4K Confusion? Figure out what 4K, Ultra HD and HDR mean in only 3 Minutes
4K is the new HD, and if you have your head around HD then 4K is just more pixels and more detail. The confusion begins when things like HDR, MEMC and Ultra HD are mentioned.
The Basics: 4K VS Full HD VS Ultra HD
The more pixels an image contains, the higher precision and more detail it shows. Resolution is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed.
– Full HD means 1920*1080 resolution.
– 4K means a horizontal resolution of 4096*3112.
– Ultra HD is usually slightly less than 4K and is at 3840*2160 resolution.
4K and Ultra HD have about 4 times the pixels as regular HD.
HDR: The Future of Video Quality
4K and HD are talking about the resolution, but High Dynamic Range (HDR) is the range of tones in the video. A lot of detail is lost when recordings are shown on regular TV’s as the screen is unable to display a full spectrum. HDR screens provide a wider range of brightness and colors making the video more realistic.
What you need for the full HDR setup…
– HDR video source
– HDR player
– HDR TV
Protocols of HDR
HDR is still in the early days of adoption, there is one standard HDR but a few other improved versions that have been developed by different companies.
– HDR10 – The standard HDR.
– HDR10+ – Samsungs own improved version of HDR10
– HLG – For receiving and displaying TV channels in HDR
– Dolby Vision – Dolby’s enhanced version of HDR10 and is similar to HDR10+.
– Advanced HDR – By technicolor and only in some LG models.
HDR10 is the most common.
MEMC
MEMC (Motion Estimate and Motion Compensation) is a technology that inserts additional frames to reduce motion blur. Which simply means, action and moving scenes are more clear. For some people though, having this makes movies less enjoyable as the movie bluring effect is minimised so the video looks more like a TV show.
MEMC many manufacturers have their own brand name for this feature, but they are all doing essentially the same thing.
4K Cameras
With the buzz of 4K TVs, more and more manufacturers of cameras and even smartphone offer 4K video recording. REcording is no different than regular HD except the files are larger and require a higher powered computer to watch them on.
4K Smartphone screens
Although the effect of 4K is excellent on a larger screen, lack of internal space and high-speed networks are limiting the ability to streaming and watching 4K content on your smartphone. The size of a smartphone screen also limits the actual ability of your eye to even see the difference, so for a standard smartphone screen size, you would not be able to see the difference in a 4K vs. Full HD screen.
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