You must’ve heard about 4K and 1080p, but you barely think about where they came from and that these two are actually different things. 4K has come to us from TV technology and is now becoming more and more accessible across various devices, platforms, and software.

In this piece, we’ll uncover the differences between the 4K resolution and 1080p, determine which is better in terms of quality and how to download videos in 4K from various sources.

4K vs. 1080p Comparison

There's hardly anyone who has yet to hear about 1080p HD video quality. People tend to opt for the setup when watching or making video content due to its clarity and high resolution. These days, however, 4K and now 8K come on the heels and gradually replace 1080p. And for a good reason.

To tell which is better, we need to understand what defines the video resolution. It’s the number of pixels in each frame. The higher the quality of a video, the more realistic it will look, and you’ll be able to see more details.

The main difference between 4K and 1080p quality is resolution. 4K is ultra-high definition, while 1080p is just high definition. As their names suggest, 4K UHD has a significantly higher resolution than 1080p HD video. 4K resolution is 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, while 1080p consists of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.

At a 16:9 aspect ratio, 4K resolution contains almost four times the pixels on screen compared to 1080p technology, which is more than eight million pixels for 4K and just two million pixels for 1080p. This is a huge difference and provides some essential benefits for 4K compared to 1080p video quality.

By the way, the ‘p’ in 1080p doesn’t stand for ‘pixels’ despite the common misconception. Rather, it means ‘progressive scanning’ — the complete image that is delivered at once but not in a series of interlaced scans. For viewers, it allows for a smoother image without flickering. The ‘K’ in 4K implies the thousands, not a technological connotation like ‘progressive scanning’.

Why Is 4K Better Than 1080p?

There are several reasons why 4K is clearly superior to 1080p in terms of image quality. These factors include the ability to determine extra fine detail, see this detail when seated closer to the screen, and, from a production standpoint, its ability to reduce the recording to regular HD and other formats while maintaining the high contrast, highly detailed quality of the original.

Resolution & Detail

4K UHD is capable of reproducing the most intricate details with 4x more pixels than 1080p. This is considered the biggest advantage of the 4K video standard.

Closer Viewing

With a higher resolution increase in 4K compared to 1080p, you can sit much closer to the big screen while receiving a clearer picture. In fact, the optimal recommended viewing distance for a 4K TV can be half that of a regular TV. This is because 4K feels best when viewed up close; sitting farther away, you may not always experience its maximum benefit (although, no doubt, you will be able to enjoy its highest clarity regardless of the distance).

Zoom Out

Often recordings need to be reduced to a lower resolution. In the case of 4K, you can downscale to 2K high resolution. Tests showed that when comparing final video quality to 4K video that was scaled down to 2K, the image was noticeably more detailed than it would have been if it had been originally recorded in 2K.

For people who want and expect the highest cinematic picture quality possible, 4K is sure to be perfect in every way. From both production and viewing standpoints, this ultra-high definition technology has the potential to change the way we watch video.

Best Solution to Convert 1080p Video to 4K

4K resolution allows us to get an impressively crisp and realistic video image. If you want to enjoy high-resolution videos on your TV, computer, or mobile device, 4K Video Downloader is the tool for the task. Follow the steps below to download 4K YouTube videos in high quality.

1. Launch 4K Video Downloader. It's available for macOS, Windows and Linux, and Android.