Pixel shift (XPR, e-shift, 4K PRO-UHD)

Optically wobbling the image by a fraction of a pixel, faster than the eye can follow, to show more distinct pixel positions than the device has.

Standard: ISO/IEC 21118 §4.2 (pixel shift disclosure)
ISO 21118: ISO 21118 optional

1920×1080 mirrors (0.47″ DMD) move by half a native pixel in four steps, so every 4K position gets its own sub-frame.

Native pixels

1920×1080

2.1 M

Positions per frame

4 × native = 8.3 M samples

Of the 4K grid (8.29 M)

100%

every position sampled

Show the numbers

Mode	XPR 4-way
Native	1920×1080 = 2,073,600
Positions	4
Samples per frame	8,294,400 vs 8,294,400 for 3840×2160
Unsampled grid points in view	0 of 104

XPR 4-way: a 1920 by 1080 device is moved through 4 sub-frame positions inside each video frame, giving 8.3 million samples against 8.29 million for a native 3840 by 2160 grid, so 100 percent of 4K positions get a sample. 1920×1080 mirrors (0.47″ DMD) move by half a native pixel in four steps, so every 4K position gets its own sub-frame.

How to compare it

Pixel shift

Rough sharpness order: native 4K > XPR 2-way (0.66″) ≳ XPR 4-way (0.47″) > PRO-UHD/e-shift (2-position diagonal) > native 1080p. Measured MTF beats any ranking.

Addressable resolution(px)

The number of distinct pixel positions reached once shifting is included.

Only meaningful next to native resolution and shift mode. Never display it alone.

Standard: ISO/IEC 21118 Table 1

Marketing traps

Pixel shift: A diagonal 2-position shift like Epson 4K PRO-UHD doesn't put a pixel at every 4K grid position, so its 'addressable' count isn't 4K in the same sense as XPR 4-way.
Addressable resolution: Some brands print the addressable figure as if it were the resolution, with no 'native' line at all.

Deep cut

Pixel shift. Details per system: - XPR uses an actuator glass plate after the DMD. - 4-way XPR runs at 240 Hz sub-frames for 60 Hz content, which is one reason 4K DLP game modes are harder. - JVC's 'e-shiftX' shifts native-4K D-ILA panels in 4 directions to reach 8K addressable. Shifting adds overlap blur. Good implementations add pre-sharpening to compensate, which is why 'sharpness' settings matter more here.

Terms on this page

XPR (Expanded Pixel Resolution)

TI's fast optical actuator. It shifts each mirror's image by half a pixel (2-way) or into four positions (4-way) within one frame, so a sub-4K chip can address 8.3 million "on-screen pixels". It does produce real detail beyond 1080p, but less than a native-4K panel, and the result also depends on the lens. ⚖ imaging.pixel_shift = xpr_2way | xpr_4way

Addressable / displayed resolution

What appears on screen after pixel shifting, e.g. "4K UHD". ⚖ imaging.addressable_resolution