480p

Glossary

What is 480p?

480p is a standard-definition (SD) or enhanced-definition (ED) video resolution in which each frame contains 480 horizontal lines drawn progressively. So, 480 is the height, or vertical resolution, of the video. In practice, 480p typically corresponds to 640x480 pixels for a 4:3 aspect ratio or ~854x480 for a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.

Generally, the higher the vertical resolution, the higher the visual quality. Therefore, 480p is higher-quality than 360p, but lower quality than 720p.

480p vs 480i

There also exists 480i, which has the exact vertical resolution of 480, but it uses interlace scan (denoted by "i") instead of the progressive scan (denoted by "p") of 480p. 480p displays the entire frame, including both even and odd lines simultaneously, thereby reducing combing artifacts and enhancing motion clarity.

Is 480p considered high-definition or HD video resolution?

No, 480p is not considered high-definition or HD video resolution. It is grouped under Enhanced-definition (ED) resolution, sitting above SD (Standard Definition) 360p but below HD formats, such as 720p and 1080p.

While it isn't high-definition, 480p remains useful where bandwidth, battery life, or compute are constrained - especially on small screens or as a fallback layer in adaptive streaming ladders providing higher quality than 360p in such cases.

Some examples of applications of 480p Video Resolution

480p for viewing content on mobile under data caps: On smaller screens of smartphones, 480p presents an acceptable viewing quality at a much lower size. This reduces bandwidth requirement, startup time, and video buffering, ensuring smooth playback.

Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR): As a middle rung between 360p and 720p, 480p is a common rendition that ABR players can switch to when network conditions dip. This allows smooth streaming in regions with slower internet speeds.

Low-latency or low-power scenarios: Lower pixel count of 480p shortens download time, encode time, and reduces CPU and GPU load, making it suitable for applications such as real-time streaming, screen sharing, or video conferencing, where load time is of utmost importance.

Advantages and Limitations of 480p

Advantages of 480p Video Resolution

  • Better visual quality for low-bandwidth scenarios: While both 480p and 360p videos are used for low-bandwidth scnearios, 480p videos have better visual quality than 360p.
  • Bandwidth-efficient: 480p videos deliver smoother playback on slow or congested connections than HD, which makes it great for mobile devices with poor network speeds.
  • Device-friendly: 480p's lower resolution is easier on encoders and decoders, device batteries, and older hardware as compared to higher resolution videos.

Limitations of 480p Video Resolution

  • Poor visual quality: Though it is a step up from 360p, 480p videos still look soft and lack details around fine textures or text on larger screens.
  • Not suitable for modern-day use: 480p videos are not the standard for professional or high-quality video production, where higher resolutions like 1080p, or now even 4K, are preferred. Most customers now have devices and Wi-Fi speeds that can support the viewing of higher-resolution content; therefore, 480p derivatives are best kept as auxiliary rungs in an ABR ladder.

480p vs Other Video Resolutions

Below is a list of some other video resolutions. We are considering a 16:9 video aspect ratio when reporting the video dimensions below.

  • 360p: These videos are typically at a resolution of 640x360 and are categorized as Standard Definition (SD). It uses lower bandwidth and offers faster startup, but has significantly poorer visual quality compared to 480p, making it less suitable for mobile devices than 480p.

  • 720p (HD): The first true HD resolution, 720p videos offer significantly better video quality. It has roughly 2.25 times the number of pixels compared to 480p, resulting in significantly sharper visual quality. Given the improvement in screen quality and network speeds, it is one of the more common video resolutions for viewing content today.

  • 1080p (Full HD): At 1920x1080 pixels of frame size, 1080p or Full HD resolution provides high-definition clarity suitable for modern professional content and high-quality streaming. You likely view videos in this resolution every day on Netflix or YouTube.

  • 4K (Ultra HD): With a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels, 4K delivers exceptional clarity and detail, with a life-like immersive video experience. It is heavy on storage, encoding time, and bandwidth.

Conclusion

480p strikes a practical balance: it's crisper than 360p without the bandwidth and compute demands of HD. It remains a smart layer in adaptive streaming ladders, a safe choice for low-bandwidth audiences, and a natural fit for legacy SD sources. For cinematic, product, or long-tail evergreen content, keep higher-resolution masters, such as 720p, 1080p, or 4K, and generate a 480p rendition as part of your delivery set.

You can try ImageKit's Video API to deliver videos at 480p, or use adaptive bitrate streaming so the player automatically switches between 480p, 360p, 720p, and higher based on each viewer's connection.