What is 1080p?
1080p, also referred to as FHD or Full HD (High Definition), represents a height and width of 1920 x 1080 pixels—1920 horizontally and 1080 vertically across the screen. It is a commonly used display resolution that produces a sharper, much clearer image.
Today's computer monitors, gaming consoles, and televisions are designed with 1080p resolution. For video games or high-performance computing, 1080p is the lowest acceptable resolution since gaming typically relies on realistic experiences—which are better accomplished by 1440p or 4K resolutions.
1080p vs 1080i
The "p" in 1080p indicates a progressive scan, while the "i" in 1080i refers to an interlaced scan. The difference between 1080p vs. 1080i lies in how the image is displayed on the screen.
- An interlaced scan image highlights the odd and even frames in an alternating manner. The drawing of every pixel row is displayed in two passes across the screen. Your device illuminates the pixel rows so rapidly in a second that the human eye can't discern the switch—due to which the image appears to be fully assembled at every single point.
- In contrast, the pixel rows in a progressive scan are displayed progressively, wherein every row is refreshed rapidly 60 times per second. Progressive scanning is more complicated to execute, but it produces higher-quality images since every frame is drawn in a one-down across the screen. This is why 1080p is often referred to as "true" or "full" HD.
While 1080p and 1080i are both high-definition resolutions with an aspect ratio of 16:9, the interlaced image takes relatively longer to notice.
Applications of 1080p
- The primary use cases of 1080p include TV broadcasts, Blu-ray players, and mobile devices.
- They are used in HD broadcasts of internet content such as Netflix and YouTube videos, consumer-grade TV, and so on.
- 1080 is still in use in the gaming landscape—Xbox/PlayStation games and other video game consoles—since it requires a powerful graphics card.
- TV broadcasters use 1080i to display interlaced HD images, which do not require significant bandwidth.