A marketing name for a 1920×1080 picture in a 16:9 frame. That frame holds 2,073,600 pixels, and the name is printed on televisions, cameras, and export menus.
Scan Type at This Frame Size
In practice the name means 1080 Progressive (1080p), because every line is drawn on every frame. The interlaced signal of the same width and height is 1080 Interlaced (1080i). That interlaced signal is usually called High Definition (HD), not full high definition.
High Definition Television (HDTV) also uses the high definition name for 720 Progressive (720p), a 1280×720 picture, and for 1080i. The full high definition label stays on the progressive 1920×1080 picture.
Pixel Count Against Nearby Frames
A 1920×1080 frame has 2.25 times the pixels of 720p, not four times. Doubling both axes of 1280×720 produces 2560×1440. That picture is 1440 Progressive (1440p), also called Quad High Definition (QHD), and it holds four times the pixels of 720p.
Four times 1920×1080 is 3840×2160. That picture is 2160 Progressive (2160p), sold as 4K and as Ultra High Definition (UHD). Doubling both axes of 3840×2160 produces 7680×4320, which is 4320 Progressive (4320p), sold as 8K. That frame holds 16 times the pixels of 1920×1080.
The interlaced 480-line picture used with National Television System Committee (NTSC), and the interlaced 576-line picture used with Phase Alternating Line (PAL), are the usual Standard Definition (SD) signals. Each of those line counts also has a progressive mode.
The table lists the usual digital frame for each mode. Relative is that frame’s pixel count divided by 2,073,600.
| Mode | Frame | Scan | Pixels | Times 1920×1080 |
| 480 Interlaced (480i) | 720×480 | Interlaced | 345,600 | 1/6 |
| 480 Progressive (480p) | 720×480 | Progressive | 345,600 | 1/6 |
| 576 Interlaced (576i) | 720×576 | Interlaced | 414,720 | 1/5 |
| 576 Progressive (576p) | 720×576 | Progressive | 414,720 | 1/5 |
| 720p | 1280×720 | Progressive | 921,600 | 4/9 |
| 1080i | 1920×1080 | Interlaced | 2,073,600 | 1 |
| 1080p | 1920×1080 | Progressive | 2,073,600 | 1 |
| 1440p | 2560×1440 | Progressive | 3,686,400 | 16/9 |
| 2160p | 3840×2160 | Progressive | 8,294,400 | 4 |
| 4320p | 7680×4320 | Progressive | 33,177,600 | 16 |
What the Label Does Not State
The name specifies the pixel grid and the progressive scan. It leaves the rest of the recording unset.
- Frame rate. Recordings at 24, 30, and 60 frames each second can all be full high definition. The label does not choose a Frames Per Second (FPS) value.
- Dynamic range. The same 1920×1080 grid can be Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) or High Dynamic Range (HDR).
- Pixel density. The pixel total describes the frame, not Pixels Per Inch (PPI) on a screen or a page.