The beauty of watching any media is a function of the media resolution. The common definition of these visual media resolutions are; Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (HD), 4K, and 8K.
Generally, HD are resolutions that measure 1280x720p for videos but referred to as 720p for TV or projectors.
To improve on the HD resolution, there is a special class known as the Full HD. The resolution of the Full HD is 1920x1080p for video and 1080p for TV or projectors.
It’s important we digress a little by saying HD is not just a definition for visual media (video and pictures). We also have HD audio, which is audio with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz and a depth of 16 bits.
So we have seen the two main types of visual HD which are; 720p or 1080p (Full HD). The big question is: Can other definitions higher than 720p but less than 1080p be considered HD?
Our pick for such resolution is the 1280×800. Follow through to the end if we consider this resolution as HD.
Quick Navigation
What is the 1280×800 resolution?
Resolution is the number of pixels that your TV or projector has in width and height. The higher the resolution, the more the pixel.
So from our definition, a 1280×800 resolution display has 1280 pixels in width and 800 pixels in height. The total pixel in a 1280×800 device is 1,024,000 pixels.
What classification is 1280×800 resolution?
In the early days of media displays, projectors and other display screens were classified based on their video graphics array (VGA). The graphic array trends are SVGA, XGA, WXGA, and WUXGA.
1. Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA)
This display media has a very low resolution of 800 x 600 pixels and an aspect ratio of 4:3. Due to the low value, they are best used in displaying simple charts and data.
2. Extended Graphics Array (XGA)
Most computers’ native resolution is XGA. When pairing your XGA projector and a computer together, it is seamless. XGA has a resolution of 1024×768 pixels and an aspect ratio of 4:3.
3. Wide Extended Graphics Array (WXGA)
The resolution we are considering in this article is classified as a WXGA. The resolution of WXGA is 1280×800 pixels, and an aspect ratio of 16:10.
This technology is a widescreen improvement on the XGA with a 20% increase to the XGA horizontal resolution. This type of resolution is common in smartphones and notebook computers.
Henceforth, if you see a device with a WXGA resolution, you should know they are referring to the 1280×800 pixels.
4. Wide Ultra Extended Graphic Array (WUXGA)
From the name, WUXGA has much increase in the horizontal resolution of XGA with their 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution. But like the WXGA, they have an aspect ratio of 16:10.
At the moment, most workstation computers and high-end notebooks now use the WUXGA as their standard resolution.
Also, installation projectors and display devices used in large rooms now use the WUXGA. Installation projectors or integration projectors or mounted projectors are projectors with lumens between 3000 – 7000, used in large rooms.
Resolution naming convention in respect to the VGA of a display device was discontinued at this point, maybe that was because there was no superlative for Ultra. That was actually a joke.
What aspect ratio is 1280×800?
Before you get to this point in this article, you already know the aspect ratio of a WXGA i.e the 1280×800 resolution. Please note that from now on, I may be interchanging the 1280×800 resolution and WXGA (this is actually easier).
Let me do a little justice to the definition and how the aspect ratio of a device is calculated.
In general, the aspect ratio is the proportion of the width to the height of the screen or an image. It can also be defined as the number of times the width is wider than the height.
Aspect ratios are always written in a whole-number ratio of the width and height like this; 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, etc.
To calculate the aspect ratio of your device, divide the width and the height by their Highest Common Factor (HCF) and represent the result as the ratio of the division.
For example, let’s calculate the aspect ratio of standard HD i.e 720p.
Resolution = 1280×720
HCF = 80
Width division = 1280/80 : 16
Height division = 720/80 : 9
Aspect ratio = 16 : 9
An exception to the above calculation is the aspect ratio of WXGA i.e 1280×800 resolution.
Resolution = 1280×800
Instead of using the HCF of 160, we will be using a factor of 80. The reason for this is because the HDs have a standard width ratio of 16.
So, our factor will be 80 instead of 160.
Factor = 80
Width division = 1280/80 : 16
Height division = 800/80 : 10
Aspect ratio = 16 : 10.
From our calculation, we can see that the aspect ratio of 1280×800 is 16:10. This is the reason why they are considered widescreen.
If we compare the aspect ratio of 720p to the 1280×800, we can see that they are almost the same. This shows that we can classify 1280×800 resolution as an HD.
Is 1280×800 the same resolution as 720p (almost)?
As a quick reiteration; we said standard HD is 720p and the resolution is 1280×720 pixels.
Giving a direct polar answer to this subsection question will be partially correct and if it is partially correct, it can also be partially incorrect.
So doing sincere justice to this question, 1280×800 have the same width but different height resolution as the 720p.
The little difference between them is just the pixel spill of 80 pixels. The pixel spill is responsible for the black line seen on the screen when viewing 720p visuals on a 1280×800.
From our front and back discussions, it’s hard to conclude that the two resolutions are the same or not the same. It is best we just say that the 1280×800 is ALMOST the same as the 720p.
Conclusion
If you have come this far, it has been a lot of information to consume. We have seen the close comparison of the 1280×800 in relation to the aspect ratio and resolution.
It is an established fact that the standard definition of an HD is 1280×720 so, a 1280×800 resolution display is considered a NON-STANDARD HD because of the pixel spill of 80 pixels.
A 1280×800 will display the same quality of pictures as a 720p but with just a little black line above and below the display. A big advantage is that it has extra pixels if there is a need for image vertical stretch.
As a final note, the “p” after 720p does not stand for pixel. You can check here to learn more about the “p”
Vance is a dad, former software engineer, and tech lover. Knowing how a computer works becomes handy when he builds Pointer Clicker. His quest is to make tech more accessible for non-techie users. When not working with his team, you can find him caring for his son and gaming.