Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: lowest digital screen resolution before noticeable quality loss

This is topic lowest digital screen resolution before noticeable quality loss in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-13-2008, 10:53 AM:

With 2K digital cinema the standard is 2048 X 1080 resolution, at 24 frames per second.

Just curious, but what is the lowest screen resolution I could push through that same digital projector before I saw noticeable image quality loss? Where would I bottom out?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-13-2008, 11:11 AM:

There's different variables that come into play with that question (screen size, viewing distance, types of imagery being shown, etc.)

Even at the highest settings, you may be able to see limitations in the 2K format itself. I find its limits most noticeable when lettering and other kinds of graphics are displayed on screen, especially scrolling end credits. If the focus level is properly sharp you will see evidence of that pixel grid if you get within a few rows of the screen.

Lower resolution video or computer sources can be displayed through these projection systems. You just have to make sure the audience doesn't expect to see 2K d-cinema image quality with the material.

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-13-2008, 12:17 PM:

I'm curious has anyone thrown up a 1.3 megapixel cellphone image just for the hell of it to see what would happen? Would it be a readable image? What about a 2.0 or 4.0 megapixel image?

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 02-13-2008, 12:38 PM:

The full imaging chip in a 2K projector is only about 2.2 Megapixels.

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-13-2008, 12:48 PM:

so my 2 megapixel iPhone has approximately the same image data as one frame of 2K digital?

Posted by Tristan Lane (Member # 1169) on 02-13-2008, 07:16 PM:

It has roughly the same amount of pixels but not always the same capabilities when it comes to data compression. Quality of an image is affected by much more than just it's pixel count.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-13-2008, 10:15 PM:

Just about any picture taken with a cellular phone is going to have marginal image quality at best. Blown up onto a movie screen using a 3 chip 2K DLP projector, the crappyness is just going to be amplified.

Posted by Kyle Anderson (Member # 3504) on 02-13-2008, 11:00 PM:

^ It'll look crappy because of digital signal boost noise (ala the fuzzy random colors in dark areas) and cheap optics.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 02-13-2008, 11:10 PM:

We are running 2K images on an 18m screen and the image quality is awesome. We also run 1.3K projectors in a couple of other smaller auditoriums and the image is underwhelming to say the least. Granted we're not running Christie CP2000's in those other auditoriums but the pixelation is a lot more noticeable even on the smaller screens. We've never run 1.3K programs through the Christies