• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

What is a Monitor's PPI?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

Twisted4000

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Location
Colorado Springs, CO, USA, Earth
Because this is a question I can't really seem to get a straight answer on. It's possibly because there IS no straight answer, but I'm hoping there is.

I want to get a new monitor, and the only reason I'm not crossing over from 1080p to 1440p is simply due to the fact that there aren't really any 1440p+144Hz monitors that aren't extremely expensive. I want to get maybe a 24-27'', but my question is, at what point does 1080p stop looking very good? At what size of the monitor do the pixels start to stretch out rather than actually fit in the entire frame properly?

I know that monitors can see 72dpi, but I realize that that is not the same as PPI; if it were the same thing, then by doing some simple math, 28'' would be about the limit to max quality 1080p. After that, the frame would just start to stretch out too much.

So is there SOME SORT of answer out there that can explain what the max size for 1080p is? Thanks.
 
Pixels don't necessarily "stretch out", at least not in the fashion I believe you're thinking of. Pixels are properly sized according to the native screen resolution and screen size. Of course, as you've discovered, at X size for Y resolution, any screen size larger then X would degrade the quality of the image as the individual pixels themselves would become visible to the naked eye.

As to PPI and 72dpi, you might want to take a read of http://www.dpiphoto.eu/dpi.htm.

Btw, PPI didn't really become a big thing till cell phone manufacturers were trying to one up each other with big numbers to wow the sheeple. Company X claims 50 more PPI then company Y, yet their screen size is 1 inch smaller and has a lower resolution, but because they can claim higher PPI, the sheeple go crazy and believe it's better then anything else out there.

Just stick with standard X,Y resolutions and actual screen size. Leave the PPI for the number nuts who don't even know what the numbers mean.
 
PPI is vary important you could purchase 1440p or a 1080p with close to the same PPI and the manufacture could cheat you out of higher resolution, it is everything when paying for more pixels per inch, that is what HD to UHD is all about.
 
PPI is vary important you could purchase 1440p or a 1080p with close to the same PPI and the manufacture could cheat you out of higher resolution, it is everything when paying for more pixels per inch, that is what HD to UHD is all about.

...............what????
 
A monitor can show any resolution however it is the pixel density per inch that gives you the sharp image. Don't let monitor manufactures cheat you out of the PPI or Dots per inch.
 

Pixel pitch =/= PPI

Then what is Pixel Pitch if it can't be converted to PPI?


Wait a second.
They cannot be talking about the same thing. 1920 X 1080 is the pixel on the screen. The PPI is a function of size.
One monitor having 3 times the pitch from pixel to pixel is not possible at the same size.

You can have larger or smaller pixels, but the pitch would have to be the same I would think.

That is my point the manufactures can cheat you 1920X1080 is the resolution, it is not the the pixels on the screen, of 27",24" 23.8" 1920X1080p monitor.

When you go to a store with many TVs or Monitors get vary close to each screens and look at the pixel differences at the same advertised resolutions and screen size.

I'ts much cheaper to make a 1080, 1440, 2160, panel with less pixels than others at the same resolution and screen size.
 
Then what is Pixel Pitch if it can't be converted to PPI?




That is my point the manufactures can cheat you 1920X1080 is the resolution, it is not the the pixels on the screen, of 27",24" 23.8" 1920X1080p monitor.

When you go to a store with many TVs or Monitors get vary close to each screens and look at the pixel differences at the same advertised resolutions.

I'ts much cheaper to make a 1080, 1440, 2160, panel with less pixels than others at the same resolution and screen size.

Pixels are made up of a set of Red, Green, and Blue sub-pixels. Pixel Pitch is the distance between the two sub-pixels of the same color.
PPI is Pixels Per Inch, literally translating to the number of pixels within a physical one inch distance.

It is physically impossible to make a 1920x1080 resolution monitor with fewer than 1920x1080 pixels.
 
Pixel pitch is the size of one pixel plus the size of the space between adjacent pixels. Pixel density is how many pixels will fit into a given area. They are not the same, though they are related. I believe there is an equation?? density=1/pitch(2)

and said even more clear...........
Pixels are made up of a set of Red, Green, and Blue sub-pixels. Pixel Pitch is the distance between the two sub-pixels of the same color.

From another site:
In the simplest of explanations, pixel pitch is the distance from the center of an LED cluster (or pixel) to the center of the next LED cluster/pixel measured in millimeters. Pixel pitch typically ranges from 4mm up to 20mm for indoor LED displays; for outdoor displays, pixel pitch can range from 10mm to 34mm or higher. NanoLumens’ indoor LED displays feature pixel pitches ranging from 4mm – 6mm to help you find the best solution for you.




It is physically impossible to make a 1920x1080 resolution monitor with fewer than 1920x1080 pixels.
+1
 
That is my point the manufactures can cheat you 1920X1080 is the resolution, it is not the the pixels on the screen, of 27",24" 23.8" 1920X1080p monitor.

When you go to a store with many TVs or Monitors get vary close to each screens and look at the pixel differences at the same advertised resolutions and screen size.

I'ts much cheaper to make a 1080, 1440, 2160, panel with less pixels than others at the same resolution and screen size.

All 1920 X 1080 tv's and monitors have exactly 2,073,600 pixels.

Pixel pitch is simply a function of that number and the size of the screen. All 1920 X 1080 27" screen will have the same pixel pitch.

There are quality differences but pixel numbers are standard.

If you start talking about tvs that are up scaling, that is a different conversation.




PPI uses the third side of the triangle. Using Pythagoras therom (Asq + b Sq = Csq) you get 2,202.9 pixels for a 1920 X 1080 screen. Divide that by your screen size is how the get PPI and how to interpret Blaylocks chart in post 8
 
Last edited:
Pixels are made up of a set of Red, Green, and Blue sub-pixels. Pixel Pitch is the distance between the two sub-pixels of the same color.
PPI is Pixels Per Inch, literally translating to the number of pixels within a physical one inch distance.

derived unit of pixel pitch is a measure of the size of a triad plus the distance between triads. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_pitch
Dot pitch.jpg

It is physically impossible to make a 1920x1080 resolution monitor with fewer than 1920x1080 pixels.

That is why they don't make 20" 1080p monitors there to small. 27" 1080p monitor can have different Pixel Pitch as I showed before.

- - - Updated - - -

All 1920 X 1080 tv's and monitors have exactly 2,073,600 pixels.

Pixel pitch is simply a function of that number and the size of the screen. All 1920 X 1080 27" screen will have the same pixel pitch.

There are quality differences but pixel numbers are standard.

If you start talking about tvs that are up scaling, that is a different conversation.




PPI uses the third side of the triangle. Using Pythagoras therom (Asq + b Sq = Csq) you get 2,202.9 pixels for a 1920 X 1080 screen. Divide that by your screen size is how the get PPI and how to interpret Blaylocks chart in post 8

Not true I showed newegg links with different pixel pitch 1080p.
 
Yes how do they have 2,073,600 pixels on a 17 inch laptop compared to 27" monitor at 1080p.

Because they do.

My Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 @ 2560x1600 native resolution (on a 8.4 inch screen if that part of its name eluded you), would disagree greatly with your statement.

So would my HTC One M8 and its 1920x1080 native resolution on a 5" screen.

You've been brainwashed by the big name manufacturers to believe that PPI is the holy grail of monitors and should be the only number you look at, which is absolutely wrong!

The links and information already posted by others in this thread is what you need to look through and understand. If you don't understand, ask for clarification instead of continuing to post about incorrect information as if it's fact.
 
Yes how do they have 2,073,600 pixels on a 17 inch laptop compared to 27" monitor at 1080p.

Because the pixels are manufactured to be physically smaller......... That should be obvious.
There are 4K laptops now.
 
Back