Do you get confused with screen resolutions? Do you want to make a purchase and do not know which is better? discover today what are the differences between 1080p and 1080i, in addition to updating you on resolution issues, especially for monitors.
It is true that these have changed over the years, on a parallel journey, as is logical, to technological advances. However, knowing what you need It won’t be hard to decide which one is yours!
let’s find out what exactly is the resolution of a screen, what are the most used types of resolutions before and now in general and, of course, the ones that are most suitable for your new computer screen.
What types of image resolutions can a monitor have?
The resolution of a screen is the number of pixels it has, that is, ceach one of the units in which it is divided to show different information. It is expressed in a product, indicating the number of pixels that the width of the panel has and the height. So, for example, a screen 1920 x 1080 pixels It has 1920 pixels in its wide part and 1080 in its upper part. The total number of pixels results from multiplying both numbers.
Although there are many resolutions, the truth is that there are a few that are standard, that is, the ones that we are going to find regularly in the vast majority of phones, monitors, tablets, etc. The standard resolutions, past and present, most used and that you will see on a daily basis are:
Screen resolutions table
RESOLUTION
PIXELS
ASPECT RATIO
VGA 640 x 480 4:3 SVGA 800 x 600 4:3 XGA 1024 x 768 4:3 HD 1280 x 720 16:9 XVGA 1280 x 1024 5:4 Full HD 1920 x 1080 16:9 WQHD 2560 x 1440 16:9 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 16:9 4K Cinema 4096 x 2160 17:9 8k 7680 x 4320 16:9 WHUXGA 7680 x 4800 16:10
Of course, there have existed and there are many other resolutions, but these are not known, they are used in very specific devices or, simply, they have already been replaced by some of the previous ones. Even so, we can name a few such as CGA, B&W (from Macintosh), MDA, Apple Smooth, Retina Display, HD Ready…
Even so, knowing that we can make panels in any resolution, since all that is needed is the addition of pixels to achieve it, but this is another matter.
Now, monitors do not work with all these resolutions but, due to their size, they are limited to a few fewer, although the variety is increasing, it must be said. The most common, at present, are:
- HD Ready: This includes 1366 pixels wide and 768 high, making it possible to view what would be 720p.
- Full HD: Full HD is the standard for monitors today, with figures of 1920 x 1080 pixels. They are versatile, being enough for the average user and being able to squeeze 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; Add a bit more detail or allow for slightly larger panels without sacrificing quality while maintaining the classic 16:9 aspect ratio.
- UHD: It is the standard in televisions but computer users have not yet adopted it regularly. 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 classic gamers that they do not want to detach from 800×600 or even from 640×480which are the star resolutions of classic video games.
Progressive scan or interlaced scan? Differences between 1080p and 1080i
Often, for brevity, only the last number is mentioned, the one that corresponds to the total pixels of the height. This is so because there is no room for confusion. In this way, when we talk about a Full HD panelwe can see that it is also expressed as 1080pindicating the number and the pixels?
Mistake. This “p“refers to something else, to the word”progressive“. And you may have also seen a reference to a resolution such as “1080i“and you will have been thinking that it will be an error when writing it or that the “Yo” it refers to something that we don’t know about but that, after all, there are no differences between 1080p and 1080i, which is the same thing. Other error. The “Yo” refers, in this case, to “interlaced“.
So it’s not the same? Of course not! 1080p means that 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 the other of odd lines. The image is not obtained completely but in two halves that are shown very quickly but without actually forming a whole.
The usual thing is that any brand has worked so that, despite offering this type of scanning in its products, the images are not noticed in halves, although it is true that this does happen on occasions, in a phenomenon known as “combing“.
The main reason interlaced scanning is used is its less need for bandwidth since sending images in this way is easier and lighter. In addition, at the time it appeared, better refresh rates were achieved, with smoother results, although this is no longer the case.
DTT television broadcasts, at most 1080i, with exceptions in channels that are being updated. Nevertheless, the streamings do work at 1080p; one more example of the advancement of Internet use. This means that every time we watch TV we do it with content rescaling.
Definitely, 1080p would be pure Full HD, the real one, and 1080i is a fake Full HD, emulated, achieved with technologies that link the parts of an image. The number of pixels are the same, that does not change. Yes, the projection of the frames does.
Considering the same refresh rate, the number of images is the same but in the first case they are shown double and complete and in the second they are shown only once but in two sections. As for which is better… 1080p is true Full HDTherefore, this resolution would go first, offering the same number of pixels and greater fluidity in the image. In this case there is no doubt.
The 1080i could be compared, a little, with the 720p. In this case we find that 1080i has more pixels high but the scan is worse (more detail) and with 720p we have fewer pixels but a better scan (more fluency).
This is where there would be a little more doubt when choosing because, as we can see, the two resolutions offer different results: the first more detailed but less fluid image (not advisable for highly demanding dynamic content) and the second a lower level of detail but more fluency in the movements.
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