Definition of Video Resolution: 4:3 Resolution, 4K, 1080P and 720P
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10 May 2024 Technology Manager of Test Dept.
Summary
Videos are widely produced, watched and used in our daily life. Since the video resolution determines the clarity, how much do you know about video resolution? In this essay, we will comprehensively talk about video resolution, including the commonly-used video resolution, the resolution of some devices and file formats, the aspect ratios of different resolutions which are adaptive to the playing environment in various devices.
Since more and more people prefer to watch videos with high quality, the video resolution becomes higher and higher. However, many people do not understand the resolution well. For example, what is 4K/2K/1080P/720P? What about their differences? How about the resolutions of mobile phones, 4k TVs, DVD, video recorders and different video files? How to convert the resolutions, the aspect ratios and the formats between videos? Answers for the above will be provided here.
Part 1. Overview of Video Resolution
Definition of Video Resolution
Video resolution indicates the precision of a video in unit size. When you enlarge a video, you can see many tiny areas of illumination called as pixel, the basic element of a video.
Resolutions and pixels have tight connection with each other. For example, the resolution of a video is 1280*720, which indicates that there are 1280 pixels in horizontal and 720 pixels in vertical.
The resolution, one of the most important elements of video quality, determines the video image precision. Generally speaking, in case of two videos in fixed size, the video with higher resolutions contains more pixels. As a result, the video will be more delicate and with high quality.
What is 4K/2K/1080P/720P?
4K
4K, also called 4K resolution, refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,096 pixels. Mostly, 4K means 4096*2160 resolution. Due to the application scope difference, various resolutions are derived from 4K, such as 4096*3112 (Full Aperture 4K), 3656*2664 (Academy 4K) and 3840*2160 (UHDTV standard).
4K resolution is the ultra high definition with over 8 million pixels. In a 4K video, you can see each detail. Of course, 4K videos have certain requirements.
Because each frame of a 4K video is up to 50MB, decoding and editing will need to be processed in a high profile deivice. What’s more, it takes a long time for you to download it.
If you do not know how to download 4K videos, click here for more about it.
2K
2K, also called 2K resolution, refers to a horizontal display resolution of over 2000 pixels. The mainstream 2K resolutions are 2560*1440 and 2048*1080. Many digital projectors adopt 2K resolution. 2048*1536 and 2560*1600 are also included in 2K resolutions.
How about 2K Resolution?
| Resolution | Devices support this resolution |
|---|---|
| 2048*1080 | 2K standard devices supported |
| 2048*1536 | the New iPad, iPad mini2 |
| 2560*1440 | WQHD |
| 2560*1600 | WQXGA |
1080P
1080P means 1920*1080 resolution, called as “full high definition”. 1080P refers to a horizontal display resolution of 1920 pixels and a vertical resolution of 1080 pixels. As for most of videos display devices, it looks quite clear becuase it provides engough pixels.
Many HD TVs adopt the 1080P resolution as the standard or the original resolution, such as LCD TVs, plasma TVs and front projection technologies like D-LLA, SXRD and DLP.
720P
720P, also called as “high definition”, generally means the 1280*720 resolution. It refers to a horizontal display of 1280 pixels and a vertical display of 720 pixels, which is a mainstream resolution in video websites. Since it is the lowest standard of high definition, it is also called as standard HD. A video whose resolution is below 720P is not HD.
Differences among 4K/2K/1080P/720P
Theoretically, 1080P videos are obviously more delicate and clearer than 720 videos; and 2K videos are clearer than 1080P video though their resolutions are close. Of course, as for these 3 resolutions, you can hardly discover their differences by playing with a small screen.
The pixels of 4K is four times of that of 1080P, so it looks clearer than 720P, 1080P and 2K. Also, 4K video takes more disk space. But 4K videos have more requirements for devices and consumes more transmission and download time.
| 720P | 1080P | 2K | 4K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1280*720 | 1920*1080 | 2560*1440 | 4096*2160 |
| Pixels | ≈1 million | ≈2 million | ≈3 million | ≈8 million |
| Image quality | HD | FHD | QFHD | UHD |
| Device | TV, mobile phone | TV, mobile phone, monitor | Projector | Projector, TV |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 | ≈16:9 (17:9) |
| File size | ≈1G (90mins) | ≈10G (90mins) | ≈15G (90mins) | ≈50G (90mins) |
Part 2. How to Select Video Resolution?
Theoretically, the higher resolution, the clearer video. Should we seek higher and higher resolution? Actually it’s not. Under the fixed format, the higher video resolution consumes much memory storage. For example, a 4K video in 90 mins can take 50G storage, which will be transmitted and downloaded for a long time.
Moreover, the higher resolution should match with the higher-spec device. If your device does not support such resolution, it will be meaningless for you. All in all, you should select the resolution on the basic of your own needs.
Part 3. How to Check Video Resolution in PC?
You’ve downloaded a video, whereas you do not know the resolution. It is suggested to follow this method:
① Right click the video file; select [Properties] from the drop-down menu.
② On the following screen, select the [Details] tab.
③ Then you could find out the resolution of the video.
Part 4. How about Resolutions of Different Devices?
Mobile phone
The phone resolutions could be different among low-end phones, medium-end ones and high-end ones. Generally speaking, the resolution of the low-end phone is 320*480; the medium-end one is 480*800 or 480*854 and the high-end one is 720*1280. There is no specific resolution standard because the phone resolution is also affected by its model and screen size.
The followings are the types and the corresponding resolutions of some popular mobile phone brands:
| Brand | Model | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Huawei | P20 | 2240*1080 |
| Honor 7X | 2160*1080 | |
| Honor V10 | 2160*1080 | |
| Xiaomi | MIX 2S | 2160*1080 |
| Xiaomi 8 | 2248*1080 | |
| iPhone | iPhone 6/6S/7/8 | 1334*750 |
| iPhone 6 Plus、6S Plus、7 Plus、8 Plus | 1920*1080 | |
| iPhone X | 1242 *2800 |
4K TV
Literally, 4K TV is a TV with 4K resolution. In movie and video production, the 4K resolution standard is 4096*2160, whereas the standard resolution of 4K TV or monitor is 3840*2160.
DVD
DVD is now basically decoded and compressed according to MPEG-2. The standard resolutions of DVD include 720*480 (NTSC) and 720*576 (PAL). Besides, some people may know HD-DVD (phased out by Blu-ray DVD) shares the same resolution with Blu-ray DVD, both 1920*1080. In contrast, the former one is interlaced scanning and the latter one is progressive scanning.
Video recorder
Basically, there are two types of video recorders, DVR and NVR. DVR allows hard disk emulation whereas NVR is deployed to work with digital camera. The common DVR resolutions are 352*288 and 720*576, whereas NVR supports these common resolutions but also 1280*720 and 1920*1080 and a few supports 4k.
The followings are the types and resolutions of some popular video recorders:
| Brand | Model | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Philips | HDR 5750/F7 | 1920*1080 |
| Swann | DVR8-4500 | 1920*1080 |
| DH | DH-NVR1104HS | 1920*1080 |
| HKVISION | X5C-4 | 1920*1080 |
| DS-7808NB-K2 | HDMI: 4096*2160 VGA:1920*1080 |
TV
The resolution of the standard HD TV is 720*576 and that of the LCD TV is 1366*768. The resolution of most of HD TVs is up to 1920*1080. Of course, since HD TV is popular now, the standard HD TV is seldom used.
VCD
MPEG-1 is used as the output VCD format, including two resolutions, 352*288 (PAL) and 352*240 (NTSC).
SLR camera
The resolutions of SLR camera (single lens reflex camera) include 3 levels, L, M and S. L is the highest resolution; M represents the medium resolution; S is the lowest resolution. These 3 levels match with different resolutions.
The followings are the resolutions of some popular SLR cameras:
| Brand | Model | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Cannon | EOS 760D | L: 6000*4000 M: 3984*2656 S1: 2976*1984 S2: 1920*1080 S3: 720*480 |
| Nikon | D5300 | L: 6000*4000 M: 4496*3000 S: 2992*2000 |
| Sony | A900 | L: 6048*4032 M1: 4400*2936 M2：4400*2472 M3: 2896*1928 S1: 3024*2016 S2: 3024*1704 S3: 1984*1320 |
Part 5. Resolutions of Various Video Formats
The followings are the resolutions of common video formats:
Some video formats may be not common and unsupported in many devices or video players. For example, the iPhone video format is M4V and you need to convert it to other formats in order to play the video in other devices.
Sometimes, you may want to adjust the video resolution. For example, you PC can not play the 4K video because its hardware equitment is not advanced enough, you need to lower the resolution at such situation. How to adjust the resolution? In the following, we will introduce some methods to you.
Part 6. How to Convert Video Resolution?
Renee Video Editor Pro is a multi-functional video editor. You can use it to adjust the video resolution.
Renee Video Editor Pro – Multi-function Video Editing Software
Screen RecordingRecord screen and webcam in Windows computer.
Cut Videos & AudiosUsers are free to cut videos and audios clips with setting start and end time.
Multiple Edit ToolsMerge, crop, rotate, cut and transform video easily. Change and add background music, subtitles and remove watermark from video.
Format ConversionSupport to convert videos and audios into different formats.
Screen Recording Record screen and webcam in Windows computer.
Multiple Edit ToolsCut Videos & Audios Users are free to cut videos and audios clips with setting start and end time.
Multiple Edit ToolsMerge, crop, rotate, cut and transform video easily. Change and add background music, subtitles and remove watermark from video.
Format ConversionSupport to convert videos and audios into different formats.
How to do?
① Download and install Renee Video Editor Pro; then open it and select [Video Toolbox].
② Click [Add Files] to select your target video.
③ Click [Output Settings] to enter the setting page; then select your targeted resolution or define it by yourself in the [Video Size] column, and click [OK].
④ Then select the output format and the output folder, and click [Start] to save the video. It is noticed that you can select the video format suitable for your device quickly in [Output Format].
Now you may understand the video resolution well. Next, we will talk about another important element, aspect ratio.
Part 7. What is Video Aspect Ratio?
Aspect ratio describes the proportional between its width and its height. The aspect ratio is originally used in movies, 4:3 as the standard. Latter, this standard is used in TV and the early PC monitors. Along with technology development, the wider ratios such as 16:9, 16:10, are used in films, TV shows and some displayers.
Resolutions in Common Aspect Ratios
4:3 resolution — 640*480, 800*600, 960*720, 1024*768, 1280*960, 1440*1080, 1600*1200, 1920*1440 and 2048*1536.
| 4:3 common resolution | Devices support this Resolution |
|---|---|
| 320*240 | One Seg, old Android phone, QVGA (1/4 VGA) |
| 640*480 | VGA.MAC 13-inch |
| 720*483 | NTSC |
| 768*576 | PAL |
| 800*600 | SVGA (Super-VGA) |
| 832*624 | MAC 16-inch |
| 1024*768 | XGA (MAC 19-inch) |
| 1280*960 | Quad-VGA |
| 1440*1080 | Hi-Vision |
| 1600*1200 | UXGA |
| 2048*1536 | QXGA |
16:9 resolution — 1024*576, 1152*648, 1280*720, 1366*768, 1600*900, 1920*1080, 2560*1440 and 3840*2160.
| 16:9 common resolution | Devices support this resolution |
|---|---|
| 854*480 | FWVGA |
| 1024*576 | WSVGA |
| 1136*640 | iPhone 5, 5S, 5C |
| 1280*720 | HD TV, Android phone |
| 1920*1080 | UHD TV, Android phone, UHD Hi Vision |
| 2048*1152 | QWXGA |
| 2560*1440 | WQHD |
| 3200*1800 | WQHD+ |
| 3840*2160 | 4K TV |
16:10 resolution — 1280*800, 1440*900, 1680*1050, 1920*1200 and 2560*1600.
| 16:10 common resolution | Devices support this resolution |
|---|---|
| 1280*800 | WXGA |
| 1440*900 | WXGA+ |
| 1680*1050 | WSXGA+ |
| 1920*1200 | WUXGA, Android Tablet |
| 2560*1600 | WQXGA |
| 2880*1800 | WQXGA |
| 3840*2400 | QUXGA |
Black Bars in Videos
Sometimes, you may find some black bars at the sides of a video which affects your visual experience. Why does these black bars exist? Actually, it will occur if the aspect ratio of your video does not match with you video player. For example, if you play a 4:3 video in a 16:9 video player, you can see these black bars.
How to remove these black bars? If you want, please click to get detailed steps about how to remove black bars from video!
In addition, if you want to change the aspect ratio, such as 4:3 to 16:9, the following method may help you.
Part 8. How to Convert Video Aspect Ratio?
How to do?
① Download and install Renee Video Editor Pro.
② Open the software and select [Video Toolbox].
③ Click [Add Files] to select the target video.
④ Then click [Output Settings] > [More settings].
⑤ Select your targeted aspect ratio and click [OK].
⑥ Then select your targeted format in [Output Format] and the saving path in [Output Folder]; click [Start] to save.
If you want to edit video in different formats or different resolutions, Renee Video Editor Pro, a multi-functional software, can fulfill all your requirements and make your videos more interesting.
Part 9. How to Edit Video with Different Resolution?
① Open Renee Video Editor Pro and select [Video Toolbox].
② Click [Add Files] to select your target video.
③ [Cut]. In this function, you can set the start and end time or drag the progress bar to cut the video at will. And you can also adjust the play speed for the video.
④ [Rotate & Crop]. In this function, you can move the cut box or set the specific cut area. Meanwhile, you can rotate, flip the video horizontally and vertically.
⑤ [Effect]. In this function, you can add one or more effects for your videos, zoom in/out partially and volume up/down for designated parts. What’ s more, you can adjust brightness, contrast and saturatio for the videos as well.
⑥ [Watermark]. In this function, you can add text, image, video and shape watermark, and add watermark remover.
⑦ [Music]. You can remove the original video sounds, add background music and record for your videos.
⑧ [Subtitle]. You can add subtitles to videos. And set font style, color, size and position for the subtitle.
⑨ [Opening/Ending]. You can produce your special opening and ending, making your video more attractive.
⑩ Of course, if you want to combine several videos into one, select [Merge all into one].
⑪ Finally, select the targeted format in [Output Format] and click [Start] to save your video.
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