480p resolution offers reasonably good visuals without the storage and bandwidth needs of HD or 4K resolutions, making it common for many devices and media types. Here’s what you need to know about its technical specifications:
- Quality: At 480 vertical lines, 480p resolution provides standard definition quality that is reasonably clear, though less sharp than 720p or 1080p HD. While fine details in images and videos may appear pixelated, it is quite adequate for smaller screens like old tube TVs and video surveillance monitoring where sharp detail is less essential. The 480p image also maintains its quality better in motion than lower resolutions of 480p video quality.
- Pixel Count: As mentioned earlier, 480p resolution contains a total of 480 (vertical lines) x 854 (horizontal pixels) = 480,360 pixels (854 x 480). This lesser pixel count allows for smaller file sizes and streaming bandwidth requirements.
- Aspect Ratio: 480p resolution uses a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning the width is 1.77 times the height. This expanded horizontal space is well-suited for widescreen displays and programming.
- Size and Dimensions: A 480p video or image with an 854 x 480-pixel count at a 16:9 aspect ratio results in a rectangular display with dimensions of 1,077 x 480 pixels. At typical displays with around 100 pixels per inch, a 480p video size works out to about a 10-inch diagonal 480p image. By comparison, a 720p HD resolution would extend to 13 inches diagonal with sharper detail.
Read also: 480p Resolution: Why It Still Matters Today