Commercial Integrator February 2023 - 18

COVER STORY Display Resolutions
INSIDE 4K
AND 8K FEVER
Is resolution 'just another spec,' or does it deserve
the extra attention marketing departments give it?
We ask experts to share their candid views.
By Dan Ferrisi
IF YOU SWIM in commercial AV circles,
you probably come across the terms " 4K "
and " 8K " a whole lot - on marketing spec
sheets, during industry events and on the
jobsite. The terms, which, of course, refer
to ultra-HD display resolutions, have also
entered the popular consciousness, with
techies of all stripes eager to snap up the
most dazzling displays they can get their
hands on. But how much of 4K and 8K
fever is marketing hype and how much is
truly meaningful? Are there lots of ultra-HD
applications, natively displaying ultra-HD
content, " out in the wild " ? And how does
human visual acuity - in short, our ability to
perceive fine detail - factor into whether
an ultra-HD investment is worthwhile? This
month, Commercial Integrator explores
these questions in detail.
To help us with our task, CI draws on the
expertise of Aaron Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I,
DMC-D 4K, senior solutions engineer with
technology partner Mechdyne Corp.; Brandon
Creel, CR-T, CEE, CTS-D, partner with
AV consultancy Hewshott; Kathryn Taub,
product marketing manager - networked
video, Audinate; Mike Pedersen, CTS-D,
CTS-I, audiovisual experience manager,
Iowa State University (Iowa State); and Will
DeWitt, learning environments manager,
University of Southern California (USC).
Their multifarious views on the topic of
18
ultra-HD paint a nuanced picture of when
contemporary integration businesses
should (and shouldn't) consider leveraging
the technology.
Latching Onto Terms
" Much like the camera megapixel race or
the ever-increasing computer clock speeds,
industries love to latch onto terms that
are easy for the layperson to understand, "
DeWitt observes. Indeed, the " approachability "
of 4K and 8K is likely why the terms
have seeped into the popular consciousness.
As Taub explains, " People don't like
jargon and prefer the simplicity of terms
like 4K and 8K as compared to 1080p or
2160p. Coupling that concept with the
sometimes-misleading premise of 'bigger
is better,' then 4K erroneously must always
be better than 2K, and 8K the 'best' of all. "
Commercial AV manufacturers are savvy
marketers, and they've seized on that over
the last several years by leaning heavily into
4K resolution/compliance in everything
from advertising to product packaging.
This, Creel says, has led to clients introducing
the resolution spec into projectplanning
conversations.
But, of course, integrators and consultants'
highest calling is to educate, selling
their expertise first and foremost. Creel
reaffirms the frequency with which clients
Commercial Integrator FEBRUARY 2023
ask about ultra-HD resolutions but reframes
this as an opportunity for Hewshott to
dig into the project and determine which
resolution is actually needed. He rattles off
just a few of a series of qualifying questions,
asking, " How is it going to be used? How
is content going to be delivered? Is it going
to be compressed or uncompressed? "
Mechdyne's Peterson reinforces this, declaring
that integrators and consultants, as
well as savvier technology managers, tend
to zero in on the use case of the room and
the content being displayed. By doing their
due diligence, he says, solutions providers
empower themselves to lead the client to a
display system that'll be right for them and
their use case.
Digging Into the Math
Assessing the suitability of ultra-HD for a given
environment involves much more than
vibes and feels; as Iowa State's Pedersen
explains, it involves doing the math and factoring
in the imperfections of the evolved
human eye. " With 20/20 vision, the discernable
limit of the human eye is about 1
arc-minute of detail, approximately 0.0167
degrees, " he says. Using that information
and some basic geometry, it's possible
to determine the theoretical perceptive
pixel density at any viewing distance. " For
a typical classroom, at 20 feet of viewing
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Commercial Integrator February 2023

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