The number of pixels grouped or sorted by width and height on a screen or picture is referred to as the resolution. In layman’s terms, the resolution is the number of pixels in a picture. 1080i and 4k represent the number of pixels in a picture.
1080i vs 4K
The main difference between 1080i and 4K is that 4K signifies a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, whereas 1080i signifies a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. 4K resolution is four times that of 1080i. A 4K resolution provides a much better viewing experience than compared to a 1080i resolution due to the higher pixel count.
1080i, sometimes known as Full HD, is a frame resolution and scan type combination. High-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video both use 1080i. “1080” refers to the number of vertical lines on the screen. The “i” in 1080i stands for interlaced, which means they are painted on the screen in two passes of 540 lines each.
A horizontal display resolution of roughly 4,000 pixels is referred to as 4K resolution. Several distinct 4K resolutions are regularly used in digital broadcasting and digital filmmaking. The prevalent 4K standard in television and consumer media is 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD), although the cinema projection business utilises 4096 x 2160 (DCI 4K).
Comparison table between 1080i and 4K
| Parameters of comparison | 1080i | 4K |
| Meaning | Having 1080 vertical lines on the screen | Having 3840 horizontal lines on the screen |
| Total pixels | More than 2 million | More than 8 million |
| Full form | i stands for interlaced | 4K stands for 4 X 1080p |
| Video/Image quality | Lower quality | Higher quality |
| Preferred video type | Preferred for slow-motion videos | Preferred for all types of videos |
| Marketing terms | Full HD, FHD | 2160p, Ultra HD, UHD |
What is 1080i?
1080i (Full HD) is a progressive scan with 1080 vertical and 1920 horizontal lines of pixels. No image quality losses are owing to the interlacing of picture frames as the picture is gradually scanned, and the picture clarity is significantly superior to that of lower picture resolutions like 720p and 480p.
The term refers to a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, which equates to a 2.1-megapixel resolution. Television broadcasts, Blu-ray Discs, cell phones, Internet content such as YouTube videos and Netflix TV episodes and movies, consumer-grade televisions and projectors, computer displays, and video gaming consoles are all examples of 1080i applications.
Still and moving photos at 1080i quality may be captured with small camcorders, cell phones, and digital cameras.
“i” stands for interlaced. Interlacing video is a technique for doubling the perceived frame rate of a video display without utilising any extra bandwidth. In interlaced video, two fields of a video frame are taken concurrently. Using this phenomenon improves the viewer’s impression of motion and lowers flicker.
When compared to non-interlaced footage, this practically doubles the temporal resolution. Interlaced signals necessitate a display that can display the separate fields in a sequential order natively.
What is 4K?
Although 4K has been around for a while, it has only lately become a financially realistic option for most, with SkyQ, Netflix, and BT Vision now selling 4K content as well as inexpensive 4K Blu-ray players. Depending on the TV manufacturer, 4K is sometimes known as Ultra-HD or UHD.
However, the vast majority of people think that the 4K bit is made up of 2,160 horizontal lines and 4,096 vertical lines of pixels. When compared to prior resolutions, 4K is an outlier since it refers to the horizontal resolution rather than the vertical resolution; this is brilliant marketing because the previous resolution would be known as 2160p, which doesn’t seem nearly as expensive.
Technically, UHD refers to an image with 3840 horizontal lines and 2160 vertical lines, or 3840 x 2160 pixels. Although it’s close, it’s not quite there, yet that doesn’t stop several manufacturers from labelling their TVs as 4K.
4K is capable of producing some very amazing images. Because the human eye cannot see much clearer than our present sized TVs, I believe that rather than all of us upgrading to 100-inch displays, the bulk of technological advancements will be accomplished by raising image frames per second (fps) and expanding the colour range.
Main difference between 1080i and 4K
- 1080i is the measurement of vertical pixel lines, whereas 4K is the measurement of horizontal pixel lines.
- 1080 signifies 1080 vertical pixel lines. However, 4K signifies only 3840 horizontal pixel lines, which is not exactly 4000.
- When compared to 1080i technology, 4K has nearly four times the number of pixels on a screen, with more than eight million pixels for 4K and just two million pixels for 1080P.
- They use different scaling methods. 4K uses the progressive method, whereas 1080i uses the interlaced method.
- Ultra High Definition (UHD) refers to 4K, whereas High Definition (HD) refers to 1080i. 4K UHD video offers far greater quality than 1080P HD video, as their titles suggest.
- To be able to use 1080i, you need to use HDMI 1.4 or above, whereas if you want to use 4K, you need at least HDMI 2.0 or above.
Conclusion
4K has pulled ahead of 1080i in several ways, especially in terms of picture quality. Due to the presence of quadruple the number of pixels in comparison to 1080i, UHD devices employing 4K technology can display the most delicate of features in a substantially better contrast manner. The most major benefit of the 4K video standard is generally regarded to be this.
Because 4K has a significantly higher resolution than 1080i, it allows the spectator to be much closer to the screen while still seeing a crisper picture. In fact, a 4K gadget’s ideal suggested viewing distance might be double that of a 1080i device.
When compared to source material captured in 1080i, 4K still has an advantage. 4K appears better than Full HD even when downscaled to 1080p since it captures four times the quantity of data. 4K footage, unlike 1080i, may be cropped, zoomed in, and reframed without losing quality.
References
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7991102/
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.14151
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7269372/