Most Content is Still in 1080p

The vast majority of the content that's being made has a maximum resolution of 1080p. For example, as of now, though this is expected to change soon, all modern video game consoles (the Playstation 4, the Xbox One, and the Nintendo Wii U) have released their games with a maximum resolution of 1080p. And even that is a challenge for some game developers, with many having to make a trade-off between frame rate refresh rates and resolution, meaning that some games are displayed in only 900p.

The truth is that cable companies don't even display anything in true 1080p, such as Time Warner Cable's maximum output of either 720p or 1080i. Direct TV only has a few channels available in true 1080p. There are also no true 4K television channels yet available.

If you want to watch content in 4K resolution, you'll have to stream it through services such as Netflix or YouTube, watch certain on-demand selections, or buy one of the newly-released UHD Blu-Ray players.

The point is that, while 4K content is growing, 1080p content far outweighs it at this point. Even porn, which has somewhat embraced 4K resolution, makes all of its content also available in 1080p, as users with 1080p displays vastly exceeds those with 4K displays.

When Will 4K Resolution Fully Replace 1080p?

Virtually all of the mainstream display hardware released today supports 1080p, even if it has 4K display capabilities. Some hardware, such as video game consoles, don't support 4K resolution at all yet. This, in combination with content, including porn, means that 1080p content will still be more commonly viewed than 4K content for years to come.

It will be at least 5 years before 4K content is distributed to the point where it even approaches being a true threat to 1080p. Interestingly, with 4K displays, including 4K Roku TVs, becoming more affordable, many people will have the ability to display 4K even before 4K content becomes mainstream.

The good news is that you don't have to make a choice now between 1080p or 4K resolutions. Any 4K display that you buy will be able to display true 1080p, so it's up to the media content companies to create the content to catch up to the hardware.