Resolution & Aspect Ratio
What is Resolution in video?
| Resolution Type | Common Name | Aspect Ratio | Pixel Size |
| SD (Standard Definition) | 480p | 4:3 | 640 x 480 |
| HD (High Definition) | 720p | 16:9 | 1280 x 720 |
| Full HD (FHD) | 1080p | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 |
| QHD (Quad HD) | 1440p | 16:9 | 2560 x 1440 |
| 2K video | 1080p | 1:1.77 | 2048 x 1080 |
| 4K video or Ultra HD (UHD) | 4K or 2160p | 1:1.9 | 3840 x 2160 |
| 8K video or Full Ultra HD | 8K or 4320p | 16∶9 | 7680 x 4320 |
The size of the projection, depends on the distance between the projector and the screen and the type of lens used (throw factor) To Calculate the real life size of your screen in (centi)meters depending on the projector specs; use this tool:
https://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm
Other Websites for resolution, pixel and aspect ratio calculations:
https://calculateaspectratio.com/
https://pixelcalculator.com/en/index.php
Different aspect ratio diagrams
An aspect ratio is the relationship between a video's width and height, typically expressed as two numbers separated by a colon (e.g., 16:9). Common aspect ratios include 16:9 for widescreen and 4:3 for standard television.
These are all measured in square pixels. (when working with analogue video systems there was temporarily a time we used anamorphic pixels to squish 16:9 content into 4:3 and unsquish it in the edit. A herritage (to do with changing standards, expensive sensors & lenses that solve the problem) from before digital video that you may still encounter...)
Most common used aspect ratio's:
source: https://collart.app/choose-aspect-ratio-social-media-guide/
Aspect ratio's used in film:
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_(image)
What Do "p" and "i" Mean in Resolution?
People specify just the height (often referred to as either ‘p' or ‘i') when talking about resolutions. This implies that the height and width have a standard 16:9 aspect ratio.
- The "i" denotes the use of interlaced scanning, with video quality being lower when compared to the entire frame transmission,
- While the "p" signifies progressive scan.
| p = Progressive video | i = Interlaced video |
| A video source listed with the letter "p" is known as Progressive scan. | A video source listed with the letter "i" is known as Interlaced scan. |
| Example: 1080p, 720p, or 480p. | Example: 1080i or 480i. |
| Displays both odd and even scan lines (the complete video frame) simultaneously. You need a HDMI Cable (of high speed) to transmit the video signal in 1080p. | Displays odd and even scan lines as individual fields. First, the screen draws even scan lines, followed by odd scan lines. Two odd and even scan line fields result in one video frame. |





