Screenresolution

IMAX (1970).Aspect ratio: (1.43:1). Much as VistaVision sought to improve resolution and quality by running 35mm film horizontally through the camera and projector, IMAX runs 70mm film horizontally. Example: “To Fly!” (1976), portions of “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Because aspect ratio determines dimensions, certain monitor aspect ratios work better with certain resolutions. Using the incorrect resolution with an aspect ratio could result in a distorted or cut-off picture. The most common aspect ratios are 4:3, 16:9, and 21:9.

screenresolution中文

If you break it down by device, the most common desktop resolution size is 1920 x 1080, with 24.33% of the worldwide population. Tablets primarily use a resolution of 768 x 1024 with nearly 30% of all users, and the most popular mobile device resolution, used in roughly 11% of devices, is 360 x 800.

This isn’t the first time aspect ratios (screen proportions) have changed—or have given society headaches. Here’s a quick history lesson. (An aspect ratio is expressed as either a horizontal-by-vertical proportion, like 4:3, or as its resulting ratio, like 1.33. The smaller the ratio, the more square the picture; the larger the ratio, the wider the image.)

Image

The resolution of 1920 x 1080 is standard for a basic monitor. Those numbers just mean the height of your screen contains 1,080 pixels (full HD) and the width has 1,920 pixels. Multiplied together, your screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 means your screen has 2,073,600 pixels.

The size of your phone screen depends on your device. You can use the display size detector tool above to determine the resolution or size of your phone screen.

Because screen size and screen resolution are different, you can't use a tool to find your screen size. If I want to know the size of my screen, I can either measure it or look up my device model online. The device specifications will tell me what my screen size is.

16:9 pixel

Original silent film format (1892).Aspect ratio: 4:3 (1.33). William Dickson, working in Thomas Edison’s lab, used multiple frames of standard Eastman Kodak 35mm film to create a video image. Examples: “A Trip to the Moon” (1902), “The Sting” (1973), and all television until the rise of high definition.

As of January 2024, the most common screen resolution size is 1920 x 1080, with 9.63% of all digital device owners using that screen resolution. The next most common is 360 x 880, with 7.01%, and 1366 x 768 is the third most common, with 4.92% of all users.

Todd A-O (1955).Aspect ratio: 2.2. The film itself was twice as wide (70mm), creating much sharper images at larger projected sizes. “Oklahoma” (1955), “Patton” (1970).

4:3 resolution

No, the resolution of your screen does not affect Internet speed. The resolution of videos you watch or download may affect their speed, depending on the file size. However, your screen resolution has no bearing on Internet speed on its own.

The higher the number of pixels, the higher the resolution. Screen resolution also refers to the density of the pixels on your screen; more pixels means that the pixels are more dense, which improves resolution.

Similarly, you can find your resolution settings on Mac with only a few steps. See below to check and change the resolution of your screen using a MacOS device, such as a MacBook Pro:

16:9 resolution

No; in fact, 1920 x 1080 is considered high definition and is quite a common resolution. It has essentially become the norm for most devices, as it provides clear images and videos without taking up excessive storage on your device. Many computers, televisions, and smartphones use this resolution

It's crucial to know how to check monitor resolution for certain tasks that rely on small details, such as photo editing. Some online activities, like gaming, require specific resolution settings as well. However, screen resolution is important even if you’re not a photographer or gamer.

You can easily find your resolution settings on Windows 10 or Windows 11. Below are the steps to checking and changing your resolution using a Windows 10 or Windows 11 device:

For laptop screens, phones, and tablets, the most reliable high-resolution standard is 3840 x 2160 pixels. However, there are many different screen resolution sizes that work. A resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels is completely acceptable for most applications. Users can also adjust to 1366 x 768 pixels, which is the standard for small Windows computer monitors and laptops, though it’s not as sharp as some other resolutions.

Your resolution should depend on the device you’re using. Larger screens, like TVs and computer monitors, need higher resolutions. Lower resolutions would cause the picture to appear fuzzy on these devices. 4K resolution is widely accepted as the highest mainstream resolution for these devices. Though 8K resolution exists, it’s relatively new, meaning there’s room for improvement in the technology, and quite expensive.

The number given in the tool above represents the screen resolution of the device you’re currently using. Learn what your screen resolution is, why it matters, how screen resolution sizes affect a device, and more on this tool page.

When understanding resolution, it's important to also understand aspect ratio, as the two are closely connected. Aspect ratio is the ratio of an image's width to its height. It's expressed in two separate numbers separated by a colon - like 4:3 - and is frequently used to express the size of screens or monitors.

Resolution

HDTV (1996).Aspect ratio: 1:78 (16:9). Engineers settled on this first-time aspect ratio because it was the geometric mean between 4:3 (standard TV) and 2:35 (an average of typical movie ratios), so that an HDTV set could display both kinds of video without much “masking” by letterbox bars. DVDs, Blu-ray, and 4K all inherited this shape, which is standard for all TV production today.

But the switch to vertical videos is another story. A typical smartphone screen isn’t 16:9; it’s 9:16 when held normally (upright)—completely switched. That’s such a radical change in dimensions that no existing movie or TV show will fit unless it’s dramatically shrunken, to the point that most of the screen is black. And so far, incoming generations show no inclination to rotate the phone to solve the problem.

Image

You wouldn’t think our history of variable aspect ratios would be a big deal; we can watch any of those movies on our TVs, tablets, and computers today. If they don’t fit the screen perfectly, black bars (letterbox bars) fill the gaps.

In conclusion, you can see there are a variety of reasons why knowing your screen resolution is a must. If your resolution suddenly changes and your graphics aren't quite as sharp, you could have malware or a virus on your device. That's only sometimes the case, but staying on top of this information will help you get along with technology much better.

Screen resolution matters because it determines the quality of the image on your screen, regardless of the device you use to view the image. Though it may seem like just getting the biggest screen possible is the best choice, screen resolution makes a big difference. It's ultimately the basis of the picture you see on your screen.

Pixels are the smallest unit of graphics that can be displayed on a digital device. It's the most common unit for measurement in digital graphics; they're essentially the building block for digital images. The amount of pixels in your display depends on the graphics processing unit of your device. It also depends on your device's resolution capacity. The higher the resolution, the more pixels in your device.

Not all pixels are the same size; the resolution of your display also affects the size of the pixels. With lower resolution, pixels are bigger. This results in grainy or pixelated images. Higher resolution means smaller pixels and a more cohesive image.

PPI stands for pixels per inch. It's the measure of pixel density in digital displays, essentially indicating - as the name implies - how many pixels are in each inch of display. The more pixels per inch, the better the resolution or image clarity.

This month, my Scientific American column tackles the new era of vertical video—videos shot and viewed as tall, thin rectangles, suitable for smartphone screens without having to turn them. It’s kind of a mess: Vertical videos look ridiculous on TV sets and computer screens, but traditional horizontal videos play tiny and goofily on smartphones held upright.

However, that isn’t to say smaller screens are always superior. They aren’t, as long as you ensure that your screens are adjusted to their native resolutions or a resolution supported by the screen size you use.

The highest possible screen resolution is 8K UHD (ultra high-definition) resolution, which measures at 7680 x 4320 pixels. It's four times stronger than the resolution below it, which is 4K UHD, and sixteen times stronger than the resolution before that, which is 1080p. However, this impressive resolution is not yet readily available on the market. Some TVs and computer monitors are beginning to integrate it, but you likely won't see it in your home for a while. The highest resolution regularly bought and sold is 4K UHD, which has a pixel count of 3840 x 2160.

aspect ratio是什么

VistaVision (1954).Aspect ratio: 1.85. By rotating the standard 35mm film 90 degrees, VistaVision scenes could be shot on a larger area of the film, resulting in a higher quality picture. Examples: “White Christmas” (1954), “Taxi Driver” (1976).

Academy Ratio (1932).Aspect ratio: 1.37. To add sound to movies, engineers recorded an audio track on a thin strip alongside the video frames, resulting in a slight shift of the picture’s shape. Example: “Citizen Kane” (1941).

When changing your device's screen resolution, make sure to check the aspect ratio of your device beforehand to ensure you choose the best resolution. If you stick with the recommended or default settings for your device, chances are you'll have a pretty good viewing quality.

Aspect ratio calculator

Screen resolution, by definition, is a measurement of the millions of tiny pixels on your screen. These pixels form the colors, lines, and shapes you see. The number comprises the width and height resolution of your screen.

Yes, it does. For the best resolution, sizes matter. Screen sizes vary widely depending on the device you get, but not all resolutions are well-suited for all screen sizes. The resolution of a screen is the number of pixels across a space horizontally and vertically, so high resolutions need more pixels for more giant screens; any given display pixel resolution will be sharper on a smaller monitor and fuzzier on a larger monitor unless you adjust relatively.

Cinerama (1952).Aspect ratio: 2.59. Home television viewing was depressing movie-theater ticket sales. To combat that trend, special theaters offered this extremely wide picture, created by projecting three standard 35mm images side-by-side onto a giant curved screen. Example: “How the West Was Won” (1962).

Furthermore, changing your resolution can solve many display problems. Lower resolutions are less demanding on a computer’s video card, which results in a faster frames-per-second rate. However, a higher resolution will increase the clarity of text and images on your computer screen. Learning how to check resolution can improve your device experience. Follow the steps below to check your screen resolution and, if necessary, make changes to achieve the best settings for your device.

CinemaScope (1953).Aspect ratio: 2.35. Twentieth-Century Fox sought a similar widescreen image without the hassle and limitations of the three-camera system—by squishing (distorting) the wide image onto standard 35mm film, and then re-expanding it when projected. Example: “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954).

Knowing your screen resolution and knowing the best screen resolution for your device is crucial. Whether you're watching a TV show, reading an article, or checking your IP address on What Is My IP, a properly-adjusted screen resolution will improve your experience.