FantastikaHDHD without myths: how picture quality on a screen really works

An independent reference about picture quality on screens. It does not show or distribute films, does not sell equipment and is not related to the former site on this domain.

Glossary

Glossary

Screen menus and tech reviews are full of words that sound like you'd need an engineering degree to understand them. In reality, each one stands for a fairly simple idea. Here we explain them briefly, so next time you'll know which slider does what.

Half of all arguments about picture quality end as soon as people realize they were talking about different things.

— Editor's note

How this section works: definitions are short and formula-free. Terms are grouped by meaning, not alphabetically.

Frames and pixels

Resolution
The number of pixels across the width and height of a frame. For example, Full HD is 1920×1080 and 4K UHD is 3840×2160. Resolution tells you how much detail a frame can hold, not how well that detail is rendered.
Pixel
The smallest dot of an image, with its own color and brightness. Many pixels together make up the whole picture; from far enough away, the eye stops seeing them individually.
Contrast ratio
The difference between the brightest and darkest areas a screen can show at the same time. The higher it is, the deeper black looks next to something bright.
Color temperature
The tint of white: warm with a yellowish cast or cool with a bluish one. Warm settings are usually closer to how the image was intended; cool ones look more striking in a store.

Signal and compression

Bitrate
The amount of data allotted to each second of video. At a low bitrate, compression has to throw away more detail, and the picture becomes blurry or "blocky."
Codec
A method of packing video into a smaller size and unpacking it for playback. Different codecs save space in different ways, but each one works within the bitrate it's given.
Compression
Reducing the size of a video by recording similar and barely noticeable details more economically. Moderate compression is invisible; heavy compression shows up as blur, blocks and banding.
Banding
Stripes on smooth transitions, such as a sky or a wall: instead of a soft gradient you see distinct steps of color. It's usually the result of heavy compression or too few shades.

Motion and brightness

Frame rate
How many separate images make up one second of video. Common values are 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames per second.
Refresh rate
How many times per second the screen redraws the image. On modern screens it's 60 Hz or higher, and it doesn't have to match the frame rate of the content.
Motion smoothing
A screen feature that generates in-between frames between the real ones. Motion becomes smooth, but movies start to look like a TV show or a home video; this is what's called the "soap opera effect."
HDR
High dynamic range: a way of carrying more shades of brightness and color than a standard signal. It only works if HDR is present in the content, the source and the screen.
  • Tools

    What to use when adjusting the picture: test images, the screen menu and signal info, source settings, room lighting and notes on your settings.

  • Comparisons

    How HD differs from Full HD and 4K, what HDR adds compared with SDR and how frame rate relates to motion smoothing.

  • Guides

    Step-by-step guides: setting up a new screen, choosing a picture mode, turning off extra processing and matching brightness to the room. Plus the article index.

  • Fix the picture

    What to do if the picture looks blurry or dark, gradients show bands, motion stutters, colors look off or there are black bars around the edges.

  • Questions

    Answers about this reference, about resolution, HDR and frame rate, and about comfortable screen time for the whole family.

Sources

  • General information on video formats and displays (reference principles)
  • FantastikaHD editorial materials

This advice is written in general terms as of the date it was prepared. Screen menus, mode names and factory settings vary from device to device and change with updates, so check your own manual and trust your eyes more than the labels on the box.