8K resolution is the next great step in television resolution. Moreover, like with 4K, the change implies the development of new technologies.

In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about 8k resolution, and if its worth the money. Let’s get started.

History of 8K

Since display screens had been revealed before, Sharp introduced its first true 8K TV at CES 2013 with an amazing 85-inch model, just as 4K TVs were starting to take hold. Sharp would also be the first company to offer an 8K TV in 2015, a $133,000 85-inch behemoth.

Several firms began to display their own 8K TV prototypes in the following years, finally releasing them to the market but at a high price. Only in the last several years have 8K displays been more widely accessible and at costs comparable to some higher-end 4K TVs.

What is 8K Resolution?

8K TVs are the latest high-resolution UHD (ultrahigh-definition) TVs to be introduced. But how much better can it go than 4K? About four times the pixels of a 4K screen, 8K TVs produce clearer and more realistic images. This is due to the pixels on 8K TVs being so tiny that they cannot be separated.

8K Televisions have screens with 7,680 horizontal and 4,320 vertical pixels and a total of 33 million pixels. The letter “K” in 8K refers to Kilo (1000). An 8K TV contains around 8000 horizontal lines (7680 to be exact).

The 8K resolution is so sharp that viewing a world cup or NBA match may make you feel like you’re in the stadium with your favorite team.
Note: 8K resolution is often stated as 7680 x 4320.

Benefits of 8K Resolution

The nicest thing about 8K televisions and monitors, based on our testing, is that they boost visual clarity. When you use one of these screens, you will notice that the images are far sharper than any of those seen on 4K Televisions and screens.

While viewing information at 8K quality, you might see details in your photographs or movies that were previously invisible. You will be able to see wrinkles on people’s faces or minute details in your creations or artwork.

What About 8K Resolution Gaming?

With the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, many will wonder if 8K games are on the horizon, considering that the systems’ HDMI 2.1 interfaces officially support 8K/60Hz pass through.

Microsoft has also hinted that the Xbox Series X will support 8K resolution. Yet, we have to see any material supporting either platform at this level.

8K isn’t always the ultimate objective in gaming. Most would argue that a high refresh rate (120Hz) is vital for guaranteeing smooth gaming and preventing the image from being cut or torn during hectic graphics.

How Much Does an 8K TV Cost?

Samsung’s Q900R was previously offered for $15,000 for the 85-inch variant. Given how new the technology is, this was not surprising. It is expected that 8K Televisions will become more affordable over time, similar to how 4K OLED TVs have grown more affordable. Samsung’s second-generation Q950R followed the same rationale, with a £10,000 RRP at launch. However, the price dropped dramatically a few months later.

Are Any Movies or TV Shows in 8K?

While many programs have yet to make the transition to 4K, certain movies are now being broadcast in 8K, but not all. Black Panther, for example, was one of the first films to be presented in 8K quality. There are also a few more TV series released in 8K.

Frequently, these are exceptional events that are televised in 8K. Japan, for example, performed 8K trial broadcasts on its public TV station NHK in 2016 before launching a dedicated 8K TV channel in late 2018. Brazil screened footage from the 2018 World Cup in 8K resolution at Rio de Janeiro’s Museum of the Future.

Apart from that, 8K is now mostly utilized by businesses to promote their products. If you buy an 8K TV, you’ll almost certainly have to use upscaling to watch the video at that resolution.

What Kind of HDMI Cable Do You Need for 8K?

We’ve already dealt out the physical connection issue in case any 8K media streamers hit the market or if they’re required for the PS5, and Xbox Series X. HDMI 2.1 supports resolutions up to 8K and beyond.

Nevertheless, before you go out and buy HDMI 2.1-compatible connections, keep in mind that a new standard will almost definitely emerge between now and the widespread adoption of 8K. Hence, despite their present futuristic appearance, those wires may be outmoded.

All of the major 8K TV manufacturers claim that their models include HDMI 2.1 connections that can handle the 48Mbps bandwidth necessary for the greatest resolution and frame-rate combinations (8K and 60 frames per second and 4K at 120 fps).

Is It Worth Buying an 8K TV?

There’s no disputing that 8K technology is fantastic, but with little viewable 8K content available; we’re also many, many years away from ubiquitous 8K programming. It’s just not worth it right now.

For now, at least, you’re better off investing your cash in a 4K TV. Nonetheless, keep an eye on 8K since the technology is expected to become more affordable in the coming years.

Conclusion

There’s no assurance that these early 8K televisions will work with any eventual 8K standard. Many 4K televisions are unable to play any existing 4K media material.

Finally, even if costs continue to fall, as they did with the $2,200 TCL 8K 6-series, you’re almost likely better off with a 4K TV for the same money. It provides greater overall image quality and just misses out the bragging rights of having more pixels than your neighbor or relative. But if that’s your thing, go ahead and get an 8K TV.

This was changed with the introduction of HDMI 2.1, which saw HDMI technology undergo its most dramatic advancement to date, nearly doubling bandwidth and significantly broadening support for all types of visual devices.

That doesn’t imply your present HDMI connections, which are essentially obsolete, so you should update to HDMI 2.0 or 2.1. However, in a duel of HDMI 2.1 vs. 2.0, it’s not much of a match.

Let us begin this post by defining the terms HDMI, HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1. Then, we will compare HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 with the help of different features like bandwidth, video resolution, audio, refresh rate and gaming. Read on to find out!

What is HDMI?

HDMI is an abbreviation for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. It is a multimedia connectivity standard used to transport media from a source (such as a DVD player) to a screen. Since it can carry high video and audio via cable, the innovation outperforms prior standards.

HDMI was initially launched in 2002, and the most recent HDMI specification, HDMI 2.1, was issued in 2017. Nevertheless, the most prevalent specification is HDMI 2.0, which was launched in 2013.

As reported by the HDMI Forum, the technology is now used by over 8 billion gadgets. This is the body in charge of establishing new HDMI specifications and enhancing HDMI technology.

What is HDMI 2.0?

In multimedia applications, the capacity to transfer data faster from one system to the next is crucial. The connectivity between a gaming service and the screen has a significant impact on picture quality and lag times.

HDMI 2.0 cables were introduced in 2013 to accommodate new technologies. Greater television displays having HD capabilities were desired by consumers. Gaming platform advancements have also raised the demand for speedier data transport. The possible bandwidth throughput of the new HDMI technology has been boosted to 18Gbps.

What is HDMI 2.1?

HDMI 2.1 is the latest edition of the HDMI standard, and it applies to both HDMI ports and HDMI cables.

Some televisions, for example, are beginning to include HDMI 2.1-compliant connectors and ultra-high speed. The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 also include HDMI 2.1.

The new HDMI interface will enable greater efficiency aims than the existing HDMI 2.0 interface (or 2.0b, to be more specific). In other terms, the interesting features of tomorrow, such as 120fps at 4K resolution, will depend on HDMI 2.1.

HDMI 2.0 vs HDMI 2.1

Although there may not appear to be much of a difference between HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1, this new technology introduces several important modifications to the audio/video interface. We’ve described both to help you determine whether changing your HDMI cables to the latest standard is worthwhile.

Bandwidth

HDMI 2.0 improved color spectrum support, increased transmission and transfer speeds by more than 50% and doubled audio channel support. However, HDMI 2.1 flipped the protocol on its head.

HDMI 2.1 has the highest transmission data speed of 48 Gbps, as opposed to HDMI 2.0’s 18 Gbps. On peak effective data rate, HDMI 2.1 cables outperform HDMI 2.0 cables by up to 42.6 Gbps, whereas HDMI 2.0 only accomplishes 14.4 Gbps.

With all of that extra bandwidth, the HDMI standard can now support greater graphics and refresh rates compared to ever before, enabling it to be a legitimate rival to the high-end DisplayPort format.

Video Resolution

HDMI 2.1 can offer video resolutions of up to 10K or 8K uncompressed, but HDMI 2.0 can only enable 4K.

When you use an HDMI 2.1 connection, you will be capable of seeing even more detail, and pictures will be clearer, but only when the TV, audio, and video player are all suitable with greater resolution.

However, an HDMI 2.0 connection can only display 4K material at 60 frames per second, which is insufficient for some programs. If you have a 4K TV, you may still prefer to use an HDMI 2.1 cable.

Audio

Both HDMI 2.1 and HDMI 2.0 have an audio return channel (ARC) capability, which allows a single connection to transmit and receive audio data from the TV to a speaker or AV receiver.

HDMI 2.1, on the other hand, enables an enhanced audio return channel (eARC).

You can hear surround quality audio with ARC. However, it will be compressed. eARC, in contrast, side, has a larger bandwidth capacity and so enables uncompressed surround sound, such as DTS Master, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, and Dolby Atmos 3D sound system.

Refresh Rate

HDMI 2.1 can offer frame rates of up to 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 120 Hz, but HDMI 2.0 can only support 4K at 60 Hz. The refresh rate of a display is the number of times the image is refreshed each second. A faster refresh rate contributes to smoother movements overall, particularly during gaming.

Your refresh rate should ideally be the same or greater than the frame rate of your video. Otherwise, you may notice image distortion and blurriness. HDMI 2.0 enables 1080p at 240 Hz and 1440p at 144 Hz, making it suitable for movies and gaming.

If you are using an 8K or 4K monitor or want the most performance from your gaming machine, you should invest in an HDMI 2.1 cable.

Gaming

Gaming experience shows one of the most prominent differences between HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1.

Only HDMI 2.1 supports advanced capabilities such as variable refresh rate (VRR) to eliminate screen tearing and auto low latency mode (ALLM) to reduce lag.

VRR is incorporated into HDMI 2.1, allowing the refresh rate of the screen to match the refresh rate of your gameplay in true. Without such functionality, your display will occasionally attempt to present information from two frames at the same time. This results in screen tearing.

Conclusion

Unless you have a TV with HDMI 2.1-compliant ports, you generally don’t need to purchase new cables because your TV lacks the inputs needed to use those HDMI connections in the first place.

HDMI 2.1 is intended to change the way we view and consume content, whether it’s games, movies, or TV shows. Considering this, most tech users do not need to be concerned about HDMI 2.1 just yet.

All HDMI cables appear to be the same. So, if you’d like to get an HDMI 2.1 cable, search for the designation “Ultra-High-Speed HDMI.” An HDMI 2.0 cable on the contrast side will be designated as “Premium High Speed.”

Projectors have been around for a long time. These devices, which come in various shapes and sizes, allow you to cast a big picture on almost any surface.

Digital projectors exist in a range of prices. With projectors becoming more affordable, they are being used in places other than classrooms, theatres, and conference rooms.

While LED and laser projectors offer significant maintenance and long-term cost benefits, their higher upfront costs can cause sticker shock for some customers, though prices in the sub-6000 lumen projector market have now dropped to the point where most will consider a laser projector to be a more cost-effective option.

We will discuss the current all-digital projector, which has become affordable enough for the working class to purchase as a viable alternative to large HDTV screens. We will also make comparisons like Laser projector vs. LED, Laser projector vs. Lamp, and LED vs. DLP projector.

What is a Lamp Projector?

The Lamp projector has been in use for decades. It has undergone constant improvements, such as brighter light and a longer lifespan.

However, for a long part of its history, lifespans were measured in hundreds of hours; it was not until the last ten years or so that we began to see projection lamps with lifespans of 1000 hours or more.

The desire to obtain higher and higher lumen output accompanied the progress of the lights, resulting in the creation of dual-lamp systems. The anticipated effect was achieved, but the unit’s continuing maintenance expenses increased as a result.

So, when would a lamp-based solution be preferable to a solid-state solution?

The simple answer is that lamp projectors are best for individuals who only use projection on a regular basis, such as once a month for a movie night or once or twice a week in a school. Churches, particularly small churches with little activity during the week, might readily claim that the now lower-cost light projectors have a compelling use-case.

However, the long-term impact of having to replace lamps must be considered. What will be the availability of a replacement projector lamp by the time a school experiences a blown projector lamp, even with a long lifespan of 5,000 hours?

We believe that lamp-based projectors are still a feasible and cost-effective option in many cases.

What is an LED Projector?

LED stands for light-emitting diode and is a widespread name in electronic devices. Unlike DLP and LCD projectors, which focus on projection technology, LED projectors focus on light sources.

LED projectors may, in reality, utilize DLP or LCD technology. LED projectors, on the other hand, use high-efficiency bulbs rather than traditional lamps, resulting in significantly longer lamp life.

LED projectors have a lamp life of up to 20,000 hours, compared to a typical projectors’ 1,000-5,000 hours. These, like LCD and DLP projectors, can be reasonably cheap or really expensive. DLP vs. LCD’s underlying projection source affects black levels, artifacting, motion blur, and color fidelity.

LED projectors have a low maintenance cost due to their filter-less design and long lamp life. For example, ZTE Spro2 projectors are LED devices with DLP projection technology and an LED light source. They are often used for gaming.

Here are some characteristics of LED projectors:

• LED is a form of light-emitting diode that refers to a light source, not a projection type.
• It could be DLP or LCD.
• It has a very long lamp life, up to 20,000 hours in some cases.
• It is energy efficient and almost maintenance-free.

What is a DLP Projector?

A Digital Light Processing projector reflects light onto the screen using microscopic mirrors, resulting in crisp image processing in Full HD 1080p or Ultra HD 4K resolution.

A physical color wheel, which is a spinning wheel full of color filters used to generate consecutive hues, is usually present.

Single-chip and three-chip DLP projectors with red, green, and blue DLP chips are available. The price ranges from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.

DLP projectors are by far the most prevalent, with DLP technology being used in the great majority of home theatre projectors.

They have a robust light output that is suited for environments with ambient light, such as schools and conference rooms. Similarly, color accuracy varies greatly by device, but DLP projectors often excel.

On most DLP projectors, motion blur is not a concern, delivering clean, sharp images during fast-paced situations in action movies and sports.

On the other hand, DLP projectors are prone to rainbow artifacts, in which bright objects appear to leave a trail of light. Three-chip DLP projectors are unaffected, whereas single-chip DLP projectors may exhibit artifacting.

Here are some of the characteristics of a DLP projector:

• It is a projector with Digital Light Processing.
• It single-chip or three-chip DLP projector.
• It keeps the motion blur to a minimum.
• It has a high color precision which varies with different models.

What is a Laser Projector?

Projectors have typically used lamps as their light source. DLP, LCD, LED, and LCoS projectors all fall within this category.

Lasers are beginning to replace lamps in projectors and maybe the projection technology of the future. Lasers outlast even energy-efficient LED lights in terms of image quality, and they outlast even LCoS.

Furthermore, lasers outlast standard projector bulbs while providing near-instantaneous on-off functionality.

In the same way that an LED projector uses an LCD, DLP, or LCoS chip, a laser projector refers to the light source rather than the projection technology.

While a normal bulb-centric projector reproduces color on the screen using RGB illumination, a laser projector generates the exact color required for a picture. They are best for the outdoors.

As a result, it uses less energy, allowing a laser projector to get exceptionally bright, far brighter than DLP, LCD, or LCoS devices. So, what is the catch, exactly? Its price.

Laser projectors are quite expensive, costing several thousand dollars at the very least. Here are some of its characteristics that you should know.

• It has a laser light source.
• It creates the exact color that is required for an image.
• It is extremely bright and has great color reproduction.
• It gives an excellent black level and contrast ratio.
• It is extremely expensive.

Conclusion

Ultimately, deciding on a projector is influenced by several factors, the most significant of which is the budget. DLP, Lamp, and LED projectors are fairly widespread, with prices ranging from under $100 to several thousand dollars.

Laser projectors produce the best image of any projector, but they are too expensive for widespread deployment.

We have managed to outline the fundamentals that everyone should be aware of in order to have the greatest possible display experience.

The device you are viewing this on has a specific contrast ratio, brightness and probably produces several hundred candelas per square meter. That’s correct; candelas are still the most common unit of light measurement.

If you are searching for a screen, you’ll most likely come across the nit metric, which indicates how much candlelight per square meter your screen can produce.

The rivalry between TV and display manufacturing companies is heating up. Everyone is bragging about how many nits their screens have. But for our user’s understanding specifically, what is a nit? What’s more, how many do you need? Or how to measure it? Let’s find out!

What is a Nit?

Nits are a unit of brightness or, more precisely, luminosity. Regardless of whether internal or external, your display produces a set amount of nits, which is a measurement that is part of its primary specifications.

A monitor’s nits value is usually listed on the box or on the manufacturer’s website. You can also measure it using dedicated hardware. You can use a tool called DisplayHDR Text to test nits value with just a software solution.

It should go without saying that this application will provide you with a rough nit value. If you want an absolutely correct value, you’ll need to utilize a photometer or go online and look up information about your screen.

How to Measure Nits Value?

From the Microsoft Store, get DisplayHDR Text. This application performs a series of tests to determine whether your screen is capable of displaying HDR content. It will do so by running nits tests at 400, 600, and 1000 nits. It does this regardless of whether or not your screen can handle it.

None of the tests are required to be completed. When you see the following screen, simply press the Page Down key twice.

The following is a summary of what you will see. The Max peak luminance determines the nits rating for your screen. This will not be exact, but the discrepancy will not exceed 50 nits.

According to the manufacturer, the screen we used to test this app produces 250 nits. Therefore the difference isn’t more than 20 nits in our instance.

What Are the Differences Between Nits and Lumens?

It is highly likely that you are used to hearing the term lumens more than nits, so you are probably wondering what a nit is when you come across the measurement.

It’s vital to note that nits aren’t an established metric for brightness. However, nit is frequently used instead of candela to prevent seeming like you measure brightness with candles, even if you are not.

So, what’s the difference between a nit and a lumen? Lumens are more generally used than nits, but nits measure both the intensity of light and the amount of light per square meter.

Lumens are used to measure flashlights and lightbulbs; for example, that’s why they are more generic.

The entire intensity of a light source is measured in lumens. The full illumination caused by your TV screen, for example, could be measured in lumens. Monitors illumination can be measured like that as well. Monitors are extremely advanced in terms of technology nowadays, and you can get them in curved and ultra-wide variants according to your preference (just make sure they are bright enough f or your use case).

The screen’s overall brightness will be measured in nits. It’s a little complicated but think of nits as a measurement of surface area, whereas lumens represent total illumination.

What Are the Benefits of Nits?

You will understand why nits matter if you have ever tried to use a dim device on a bright day. To be readable and watchable, your display must be more colorful or luminous than the light sources around it. You can easily color calibrate your monitor in a few easy steps to make sure that you have the right colors, but you cannot increase its brightness beyond its limit.

If your gadget never leaves the basement, you are probably not cranking up the brightness all the way anyhow, so having more nits wouldn’t help much.

Unless, of course, it’s an HDR (High Dynamic Range) television. The fact that these TVs can display brighter brights and true black makes them superior. Though most HDRs are limited to 2,000 nits, a Sony prototype HDR TV was able to reach 10,000 nits, although it will be at least a few years before you see such a device in the average household.

Should We Care About Nits?

The general rule is that the larger the number of nits, the brighter the display. This may or may not be a significant consideration for you when purchasing a new monitor or television. Still, the more colorful a display can get, the better the image will appear in a brightly lit room.

When it comes to cellphones, which you’re more likely to use outside in direct sunshine, nits are even more significant. Even on the brightest of days, a screen with a high nit count will appear bright and clear.

However, when looking for a television, we would argue that you don’t need to pay close attention to the number of nits a television has. Most people won’t be able to discern the difference.

Conclusion

Nits are essential, but they shouldn’t be the only consideration in your screen selection unless you need something brighter over a certain level for HDR or outdoor use.

Your screen quality is also affected by resolution, contrast ratios, black levels, sRGB color, and other things. As long as you’re not at the very low end of the nit range, you should be alright.

It is more important to know what a low, medium and high nit value for a particular gadget look likes. It is the most crucial thing to make more informed buying decisions.

If you own a 4K 75-80 inch TV (or any other high-end TV), an AV receiver, or a soundbar, you may have seen a small label next to at least one of the HDMI ports that says ARC or HDMI ARC. But what exactly is ARC stand for? And what is HDMI eARC? Read on to find out about ARC vs. eARC!

What is HDMI ARC?

Audio Return Channel (ARC) is a built-in feature of HDMI that can be utilized to output TV audio. However, it’s important to note that manufacturers have been obliged to include receivers in the video chain due to several constraints.

eARC (enhanced ARC) is an improved version that promises to repair everything. We explain the distinctions.

There was a time when analog phono ports on televisions could be used to output audio. The right and left stereo were connected using circular red and white connectors, respectively. Modern televisions, on the other hand, no longer have analog audio outputs. You can even set up a home theatre system using these modern TVs.

In 2009, the HDMI 1.4 standard was introduced, and ARC was born. It can send audio over an HDMI connection from the TV’s HDMI ARC connector, as the name implies.

It also has the ability to send sound to a soundbar or receiver. It’s useful when you wish to send TV audio to another device. When streaming apps made their way onto TVs, this became even more relevant.

Suppose you have a games console or a Blu-Ray player but you don’t want to use the TV’s speakers for sound. Previously, you had to connect an optical cable between your TV and the audio device’s visual input. With HDMI ARC, you don’t have to do that anymore.

Without the use of an optical connection, you can transport audio from a compatible HDMI output on your TV to a compatible HDMI ARC input on a soundbar or other external speaker.

What Devices Support HDMI ARC?

If you are unsure whether or not you can use HDMI ARC, look for matching ARC HDMI connections on the back of your TV and your audio equipment, whether it’s a soundbar or an AV receiver.

ARC is generally written on the ports. If they aren’t, you should be able to use at least one ARC port if the device is from late 2009 or later. If you’re unsure, look up your TV model on the internet or consult the user manual.

You won’t need to buy a new HDMI cable because HDMI ARC works with any HDMI cable. However, if you wish to use eARC, this could be a problem. So, once you’ve connected your cable to the TV and audio receiver, you’re ready to go.

However, certain TVs may not support HDMI ARC automatically; in this instance, you may need to adjust some of your TV settings, such as turning off your TV’s speaker and activating additional speakers or a soundbar.

What is HDMI eARC?

The next iteration of ARC is HDMI eARC or improved Audio Return Channel. It’s a new protocol that debuted with HDMI 2.1, the most recent version of the standard.

The critical advantage of eARC over ARC is that it is faster and has more bandwidth. Users will be able to transport higher-quality audio from TVs to soundbars and AV receivers due to this.

It means that eARC will be able to play all of the high-resolution formats that ARC couldn’t, including 4K Blu-rays on OLED TVs. And also the object-based formats like DTS:X and Dolby Atmos for best home theatre systems. However, it’s yet uncertain whether manufacturers will support all or just a few of these formats.

To take advantage of eARC, you’ll need two compatible HDMI eARC ports on both of your devices, just like with ARC. This means that HDMI 2.1 should be supported by your TV and your AV receiver. Unfortunately, because HDMI 2.1 is still a new standard, not many devices support it.

The New eARC

The new eARC allows you to make the following three significant changes.

• Increased bandwidth: It allows the TV to communicate with the receiver or soundbar in sophisticated and uncompressed surround sound codecs.
• HDMI handshakes are more dependable: These frequent handshakes between the loyal are a more reliable and controllable operation. You can also reduce the number of remote controls you use.
• Lip Sync Correction Protocol: It is necessary to ensure that the picture and sound are constantly in sync.

What Devices Support eARC?

It’s exciting to learn that manufacturers can pick and choose which parts of the upcoming HDMI standard they want to use. They don’t have to support 8K video resolution to incorporate eARC.

eARC, on the other hand, will work with older technology by reverting to the previous ARC standard.

Furthermore, it is critical to remember that eARC support is required on both ends of the connection. While there isn’t much audio equipment supporting eARC, it will help you get the most out of the new standard. Some gadgets, however, may be upgraded via firmware.

It’s critical to understand that two devices must implement the new HDMI 2.1 standard, including the eARC protocol. The average consumer will entail a TV and AV receiver that supports the latest HDMI 2.1 protocol.

Additionally, Ultra-High-Speed HDMI connections are required to use all of the new eARC protocol’s features. It’s intriguing to learn that HDMI cables will be beneficial if you plan to use the new HDMI 2.1 specification’s highest resolution video modes. As a result, all eARC functions will be supported by existing High-Speed HDMI cables.

Conclusion

It is critical to understand eARC vs. ARC. eARC is a significant technological advancement, and it may potentially solve the problem. The control center will no longer have to be a soundbar. It won’t have to deal with visual signals anymore.

Of course, it can still do so if you want it, but eARC shifts the dynamics and gives you a choice. However, in the future, HDMI will be able to send the same audio quality and formats upstream via HDMI eARC.

Let us take a look at what gamma correction is precisely and how we can relate it with gaming.

Understanding Gamma Correction

Gamma correction refers to the luminance of your digital image. To put all this in simpler terms, a digital picture that you see on your screen is made up of multiple tiny pixels. These pixels on the screen combine to form a complete image.

But what is gamma correction when it comes to TVs and monitors? Gamma correction deals with the correlation between the pixels’ numerical value and their actual luminance. So, the way you see your images on your computer screen is supported by tiny pixels with their numerical values and luminance.

You will see many terms on the internet: gamma correction, gamma encoding, or gamma compression; they all are the same. Even the color accuracy of your TV screen is affected directly by the gamma correction.

Importance of Gamma Correction

When a digital image is captured through a camera, it works by several photons hitting the sensor. But, for a human, it is different. Our eyes are affected by the brightness of light as compared to photons. So, the digital images captured and stored must be gamma encoded to create a better view for our eyes.

When you play games on your computer’s monitor or watch a film on your TV screen, you sometimes have to calibrate your monitor or TV screen to get the maximum out of your gaming and movie experience. Whether you do it through a professional’s help or external software, massive gamma correction happens in the background to enhance image quality.

Gamma Correction in Gaming

Modern games require GPUs to run smoothly. Pretty much every single GPU, including those from NVIDIA, make use of gamma correction. The manufacturers use proprietary gamma correction technologies to try and make sure that the images you see are as realistic as possible.

NVIDIA gamma correction helps map brightness data to your display device to fully experience the increasing intensity. There are a variety of gamma correction techniques out there. What your system is utilizing depends on what kind of display device you use.

Gamma correction is not always beneficial. Sometimes, while playing games, a high set gamma value can blur or discolor the displayed images on your monitor screen. Thus, it can negatively affect your gaming experience. The best thing is, you can turn the gamma correction on or off in your NVIDIA GPU hence eliminating this side-effect.

You may have played the popular game Overwatch (or may still be playing it despite its falling player base). Overwatch, like many other games, does not give you the ideal experience on its default setting. With gamma correction, Overwatch can look a lot better.

The gamma settings for the Overwatch game can be tuned in the game settings. However, you have to adjust them according to your monitor screen. In addition to the gamma settings, you also have to change the colors of your monitor screen. These two things together make the game appear a lot more natural and breathtaking.

Other modern games can also be enhanced in their frame quality by adjusting your gamma settings. Most of the time, the games come up with adjusted gamma settings that make your images not too bright and not too dark. You have your own decision to make—the higher the gamma value, the brighter and clearer the picture. Until the image starts to appear blurry and worsen your experience.

Anti Aliasing Gamma Correction

As a PC gamer, while running the games, the graphics may sometimes appear to be below your expectations. Instead of giving high-quality, top-notch graphics, all you get are blurry and blocky pixelated edges.

Why does that happen? One common reason could be your GPU not being powerful enough. How can you fix it? Sometimes, you can upgrade the GPU or adjust the screen resolutions, but that may not work every time. This is where anti-aliasing can benefit you.

Anti-aliasing helps you to get rid of blurry edges on the objects and terrain. You have the option to adjust it within your game settings, or you can use different methods that have their pros and cons.

So, anti-aliasing gamma correction refers to the brightness of the anti-aliasing performed by your GPU. Even in NVIDIA GPUs, It does not help increase your game’s performance. However, it helps you to better the image quality in your games.

Conclusion

Suppose you started reading the article having no knowledge of gamma correction. In that case, you might be taking away a lot if you read this article thoroughly. Not only is gamma correction essential to enhance the image quality of your digital images, but it also affects the way you game or watch films on your display screen.

You can also further correct the gamma values for your anti-aliasing settings. Thus, it helps you to have a more enriched gaming experience. Lastly, remember that even with high-ended GPUs, you may still need to do some gamma correction for the optimal gaming experience.

With the great retro resurgence, people have begun looking for advice on how to play old tapes and for the best way to digitize VHS tapes to preserve their home videos.

Knowing how to digitize VHS tapes doesn’t require much. The right equipment and a little bit of time are all you need and you’re good to go! From there on, whether you have a simple laptop or the best DVD player to play them back on, you’ll be able to enjoy your memories at the click of a button without the hassle of tapes getting stuck, written over, or squinting through static lines on a fuzzy screen.

Why Digitize VHS Tapes

There are many valid reasons to digitize VHS tapes. Going through the tapes is a great way to relive memories in real-time. With the age of the VHS being long gone, it is possible that your tapes will soon start to be unplayable due to magnetic decay. In fact, even a well-stored VHS tape will experience around 20% signal loss within 10-25 years.

Preserve Your Videos for Longer Periods

Practical reasons to digitize VHS tapes are the longevity-based aspect of keeping your videos in a storage format that is way more accessible, durable, and easy to make more copies or back-ups of. No matter how many times you play it or where you keep it, digital video will still be the same. Of course, there is a chance that your file becomes corrupt. However, a basic backup should take care of this problem.

Clear up Physical Space

You also clear up physical space – boxes upon boxes of VHS tapes could all be stored on a couple of DVDs barely the size of a small watermelon, if not on an external hard disk or your own laptop/computer. This means that your data, your videos, your memories can be stored for a longer time, with much less physical consideration, and with better quality and better preservation.

Digital Videos Are Easier to Share

It also becomes easier to share the memories. You could take screencaps easily to make pictures out of old tapes, and you could even compress the files and share with your friends and family through online file transfer services like WeTransfer, Google Drive, or even WhatsApp.

This is especially useful if you have any valuable or rare archival material of special interest to you or groups out there, such as old music concert tapes or rare television recordings. This material could be shared on YouTube to great acclaim or made copies of that could sell for a pretty penny or win you the adoration of millions of people (adoration that you might feel the need to reject).

How To Digitize VHS Tapes

You can digitize VHS tapes in a way that is simple and effective but cost-intensive or some way that is cost-effective but requires more time and a little research. Let’s look at the various ways to digitize VHS tapes and then we’ll look at the best way to digitize VHS tapes that works best for your needs.

If you want to do it at home, the process is three-way. A VCR player, a USB VHS-to-DVD converter, and a computer with a working, available USB port. Video-converting USB-to-composite devices can do the job automatically with simple software that comes with the video converter itself. It’s important to spring for a model and device that has good reviews on Amazon or forums. Even if it’s a bit pricier compared to other ones, you should value reliability and ease of mind above all else. In many cases, cheap devices can end up not working at all, causing frustration as you try to fix a problem that is essentially not solvable.

The Best Way to Digitize VHS Tapes

For many, the best way to digitize VHS tapes is to use a professional service. A simple Google search can give you leads to who does this in your area, and the rates are as reasonable as a service charge to use the same devices that you would use.

However, if privacy is an issue for you, this option is not feasible. You could ask to sit in with the shop as they do it, too, and most would not have an issue with such a thing, especially if you calmly explain your concerns.

If this is something that is a touchy point, however, and it really can be, then avert the anxiety that’s yet to come, invest a little in a good device, and make a weekend project out of watching old tapes while you digitize them and throw them up on the cloud to stay safe with you forever!

Luckily, this isn’t as big an issue as it might seem. If your TV says No Signal but the cable box is on, or if there’s a message that says No Source or No Input, it could be one of a few technical issues. You can get to the bottom of this by testing each component one by one.

Let us walk you through the troubleshooting process. Remember that the problem is almost certainly not with the TV unit itself. You may wonder if, in the process of figuring out how to save money when buying a new TV, you might have been at the end of a raw deal. Thankfully, that is almost certainly not the case.

TV Not Properly Connected to The TV Box: No Signal Problem #1

It’s entirely possible that everything seems right. You might find yourself saying “my TV says No Signal, but everything is plugged in!”. This is a tricky problem and a surprisingly easy one to fix.

Even if everything is plugged in, sometimes a No Signal on TV means that the cable box is either powered off or not plugged in properly. Even the best android TV box can’t do much for you if you forget to plug it in properly or turn it on!

Pressing the power button on the remote control can help. There might even be a different button, such as a CBL button, that you have to press first to power it on.

Sometimes a “natural” occurrence can also cause a similar problem. A Direct TV no signal on one TV in your house, place of work, or dormitory might mean that it’s a problem specific to that TV, but if it’s on more than one, then you might have what is known as rain fade.

TV Being Set to The Wrong Input: No Signal Problem #2

Your TV has unique and multiple input ports for each device that can be connected to it. These devices can be a TV box or a DVD/Blu-Ray player. Even the best outdoor TV antenna isn’t of much use when it isn’t set to the right input port, or if your TV isn’t set to the input that the cable box is connected to.

To ensure this, make sure both the TV and the cable box are powered on, and then look for an INPUT button, or similar, on your remote control. Pressing the button for INPUT will bring up options on your screen. Even if they’re confusing, you can try them to see where the right input that you want is. Cycle through each of them and see if any of them is a signal to your TV.

HDMI Not Working on TV: No Signal Problem #3

The HDMI input having issues can also contribute to a No Signal on TV. Comcast can frequently have this issue. To get around this, power your device off, and take out the plug. Disconnect your HDMI cable from its input port on the TV and change it to another port. Plug it back in, turn it back on, and then change your TV’s input to where you plugged in the new HDMI input and see if the issue is resolved.

It’s also best to keep the cables unplugged for a few minutes in the process, as well as waiting a few minutes after plugging them back in to give some time to allow the signal to stabilize.

There can be some other problems, too. One of these is inherent in a TV remote, and it has to with the base channel. This has everything to do with the remote and the default setting it’s on, which is often 1 or 2 but might sometimes need to be moved to 3, or 4.

There is also something known as HDCP error, which stands for High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. Non-licensed devices can sometimes be rejected by your TV set, as most of them are built-in with HDCP-compliant features. Removing the offending device (such as a Kodi box) will restore signals.

What if None of These Solutions Work?

If you have tried everything and you still can’t get a signal, you should call a professional. The problem could be with your cable box or your antenna (if you are using satellite TV). A professional would be able to identify the exact problem and make sure that it is solved.

Some factors are also not explicitly labeled on the box or used as unique selling points. One such factor which we consider very primary is that of the TV viewing angle.

The Importance Of The TV Viewing Angle

We know that the best viewing angle for TVs is from straight ahead, meaning directly facing the screen, with the TV opposite you.

Moving to the side, the image clearly starts to degrade and the best picture quality possible is slowly lost as colors start to fade, along with brightness loss, gamma shift, and the blacks looking more and more greyed out and much lighter than a black should be.

When buying a TV, the room you want to place it in matters. A curved TV’s viewing angles are differently “better” than, let’s say, an LED TV viewing angle, so factoring in the different positions from which your TV will be watched (viz-a-viz the placement of the furniture, perhaps), is key.

Some of the best 75-80 inch TVs utilize specific technology to account for and improve the watchability from different TV viewing angles. TV viewing angle calculators can also come in handy, such as the ones at Inch Calculator and Starico.

Color Washout

One of the casualties of a poor TV viewing angle is the phenomenon of color washout. This is a specific angle where the color drops below a certain threshold.

Even at a generous leeway of >80%, a noticeable difference can be observed around 10 degrees, whereas a good value is anywhere under 45 degrees.

The placement of the room comes into play again, but the entire point of educating ourselves on this topic is to pick a TV that will work better in a variety of contexts and situations, as opposed to having to make the most of having purchase a hundred-dollar TV that people have to crane their necks to enjoyably see (arguably putting a hamper on the enjoyability of it).

Then there’s also the issue of color shift. These are variations that change with the TV viewing angle contingent on the technology being used by your particular display wherein the hue and saturation for each tiny color value shifts along with the TV viewing angle. The general rule for testing is when colors shift by three degrees, which makes the colors “cooler”, or bluer than they should be.

Which TVs’ Viewing Angles Are Most Problematic?

Generally, plasma screen displays do not have an issue with TV viewing angles that are off-axis or during side angle viewing, which are the terms commonly used to described undesirable TV viewing angles. Each pixel is separately lit on a TV screen utilizing plasma technology.

On the other hand, however, LCD TVs are backlit, and the panel uses crystals to produce an image. Here, the panel technology being used in LCDs is what determines, to a large extent, the quality retained by the TV even as the observer changes their TV viewing angles from their end.

The technology being used is the first thing you must consider if you want to have an LCD with an optimum TV viewing angle. There are two types primarily used for this: the IPS and VA.

The IPA is known to maintain fairly accurate colors when off-axis or during side angle viewing. The black level raise is also satisfactory according to various tests performed by the relevant websites (such as RTINGS.com), and, best of all, the color shift happens gradually instead of all at once.

When it comes to VA, however, the contrast ratio is way better than that of IPA. This is a plus point and a benefit that it holds over the IPA technology LCD TVs, but the contrast is lost rapidly when you go off-axis, and the picture is immediately duller, greyer, and more washed out.

However, from the front, the blacks are much deeper; but if we were to simply watch it from the front viewing angle, we wouldn’t have had any of these problems, would we?

Also known as motion smoothing or the “soap opera effect”, motion interpolation irks cinephiles, filmmakers, and gamers alike.

What Is Motion Interpolation?

Motion interpolation works by playing with the refresh rate on a display. The goal is to make graphics and visuals more true-to-life by doing so, essentially making the processed aspect of what you see on the display less noticeable.

This feature can be found on high-definition displays and television sets, such as some of the best 75-80” TVs. Thus, coupled with everything coming across in stunning, crisp, clear, and well-defined resolution, viewers often feel that motion interpolation can make graphics look like something out of the uncanny valley.

At best, motion interpolation is criticized for making the picture look like an unedited and raw video feed – hence the lingo commonly used, calling it the “soap opera effect”, since, with hundreds and thousands of episodes needing production, soap operas have traditionally been filmed on videotape as opposed to film to save production costs and for ease of storage and broadcasting.

The Modes Of Motion Interpolation

One noteworthy point, and a positive one to highlight, is how motion interpolation doesn’t actively ruin the quality of the source content.

This can be done through multiple approaches, which can be utilized by professional or hobbyist filmmakers and home editors with motion interpolation software at their home studios or computers.

With the sophistication of neural networks, a clever way to use these for motion smoothing is to train one to predict “frame 1” given real sources with 60FPS for frames 0 and 2.

Another way is to write (or use a pre-existing) algorithm that can corner on points of high contrast, for example, to find the image’s control points. These will move between frames 0 and 2, and a new intermediate frame can be calculated by taking their averages where frame 0 is warped to put its control points halfway between the ones in frame 2, and vice versa for frame 2.

For those not technically-minded, we don’t need to understand or even think about this. This is, however, what helps maintain the quality like an original 60FPS (at the source) instead of artificially so.

We can also understand the name more fully now. The “missing” frames in going from 30FPS to 60FBS are interpolated by using the existing 100% which ends up being just 50% of the new 60FPS content. These methods also work well for irregular interpolation such as from 25FPS to 40FPS, since analyzing how pixels move allows for more dynamic solutions on the part of the motion interpolation software.

The Benefits Of Motion Interpolation

The benefits of motion interpolation are also manifold, which is why some of the best OLED TVs still strive to incorporate it in a way that’s not annoying but genuinely useful. There is always a place for motion interpolation: gaming can greatly benefit from clearer and smoother vision, for example.

Motion interpolation also works in favor of sports. The action looks smoother and there’s less strain on the eyes with a simple, constant flow of motion.

Some software can implement motion interpretation as well. VLC Media Player, one of the most common video players, increases the quality of your playable content by implementing SVP, the Smooth Video Project that adds motion interpolation to media players for computers, tablets, and even smart TVs.

How To Disable Motion Interpolation

Motion interpolation has pretty much no champions for its cause. On the other hand, many famous filmmakers have spoken out against home theaters having motion interpolation set and displayed by default. The most famous example would be Tom Cruise, who starred in a PSA explaining what motion interpolation is, why it sucks, and how you can turn it off.

Other filmmakers and directors have joined the chorus of voices decrying the technology too, including The Handmaid Tale’s Reed Morano (who started a petition to have it taken out of TVs as the default setting), Martin Scorsese (who supported said petition), TV directors The Duffer Brothers, and Marvel alums Peyton Reed and James Gunn.

Turning off motion interpolation, however, is simply a question of the settings on your TV. The Menu can have Settings or Picture Settings, and – given the backlash from the people – most manufacturers have the option to turn off motion interpolation fairly prominent in the list of things. Simply changing the Picture Mode to Movie or Cinema also does the trick.

You can also Google your TV make, model, and manufacturer to easily find out what they’re calling their version of motion interpolation to make it easier. You might also need to adjust some contrast and brightness settings and voila, your motion no longer looks like the scarily hyperreal visuals out of some of your wildest nightmares.

This is in contrast (no pun intended) to older televisions, which is apparent in both the fact that pictures now are much sharper and at the same time, the blacks of the screen can at times come across as quite gray.

What Is Local Dimming?

Local dimming is a feature and a way of making visuals on an LCD TV much more realistic. Specifically, it takes the dark grays closer to their true black value. Everything looks much richer, the whole picture is accentuated to perfection, and darker images and scenes come across as much more realistic.

This is achieved by “locally” dimming the backlight wherever the blacks are being displayed. “TV local dimming” makes the contrast ratio better (higher, in other words) so that the parts that don’t need dimming are to remain unaffected.

Of course, this problem does not arise in OLED and MicroLED displays, particularly the best 75-80” ones. This is because OLEDs use self-emitting pixels as opposed to a backlight. These pixels go dark or light themselves up completely individually, meaning the black is truly black and otherwise.

However, even for those who own an LCD TV, local dimming is a dynamic “fix” to the problem.

Full-Array Local Dimming

Something you’ll notice about the best 4K TVs is that they support FALD or Full Array Local Dimming. You’ll also see it called direct backlighting or direct-lit local dimming.

This is generally understood to be the superior type of local dimming, as well as the most expensive and physically hefty, where the LEDs are placed all over the backlight panel.

By understanding FALD, we can also understand the other types as well as local dimming zones very easily. Full array arranges for many small local dimming zones, in the forms of lights – hundreds of them – all individually dimmed. This results in highly accurate, highly well-done dimming where the brightness and darkness both operate at 100%.

Of course, utilizing FALD also means that more space is needed (hence the ‘hefty’ declaration).

The Local Dimming Zones

The zones mentioned earlier are essentially groupings of these LED arrays.

It’s the local dimming zones that determine how effectively or precisely your TV utilizes local dimming. Smaller zones help in reducing any bleeding through of light to portions where it doesn’t need to be, whereas larger zones (which would naturally be fewer), take over bigger portions of the visual, with a lot of light spilling over where it shouldn’t be meaning that local dimming is not completely effective – perhaps to the point of being counterproductive.

However, the responsiveness of the zones also matters. In some cases, you can observe a lag where zones light up and go dim after the “scene” no longer calls for the specific situation, leaving a little bit of a ghost image in your eyes for a split second or longer.

While Full Array Local Dimming utilizes lots of small lights (meaning hundreds of zones), the other forms are not so sharp.

Edge-Lit and Back-Lit Local Dimming

Edge-lit local dimming only uses LEDs across the edges of the screen (say the top and the bottom) and from there administer the lighting for the whole screen.

This is perhaps the most common form of dimming, also very prevalent in smartphones, but of course, while it allows the products to remain “slim” and lightweight, there’s a lot of noticeable glow from the edges from where the LEDs try to illuminate the whole of the screen, both edges needing to reach the center.

Back-lit TV local dimming, while closer to full array in terms of the LEDs being spread across the screen, only uses a limited number of lamps – usually with only four to 12 zones that fluctuate in brightness simultaneously. This results in deeper blacks but also dims areas that might need brighter light.

UHD Dimming VS Local Dimming

Finally, we have a “newer” technology as well. UHD dimming is a form of local dimming, developed and used exclusively by Samsung for their QDOT (quantum dot) television sets.

UHD dimming focuses on the strength of the contrast ratio and utilizes both a wider array of more fine dimming zones with powerful algorithms that create a much more refined level of TV local dimming.

The image retention problem gets noticeably troubling with OLED screens even in the best OLED TV sets, but luckily, there are OLED image retention fixes as well as those for rare LCD image retention issues.

What Is Image Retention?

Image retention (sometimes generally called burn-in), which clues us into what’s going on here. In the simplest of words, it’s when a previous image or impression of a color (or different colors) retains itself on a display screen or is burned in.

We can also call this ghosting on a physical level which can theoretically leave itself as a permanent impression.

We can also see it expressed through discoloration. Image retention can be limited or most noticeable in certain pixels, or it can be coming from element or element drivers failing (usually in the case of LCD image retention).

It can also be seen that a three-color element gets reduced to either being stuck on a single color or two, or a different color all together is rendered. This can happen when the color temperature is too high or the contrast ratio is nearly full, making saturation happen, with corresponding physical overheating.

Image Retention Vs. Burn-in: The Difference?

Burn-in is not all image retention. Image retention is the most prominent and all-too-common form of burn-in, however, so these terms are used interchangeably. However, image retention fixing is generally considered possible, whereas burn-in can be permanent and complete degradation.

Image retention is also called image persistence, and thus the difference between these two terms is the temporary nature of image retention; it’s retained, but not burned in. Burn-in occurs in public TVs which might be kept to a single channel 24 hours for a long period of time, such as a news channel or the weather channel, or a screen showing exchange rates.

However, burn-in is most commonly an artifact of old CRT or plasma screens, whereas LCD image retention and OLED image retention are the problems of the current age which we’re aiming to address and fix.

Preventing Image Retention And Burn-in

The easiest solution to any problem is the old adage: avert the danger that has not yet come.

While manufacturers are also aware of the problem – and we’ll talk about the steps they’ve implemented to better help you stay safe from burn-in and image retention – knowing the best practices to adopt for taking care of your phone, television, and displays is very important.

Of course, the first thing to do is to make sure you don’t leave your displays on without a reason. This also helps save electricity costs and possible damage but also prevents burn-in.

Image calibration also goes a long way in protecting you, especially when it comes to 75-80” televisions, where the damage might be most visible. In particular, the brightness and the contrast ratio should not be too high (most damage being caused by contrast ratios of close to 75%), ideally having even lightning uniformly across the screen.

How Do Manufacturers Reduce Image Retention And Burn-in?

In addition to the paragraph above, different manufacturers are employing different ways to protect their products. In many cases, proprietary technology has been developed to help.

Samsung uses something known as pentile matrix technology in the subpixel arrangement. It drives the LED with less current (owing to having a larger blue subpixel), effectively increasing the lifespan of the AMOLED display, meaning lowering the occurrence speed for any color shifts and burn-in.

There are also software-based solutions, mainly for smartphones and smartwatches, but some smart TVs have been implementing these as well. Check if your phone has Always-On Display or a burn protection option (usually in Android Wear). These slightly shift and periodically reposition the image or certain pixels at a time so no pixels retain luminance for too long, and each one displays a different color at more or less equal times.

Implementing An Image Retention Fix

Ultimately, the best 4K televisions out there are susceptible to burn-in and image retention. Prevention is the way to put your best foot forward, but in case you find a horrible mess on your hands, here are some suggestions for potential image retention fixes, along with some words on how you can implement them.

The first one is a fix by way of a “lifehack”, suggested by Apple themselves.

Creating an all-white screen (created in Paint, Photoshop, or any other graphics application) and saving it as a high-quality displayable file, such as a high-quality JPEG or PNG, use it as the screensaver display. (Yes, desperate times call for screensavers).

Turn the display brightness to a very low setting and display this image for as long as you can (theoretically, if you know how long the “retention’ed” image was displayed, this should be displayed for the same amount of time).

A similar LCD image retention fix involves the use of visual white static, being left on for anywhere from 12 hours to a full day. The swiping motion of the two basic colors, black and white, helps in essentially washing off the screen. Some manufacturers even include a swiping option for this very reason.

Many different websites claim different image retention fixes which are basically variations of these same techniques. However, there’s also the JScreenFix website, which is free or comes at a low price, and uses different algorithms to not only “mend” screens retaining burn-in but generally improve longevity.

Finally, if nothing else; you may need to get your screen replaced or exchanged.