1920 × 1080 test card
1920 × 1080 is Full HD, also called 1080p. It is 16:9 (1920 and 1080 share a divisor of 120), 2.07 megapixels, with square pixels. A test card at that exact size shows whether a screen, projector or media server is scaling, cropping or stretching the picture. Open Ratio.
What to look for
- A soft grid. The lines between squares are one pixel wide. If they look grey or blurred, something between the file and the screen is scaling the image. Set the player and the output to 1920 × 1080.
- A missing edge. The card has a white and black border on the outermost pixels. If one side is cut off, the image is cropped, or the display is overscanning.
- Oval circles. The large circles are drawn round. If they look tall or wide, the picture is stretched, usually because a 16:9 file is playing on a screen set to a different shape.
- The name and the size. The centre of the card reads 1920 × 1080, so a photo of the screen is enough to confirm which file is playing.
How to use it
- Open the link above. Ratio starts at 1920 × 1080.
- In section 2, leave the grid, circles and edge border on. Turn on square labels if you want each square named.
- Download the PNG, or open Motion and download a short MP4 loop. The loop repeats seamlessly, and a moving pattern makes a frozen output obvious.
- Play the file full screen at 1920 × 1080. In a media server, set the clip to the screen's native size rather than letting the server scale it to fit.
Other common sizes
The same card works at any resolution. These open Ratio with the size already filled in.
| Size | Name | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1280 × 720 | HD | 16:9 | Open |
| 1920 × 1080 | Full HD | 16:9 | Open |
| 3840 × 2160 | UHD, 4K | 16:9 | Open |
| 1920 × 1200 | WUXGA | 16:10 | Open |
| 1080 × 1920 | Vertical Full HD | 9:16 | Open |
Questions
Is 1920 × 1080 the same as 1080p?
Yes, for a progressive scan. 1080i is the interlaced broadcast version of the same frame size. The test card is a still image, or a progressive MP4, so use it as 1080p.
Why does my 1920 × 1080 file look soft on a 4K screen?
The screen is scaling 2.07 megapixels up to 8.3. That is normal, and the grid will look softer than on a native 1080p display. To test the 4K screen itself, make the card at 3840 × 2160.
Can I use this on a projector?
Yes, when the projector's native resolution is 1920 × 1080. The projector test pattern page lists what the same card tells you about focus, geometry and blend.
What about an LED wall that is not 1920 × 1080?
Make the card at the wall's own resolution. The LED wall calculator turns a size in metres or feet into that resolution, and a pixel map drawn at any other size will not line up with the panels.