4K: what is it & should you always use it?
4K resolution, also called 4K, refers to a display device or content having horizontal resolution on the order of 4,000 pixels.
Several 4K resolutions exist in the fields of digital television and digital cinematography. In the movie projection industry, Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) is the dominant 4K standard.
4K has become the common name for ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV), although its resolution is only 3840 x 2160 (at a 16:9, or 1.78:1 aspect ratio), which is lower than the movie projection industry standard of 4096 x 2160 (at a 19:10 or 1.9:1 aspect ratio).
The use of width to characterize the overall resolution marks a switch from the previous generation, high definition television, which categorized media according to the vertical dimension instead, such as 720p or 1080p.
Under the previous convention, a 4K UHDTV would be equivalent to 2160p. YouTube and the television industry have adopted Ultra HD as its 4K standard, 4K content from major television networks remains limited.
In this post we'll cover:
What’s the point of 4K video?
With 4K you can enjoy beautiful 3840 × 2160 images – four times the resolution of Full HD. That’s why images look clear and realistic even on big screen TVs, not grainy.
Images converted from 4K to Full HD have a higher quality and resolution than images shot in Full HD from scratch.
Which is better: HD or 4K?
A lower-resolution “HD” quality that some panels have peaked at was 720p, which is 1280 pixels wide and 720 pixels high.
The 4K resolution is defined as four times the resolution of 1920 × 1080, expressed in the total number of pixels. 4K resolution can actually be 3840×2160 or 4096×2160 pixels.
4K gives a much sharper image than HD.
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Are there any downsides to 4K?
The disadvantages of a 4K camera are mainly the size of the files and the fact that such a camera is only useful for use on 4K screens.
Large files
Because the videos have such a high quality, that extra information also has to be stored somewhere. Therefore, videos in 4K also have a much larger file size.
This means that not only will your memory card be full faster, but you will also need an extra memory disk faster to store all your videos.
In addition, your computer must have sufficient processing power to be able to edit your videos in 4K!
Also read: Best video editing program | 13 best tools reviewed
Only useful for 4K screens
If you play a 4K video on a Full HD TV, your video will never be seen in optimal quality.
This also means that you must own a 4K screen to be able to edit your images in their original quality.
Hi, I'm Kim, a mom and a stop-motion enthusiast with a background in media creation and web development. I've got a huge passion for drawing and animation, and now I'm diving headfirst into the stop-motion world. With my blog, I'm sharing my learnings with you guys.
