4k vs FHD on wedding video
The difference between a 4k video and Full HD for your wedding day.
Today, we are going to talk about a subject that seems somewhat technical, but is actually simpler than it seems, it’s a topic that has an important impact on the making of the best video for your wedding.
A lot of you actually recently bought or will soon buy a 4k monitor and maybe you are wondering if it makes sense to ask for your wedding video a final product in the same resolution. Our response is to provide you with the highest technology available in the current market but not always the standard 4k definition is the guarantee of the best quality.
Meanings
Let’s start from some definitions that can help us to better understand the topic. Until a few years ago, the monitors were in Full HD, FHD or 2k resolution and the long side, which was measured in pixels, was 1920×1080 pixel. The pixel is the basic unit, let’s say it’s a point which forms the monitor. The more points the monitor has, the more resolution it will increase, this is the possibility of visually rendering the details, sharpness, colours and contrasts of your images. The 4k on the market, also called Ultra HD, has a resolution 4 times higher than FHD and corresponds to a number of pixels of 3840×2160.
Viewing distance
From the above, it may appear that a 4k is in itself preferable to a Full HD monitor. The answer is..in the middle! In fact, although a higher resolution indicates more nuance and details, this difference needs an appropriate viewing distance to be perceived by our eye. Beyond a certain distance, calculated based on the height in pixels of the monitor, the difference between an FHD and a 4k is not appreciable by our eye. This detail is ignored by most people but it’s fundamental looking for the best quality possible. Even having of a 4k monitor but not using it at its optimal distance, the difference with an FHD would not be perceived and any additional cost incurred to enjoy 4k content would be wasted. The formulas are easy to remember::
- A FHD monitor gives the best at a distance equal to 2.5 times the diagonal of your panel calculated in inches (e.g.: 50″)
- A 4k monitor reduces this distance to 1.5 times the diagonal of the monitor always calculated in inches
This simple rule clarifies that how the larger the resolution, the smaller the viewing distance, this table broach the subject in a very in-depth way > Resolution Chart <. The most common mistake with 4k TVs is to think that, with equal size in inches, they are better to see at a greater distance. It’s the complete opposite. The difference between a 4k television and a full HD tv, for example of 55″, increases in favor of the first one considering short distances. The greater the distance, the more indistinguishable becomes the difference between an FHD and a 4k!
How far is your TV from your couch? In our case, our TV (55”) is about 2,5 meters far from our sofa. If the aim is to have an immersive and cinematographic experience, this distance returns the same perception by comparing a FHD and a 4k TV ! Simple and surprising, isn’t it? This is the truth, we’re talking about a very simple optical law of physics that most of the people do not consider when buying a 4k monitor!
So, it’s clear that this reasoning concerns the production of 4k content for the video of your marriage. Even having bought a TV 4k, if you do not put it at the optimal distance for his viewing, there is no difference between proposing you a FHD and a 4K video!
By Dicklyon at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10783200
Produce 4k content for your wedding video
Another important note is this: producing real 4K content has an ! Making a 4k video usually requires very expensive camera bodies and memory cards, more powerful computers and monitors for editing with higher resolutions. However, we know that on the market there are many wedding videos in which the 4k does not cost more than the FHD but is proposed and sold at the same price. Why? Well, the answer is easy…is not a real 4k! Photo and video and monitors production companies have competed in recent years to insert the word 4k in their products. The truth is that not all 4k are equal, the “quality” of a 4k video depends on many factors. Here you can find some examples:
- The number of file registration bits. 10 bit is better than 8 bit
- The lens used for the shooting
- The sensors used to record images and the processors
- The possibility to realize images in HDR, High Dynamic Range, with really bright whites and deep and full blacks
- The compression of the files produced in camera and those generated in the video editing, a wrong workflow can greatly affect image quality reduction
The highest quality for you
At INESSE Handmade Photography, we always use the latest video tools on the market thanks to our partnership with Camera Service Roma, Canon official center. Our Stefano Snaidero is the person in charge of all the educational activities and events, he thoroughly knows and use on field only the latest equipments Canon available. For his workflow he use EIZO monitor: the highest standard quality in connection with Apple computers and some software always updated. Our standards are the highest of those available on the current market e the personal experience recognized by highly qualified partners guarantees our customers the possibility to have the best products for their wedding videos.
Try to believe
Which is the service that improve best your wedding video? Well, we can say “it depends”. As a first step, it’s necessary to understand if an experience completely in 4k is perceptible by your systems and your environments. Remember that the best answer is linked to:
- resolution available on your TV (es: 4k)
- screen size
- vision distance
- equipments used to realize the video
- digital workflow of the editor
Our suggestion is to not only evaluate the commercial proposals that talk about of resolution (e.g,: 4k)!! Even a smartphone can make 4K video, but it will not be able to give you the same cinematographic rendering of a professional camera even if it’s used in FHD.
Make the best choice is easy. Write us now and we will guide you with some easy steps. After a fist call, we can decide together whether to invest both in making a real 4k video for your wedding.
Don’t just pick a product, pick the best!