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DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) explained

DCI refers to the specifications set by Digital Cinema Initiatives for commercial cinema. Its 4K resolution is 4096 by 2160, a little wider than the 3840 by 2160 of consumer UHD.

The short explanation

Digital Cinema Initiatives defines the formats used in commercial projection. DCI 4K is 4096 x 2160; consumer UHD is 3840 x 2160. Same height, 256 pixels difference in width, slightly different aspect ratio.

The name also attaches to DCI-P3, the cinema color space, which is a separate thing entirely.

Where you run into it

Mainly with projectors and computers. A projector may accept a DCI timing where a television will not, and a graphics card can be persuaded to output one. If a source offers a 4096-wide mode and the display refuses it, that is the distinction biting.

For ordinary playback it rarely comes up: streaming and disc content is UHD.

How the DR HDMI 8K handles it

DCI formats are among the supported signals listed for the DR HDMI 8K, alongside DSC. If a DCI mode is not being offered, its EDID readouts show what the display is actually advertising, which settles whether the mode is unsupported or simply never announced.

About the DR HDMI 8K: a 1500MHz / 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 repeater that reads, stores and rewrites EDID between your source and the rest of the system, and shows the link state on its OLED and web page — so a failing chain becomes something you can test one step at a time. See what the unit does →

Want to test your own HDMI chain?

The DR HDMI 8K is sold through the HDFury.eu web shop.

DR HDMI 8K on HDFury.eu ↗