For high-quality, big-screen entertainment at home, nothing beats a home movie theatre package that includes top-of-the-line projectors. If you want to set up a new home theatre or upgrade your existing home set-up, here’s what’s trending in projector technology.

What is a Pixel?

One of the terms you will come across when exploring the world of televisions, screens and projectors is pixel! A pixel, short for ‘picture element’, is the smallest unit in a graphic display or image.  If you’ve ever looked at a tv screen up close, especially an older tv, the surface is covered in visible tiny boxes with red, blue and green lighting elements.  These elements are used in different combinations and intensities to create the image you see on the screen.  The more pixels, the high the image resolution.  Home Theatre Projectors work either by shining and filtering light through a lens and this projects the image onto the screen, or they use a laser to cast the image directly.

HD, UHD, 4K & 8K Screen Resolution

Now we know what a pixel is, let’s take a look at resolution, starting at High Definition (HD).  HD images have a width and height of 1280 x 720 pixels, and when this technology came in around 20 years ago, it provided much more detail than the standard definition images we were used to seeing.  Next came Full HD with 1920 x 1080 pixels, often referred to as 1080p, and most Australian High Definition TV stations are broadcast in this resolution. The next level after Full HD is Ultra High Definition (UHD), which has an image resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, and is often described interchangeably with 4K, due to the total number of pixels available for the image being just shy of True 4K.  Televisions, monitors and projectors with UHD resolution capabilities display 4 times more pixels than Full HD images.  To get to a true 4K UHD resolution, the number increases to 4096 x 2160 pixels on the screen.  Finally, we come to 8K UHD, which has a resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels.

It is important to remember that resolution, while significant, is only one way to measure picture quality, especially for Home Theatre Projectors.  Many other factors are at play including Contrast Ratio (light vs dark), colour reproduction and processing, light source (lamp vs. laser), native vs enhanced ‘pixel-shifting’ technology (how the image is created on the screen), and so on.

Also, in order to enjoy the benefits 4K can offer, both your projector, source material (movie, streaming, etc), your HDMI connection and AV Amplifier (if using for image) all need to have 4K image processing capabilities.  Our friendly and knowledgeable Team at H.C.S can give you the best advice on what equipment you will need to set-up an amazing 4K home cinema experience!

Get The Right Advice

Here at Hollywood Cinema Store, we offer a fantastic range of excellent products to create, expand and elevate your home cinema experience. From state-of-the-art 4K projectors to premium surround sound systems, you can find elegant home theatre solutions that let you enjoy mind-blowing entertainment all from your couch, leather recliner or beanbag!

For enquiries or more information, contact us here or call (03) 9704 6044. You are also invited to visit our display store in Narre Warren, Victoria, where you can experience ultra-realistic, 4K UHD images on BIG screens and awe-inspiring, immersive surround sound systems.