With constant advancements in technology, TVs now come in a wide range of ultra-high resolutions. From HD and Full HD to UHD, 4K, and even 8K, there’s an option for every viewer. However, a surprising new discovery reveals that your eyesight might actually determine whether you can even perceive the finer details of these highly detailed images.
TVs: Is a High Resolution Even Necessary?
A recent analysis published in the journal Nature Communications shows that standards like Full HD, 4K, or 8K can’t be universally recommended. The reason is that your eye has limits that even high-resolution displays eventually can’t surpass. Therefore, what some TVs offer in this regard isn’t always worthwhile.
In the study, researchers from the University of Cambridge and Meta Reality Labs wanted to find out at what point a higher screen resolution makes a visible difference. “If you have more pixels in your display, it’s less efficient, it costs more, and it requires more processing power to drive it,” co-author Professor Rafał Mantiuk explained in a press release. “So we wanted to know the point at which it makes no sense to further improve the resolution of the display.”
To do this, they investigated how well test subjects could recognize fine line patterns on a display – from various distances and angles, in both color and black and white. The crucial factor was not just the screen’s resolution itself, but how many pixels per degree (PPD) fit into the field of view.
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What the Researchers Found
The result showcased that for a typical living room situation – about 8.2 feet away from the TV – a 44-inch TV with 4K or 8K offers no discernible advantage over a cheaper QHD device. This is because beyond a certain value, your eyes simply can’t capture any additional image details. For black-and-white patterns, the limit was an average of 94 PPD, while for color patterns it was significantly lower – especially for yellow and violet.
For you as a consumer, this can save you real money on your next purchase. To help you better assess which resolution is really worth it for you, before making a purchase, the researchers have developed a free online calculator. Just enter the size, distance, and resolution of your TV and get an assessment of whether your display is overkill or underpowered.
The findings on TVs and their resolution could also become important for other tech sectors – such as the development of displays for virtual reality, smartphones, or even cars. Since we clearly see that just because more pixels are a possibility, that doesn’t mean you can actually perceive them.
Sources: “Resolution limit of the eye — how many pixels can we see?” (2025, Nature Communications), University of Cambridge
This article was originally published on futurezone.de / 4P.de and has been carefully translated.