How do I know whether the device im using to render a video, is rendering it in 4K? I’m not familiar with the nomenclature, but by device I’m talking about anything capable of generating video, such as a camera (which records video), or a ps5 (which generates a video or graphics?)
What do I need to have / do to be able to view a 4K video in the “best way” possible (im not sure how to frame this exactly – I want to watch a 4K video in 4K, perhaps?)
If im viewing this video on an external monitor, what changes?
If the monitor is 4K, does that suffice? What cabling will I need, if at all?
In: Technology
Okay so I’m just going to take a stab at this, but this is a biiig topic.
PIXELS:
The images on a screen are formed by a punch of little dots that are arranged to make shapes, much like you could make shapes by arranging tiles in a mosaic. These dots are called “pixels”. You can make pixels also be different colors.
But like a mosaic, pictures made from pixels can look blocky if the pixels are too big and if there are too few of them. So the more pixels you have, the more detailed images you can make.
RESOLUTION:
Resolution refers to the number of pixels that make up an image. So 1920×1080 (also called 1080p, or “HD”) resolution means that the image consists of 1,920 pixels horizontally, and 1,080 pixels vertically. It is also called “2k” because there is an approximate width of 2,000 pixels horizontally. Other common resolutions are 2560×1440 (“QHD”) and 4096×2160 (“UHD”), which is also called “4k” because there is an approximate width of 4,000 pixels horizontally.
Every video file has a resolution, but every screen also has a set resolution that limits what it can physically show. So a 1080p screen can only ever show up to 1920×1080 resolution even if the video file is technically 4k. So if you have a 4k video file, you’d need to buy a more expensive 4k screen to be able to see the full detailed, sharp image.
PIXEL DENSITY:
However, another aspect that determines image quality is pixel density. A 4k video that is on a screen 32 inches wide diagonally will look better than a 4k video that is on a screen 64 inches wide diagonally, because the pixels are closer together, allowing for a more detailed and sharp image. So for a given resolution, it’s also important to get a screen that is also the appropriate size. You could get a 32 inch 1080p screen, but the image would probably look better if you got a smaller 24 inch 1080p screen.
CABLES AND STUFF:
So you have a video file that you want to watch, and an appropriate screen that lets you watch the video at the appropriate quality. Great. But you need something to translate the video file’s information, then “transfer” the information to the screen before you can see it. Higher resolution images are composed of more data than lower resolution images, so there’s more information that you need to transfer in the same amount of time in order for everything to work properly. So you need a cable that is capable of moving enough information per time in order for the video file to show properly on the screen. If the cable is too weak, then you might only be able to watch a 4k video at 1080p, even though both the video file and screen are 4k. So ensure that the cable you use is “UHD compatible.” But also, the cable needs to plug into ports on both the video player, and the screen. So you need to make sure that the ports are also “UHD compatible” otherwise it might be a bottleneck. Sometimes monitors have an HDMI port that is low quality, and a second port that might be something like DisplayPort that is high quality and can do 4k.
All of that goes for the video player and its port as well. The video player must have the ability to play 4k video files, and the ports be “UHD compatible”.
Hope that helps?
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