It can be overwhelming to choose an endzone camera system for your team. There are so many cameras with dozens of features; making the best decision means understanding how all of these come into play. One of these features is resolution—many cameras come in either a 720p or 1080p. Unless you’re into tech and gadgets, you probably don’t know what sets one apart from the other.
720p and 1080p are high-definition display resolutions, widely available on digital cameras, desktop monitors, and HDTVs. People who upload videos are also increasingly doing so in HD—it’s a format popular on YouTube and other video streaming platforms. Here are things to know about both of these types of display.
1080p vs. 720p Resolution: The Basics
720p video is also known as standard HD resolution. It is a progressive HDTV signal format with an aspect ratio of 16:9. Since 2009, 16:9 has been the most common aspect ratio of display screens. It is the size of most LCD monitors and TVs, and 720p was the sharpest resolution for a long time. Today, though, it is no longer the sharpest resolution for monitors, laptops, or even TV—there are screens with 1080p and 4K resolution today.
1080p is also known as full HD or FHD, and it displays a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9. People informally refer to 1080p as 2K resolution. Today, many devices use 1080p as the standard resolution for displaying images and video. Mobile phones, game consoles, computer monitors, televisions, Blu-ray discs, projectors, camcorders, and digital cameras all use 1080p. Netflix and YouTube videos also use this resolution.
What Is the Difference between 720p and 1080p?
These two video resolution formats are close to each other in quality. 1080p video has clearer images than 720p, and you can see more details in 1080p videos. However, several other factors can affect the clarity of the video or end product. You might shoot a video in FHD, but the upload speed to the internet could decrease the picture quality.
Also, the quality of the display device, how big it is, and how close the viewer is to the screen affect the viewing experience. If you use an HD display, you would see the difference between 720p and 1080p. If you view a mobile device and don’t use the full-screen mode, you might not.
Furthermore, 1080p videos can play on 720p screens, but the video quality will downscale because the monitor will not have enough pixels to display the full resolution. On a 720p screen, your full HD video will still show up in standard HD resolution. Here are other things to keep in mind when choosing between full and standard HD cameras.
Do You Have Enough Data Storage?
Generally speaking, the higher the video resolution, the sharper the video quality, and the larger the file size. If you have enough data storage for an FHD endzone camera system, you can choose to record in 1080p because it lets you capture the best quality videos. Otherwise, you can choose 720p, which lets you save on storage but still captures good picture quality.
Will You Be Streaming the Video?
Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo, and other video streaming websites use 720p or 1080p. They let you choose the video resolution you want for your video stream. If you have a slow internet connection or anticipate that the viewers will be using a slow connection, you can change it to 720p so the people watching can get a better viewing experience.
YouTube streams most of its content in either 720p or 1080p. When you’re watching a YouTube video, you can change the quality of the stream by clicking on the Settings icon at the bottom-right, clicking on Quality, and choosing among the available resolutions.
Conclusion
For many users, a 720p resolution camera is perfectly suitable. It is more affordable than a 1080p camera and produces videos of comparable quality to full HD. Meanwhile, if you want to invest in top-quality footage, you cannot go wrong with 1080p cameras. A 1080p camera captures sharper images and videos, but it needs more bandwidth and storage. Either way, you can capture your team’s best moments and review their points of improvement with a 720p or 1080p camera.
Take your team’s game to the next level with a Hi Rise Camera. Our first-in-class endzone camera system has everything you need to capture high-angle and sideline game footage in all weather conditions. Browse our products or contact us for inquiries!
