The factor of resolution is critical in various digital devices like a computer monitor, display device, or digital television. These devices consist of the maximum number of different pixels displayed in each dimension. The resolution depends on the number of dots in the directly proportional picture.
720p vs 4k
The main difference between 720p and 4k is that 720p holds the widescreen format and progressive high-definition television transmission consisting of 720 lines and an aspect ratio of 16:9. On the other hand, 4k is a resolution portraying a horizontal display resolution of roughly 4000 pixels. It has application in cinematography.
720p combines 720 horizontal lines that are progressive high definition signals has application in the 720p transmission format. It holds 720 pixels in the top, or 1280 pixels horizontally displayed on the screen. The type of image display improves as the number of pixels increases. The number of pixels depends on the format of height and width of display resolution.
According to most TV manufacturers, 4K resolution means having pixels of 3840 x 2160 or 2160p. While making a comparison with a Full HD resolution that consists of a 1080p image having 1920 x 1080 pixels. A 4K screen has approximately 8 million pixels, which is almost four times the resolution of the existing 1080p television.
Comparison Table Between 720p and 4k
| Parameters of Comparison | 720p | 4k |
| Definition | It follows a high-definition widescreen television format consisting of 720 lines and holds an aspect ratio of 16:9. | It refers to a resolution that displays the screen in horizontal mode comprising 4000 pixels in and around. |
| Resolution | It holds a resolution of 1280 pixels and 720 pixels in both dimensions. | It has pixel dimensions of 3840 pixels horizontally and 2160 pixels vertically which are equivalent to four times HD display. |
| Alternatives | The 720p is also known as a high definition or HD display resolution. | The 4k is termed as ultra high definition resolution of the display screen. |
| Picture Quality | It has a higher quality due to HDTV resolution. A 720p television has double the resolution of analog television. | It provides high-definition picture quality, reproduces realistic features and textures when seen on a large screen. |
| Existence | On current devices and televisions, whether LED TVs or UHD 4K TVs, it is no longer used. | It is used for digital television and commercial cinematography purpose. |
What is 720p?
It’s made up of 720 rows of 1,280 pixels in a picture. 720 horizontal lines or pixel rows are shown in sequence with the lines combined in a row in any display device or television screen. They maintain the order-wise distribution of lines on the screen. It was the world’s first HDTV resolution format.
A 720p TV, on the other hand, has double the resolution of an analog TV. The full image is refreshed at a timely interval of every 60 seconds. Alternatively, it also gets refreshed two times in 30 seconds. The 720p resolution screen holds a total of 921,600 pixels, which is merely smaller than the digital camera’s 1 megapixel.
Various parameters determine the number of hours in a video. The duration of a 720p video gets determined by several factors, including video compression, camera bitrate, and video frame rate. On average, a 32 GB memory card can hold 3 to 5 hours of 720p video.
720p provides the greatest temporal resolution that belongs under ATSC and DVB standards when transmitted at a range of 60 frames per second. It has a 16:9 widescreen resolution, meaning a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The p in 720p resolution denotes that the resolution is of the progressive type which is also considered as non-interlaced.
What is 4k?
The photos are roughly 4,000 pixels wide which makes the name 4K. Most of the resolutions variety depending on the height factor. 1080 resolution got its term, after the image height, but the 4K resolution term depends on the image breadth. This resolution can also be referred to as 2160p in future times.
The eyes of human beings do not have such ability to squeeze much detail out of a 4K image than a 1080 image at the same distance. The 4k resolution does not make any difference for the television keeping in a retina distance from where a person is sitting. This distance demonstrates the much nearer position a person sits, it is easy to see the resolution difference accordingly.
There remains not much 4K entertainment to view when 4K TVs initially came out. As a result, several customers were hesitant to purchase televisions. It is not a problem anymore because there is so much 4K stuff available.
4K content is currently available in various formats, including broadcasting, different services for streaming purposes, 4K Blu-ray players and discs, and even user-generated content (UGC) movies shot with 4K cameras or smartphones. 4k appears better as it holds four times more information than a full HD display.
Main Differences Between 720p and 4k
- 720p has horizontal and vertical resolutions of 1280 and 720 pixels respective, while 4k has pixel dimensions of 3840 and 2160 on both sides.
- 720p has a format of widescreen that holds 720 lines with high definition, but 4k has a screen display in horizontal direction comprised of 4000 pixels.
- 720p has high definition resolution that results in a high-quality picture, and 4k shows various realistic features when displayed on a broader view.
- 720p has another name as high definition display resolution while 4k has an alternative as ultra high definition resolution screen.
- 720p gets used in modern technical gadgets such as digital television, but 4k is mainly used for digital cinematography purposes commercially.
Conclusion
There are different resolution range, among which 720p and 4k are the types of resolution which depicts that more pixels give the display a better screen view. 720p is a progressive type format holding a widescreen display aspect ratio of 16:9 that comprises 720 lines used in modern technical devices for a better quality picture.
4k resolution consists of a large number of pixels than 4000 pixels. It provides a better resolution format in broad screen views that has applications of commercial photography and digital inclined related purposes. The main distinction between the two is their difference in their types and variety of usage respective.
References
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9068421/
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-25929-6_13