Do you make a mess with screen resolutions? Do you want to make a purchase and don’t know which one is better? Find out today what the differences are between 1080p and 1080i, in addition to catching up on resolution issues, especially for monitors.
It is true that these have changed over the years, in a parallel trip, of course, to technological advances. However, knowing what you need it won’t be difficult to decide which one is yours!
Let’s discover what exactly the resolution of a screen is, what are the types of resolutions most used before and now in general and, of course, the ones that are most suitable for your new computer screen .
Index:
What types of image resolutions can a monitor have?
The resolution of a screen is the number of pixels it has, that is, c to one of the units in which it is divided to display different information . It is expressed in a product, indicating the number of pixels that have the width of the panel and the height . Thus, for example, a 1920 x 1080 pixels screen has 1920 pixels in its wide part and 1080 in its upper part. Total pixels result from multiplying both figures .
Although there are many resolutions, the truth is that there are a few that are the standards , that is, those that we will regularly find in the vast majority of phones, monitors, tablets, etc. The standard resolutions, past and present, most used and you’ll see daily, are:
Screen resolutions table
Of course, there have been and there are many other resolutions, but these are not known, are used in very specific devices or simply have already been replaced by some of the above. Even so, we can name some as CGA, B&W (from Macintosh), MDA, Apple Lisa, Retina Display, HD Ready …
Even so, knowing that we can make panels in any resolution, it does not require more than the addition of pixels to achieve it, but this is another matter.
Now, the monitors do not work with all these resolutions but, because of their size, they are limited to some less, although the variety is growing, everything must be said. The most common, at present, are:
- HD Ready : This includes 1366 pixels wide and 768 pixels high, making it possible to see what would be 720p.
- Full HD: Full HD is the standard on monitors today, with figures of 1920 x 1080 pixels. They are versatile, being sufficient for the average user and being able to tighten this resolution with a very good power for the most demanding public in terms of processes.
- WQHD: It is a resolution created specifically for computer monitors, 2560 x 1440; It provides a little more detail or allows you to enjoy slightly larger panels without sacrificing quality and, at the same time, maintaining the classic aspect ratio of 16: 9.
- UHD: It is the standard in televisions but computer users have not yet adopted it habitually. Even so, it is not uncommon to see peripherals in 3840 x 2160 pixels, especially in professional gaming environments.
Of course, there will still be some old model in the house of the classic gamers who don’t want to take off from the 800 x 600 or even the 640 x 480 , which are the star resolutions of classic video games.
Often, for short, only the last digit is spoken, which corresponds to the total pixel height. This is because there is no room for confusion. In this way, when we talk about a Full HD panel , we can see that it is also expressed as 1080p , indicating the number and the pixels?
Error. That “ p ” refers to something else, the word “ progressive “. And you may have also seen a reference to a resolution like “ 1080i ” on occasion, and you may have thought that it would be a mistake to write it or that the “i” refers to something we do not know but, after all, there are no differences between 1080p and 1080i, which is the same. Other error. The “ i ” refers, in this case, to “ interlaced “.
So it’s not the same? Of course not! 1080p means we have 1080 progressive pixels and 1080i, which are interlaced.
- Progressive scan (p) . Each frame draws its lines progressively, forming a sequence. Thus, each of them includes a complete image. Most devices work with this type of scan.
- Interlaced scan (i) . We have a division of the frame given in two parts, one of even lines and one of odd lines. The image is not obtained completely but in two halves that are shown very quickly but without forming a whole.
The usual thing is that any brand has worked for, despite offering this type of scanning on their products, the images are not noticed in halves, although it is true that this does occur occasionally, in a phenomenon known as « Combing «.
The main reason for using interlaced scanning is its less need for bandwidth, as sending images in this way is simpler and lighter. In addition, at the time it appeared, better refresh rates were achieved, with more fluid results, although this is no longer the case.
The DTT television broadcasts, at most 1080i , with exceptions in channels that are being updated. However, streamings do work at 1080p ; one more sample of the progress of internet use. This means that every time we watch TV we do it with content rescaling.
In short, the 1080p would be the pure Full HD, the real one, and the 1080i is a fake, emulated Full HD, achieved with technologies that link the parts of an image . The amount of pixels are the same, that does not vary. Yes, the projection of the frames.
Considering the same refresh rate, the number of images is the same but in the first case they are shown double and full and in the second they are shown only once but in two sections. As for which one is better … 1080p is a real Full HD , therefore, this resolution would go first, offering the same amount of pixels and greater image fluidity. In this case there is no doubt.
The 1080i could be compared, a little, with the 720p . In this case we find that 1080i is more pixels high but the scan is worse (more detail) and with 720p we have fewer pixels but a better scan (more fluidity).
It is here where there would be a little more doubt when choosing because, as we see, the two resolutions offer different results: the first more detailed but less fluid image (not advisable for content dynamic of high demand) and the second a lower level of detail but more fluidity in the movements.