25/03/18

Is Your 4K Ultra HD Projector Really Ultra HD??

When it comes to home entertainment, 4K UHD home projectors are the closest comparison to the 4K viewing experience you receive in movie theaters. 4K UHD home projectors are designed with the latest projection technologies and a wide color gamut to recreate a cinematic experience in your home.

4K UHD Requirements

In simplified terms, a pixel can be thought of as a small piece of a big puzzle. Each pixel contains red, green, and blue color information. In order to create an image a large number of pixels are combined to form the picture that you see on a screen. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has created baseline requirements that any projector must meet to qualify for “4K UHD” projection. One of these requirements is that the projector’s pixel count must have a minimum of eight million active pixels.

DLP 4K UHD Technology

DLP 4K UHD is a projection technology that uses a specialized high-speed chip known as a DMD along with technology created by the Texas Instruments called XPR. Projectors with DLP 4K UHD technology are able to the project more than 8 million pixels onto a projection screen and therefore meet the required pixel count standard set by the CTA for 4K UHD projection.

Low Cost 4K UHD Projectors

DMD chips come in two sizes, 0.66 inches and 0.47 inches. 0.66 inch chips features a native resolution of 2716 x 1528 pixels. The chip itself shifts back and forth at a high frequency to bounce light through a spinning color wheel and onto your screen. 0.47 inch chips come with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. These 0.47 inch chips leverage XPR technology to bounce light onto the chip in a specialized way to achieve the same pixel count of 8.3 million as with the 0.66 inch chip. 0.47 inch chips are more compact in size and are more cost-effective to manufacture, resulting in a lower price point for 4K UHD projection than with the 0.66 inch chip.

DMDActive ResolutionResolution after XPR TechnologyActuator
0.662716x15282716x1528=8.3 million pixel
8.3 megapixel 4K UHD resolution
2 ways
0.471920x10801920x1080x4=8.3 million pixel
8.3 megapixel 4K UHD resolution
4 ways

ViewSonic 4K UHD Projectors

ViewSonic PX727-4K and PX747-4K 4K UHO home projectors utilize a 0.47 inch DMD chip with XPR technology to meet the CTA’s standards for 4K UHD resolution. ViewSonic 4K UHD home projectors allow you to enjoy true 4K UHD projection with benefits that include enhanced clarity, increased detail, and a pixel count four times more dense than that of Full HD.