Do you own a 4K TV? Or perhaps, see what 4K gaming looks like? How about HDR? We are asking this now since our future gaming may be dependent on these technical advancements. In fact, upcoming consoles Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro and Microsoft Xbox Project Scorpio are already confirmed to feature 4K and HDR gaming. Alright, while there may be a growing confusion on the differences between HDR and 4K and which is better from the two, let's delve on what HDR and 4K really are.
What is HDR?
High Dynamic Range or HDR tends to "represent colors in a more realistic way", according to Gamespot. It utilizes panels that give out a wider color range compared to the typical TVs. As explained by Nvidia, HDR can expand the range of colors by a factor of two which is around 75 percent of the color spectrum that is visible.
HDR is awesome because it makes the contrast between black and white larger so blacks will be darker and whites will be brighter. But note that not all 4K TVs will support HDR however, most HDR TVs will have a 4K panel.
What is 4K?
4K, on the other hand, is said to offer 3,840 horizontal pixels and 2,160 vertical pixels. And when you multiply these numbers up, you have a panel that is more than 8 million pixels, four times the usual 1080p HD.
HDR or 4K?
With 4K, the picture quality will have significantly improved sharpness and clarity. While the Xbox One S can play 4K movies, it cannot however support 4K games since it doesn't have enough power. So wait for the PS4 Pro and Project Scorpio instead to play games in 4K (modern graphics cards in PCs can also play 4K, by the way).
So we have already seen the improvement to our games when it comes to HDR and 4K but are the differences that big or which is better between the two. Director of Digital Media Strategies at Strategy Analytics, Michael Goodman, told wewritethings, ""I would argue that the 4K side is less relevant. When you add HDR into it, you can definitely tell the difference. At a certain point, you can keep adding pixels, but it just doesn't matter. [With HDR], you can change the brightness of the colors and improve the contrast. You can see a marked difference. To me, HDR is the important point, not 4K. 4K is nice, but HDR is really nice."
Though the difference when gaming with an HDR or 4K console is still going to be there, it's still not as significant when comparing standard definition to high definition. These upgrades in technology may take time as well as the number of people buying HDR or 4K capable TVs.
"This year, next year, HDR is just entering the marketplace. It'll be a number of years before a significant amount of the market has 4K/HDR TVs," Goodman added.
