Resolution reference
2048 × 1080 resolution (DCI 2K)
Short answer
2048 × 1080 (DCI 2K, cinema 2K) is a 256:135 landscape resolution with 2,211,840 pixels (2.21 megapixels). Cinema 2K, the DCI equivalent of 1080p.
Key takeaways
- 2048 × 1080 is DCI 1.9:1, landscape, 2,211,840 pixels (2.21 MP).
- Cinema 2K, the DCI equivalent of 1080p.
- For video, YouTube's 1080p tier applies: 8 Mbps at 24-30 fps, about 60 MB a minute.
- Printed at 300 DPI it is 6.8 × 3.6 inches.
2048 × 1080 specifications
| Width × height | 2,048 × 1,080 pixels |
|---|---|
| Also called | 2048x1080, DCI 2K, cinema 2K, 2K |
| Aspect ratio | 256:135 (DCI 1.9:1), decimal 1.8963 |
| Orientation | landscape |
| Total pixels | 2,211,840 (2.21 megapixels) |
| Compared with 1080p | 1.07× the pixels of 1920 × 1080 |
| Diagonal | 2,315 pixels |
| Rotated | 1080 × 2048 |
| Encoder safe | Yes: both sides are even, as H.264 and HEVC with 4:2:0 color require |
2048 × 1080 compared with common resolutions
| Resolution | Pixels | 2048 × 1080 has |
|---|---|---|
| 720p (1280 × 720) | 921,600 | 2.40× as many |
| 1080p (1920 × 1080) | 2,073,600 | 1.07× as many |
| 1440p (2560 × 1440) | 3,686,400 | 60% as many |
| 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) | 8,294,400 | 27% as many |
2048 × 1080 vs 1920 × 1080 and 2048 × 1080 vs 2560 × 1440
2048 × 1080 has 7% more pixels than 1080p (1920 × 1080). On a 27-inch screen that is 86 vs 82 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look sharper at 2048 × 1080. A game or encoder has to process 1.07× as many pixels per frame, which costs frame rate on the same graphics card and, at equal quality, file size.
1440p (2560 × 1440) has 67% more pixels than 2048 × 1080. On a 27-inch screen that is 86 vs 109 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look softer at 2048 × 1080. A game or encoder processes only 60% as many pixels per frame, which helps frame rates and keeps files smaller.
| 2048 × 1080 | 1080p (1920 × 1080) | 1440p (2560 × 1440) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixels | 2,211,840 | 2,073,600 | 3,686,400 |
| Aspect ratio | 256:135 | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| YouTube bitrate, 24-30 fps | 8 Mbps | 8 Mbps | 16 Mbps |
| Desktop space (vs 1080p) | 107% | 100% | 178% |
Where 2048 × 1080 is used
The DCI specification (2005) made 2048 × 1080 the 2K container of digital cinema, and 2K DCPs became the usual format for film festivals and many cinema releases. Projectors with 4K chips upscale 2K content by exactly 2:1 in each direction.
- The 2K image container of digital cinema: DCI specifies 2048 × 1080 at 24 or 48 fps.
- Cinema projection, film festival DCPs and VFX work.
- The frame the cinema standard actually calls 2K; monitors sold as "2K" are usually 2560 × 1440.
Pixel density (PPI) by screen size
Pixel density is the diagonal in pixels (2,315) divided by the screen diagonal in inches. The last column is the distance at which a person with normal vision stops seeing individual pixels (one arcminute of visual acuity).
| Screen diagonal | PPI | Pixels blend at about |
|---|---|---|
| 13.3 inches | 174 | 20 in (50 cm) |
| 15.6 inches | 148 | 23 in (59 cm) |
| 21.5 inches | 108 | 32 in (81 cm) |
| 24 inches | 96 | 36 in (91 cm) |
| 27 inches | 86 | 3.3 ft (1.0 m) |
| 32 inches | 72 | 4.0 ft (1.2 m) |
Print sizes for a 2048 × 1080 image
| Print resolution | Inches | Centimeters | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | 6.8 × 3.6 | 17.3 × 9.1 | Photo prints, magazines |
| 240 DPI | 8.5 × 4.5 | 21.7 × 11.4 | Inkjet photo prints |
| 150 DPI | 13.7 × 7.2 | 34.7 × 18.3 | Posters seen from a meter or more |
| 72 DPI | 28.4 × 15.0 | 72.2 × 38.1 | Screen only; too coarse for print |
Free tool:DPI and print size calculator
Video at 2048 × 1080: bitrate and file size
| Frame rate | Bitrate | Per minute | Per 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-30 fps | 8 Mbps | about 60 MB | about 600 MB |
| 48-60 fps | 12 Mbps | about 90 MB | about 900 MB |
Uncompressed, one 2048 × 1080 frame is 6.6 MB as 8-bit RGB, or 3.3 MB in the 8-bit 4:2:0 format video codecs work in. At 30 fps that is 796 Mbps of raw video, which is why every delivery format compresses it.
Posting 2048 × 1080 to social platforms
How the frame lands in each common shape, either fitted whole with bars or scaled up to fill and cropped:
| Target frame | Fit with bars | Fill and crop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16 (TikTok, Reels, Shorts), 1080 × 1920 | 1080 × 570 picture, 70% of the frame is bars | Keeps 30% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 16:9 (YouTube), 1920 × 1080 | 1920 × 1012 picture, 6% of the frame is bars | Keeps 94% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 4:5 (feed portrait), 1080 × 1350 | 1080 × 570 picture, 58% of the frame is bars | Keeps 42% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 1:1 (square), 1080 × 1080 | 1080 × 570 picture, 47% of the frame is bars | Keeps 53% of the picture (crops the width) |
Free tools:Crop video to 9:16Crop video to 16:9Crop an image to 4:5
How to resize to 2048 × 1080
- In an editor, set the sequence or export frame size to 2048 × 1080; if the source has a different shape, choose scale to fill (crop) or scale to fit (bars) rather than stretch.
- With FFmpeg, exact size:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf scale=2048:1080 -c:a copy out.mp4 - With FFmpeg, keep the whole picture and add bars:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "scale=2048:1080:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=2048:1080:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" -c:a copy out.mp4 - Upscaling a smaller source to 2048 × 1080 makes the file bigger without adding detail; scale down from a larger master when you can.
| Scale | Size | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | 512 × 270 | 138,240 |
| 50% | 1024 × 540 | 552,960 |
| 75% | 1536 × 810 | 1,244,160 |
| 150% | 3072 × 1620 | 4,976,640 |
| 200% | 4096 × 2160 | 8,847,360 |
Same 256:135 shape:4096 × 2160
Check a file against 2048 × 1080
Extension and MIME type are labels, not proof of the container. Dimensions and duration come from this browser's media reader. The frame rate is measured by playing the first frames muted; a file faster than your screen's refresh rate reads low. This does not detect codecs, bitrate, corruption or platform upload compatibility. Files and measurements are not sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Is 2048×1080 2K?
Yes. 2048×1080 is DCI 2K, the cinema counterpart of 1080p (1920×1080). It is not 4K: 4K UHD has 3.8× as many pixels.
What aspect ratio is 2048×1080?
DCI 1.9:1 (exactly 256:135), a width-to-height ratio of 1.8963.
What bitrate should a 2048×1080 video use for YouTube?
YouTube recommends 8 Mbps at 24-30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48-60 fps for its 1080p tier (SDR). That is about 60 MB per minute at standard frame rates, before audio.
How does 2048×1080 compare with 1080p?
It has 1.07× the pixels of 1920×1080 (2,211,840 vs 2,073,600). Encoding time and file size at equal quality scale roughly with pixel count.
What is 2048×1080 resolution called?
2048 × 1080 is also called DCI 2K, cinema 2K, 2K. Cinema 2K, the DCI equivalent of 1080p.
How many megapixels is 2048×1080?
2,211,840 pixels, which is 2.21 megapixels. A 12-megapixel phone photo (4032 × 3024) has 5.5× as many.
How big can I print a 2048×1080 image?
At 300 DPI, the usual photo-print target, 6.8 × 3.6 inches (17.3 × 9.1 cm). At 150 DPI, fine for posters viewed from a distance, twice that: 13.7 × 7.2 inches.
Sources and how we checked
- YouTube Help: Recommended upload encoding settings (checked 2026-10-05)
- DCI: Digital Cinema System Specification (checked 2026-10-06)
Pixel counts, ratios, PPI, print sizes, data rates and platform fits are computed from the width and height. Device figures are the makers' own; bitrates are YouTube's recommendations. Reviewed October 6, 2026 by the Koldflux team.