The Complex Science of Screen Resolution

A major selling point that is being used by manufacturers about their flagship devices is the quality of the display.  The LG G4 is no different, sporting a robust Quad HD Display powered by IPS Quantum Technology.  So what exactly does all that mean?  What is the difference between 720p, 1080p or Quad HD?  What does the p even mean?  Here is a breakdown of high definition and what it means on anything from your giant HD television, to your handheld mobile device.

Let's start with the basics:  What is HD?

HD stands for High Definition, and is the current standard which supersedes Standard Definition.  HD in the US is defined as anything with more than 480 horizontal lines or pixels.

What does the P stand for?

The P stands for Progressive Scanning.  Progressive Scanning generally shows a better picture that when you see the letter I (Interlaced Scanning).  When watching in Progressive Scan, every line of pixels in the display refreshes in every frame.  Interlaced Scan alternates the image refresh by vertical pixels on one frame and horizontal pixels on the next.  This is less favorable for anything in motion, which makes displays with a P instead of an I more desirable on anything which will be used to watch any moving video.

What does the number (720, 1080, 1440) mean when talking about resolution?

So, the LG G4 has a Quad HD display which runs at 1440p.  What exactly does that mean?  That means that while the standard for HD is 1080p, the LG G4 runs at a higher resolution with it's 1440p display.  This is because on 1080p, the screen diplays 1.920 x 1,080 pixels (each pixel is a point that combines to create the larger picture, thus the more pixels in the area, the higher detail and contrast is at your disposal).  A display running on 1440p displays 2,560 x 1,440 pixels.  In the case of the G4, this translates to an amazing 538 PPI or Pixels Per Inch.

Does the resolution really matter on a smart phone?

As with any other feature on any technology device, it matters if it's important to you.  Depending on how you use the device, you may never see the difference between a 720p and 1440p display, but if you use the device to view photos and/or watch video, the resolution quality is quite apparent.  While some may say that it isn't noticeable on a display that size and from the average distance at which people look at their screens, all this talk is still up for debate.  While many complex charts exist to try to assess how we see things, there is still a huge intangible to science in perception, or how the brain chooses to view an image.

While many complex charts exist to try to explain resolution and how you see it, individual perception will always make this science very inexact.

In my particular studies and performing side-by-side comparisons playing the same video, there was a discernible quality difference between the same video playing on a 5.5" 1080p (iPhone 6 Plus) display and the same size display with a 1440p (LG G3) resolution.  The variance in quality is quite dramatic when doing this test on a 720p (iPhone 6) versus a 1440p (LG G3).  I have noticed, however, that certain people with brand loyalties fail to see the contrast or consider it negligible.  I would challenge you to go to a store with live devices and try the experiment on your own to get your individual result.

What in the world does the LG G4's IPS Quantum Quad HD mean?

Again, just when you think you have a grip on things, someone invents something new and throws longer and more complex names on everything.  The simple translation on what makes this display superior is simply that compared to other 1440p displays, it is 25% brighter, has 50% increased contrast and has 56% increased color quality.  This is most noticeable when doing a side-by-side video comparison with another flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S6.  When watching the same video the S6 tends to look slightly more cartoon-like as the intense saturation of colors makes some colors too vivid, and some seem to blend into one another, creating less clarity in areas of shadow.  As with the previous area, I would challenge you to do a side-by-side and see if your eyes capture the same as mine.

That's it for this installment.  Please feel free to leave questions or comments!  I am more than happy to help with any questions you may have.

Photography Speak

With the continued evolution of cell phones, one hears more and more about advanced cameras.  As the field continues to level in displays and processing technologies, the camera tech seems to be the x-factor that sets certain devices apart from the rest.  The camera is a very important factor for me and how to use my device, but frankly, I don't know much about the more advanced and technical aspects of photography.  When learning about the LG G4, I had more questions than answers.  Questions like what is RAW? what does the little f stand for?  What is shutter speed?  

So, assuming that the rest of the world is not a professional photographer or had and formal training in this field, I wanted to create this post to help clear the waters so that the user and the sales professional can know more about what they are talking about or listening to when terms like aperture or  white balance come up.  I hope you enjoy this, and please feel free to leave comments with any further education or questions on this topic.

What is Aperture?

Aperture is the size of of the opening in the lens through which light travels.  A wider aperture allows focus to be placed on a specific object while a more narrow aperture which allows less light into the picture will capture a wider field.  The aperture on a camera lens is determined by the f-stop number which I will describe below.

Apertures on a lens are indicated by f-stops.  the smaller the number, the wider your lens can become.

What does that f stand for?

The f stands for f-stop

The f by the camera lens stands for full-stop (f-stop), or basically how much light the lens allows to enter, or aperture.  The smaller the number by the f, the larger the aperture and the more light that is allowed into the picture.  This will factor into things like how many items will be captured in focus when taking a picture.  Below is an example of a picture captured with varying size apertures

image from http://www.courtneykirkland.net/

This photo illustrates how you can selectively focus on certain items with a lower f number creating a more dramatic shot, whereas a larger f number will capture everything on the scene.  The f number by the lens symbolizes the maximum aperture that lens allows.  The smaller the number, the better as it signifies a larger aperture and gives you more options to play with when going into manual mode on your camera.

What is shutter speed and what does it do?

The LG G4 is unique as it allows you to manually adjust the shutter speed of your camera.  Shutter speed is also referred to as exposure time and reflects the length of time a camera lens is open when capturing an image.  The longer the lens is open, the more light can enter the picture, allowing for some truly dramatic effects on photography, especially with moving objects.  Below are some examples of photography when one slows the shutter speed for dramatic effect:

Slow shutter speed inside the car from http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-shutter-speed.htm

Slow Shutter speed while panning from http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-shutter-speed.htm

What does RAW stand for, and how will it help my photography?

When images and video are captured by your device, the files are then compressed and converted into another format, such as MP4 or JPEG.  When this happens, some of the fidelity of the image is lost in translation.  When capturing images or videos in RAW format, this compression does not happen and you are left with an image that is what was captured in the lens, leaving you a much wider playing field when editing in post and a much more rich image.  Below is a video that explains RAW and shows some wonderful side by side comparisons:

What is white balance?

White balance is what can be adjusted to get your images as close to possible to what the naked eye can see.  Different types of lighting can add different colored hues to your images, white balance is what you can adjust to get them to just right.  Having the ability to capture in raw, greatly increases the levels of white balance that may be adjusted, giving you a sharper and more true to life image.

To be continued?

I will soon be getting my hands on an LG G4 and will dive deep into the manual functions of the camera.  I will use it in everything from micro photography to low light conditions and dig into all the aspects to see if I can continue adding to the knowledge base here.  I will also upload the images I capture in comparison to some of the competition.

Stay tuned for hands on and practical uses of the LG G4's amazing camera!

Welcome to My Life With LG!

Hello all,

Welcome to My Life With LG.  I'd like to invite you along as I delve deeper into the world of LG and uncover the amazing features that make these products stand out.  I'd love to use this space to inform consumers on how to use their LG products to their maximum potential and educate sales professionals on why these products are head and shoulders above the rest.  While I will maintain my views objective and practical, please know that I am passionate about LG products.

Please follow along with me as I embark on this endeavor, and I truly hope that you will find this space informative and worthwhile.

Please feel free to use the comments sections to leave questions or remarks that will help make this space more useful!

-Life is good!

LG Jose