Video Resolutions are how we describe the ‘dots’ (pixels) that create an image on the screen when put together.
The more total dots there are, the better the quality of the image will be.
Old TVs had a lot of nifty tricks to make the video look decent on TVs of different sizes, but on modern digital TVs and computers, it’s much more noticeable if you are playing a ‘low resolution’ video because it will get fuzzier or grainier as the viewing screen increases in size.
Also, depending on how much we stretch those dots, we can make them look like a square (fullscreen) image like on old TVs, or a rectangle (widescreen) on modern TVs and computers.
Recording Standards
| Standard | Width (Dots) | Height (Lines) | Aspect | I/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VHS | 335 | 240 | 4:3 | I |
| S-VHS | 560 | 420 | 4:3 | I |
| Video8 | 333 | 250 | 4:3 | I |
| Hi8 | 560 | 420 | 4:3 | I |
| LaserDisc | 570 | 420 | 4:3 | I |
| Betamax | 333 | 290 | 4:3 | I |
| Betacam | 387 | 290 | 4:3 | I |
| Betacam SP | 453 | 340 | 4:3 | I |
| SuperBeta | 387 | 290 | 4:3 | I |
| ED Beta | 667 | 500 | 4:3 | I |
Note:
- Analogue TV and recordings are measured in dots and lines as they are based on cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions. This allowed each ‘dot’ to be longer than the line was tall.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax
| Standard | Width (Dots) | Height (Lines) | Aspect | I/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VHS | 320 | 240 | 4:3 | I |
| S-VHS | 560 | 420 | 4:3 | I |
| Video8 | 333 | 250 | 4:3 | I |
| Hi8 | 560 | 420 | 4:3 | I |
| LaserDisc | 560 | 486 | 4:3 | I |
| Betamax | 333 | 250 | 4:3 | I |
| Betacam | 387 | 290 | 4:3 | I |
| Betacam SP | 453 | 340 | 4:3 | I |
| SuperBeta | 387 | 290 | 4:3 | I |
| ED Beta | 667 | 500 | 4:3 | I |
Note:
- Analogue TV and recordings are measured in dots and lines as they are based on cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions. This allowed each ‘dot’ to be longer than the line was tall.
- S-VHS was not available in an NTSC encoding.
| Standard | Width (Pixels) | Height (Pixels) | Aspect Ratio | I/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DV (Includes Digital8, MiniDV) | 720 (704) | 576 | 4:3 | I |
| Digital Betacam | 720 | 540 | 4:3 | |
| SVCD | 486 | 576 | 4:3, 16:9 | I |
| DVD | 720 | 576 | 4:3, 16:9 | I/P |
Note:
- Analogue TV and recordings are measured in dots and lines as they are based on cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions. This allowed each ‘dot’ to be longer than the line was tall.
- DV uses 16 pixels on each frame for additional information about the recording.
| Standard | Width (Pixels) | Height (Pixels) | Aspect Ratio | I/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DV (Includes Digital8, MiniDV) | 720 (704) | 480 | 4:3, 16:9 | I |
| Digital Betacam | 720 | 486 | 4:3 | |
| SVCD | 486 | 480 | 4:3, 16:9 | I |
| DVD | 720 | 480 | 4:3, 16:9 | I/P |
Note:
- Digital formats with both 4:3 (fullscreen) and 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratios retain the same amount of pixels, but for 16:9 videos the horizontal pixels are stretched. This is often referred to as ‘anamorphic’.
- DV uses 16 pixels on each frame for additional information about the recording.
| Standard | Width (Pixels) | Height (Pixels) | Aspect Ratio | I/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD DVD (HD) | 1280 | 720 | 16:9 | P |
| HD DVD (FHD) | 1920 | 1080 | 16:9 | I/P |
| Blu-ray (HD) | 1280 | 720 | 16:9, 2.21:1 | I/P |
| Blu-ray (FHD) | 1440, 1920 | 1080 | 16:9, 2.21:1 | P |
| UHD Blu-ray 4K | 3840 | 2160 | 16:9 | P |
| UHD Blu-ray 8K | 7680 | 4320 | 16:9 16:9 | P |
Note:
- Digital formats with both 4:3 (fullscreen) and 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratios retain the same amount of pixels, but for 16:9 videos the horizontal pixels are stretched. This is often referred to as ‘anamorphic’.
Television Standards
| Standard | Width (Dots) | Height (Lines) | Aspect Ratio | I/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAL | 520 | 576 | 4:3 | I |
| NTSC | 440 | 486 | 4:3 | I |
Note:
- Analogue TV and recordings are measured in dots and lines as they are based on cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions. This allowed each ‘dot’ to be longer than the line was tall.
| Standard | Width (Pixels) | Height (Pixels) | Aspect Ratio | I/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDTV (PAL) | 720 | 576 | 4:3, 16:9 | I |
| SDTV (NTSC) | 720 | 480 | 4:3, 16:9 | I |
| HDTV | 1280 | 720 | 16:9 | P |
| FHDTV | 1920 | 1080 | 16:9 | I/P |
| 4K UHDTV | 3840 | 2160 | 16:9 | P |
| 8K UHDTV | 7680 | 4320 | 16:9 | P |
Note:
- Digital formats with both 4:3 (fullscreen) and 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratios retain the same amount of pixels, but for 16:9 videos the horizontal pixels are stretched. This is often referred to as ‘anamorphic’.
Comparison Images
Frequently Asked Questions
Non-urgent advice: What does I, P, and I/P mean?
I: Interlaced
Each frame that is shown on the screen is recorded only partially.
The image you see is ‘laced’ with every odd-numbered row being from the new frame, and every even-numbered row being from the previous frame; kind of like how you might lace your fingers together, the left hand being the previous frame, and the right hand being the new frame. This was commonly used to transmit and record videos to use data more efficiently.
P: Progressive
Each frame that is shown on the screen is recorded as an entire image.*
I/P: Interlaced or Progressive
The standard may allow for either Interlaced or Progressive recording.
* Digital video compression complicates this definition, but it’s good enough for a basic guide.
Non-urgent advice: What does FPS mean?
Frames Per Second
A count of how many pictures are used to animate a video over a once second period.