1080p

1080p is a high-definition format with 1080 valid vertical pixels, in which each frame is rendered line by line. 16:9 consumer video typically uses 1920×1080; the letter `p` stands for “progressive” and does not specify the frame rate.

The complete notation can be written as 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p30, 1080p50, or 1080p60, among others; in practice, they often include fractional frame rates such as 23.976, 29.97, and 59.94. 24p is suitable for film sources, while 50p and 59.94/60p are better at rendering fast motion but require higher processing and transmission capabilities. Blu-ray commonly uses 1080p23.976/24, while early broadcasts more frequently used 1080i. Some systems split a progressive frame into two fields for transmission, known as a “progressive segmented frame”; the content still comes from a single progressive frame at the same moment, but the transmission appears similar to interlaced scanning and cannot be determined solely by interface reports.

1080p does not specify encoding, bitrate, color gamut, or dynamic range. H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2, HEVC, and other formats can all encode 1080p, and the image can be SDR or HDR. Formats stored at 1440×1080 with non-square pixels are sometimes displayed as 1080-line systems; the actual number of horizontal samples must be recorded separately. Deinterlacing 1080i to produce a 1920×1080 progressive output is not necessarily equivalent to native 1080p: the temporal and spatial information in areas of motion depends on the source structure and the algorithm used. The player’s output of 1080p only describes the final interface signal; it does not prove that the disc or file was originally encoded using progressive scan.