# 4k resolution



## ruinexplorer (Oct 26, 2012)

OK, so 4k is really kind of one of many catch phrases for the next big leap in defition. We had SD (standard definition) which was generally a 4:3 aspect ratio. Of course there were many variances, but each resolution had a letter designation (love it or hate it) which allowed for some means of defining what was being described. There was a short push to try 5:4, but that didn't work well for projection since so many people had a full complement of 4:3 screens. Of course, not all of them were named.

Then came HD. Did they go to one of the main two cinematic aspects? Of course not. Did they stick with one aspect ratio? Nope. 16:9 or 16:10. Did they offer one naming convention to each resolution? Usually. WXGA is one of the exceptions.

So, with 4k resolution (Ultra High Definition), why would I expect things to be better? Glad I don't have to be the one to gamble on which one will ultimately win. /whining


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## museav (Oct 26, 2012)

You forgot the 1.5:1 35mm slide and 1:1 overhead formats, when I started in the AV industry those were still the dominant formats for large scale presentation systems while 'video' was 4:3 NTSC.

I personally feel that 4k resolution probably best applies to potential digital cinema and home theater applications and thus it makes sense for it to match cinema formats. But I'm looking forward to all the people running out to purchase 4k displays for their homes not realizing that the OTA, cable and satellite signals they're watching the majority of the time are likely at best 720p or 1080i.


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## ruinexplorer (Oct 26, 2012)

museav said:


> You forgot the 1.5:1 35mm slide and 1:1 overhead formats, when I started in the AV industry those were still the dominant formats for large scale presentation systems while 'video' was 4:3 NTSC.



Naw, I was just ignoring non-digital formats. I was having a bit of a tantrum. 

But because many of those screens had still been around, I could better fit the SXGA images.


> I personally feel that 4k resolution probably best applies to potential digital cinema and home theater applications and thus it makes sense for it to match cinema formats. But I'm looking forward to all the people running out to purchase 4k displays for their homes not realizing that the OTA, cable and satellite signals they're watching the majority of the time are likely at best 720p or 1080i.



The other thing is that Blu-ray has already stated that it has no plans on supporting 4K. So, even though there have already been about 90 feature films shot in 4k, they can't be displayed unless you get the hard drive from the film distributor. Sheesh.


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