What is 720p?

It refers to a display resolution of 1280 pixels horizontally and 720 pixels vertically, for a total of approximately 921,600 pixels. The p in 720p stands for the progressive scan which simply means that the lines in the display are refreshed in sequential order from top to bottom. This is in contrast to the typical interlaced scanning where the lines are refreshed alternatively, with odd lines being refreshed first and then the even lines.

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Unlike 1080p, which is Full HD and mostly suitable for displays bigger than 32 inches, 720p is suitable for smaller screens. Typically less than 32 inches. However, 720p is still considered high definition and can provide good-quality images. It is mostly preferred for smaller devices as it is less demanding on the device’s processing power and consumes less data as well. It provides a good balance between image quality and file size that’s why it is often used as the base resolution for upscaling an image/video.