Understanding Resolution & Video

Anyone shopping for a home theater projector should learn about resolution. It may be the single most important factor to consider when making your final buying decision. So let's explore a little bit more about the basics of resolution, native high-definition projectors, and getting the best resolution for your money.

Simply defined, "resolution" refers to the number of lines of picture image displayed on screen. The greater the resolution, the greater the picture quality. For example, a standard TV signal displayed on a standard TV set consists of 480 lines of resolution. HDTV (high-definition) signals, on the other hand, contain more than 700 lines -- hence their superior quality.

But, of course, there's much more to know about "resolution." And the more you know, the smarter your final choice will be when selecting the right home-theater projector for you.

"Fixed" Resolution

LCD and DLP projectors come in different "fixed" resolutions including XGA (1024 x 768), WXGA (1280 x 800) and HD (1920 x 1080). If a projector's fixed resolution doesn't match the exact resolution of the incoming signal, the projector must first resize the signal's image internally, through shrinking or stretching, to map it onto its own fixed-resolution LCD or DLP panel.

Varieties of Fixed-Resolution Projector Panels

  • XGA = 1024 x 768 pixels
  • WXGA = 1280 x 800 pixels
  • HD = 1920 x 1080 pixels

Are you with us so far?

Example: Suppose you have an XGA (1024 x 768) projector with an 800 x 600 incoming signal from a video source. The incoming image will need to be stretched to match the panel's fixed resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. A mathematical algorithm is used to add/interpolate pixels within the expanded image, so that the density of pixels will remain the same as in the original signal, thus avoiding what otherwise would be a less dense and therefore blotchy picture.

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