A study indicates that ultra high-definition televisions are of little significance for average-sized living rooms.
A research team from the University of Cambridge in the UK recently discovered that human eye resolution has its limits. For an average-sized living room, placing an ultra HD 4K or 8K TV has no significant difference in clarity compared to a 2K TV of the same size. The study was published on the 27th in the international academic journal Nature Communications.
Normal vision “20/20” means the eye can distinguish 60 pixels per degree. Experiments measured the ability of subjects with normal vision to observe specific features in color and grayscale images on a 4K TV screen at different distances. The results showed that once the limits of human eye resolution are exceeded, the amount of information displayed on the screen goes beyond what the eye can perceive.
The study cited an example: If a 44-inch 4K TV in a living room is placed 2.5 meters from the sofa, the detail on the screen already exceeds what viewers can perceive with the naked eye. Even if upgraded to an 8K TV of the same size, the picture will not become noticeably sharper. This research points the way for future display development and has important implications for imaging and video coding technology. The team has even developed a free online calculator based on the study’s results, allowing people to figure out which resolution TV is most suitable for their home.