Understanding TV technology – Part I Screen Resolution

While selection a TV the most important factor should be the screen resolution and not the screen size.

Understanding SD or standard definition

Television technology began with the analog broadcast and CRT tubes. There were two parallel technologies, NTSC and PAL. NTSC had a vertical resolution of 480i which means there were 480 dots on the screen counted vertically. Analog signals ruled the waves for a long time.

Display resolutions

High Definition or HD 1280 x 720p

Full HD or FHD 1920 x 1080p

2k or Quad HD or QHD 2560 x 1440p

4k or Ultra HD 3840 x 2160p

8k or Ultra HD 7680 x 4320p

What is a pixel?

On a computer monitor or TV, a pixel is visible as a tiny dot. In case of a black and white television of olden days, a pixel was a dot which allowed light to pass or block. Depending upon which pixels are lit up, an image is formed on screen. The same technique continues till date.

The quality of screen depends on the number of pixels packed in it. More the number of pixels packed in a screen will help with sharpness of the images displayed on the screen.

Which resolution to choose?

A screen is not merely a display but needs content and media. With 4K and 8K screens in the market, do you really need to buy them. The answer is NO. The most common content available over the air waves and wires is 1080p which is FHD. Be it cable TV or YouTube or even most of the streaming apps, the best option is to choose FHD. Even if you are able to manage decent speed, 4K is the most you can achieve.

Gaming monitors however can be as high resolution as you need.

Some interesting facts about screens

• Retina display – This is a marketing term coined by Apple Inc to distinguish their screen from competition. It is also a fancy and catchy word. Mac devices and iPhones have great screen quality. A retina display is said to be packed with so many pixels that human eye cannot discern between two pixels.
• LG, Samsung and Sharp are the top manufacturers of screens with LG in the lead. All the three have heavily invested in OLED screens too.
• Samsung scored it big by introducing the first workable folding phone. As of ending of 2022, they have launched the fourth edition of Z Flip and Z Fold.