How to Choose a TV: 720p, 1080p or 4K?

Finding the right HDTV is not easy. There are many brands and models to choose from, and you can buy TVs online and in retail stores that are feature-rich and reasonably priced. One of the key factors in choosing your TV is the picture resolution. When deciding which resolution is best for you, consider the viewing distance from the TV to where you sit while viewing and the size of the picture screen. These two factors affect how you perceive the resolution of your TV.



Picture Resolution and Image Quality

Resolution describes the clarity or sharpness of a TV picture and is measured in pixels. The more pixels a TV screen displays, the greater the detail. A 720p screen displays 1280 pixels across and 720 pixels vertically, for a total of about 921,000 pixels. In comparison, a 1080p screen has 1920 pixels across and 1080 vertically — about 2.1 million pixels. This greater number in the same-sized screen means the 1080p screen has pixels that are smaller than those of the 720p screen, so its picture detail is clearer and sharper. In general, the more pixels the TV has, the higher the cost.

4K TV Ups and Downs

The latest increase in picture resolution technology is UHD, also commonly called 4K. A 4K TV has 3840 pixels across and 2160 vertically for about 8.3 million pixels. This is about four times the resolution of a 1080p TV screen, which increases the level of detail and sharpness significantly. Although most 4K TVs upscale traditional HD broadcasts to the higher resolution, to fully appreciate the remarkable level of detail on your 4K TV, you need channels or movies that transmit in UHD; they are still rare at the time of publication.

Viewing Distance and Optimum Screen Size

Before you shop, measure the distance from your couch to the TV location. For all resolutions, there is a distance that is too close — you’ll be able to see individual pixels — and a screen size that is optimum for the resolution and distance you choose. For example, if you plan to sit 7 feet, 4 inches from your new television, a 42-inch TV delivers the best perceived quality for a 720p resolution at that distance; a 55-inch TV delivers the best viewing experience for a 1080p resolution, and a 75-inch TV provides the best viewing experience for a 4K TV. Charts are available online that include other distances for similar comparisons.

Screen Size and Cost Considerations

Use your viewing distance as a factor when you shop. When viewing TVs in a retail store, sit or stand at the distance you plan to watch at home. If the viewing distance in your home requires a TV too large for your budget, buy the largest screen size possible within your budget or select a TV with a lower resolution — a 1080p TV rather than a UHD TV, for example. In general, the bigger the screen and the higher the resolution, the greater the cost.

Play 4K/1080P/720P videos on TV

In a word, you can watch 4K/1080P/720P videos on TV according to your like. If you have any problems in importing and playing 4K/1080P/720P videos on TV or playing DVD and Blu-ray on TV, you can have a try iFastime Video Converter Ultimate (Mac) which can solve you can’t play videos on TV including SD/HD/4K in any formats like MP4, MKV, H.265, MOV, MXF, MTS, and DVD, Blu-ray, ISO etc by converting your videos to TV more friendly formats.

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720p vs. 1080p vs. 4K resolution: Does it really make a difference?

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I know that many of you out there are shouting at your computer screens after reading that headline. “Of course it makes a difference!” And you’re right — there is a perceptible difference between the most common resolutions for TVs, smartphones and computer monitors. But your mileage will noticeably vary based on a few important factors.

As Carlton Bale explains in helpful a blog post, “the screen must be quite large and you must sit fairly close” to detect the added resolution of a 4K display over a 1080p display. 8.3 million pixels (4K) vs. 2.1 million pixels (1080p) might sound like big gap, but considering the fact that “a person with 20/20 vision can resolve 60 pixels per degree,” most viewers won’t see the difference.

In order to prove his point, Bale put together this handy chart which shows exactly how large your screen needs to be and how (ridiculously) close you need to stand to it in order to get the full benefit of the extra pixels:

Research shows that the average viewer sits nine feet away from the television, but in order to fully experience 4K resolution on a massive 84-inch display, you’ll need to sit 5.5 feet or closer to your TV.

In other words, unless you’re planning on picking up a television with a display that approaches 100 inches, this might not be the right time to invest in a 4K TV. And on top of that, there’s still hardly any 4K content available to watch, so for now, 1080p is really all the resolution you need.

Have more questions about how to choose a TV: 720p, 1080p or 4K, please feel free to contact us>> or leave a message at Facebook.

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