4K resolution
This resolution is used mainly in digital cinema production, and has a total of 8,847,360 pixels with an aspect ratio 256135 (≈1910). It was standardized as the resolution of the 4K container format defined by Digital Cinema Initiatives in the Digital Cinema System Specification, and is the native resolution of all DCI-compliant 4K digital projectors and monitors. The DCI specification allows several different resolutions for the content inside the container, depending on the desired aspect ratio. The allowed resolutions are defined in SMPTE 428-1: The DCI 4K standard has twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of DCI 2K (), with four times as many pixels overall.
Digital cinematography
The DCI standard for cinema usually relies on a 1.89:1 aspect ratio, thus defining the maximum container size for 4K as 4096×2160 pixels and for 2K as 2048×1080 pixels. When distributed in the form of a Digital Cinema Package (DCP), content is letterboxed or pillarboxed as appropriate to fit within one of these container formats.
In the early years of digital cinematography, 2K was the most common format for digitally acquired major motion pictures however, as new camera systems gain acceptance, 4K is becoming more prominent. The Arri Alexa captured a 2.8k image. During 2009 at least two major Hollywood films, "Knowing" and "District 9", were shot in 4K on the RED ONE camera, followed by "The Social Network" in 2010. , 4k cameras are now commonplace, with most high-end films being shot at 4k resolution.