2048x1080 resolution
2048 × 1080
DCI 2K · 256:135 (approximately) · 2,211,840 pixels · 2.21 megapixels · Digital cinema
What 2048x1080 is
The Digital Cinema Initiatives 2K container. Note it is wider and shorter in ratio than 1080p: cinema formats are specified by container width, which is why a DCI master does not match a consumer 1080p frame.
The numbers
| Width | 2,048 px |
| Height | 1,080 px |
| Aspect ratio | 256:135 (nearest — the exact reduction is not a standard shape) |
| Total pixels | 2,211,840 |
| Megapixels | 2.21 MP |
| Compared with 1080p | 1.07× the pixels |
| Compared with 4K UHD | 0.27× the pixels |
What 2048x1080 costs to move and to store
A frame is width × height × three bytes of colour, before any compression touches it. At 2048 × 1080 that is 6.64 MB per frame, and video is frames per second:
| Frame rate | Uncompressed | An hour of it |
|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 159 MB/s | 0.57 TB |
| 30 fps | 199 MB/s | 0.72 TB |
| 60 fps | 398 MB/s | 1.43 TB |
| 120 fps | 796 MB/s | 2.87 TB |
Nobody ships that. It is the number codecs exist to get away from — a streamed 2048x1080 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 2048x1080 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 | 0.5 m (1.6 ft) |
| 15.6 in monitor or laptop | 0.59 m (1.9 ft) |
| 24 in monitor or laptop | 0.91 m (3 ft) |
| 27 in monitor or laptop | 1.02 m (3.3 ft) |
| 32 in monitor or laptop | 1.21 m (4 ft) |
| 43 in television | 1.62 m (5.3 ft) |
| 55 in television | 2.07 m (6.8 ft) |
| 65 in television | 2.45 m (8 ft) |
| 75 in television | 2.83 m (9.3 ft) |
Sitting further back than the figure for your screen, 2048x1080 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 2048x1080 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 | 174 PPI | Sharp |
| 15.6 in | 148 PPI | Sharp |
| 24 in | 96 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 27 in | 86 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 32 in | 72 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
Other digital cinema resolutions
| Resolution | Name | Ratio | Megapixels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4096×2160 | DCI 4K | 256:135 | 8.85 MP |
Closest in total pixels
- 1920×1200 — WUXGA
- 1920×1080 — Full HD (1080p)
- 1600×1200 — UXGA
- 1080×2400 — FHD+ phone
- 1680×1050 — WSXGA+
- 2560×1080 — UW-FHD
- 1170×2532 — Phone 19.5:9
- 1600×900 — HD+
Frequently asked questions
What is the aspect ratio of 2048x1080?
256:135 — approximately. 2048×1080 does not reduce to a tidy ratio, so it is very slightly off the standard shape.
How many pixels is 2048x1080?
2,211,840 pixels, or 2.21 megapixels.
Is 2048x1080 higher resolution than 1080p?
2048x1080 has 1.07× as many pixels as a 1920×1080 frame.
What size screen suits 2048x1080?
Pixel density is what decides that. 174 PPI at 13.3 in, 148 PPI at 15.6 in, 96 PPI at 24 in, 86 PPI at 27 in, 72 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.