cannot be called full 4K, since the platform itself compresses the quality. Nevertheless, the difference is noticeable.
• A television.
  You can watch Russian channels in 4K through Tricolor TV. The number of TV channels is limited, but there is plenty to choose from. Development is happening gradually and it is likely that the number of channels will expand over time.
• Ivi.
  The popular online cinema differs from its competitors in that it offers to watch a number of films for free in 4K quality.
• Okko.
  You will have to subscribe to the Russian online cinema, but you can find a number of films that support such high resolution.

How to edit?

Adobe Premiere Pro CC from Adobe. Available on both Windows and OS X

Editing 4K footage not only requires a powerful computer, you also need specialized software.

There are many programs for editing video content, and as 4K becomes more common, support for this resolution is expanding, even in inexpensive programs like Apple's iMOVIE. But to achieve the best results, it is recommended to use more powerful programs such as Adobe, Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Pro X.

Final Cut Pro X from Apple. Available on OS X only

Just keep in mind that different cameras shoot video differently, and different video editing software interacts with these file formats differently, so you should do some research to find which programs provide the best performance and experience with your footage.

Working with shades

What it is? If you look out the window now, you will most likely see gray clouds and snow. Not the most saturated color gamut, but the human eye is capable of distinguishing many shades even in this monotonous landscape, which give the picture transmitted to the brain clarity and volume. A standard modern TV, even a “classic” 4K, does not convey color in such detail, but 4K HDR can handle it.

The main idea behind the HDR format is that it gives a higher level of contrast between the light and dark areas of the image on the screen. In words it doesn’t sound too impressive, but within the framework of technology this is quite a serious step. Contrast, the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black, is measured in candelas per square meter (cd/m2), or nits. The lowest level of the brightness spectrum will be 0 nits (that is, complete darkness), which can now only be achieved on special displays with organic LEDs. But the top rate of 4K HDR models is an order of magnitude higher than that of their ordinary counterparts. True, TVs still have a long way to go before they convey real lighting. Take a look at the following illustration. As we can see, HDR technology has reached the brightness of an ordinary fire, and television technology is still as far away from the brightness of indirect sunlight as it is from Mars. It’s completely awkward to talk about ordinary TVs in this context. The essence of shooting in HDR is that the camera shoots in several modes at once with different shutter speeds in order to fully “catch” both the light and shadows of the objects or scenes being photographed. The information is then processed to combine it into a single, balanced picture that is as close as possible to how humans perceive color and light. Like 4K, the HDR format is already actively used in modern cinema, so that an ordinary TV now “eats” part of the color gamut of the film. HDR technology, according to NVIDIA, can double the color gamut, which covers 75% of the spectrum visible to humans.

The question arises to what extent should all these indicators concern the viewer himself? In no small part. The difference between 4K HDR and a regular HDTV is visible to almost anyone, since HDR significantly enhances the contrast between black and white, that is, white becomes very bright and black becomes extremely dark. The colors look much richer and more saturated, the whole picture, in principle, seems more voluminous and vibrant to the eye. This effect turns out to be psychologically stronger than 3D, and without any glasses or visual fatigue. Since the technology in television is relatively new, not every TV, even with 4K resolution, has the HDR format, and not all devices where the effect is presented implement HDR with maximum efficiency. In fact, the new technology will only be fully revealed in the 2021 models, and we took Sony's XD93 series as an example. Using a “live” example, we will try to consider the future of television in the new format, as well as the technological developments that make it possible.