Native resolution
Physical pixels per imaging device. This is the truth behind any resolution claim.
- Unit
- px
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 21118 Table 1
- ISO 21118
- ISO 21118 required
Show the numbers
| Formula | pitch = screen width ÷ horizontal pixels; angle = 2·atan(pitch ÷ 2d) |
|---|---|
| Gap model | lit area = fill factor; gap = pitch × (1 − √fill factor) per side pair |
| Fill factor presets | LCoS 93, DLP 90, 3LCD 80, single LCD 60 — illustrative; ordering LCoS > DLP > LCD from the spec registry |
| Acuity | 1 arcmin is the usual 20/20 figure; line gaps can be noticed below it, so this is a rule of thumb |
How to compare it
Native resolution(px)
Compare native first, then shift mode. A native 4K LCoS and a 1080p×4 XPR DLP are both '4K' on the box, and they are not the same thing.
Native aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of the physical pixel array.
Home cinema: 16:9, or 17:9 for 4096-wide LCoS. Business/education: 16:10 (WUXGA) and legacy 4:3.
Standard: ISO/IEC 21118 Table 1
Marketing traps
- Native resolution: Things that are not native resolution: - 'Supports 4K' and '4K input' describe the signal accepted. - 'Up to 4K' is meaningless. - '4K enhancement' is a pixel shift. Only WxH per device is native.
Deep cut
Native resolution. CTA's 2017 'UHD' definition for displays allowed shifted 4K, which is why XPR DLP can be badged 4K UHD. For each model, store native, shift and addressable separately.
Native aspect ratio. On 17:9 panels (4096×2160), 16:9 content uses 3840 of the 4096 columns. Ultra-wide CIH setups use an anamorphic lens with vertical stretch, or zoom with lens memory.
Terms on this page
e-shift / 4K PRO-UHD / 4K Enhancement / pixel shifting (general)
Vendor names for optical pixel shifting on LCD and LCoS panels. JVC calls it e-shift. On current models (DLA-NZ8/NZ9) 8K/e-shiftX shifts native-4K panels to an 8K image, and older e-shift models shifted 1080p panels to 4K. Epson calls it 4K PRO-UHD / 4K Enhancement: three 1920×1080 LCD panels, with each pixel shifted diagonally by 0.5 pixel (2 positions, not 4-way; store pixel_shift = pro_uhd, addressable = 3840×2160). Sony uses no shift on native-4K models. Always store native panel resolution and shift factor separately. ⚖ imaging.native_resolution, imaging.pixel_shift, imaging.addressable_resolution
Native resolution
The number of physical pixels or mirrors on the imaging device, before any shifting. ⚖ imaging.native_resolution ↑
Aspect ratio (native)
16:9, 16:10, 4:3 or 17:9 (DCI-shaped). ⚖ imaging.native_aspect