Native 4K vs True 4K vs Faux 4K, 0.47 vs 0.66 chip 4K Resolution

Jemma

Member
Many people argue about true 4k and faux 4k devices in various industries including projectors, and projectors promoted 4k resolution are confusing users. Today we will discuss the difference between the true 4k and faux 4k projector, as well as the difference between the 4k resolution of 0.47 and 0.66 chips.

1. Display Chip and Resolution


First of all, we need to simply understand the display chip and resolution, which are indispensable parameters for projectors.

The display chip refers to the chip that provides the image display function of the projector. The larger the size of the display chip, the higher the resolution of the picture.

Resolution is the clarity of the projector screen. The higher the resolution, the clearer the screen.

For more detailed knowledge about display chips and resolutions, you can refer to this article: What is the relationship between display chips and resolution.

Display Chip.png

2. Native 4K, True 4k and Faux 4K​


The resolution of the native 4k projector is 4096*2160, and the total pixels can reach 8.8 million, which can bring ultra-high-definition and delicate pictures. No matter from which direction, the details of the picture can be clearly seen and the amount of data per frame reaches 50MB. Therefore, no matter decoding, playing or editing, it requires a top-level configuration for projectors, but currently, there are very few manufacturers that can meet this requirement.

The DLP smart projectors currently on the market basically use DMD chips provided by Texas Instruments. In order to meet the requirements of 4k resolution at a lower cost, Texas Instruments has found a new solution - XPR technology (pixel shift technology). which helps projectors to achieve true 4K resolution with 8.3 million distinct pixels regardless of the DMD chip's number of native pixels.

1080p vs 4k.jpg

Therefore, most of the projectors with 0.47DMD chips or 0.66DMD chips basically rely on XPR technology to achieve 4K resolution.

However, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), as long as the projected picture reaches 8.3 million pixels, it is 4K resolution. Therefore, the display of 8.3 million pixels (3840*2160) achieved by XPR technology is also in line with the 4k standard. It's just not the native 4k resolution, nor the true 4k resolution as we know(that's when people consider true 4K as native 4K), but generally, people call it true 4k or faux 4k(actually they are all faux 4K).

3. 0.47 Chip 4K Resolution vs 0.66DMD Chip 4k Resolution​


The real physical resolution of the 0.66-inch DMD display chip is 2716*1528, about 4.15 million pixels. Through XPR dithering technology, a displacement is performed in the diagonal direction, so as to achieve effective pixels * 2, reaching the standard of 8.3 million pixel display.

The real physical resolution of the 0.47-inch DMD display chip is 1920*1080, which is also shifted by XPR technology once up and down, left and right, and finally achieves effective pixels * 4, obtaining 8.3 million pixels, reaching a resolution of 3840 * 2160.

0.66 inch 4k vs 0.47 inch 4k.jpg
Although both achieve 4k resolution, the 4k resolution displayed by the 0.47 and 0.66DMD chips is different. Compared with the 0.66DMD chip, the 4k picture quality of the 0.47DMD chip will be blurred and the graininess is stronger, and the 4k picture of the 0.66DMD chip will be clearer and more delicate.
0.66 inch 4k image vs 0.47 inch 4k image.jpg
In addition, not all projectors with 0.47DMD chip are 4k resolution. If it does not reach 8.3 million pixels through XPR technology, then it is still 1080p resolution.

That's all for the difference between the native 4k, true 4K, and faux 4k of projectors, and the difference between the 4k resolution of the 0.47 and 0.65 chips, and I hope it will help you.
 
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