Ever since 4k TVs have been introduced, people have been jumping at the chance of buying one. With a wider screen, better resolution, crisp and sharp details, who will skip the chance of getting one. But getting a 4k TV does not mean that you will also get all the content in 4k. Most of it can be of any other resolution. But the main point is how to make that low-resolution content look better on that display. If you wonder how to make 1080p look better on 4k TV, keep on reading.
What Is 1080p And 4k?
Assuming that you know what pixels and resolution are, the definition of both is simple. 1080p is called High Definition with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The 4k refers to the Ultra High Definition with a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels. At its basics, 4k has a display four times more than that of 1080p.
What Happens If You Play 1080p Content On 4k TV/ Screen?
Well, the 1080p content is one-fourth of the native resolution of the 4k screen. This means that the 1080p content is either going to play only on one-fourth part of the screen, or it will be stretched over to the whole screen.
Does 1080p Content Look Bad When Played On 4K TV?
Actually, it depends on the perspective of the viewer. As mentioned above, the 1080p content is only one-fourth of 4k. Consequently, the image will be blown or stretched over the remaining parts, known as upscaling.
1080p content will not necessarily look bad on the 4k TC screen. But, it will look a bit blurrier, which can be annoying for the viewer, especially those who enjoy crisp, sharp details on the screen.
How To Make 1080p Look Better On 4k TV?
Actually, there are two ways to achieve that. The first one is to buy a 4k TV with good quality upscaling. A TV with a good scaler (of Sony or Samsung) can help immensely improve the quality of content.
The other way is to buy a dedicated scaler for your 4k TV. That saves you from buying a brand new TV (sarcasm) and will prove to be much less troublesome. The dedicated scaler will help maintain the quality and definition of 1080p even when it is upscaled on the 4k TV screen.
There is a third, although the less popular solution to making 1080p look better on 4k TV. Downloading a 4k to 1080 scaler software is an option. Such upscaling software can be installed or downloaded from verified sources. You can also use an online scaler.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: On Which 4k TVs Does The 1080p Looks Good?
Ans: Sony and Samsung 4k TVs are the best in this regard. They come with good quality built-in scalers that make the scaled content look quite good.
Q: How Does Upscaling Works On A TV?
Ans: All TVs come with their own built-in scalers. As you know, 1080p is one-fourth of 4k resolution. So the 4k TV uses an algorithm to add a mesh of blank pixels. By looking at its 4 neighboring pixels, the algorithms assign color values to each blank pixel.
Q: Does Upscaling Reduce The Resolution Of Image?
Ans: Yes, it does. To improve the optical resolution of the image, the scaler uses bicubic (smoothing) interpolation and bilinear (sharpening) interpolation. This enhances video quality significantly, gaining back the definition it might have lost during the upscaling process.