The Difference Between UHD and 4K in TVs

Martin Lewicki, charlotte.ziesing@axelspringer.com

January 23, 2023, 10:57 am | Read time: 4 minutes

4K, 8K, UHD, Ultra-HD–the TV industry is throwing around abbreviations. TECHBOOK explains what these terms mean.

4K has now established itself as the standard resolution for TV sets. Streaming services show many movies and series in this high-resolution format, and even consumers can record videos in 4K. However, when buying a TV, it can be confusing if the device is advertised with UHD or 4K UHD. Is there a difference between 4K and UHD, and if so, what is it?

What do UHD and 4K mean?

UHD stands for Ultra-High-Definition and is a collective term for the resolutions 4K and 8K. The designation is set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). TV manufacturers wanted to distinguish their devices from the Full HD competition. UHD became established in the TV industry even before 4K was widely known. The abbreviation stands for Ultra-High-Definition. A distinction is made between UHD-1 (4K resolution) and UHD-2 (8K resolution).

Now it gets a bit complicated because 4K also includes UHD. The term 4K encompasses all resolutions that are around 4000 x 2000 pixels, which is why it is sometimes referred to as “4K2K.” The film industry uses the DCI-4K standard (“Digital Cinema Initiatives”) with 4096 × 2160 pixels–slightly higher resolution than 4K UHD.

4K UHD, on the other hand, is the quadrupling of Full HD from about 2 million pixels to almost 8.3 million pixels. The edge length is exactly doubled. Instead of 1920 pixels, the image is 3840 pixels wide, and instead of 1080 pixels, it is 2160 pixels high.

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Why the confusion about UHD and 4K?

Originally, UHD was supposed to be a standalone designation for TV sets with four times the resolution of Full HD. At the time the standard was introduced, however, 4K had already established itself as the umbrella term for high resolution.

Not only the film industry and TV sets differ here. Modern cameras and smartphones also record videos with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. Nevertheless, people talk about 4K resolution and not UHD. As if that weren’t enough, there are special devices like the iMac with a display resolution of 4096 x 2304 pixels. Although the resolution is higher than 4K in cinema and TV, Apple refers to it as a 4K display.

Apart from these examples, you can remember for orientation: If you talk about 4K UHD, just UHD, or UHDTV, then it is a TV set with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. If only 4K or DCI 4K is mentioned, then it is 4096 × 2160 pixels. For consumers, the difference is usually marginal, as in both cases, these are very high-resolution film formats and displays that provide more detail and sharpness, making them more pleasant for the eyes.

Other Resolutions

In addition to 4K and UHD, there are also numerous other resolutions. Here is an overview of the most important ones:

8K or 4320p Resolution

Just as 4K UHD corresponds to the exact quadrupling of Full HD, 8K is four times the resolution of 4K. The edge length is doubled in each case. This means 8K measures 7680 pixels (instead of 3840) in width and 4320 pixels (instead of 2160) in height.

8K is already found in some, still quite expensive, UHD televisions. Newer cameras and smartphones like the Galaxy S21 can also record videos in this high resolution.

Full HD or 1080p Resolution

This is the established standard for HD recordings with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Typically, Blu-ray movies are stored in this format, which can be played back 1:1 by HD televisions. Some smartphones and computer displays, as well as Amazon, Netflix, or YouTube, also offer this resolution. Most digital cameras can also record in this format.

HD or 720p Resolution

The 720p resolution is essentially the simplest HD resolution, measuring 1280 x 720 pixels in a 16:9 format. This was offered by the first HD televisions, as well as older digital cameras. This resolution can be set on iPhones and other smartphones, for example, to limit data storage. The rule is: The higher the resolution, the more storage space is used.

SD Resolution

The SD format has a resolution of 720 x 576 pixels in a 16:9 format and is mostly found on DVDs.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TECHBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@techbook.de.