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4k resolution flat panel televisions, such as the LG 84LM9600 84″ LED LCD, are now available and potential buyers are wondering if the extra resolution is worth it. In some cases it is, but in most, it’s not.  The details below can help you decide.

What Exactly is 4K Resolution?

Existing HDTVs max out at 1080p, with a resolution of 1920×1080 (2.1 million) pixels. 4k resolution doubles the number of horizontal and vertical pixels, giving approximately 4 thousand (4k) vertical lines. More specifically, the resolution is 3840×2160 (8.3 million) pixels. In tradition terms, 4k could be called 2160p.

Will I be Able to Notice the Additional Resolution?

To be able to detect the additional resolution of 4k, the screen must be large enough and you must sit close enough. So how do you know if your particular setup would benefit?  Here is your answer.

Based on the resolving ability of the human eye (with 20/20 vision it is possible to resolve 1/60th of a degree of an arc), it is possible to estimate when 4k resolution will become apparent for the average eyeball. Using the Home Theater Calculator spreadsheet as a base, I created a chart showing, for any given screen size, how close you need to sit to be able to detect some or all of the benefits of a higher resolution screen. (Click the picture below for a larger version.)

(For those of you not used to reading charts: screen size is on the horizontal axis; find your screen size and go straight up until you hit the 4k line.  Follow it to the left. That is your minimum seating distance to fully benefit from 4k resolution.)

What the chart shows is that, for a 84-inch screen, 4k resolution isn’t fully apparent until you are at least 5.5 feet or closer to the screen. For a “tiny” 55-inch screen, you’ll need to be 3.5 feet or closer. Needless to say, most consumers aren’t going to sit close enough to see any of extra resolution 4k offers.

1080p 3-D Content on Passive (polarized) Screens

There may still be one benefit these screens can offer and it’s when watching 3-D Blu-ray movies. There are two types of 3-D glasses: more expensive Active Shutter glasses and lower-cost Passive Polarized Lens glasses. Active Shutter glasses deliver the full screen resolution to each eye; Polarized Glasses deliver only half the screen resolution to each eye (540 instead of 1080 vertical lines)

4k allows all 1080 lines to be visible when using Passive Polarized glasses, so long as you are sitting close enough to view 1080p (see chart above.) You wouldn’t be able to get the full benefit from 4k 3-D, but 4k content doesn’t really exist anyway.

What about 4k Content?

So say you are in the rare few who has a giant screen and sits close enough to it to benefit from 4k resolution.  Will you still see much benefit? The answer is still “Probably not.” Regardless of screen resolution, the source material needs to have the same resolution as the display to see any real advantage. Video Processors will upscale any input to 4k resolution, but upscaling only offers a marginal improvement. Until true 4k content is widely available, which is a long way off, you are better off saving your cash and getting a 1080p HD TV.

As of this writing, the only readily available content source for 4k is the Sony PlayStation 3, and it can only display static pictures (not moving video!) using the HDMI connection. This may be worthwhile for photographers, but probably not for anyone else.

In conclusion

The benefits of 4k are marginal at best. You have to sit unrealistically close to see the full detail and you also need non-existent 4k source material, which is non-existent. If you want a 3D TV that uses Passive Polarized Glasses, you will be able to view 1080p content at full resolution. If you want to use a PS3 to view 4k photos, you could benefit from 4k. And if you use it as a computer monitor to view high resolution source material, you could benefit. Other than that, save your cash and purchase 1080p instead.

ISF states the the most important aspects of picture quality are (in order): 1) contrast ratio, 2) color saturation, 3) color accuracy, 4) resolution. Resolution is 4th on the list, so look at other factors first. Also, be sure to calibrate your display! I recommend the following for calibration.

Recommended Calibration Tools

• DVD: Digital Video Essentials
• Blu-ray: Spears & Munsil High-Def Benchmark Disc (my favorite)
• Blu-ray: Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics (most popular)
• Automatic Calibrator: Datacolor Spyder 3

“Just tell me what resolution HD TV to get”

If you don’t like reading charts and are looking for a quick answer, enter you screen size below to see how close you’ll need to sit to fully appreciate various screen resolutions.