4096x2160 resolution
4096 × 2160
DCI 4K · 256:135 (approximately) · 8,847,360 pixels · 8.85 megapixels · Digital cinema
What 4096x2160 is
The cinema 4K container, 256 columns wider than UHD. Almost every "4K" consumer device means 3840×2160; almost every cinema deliverable means this.
The numbers
| Width | 4,096 px |
| Height | 2,160 px |
| Aspect ratio | 256:135 (nearest — the exact reduction is not a standard shape) |
| Total pixels | 8,847,360 |
| Megapixels | 8.85 MP |
| Compared with 1080p | 4.27× the pixels |
| Compared with 4K UHD | 1.07× the pixels |
What 4096x2160 costs to move and to store
A frame is width × height × three bytes of colour, before any compression touches it. At 4096 × 2160 that is 26.54 MB per frame, and video is frames per second:
| Frame rate | Uncompressed | An hour of it |
|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 637 MB/s | 2.29 TB |
| 30 fps | 796 MB/s | 2.87 TB |
| 60 fps | 1.59 GB/s | 5.73 TB |
| 120 fps | 3.19 GB/s | 11.47 TB |
Nobody ships that. It is the number codecs exist to get away from — a streamed 4096x2160 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 4096x2160 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 | 0.25 m (0.8 ft) |
| 15.6 in monitor or laptop | 0.29 m (1 ft) |
| 24 in monitor or laptop | 0.45 m (1.5 ft) |
| 27 in monitor or laptop | 0.51 m (1.7 ft) |
| 32 in monitor or laptop | 0.6 m (2 ft) |
| 43 in television | 0.81 m (2.7 ft) |
| 55 in television | 1.04 m (3.4 ft) |
| 65 in television | 1.23 m (4 ft) |
| 75 in television | 1.41 m (4.6 ft) |
Sitting further back than the figure for your screen, 4096x2160 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 4096x2160 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 | 348 PPI | High density — the OS will scale the interface |
| 15.6 in | 297 PPI | High density — the OS will scale the interface |
| 24 in | 193 PPI | Sharp |
| 27 in | 172 PPI | Sharp |
| 32 in | 145 PPI | Sharp |
Other digital cinema resolutions
| Resolution | Name | Ratio | Megapixels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2048×1080 | DCI 2K | 256:135 | 2.21 MP |
Closest in total pixels
- 3840×2160 — 4K UHD (2160p)
- 5120×1440 — DQHD
- 3840×1600 — UWQHD+
- 3024×1964 — Laptop 14-inch HiDPI
- 3200×1800 — QHD+
- 2732×2048 — Tablet 12.9-inch
- 2880×1800 — Retina 15-inch
- 3440×1440 — UWQHD
Frequently asked questions
What is the aspect ratio of 4096x2160?
256:135 — approximately. 4096×2160 does not reduce to a tidy ratio, so it is very slightly off the standard shape.
How many pixels is 4096x2160?
8,847,360 pixels, or 8.85 megapixels.
Is 4096x2160 higher resolution than 1080p?
4096x2160 has 4.27× as many pixels as a 1920×1080 frame.
What size screen suits 4096x2160?
Pixel density is what decides that. 348 PPI at 13.3 in, 297 PPI at 15.6 in, 193 PPI at 24 in, 172 PPI at 27 in, 145 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.