1920x1080 resolution
1920 × 1080
Full HD (1080p) · 16:9 · 2,073,600 pixels · 2.07 megapixels · Broadcast and TV
What 1920x1080 is
The most common display resolution in the world and the reference every other one is described against. It is the broadcast HD standard, the default for video, and the resolution most web design is checked at first.
The numbers
| Width | 1,920 px |
| Height | 1,080 px |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Total pixels | 2,073,600 |
| Megapixels | 2.07 MP |
| Compared with 1080p | this is 1080p |
| Compared with 4K UHD | 0.25× the pixels |
What 1920x1080 costs to move and to store
A frame is width × height × three bytes of colour, before any compression touches it. At 1920 × 1080 that is 6.22 MB per frame, and video is frames per second:
| Frame rate | Uncompressed | An hour of it |
|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 149 MB/s | 0.54 TB |
| 30 fps | 187 MB/s | 0.67 TB |
| 60 fps | 373 MB/s | 1.34 TB |
| 120 fps | 746 MB/s | 2.69 TB |
Nobody ships that. It is the number codecs exist to get away from — a streamed 1920x1080 feed runs at a few tens of megabits, which is a compression ratio of several hundred to one, and it is why a still frame from a stream looks worse than a photograph of the same scene.
How close you have to sit for 1920x1080 to be worth it
The eye resolves about one arcminute of detail. Past a certain distance the pixels merge whatever the panel does, and a higher resolution stops being visible rather than stopping being better. That distance is the pixel pitch divided by the tangent of one arcminute:
| Screen | Pixels merge beyond |
|---|---|
| 13.3 in monitor or laptop | 0.53 m (1.7 ft) |
| 15.6 in monitor or laptop | 0.62 m (2 ft) |
| 24 in monitor or laptop | 0.95 m (3.1 ft) |
| 27 in monitor or laptop | 1.07 m (3.5 ft) |
| 32 in monitor or laptop | 1.27 m (4.2 ft) |
| 43 in television | 1.7 m (5.6 ft) |
| 55 in television | 2.18 m (7.2 ft) |
| 65 in television | 2.58 m (8.5 ft) |
| 75 in television | 2.97 m (9.8 ft) |
Sitting further back than the figure for your screen, 1920x1080 and the next resolution down look the same. That is the whole argument about 4K televisions in ordinary living rooms: the resolution is real and the seating position usually is not close enough to show it.
Pixel density at common screen sizes
A resolution on its own says nothing about sharpness — the same 1920x1080 panel is dense on a laptop and coarse on a television. Density is the diagonal in pixels divided by the diagonal in inches.
| Diagonal | Pixel density | |
|---|---|---|
| 13.3 in | 166 PPI | Sharp |
| 15.6 in | 141 PPI | Sharp |
| 24 in | 92 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 27 in | 82 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 32 in | 69 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
Other broadcast and tv resolutions
| Resolution | Name | Ratio | Megapixels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1280×720 | HD (720p) | 16:9 | 0.92 MP |
| 3840×2160 | 4K UHD (2160p) | 16:9 | 8.29 MP |
| 7680×4320 | 8K UHD | 16:9 | 33.18 MP |
Closest in total pixels
- 2048×1080 — DCI 2K
- 1600×1200 — UXGA
- 1920×1200 — WUXGA
- 1680×1050 — WSXGA+
- 1080×2400 — FHD+ phone
- 1600×900 — HD+
- 2560×1080 — UW-FHD
- 1280×1024 — SXGA
Frequently asked questions
What is the aspect ratio of 1920x1080?
16:9.
How many pixels is 1920x1080?
2,073,600 pixels, or 2.07 megapixels.
Is 1920x1080 higher resolution than 1080p?
1920x1080 is 1080p — 1920×1080, the Full HD standard.
What size screen suits 1920x1080?
Pixel density is what decides that. 166 PPI at 13.3 in, 141 PPI at 15.6 in, 92 PPI at 24 in, 82 PPI at 27 in, 69 PPI at 32 in. Below roughly 110 PPI text starts to look coarse; above about 200 the operating system will usually scale the interface rather than render it at native size.