How much longer does 1080p have?

[Guest andyysplash]

When I started watching LTT just over a year ago Linus was constantly talking about "1080 p-ness" and all that, and all benchmarks were done in 1080p with some of the top cards (GTX 680 and 690) tested at 1440p and getting slaughtered.

 

Now even 4K's usable with the right gear (though only really single-monitor setups). Since 1080p's been doing the rounds for a good 5 years now, is it coming to an end or aren't we moving on for a while? I know it's mostly speculation, but it's an important decision or those looking at monitor purchases and the like. About half a year ago I grabbed a 1080p panel since it was affordable (though overpriced) and I needed an upgrade from 1440x900. However, there's the consideration of where to go next. Is it worth sticking with 1080p and buying a second monitor and eventually a third for surround or upgrading to 1440p and using the 1080p screen as a secondary? Is it even worth going for 1440p or should we all wait a couple years until 4K's playable and UI scaling is fixed in most OSes?

[Arphenyte]

When I started watching LTT just over a year ago Linus was constantly talking about "1080 p-ness" and all that, and all benchmarks were done in 1080p with some of the top cards (GTX 680 and 690) tested at 1440p and getting slaughtered.

 

Now even 4K's usable with the right gear (though only really single-monitor setups). Since 1080p's been doing the rounds for a good 5 years now, is it coming to an end or aren't we moving on for a while? I know it's mostly speculation, but it's an important decision or those looking at monitor purchases and the like. About half a year ago I grabbed a 1080p panel since it was affordable (though overpriced) and I needed an upgrade from 1440x900. However, there's the consideration of where to go next. Is it worth sticking with 1080p and buying a second monitor and eventually a third for surround or upgrading to 1440p and using the 1080p screen as a secondary? Is it even worth going for 1440p or should we all wait a couple years until 4K's playable and UI scaling is fixed in most OSes?

3-4 more years 1080p will be like 720p.

[flibberdipper]

Until Windows' scaling gets to be as nice as OS X's, I think that 1080p (and 1440p) still have a decent amount of time left.

[cesrai]

I'm using 720P so yeah.

[AlwaysFSX]

5 years roughly. Widely used resolutions don't die overnight.

[Suika]

A lot of people still can't even stream 1080p, I'd make a very wide guess of 10 years.

[Jerakl]

I'm using 720P so yeah.

Me too.

[RevoltTrain]

I'm still not even at 1080p yet

[d3sl91]

The fact that so many computer users don't even have 1080p yet says a good number of years. 5+ 

 

Most laptops are not even 1080p.

[othertomperson]

I don't think it's ever going away. For PC use 1440p and 4K, and other different aspect ratios are going to continue to be a thing, but 1080p isn't going to stop being a standard because it's a standard for media content.

 

And, unlike previous standards, this is actually a good one. Unless you have a ridiculously big TV in a ridiculously small room you won't notice anything more than 1080p. (Unless you're sitting very close to it, as you do with a PC monitor which is why 1440p and 4K are very good PC standards.) In fact I read a thing a while ago about 4K in cinemas and it reached the conclusion that even for a screen the size of a cinema screen in a room the size of a cinema only the first few rows get any benefit of 4K over 1080p.

 

So I don't think HD is going anywhere. It will just be one of many standards, instead of the standard.

 

 

The fact that so many computer users don't even have 1080p yet says a good number of years. 5+ 

 

Most laptops are not even 1080p.

 

And 1366x768 still makes sense if your screen is tiny. I don't think that's going anywhere either. Until we're at the stage where your OS will just keep everything the same size and we can just throw 1080p, 1440p, 4K at everything and text will just get smoother instead of smaller, 768p will remain standard on cheap laptops.

[cesrai]

Me too.

So are we like 720p buddy's ? 

[FatalityDiablo]

just as long as you want to use it. one of my friends still has a 17" flatron crt monitor and probably will only upgrade when it brakes (so never)..

[Jerakl]

So are we like 720p buddy's ?

iunno

[Mooshi]

I think realistically until consoles can do 1440p no problem. 720p is still considered HD by companies who sell programing so. Until consoles and everyday tv is 1080p, there isn't much incentive to move away from that yet. It's why I shake my head when people get obsessed over 4k on up when the content isn't really all there yet on a mainstream scale.

[cesrai]

iunno

So I'm going to decide and say we are

.

[Timmy-P]

When it comes to gaming, there's not only resolution to consider, but also refresh rate.  Now that 120/144 Hz panels are a thing (I'm using an Acer GN246HL right now and I love it), this puts these people with higher-rate panels in a nice position; as GPUs and such are getting geared more and more for 4K, we can kick it back a notch and enjoy ourselves at 150+ FPS.  1080p will stay for quite a while.

 

Also keep in mind that console games are still being made in 720p/1080p interchangeably.

[cesrai]

I think realistically until consoles can do 1440p no problem. 720p is still considered HD by companies who sell programing so. Until consoles and everyday tv is 1080p, there isn't much incentive to move away from that yet. It's why I shake my head when people get obsessed over 4k on up when the content isn't really all there yet on a mainstream scale.

You don't have to do that and it's expected people get obsessed with new technology, people are obsessed with the new CPUs that are in development like the Graphene and silicon hybrid. 

[d3sl91]

I don't think it's ever going away. For PC use 1440p and 4K, and other different aspect ratios are going to continue to be a thing, but 1080p isn't going to stop being a standard because it's a standard for media content.

 

And, unlike previous standards, this is actually a good one. Unless you have a ridiculously big TV in a ridiculously small room you won't notice anything more than 1080p. (Unless you're sitting very close to it, as you do with a PC monitor which is why 1440p and 4K are very good PC standards.) In fact I read a thing a while ago about 4K in cinemas and it reached the conclusion that even for a screen the size of a cinema screen in a room the size of a cinema only the first few rows get any benefit of 4K over 1080p.

 

So I don't think HD is going anywhere. It will just be one of many standards, instead of the standard.

 

 

 

 

And 1366x768 still makes sense if your screen is tiny. I don't think that's going anywhere either. Until we're at the stage where your OS will just keep everything the same size and we can just throw 1080p, 1440p, 4K at everything and text will just get smoother instead of smaller, 768p will remain standard on cheap laptops.

 

Yep, exactly. 1080p on a 15.6" though makes sense to me, as I start to feel cramped with the lesser resolution on a screen of that size.

 

My brother has a 1080p 13" Yoga 2, and that is..... pretty small. But that is Windows' fault. I have a 15.6" Macbook pro retina, and despite the very large resolution, the OS scales perfectly, and it's very nice on the eyes. Same story for 1080p or 1440p 5"+ phones. UI is great. 

[Omon_Ra]

And, unlike previous standards, this is actually a good one. Unless you have a ridiculously big TV in a ridiculously small room you won't notice anything more than 1080p. (Unless you're sitting very close to it, as you do with a PC monitor which is why 1440p and 4K are very good PC standards.) In fact I read a thing a while ago about 4K in cinemas and it reached the conclusion that even for a screen the size of a cinema screen in a room the size of a cinema only the first few rows get any benefit of 4K over 1080p.

 

So I don't think HD is going anywhere. It will just be one of many standards, instead of the standard.

 

 

This. The majority of digital cinema projections are at 2K resolution; which is 128 pixels wider than a 1080p image. 2048x1080 versus 1920x1080. 1080p isn't going anywhere. 240, 360 and 480 resolutions need to die though. But we also need better infrastructure to handle higher data rates.

[CameronUK]

I can tell the difference between 1080p and 4K at a viewing distance of approximately 12 feet.

 

1440P 27 inch looks no better than a good 22 inch 1080p. I'd happily make the switch to 4K if I had the money, and if windows could scale. This being said, 1080P films still look incredible.

 

There's a great short film, Sintel, that's available in 4K, and on a 1440P screen there's a clear difference in quality.

 

https://durian.blender.org/download/

[cesrai]

I can tell the difference between 1080p and 4K at a viewing distance of approximately 12 feet.

 

1440P 27 inch looks no better than a good 22 inch 1080p. I'd happily make the switch to 4K if I had the money, and if windows could scale. This being said, 1080P films still look incredible.

 

There's a great short film, Sintel, that's available in 4K, and on a 1440P screen there's a clear difference in quality.

 

https://durian.blender.org/download/

That's impossible you just can't do that.

[CameronUK]

That's impossible you just can't do that.

 

Can't do what?

 

After reading above, it looks as though I've not worded it very well.

 

Firstly, I was referring to a TV around the 50 Inch size at 12 feet, not a 27 inch monitor (which is what it looks like I'm saying).

[Fate]

I think realistically until consoles can do 1440p no problem. 720p is still considered HD by companies who sell programing so. Until consoles and everyday tv is 1080p, there isn't much incentive to move away from that yet. It's why I shake my head when people get obsessed over 4k on up when the content isn't really all there yet on a mainstream scale.

I doubt consoles will ever do 1440p as it will never be a standard for TV's. 

[cesrai]

Can't do what?

 

After reading above, it looks as though I've not worded it very well.

 

Firstly, I was referring to a TV around the 50 Inch size at 12 feet, not a 27 inch monitor (which is what it looks like I'm saying).

Now this makes sense.  at 12 feet from the TV 1080 and 4K wouldn't make a difference it becomes retina.

[othertomperson]

Can't do what?

 

After reading above, it looks as though I've not worded it very well.

 

Firstly, I was referring to a TV around the 50 Inch size at 12 feet, not a 27 inch monitor (which is what it looks like I'm saying).

 

Like I said, it depends on screen size and viewing distance. I think for the majority of living room setups 1080p is always going to be sufficient. I don't even mean "adequate", I mean "literally you will not be able to tell the difference".