TV with FullHD, 4K or 8K? Eye resolution remeasured
A scientific study shows that our eyes can resolve more pixels than previously assumed. However, the values of modern televisions are too high for most people.
(Image: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com)
Although the human eye has a higher resolution than previously assumed, 4K or even 8K resolution is still too much for average room sizes. This is the opinion of a team from the University of Cambridge and the US company Meta, who claim to have determined for the first time what the human eye can actually perceive. To achieve this, the researchers determined how many pixels fit into one degree of the field of vision from different distances and how a screen appears from the respective distance. In addition to a research paper, they have created an online calculator that allows people to determine based on data about their living rooms which TV resolution offers no added value.
Eyes better than thought, 8K resolution still too high
As the research group explains, it was previously assumed that the human eye can resolve 60 pixels per degree (PPD), “but no one has sat down and checked this for modern screens,” explains lead author Maliha Ashraf. Together with her team, she therefore designed an experimental setup with a movable display at its center, which allowed them to precisely determine what the eye can perceive. The result was that the eye's resolution for black and white images was more than 50 percent above the accepted value (94 PPD instead of 60 PPD). For red-green patterns, it was still 89 PPD, and only for yellow-violet was it a mere 53.
Based on these results, the group then determined what resolution a screen needs to have depending on the distance so that 95 percent of people would no longer recognize an increase in resolution. If you sit about three meters away from a television with a 60-inch (1.52 m) screen diagonal, a 4K resolution would be beyond the resolution capacity of almost all people. Further pixels would no longer make the image appear sharper. Those who want to know more precisely can use an online calculator, where you can enter your values. Below, a number in a two-color bar shows what percentage of people could recognize a difference between the entered and a perfect screen.
Videos by heise
This online calculator already shows the practical benefit of the research work, but the group also points out additional disadvantages associated with excessively high resolutions. The more pixels a display resolves, the more power it consumes, and the more processing power is needed to display the content. Therefore, it is important to know from which value it no longer makes sense to further increase the resolution. This applies not only to televisions but also to all other devices with displays, from smartphones and VR glasses to car displays. The group has now published their research work in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
(mho)
