27/03/2018

Is your 4K UHD Home Projector really 4K?

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

4K Ultra HD 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 colour 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 Ultra HD” projection. One of these requirements is that the projector’s pixel count must have a minimum of eight million active pixels.

DLP 4K Ultra HD Technology

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

Low Cost 4K Ultra HD Projectors

DMD chips come in two sizes, 0.66 inches and 0.47 inches. 0.66 inch chips feature 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 colour wheel and onto your screen. 0.47 inch chips come with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. These 0.47 inch chips use XPR technology to bounce light onto the chip in a specialised 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 Ultra HD projection.

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 Ultra HD Projectors

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