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It depends on the settings, especially the TV. It may also depend on the laptop. The issues are resolution, which can be addressed by upscaling on either end, depending on what the hardware on either end can do, and aspect ratio. I use a traditional computer/tablet with a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, so the content would probably be letterboxed on a wider display, or else over-scanned with part of the image cut off. (The worst, IMHO, is the {"stretch" ability may TV have that make people look fat, since they're horizontally stretched).
Although a bit complex, it gives you a lot of flexibility in how your source material will look, depending on the content origin, the nature of your laptop, and how you set up your TV. The latter should have the most flexibility and a good scaler.
My laptop can display 1080P max when connected to an external monitor. I guess the 4K TV will upscale to fill the screen.
Bingo. The TV will process the source signal however you tell it to. Most 4k TV's do a reasonably good job upscaling 1080p content. So, as long as the laptop is sending a 1080p signal, it will upscale without an issue. If the laptop was able to output 4k then it would be even better as the TV would display in that native resolution.
Only other thing to consider is that when you hook it up, you should put the TV into "PC mode" which will adjust the display to be in 4:4:4 chroma, assuming your TV supports it (most higher end TV's do). This link is to a forum discussion on what that is and why it matters. Suffice to say the experience of using a TV as a monitor is much better if it supports 4:4:4 chroma.
My laptop can display 1080P max when connected to an external monitor. I guess the 4K TV will upscale to fill the screen.
It may reduce it's resolution. Laptops usually use an lcd screen, and normally even crt computer screens are higher resolution than most tvs..or used to be. If 1080 is its highest resolution and 4k is higher, the tv may reduce it's resolution. 1080P is the pixel count since beginning with hidef tvs, they're digital.
^ pretty unlikely if your laptop is not a high def "retina" like display. Garden variety laptops - the affordable ones, and especially the 15.6" ones, all use garden variety screens that are the same as a 1080 TV. 4k is 3840 pixels × 2160. If this is below your laptop screen resolution, you probably already know it because you paid for it.
^ pretty unlikely if your laptop is not a high def "retina" like display. Garden variety laptops - the affordable ones, and especially the 15.6" ones, all use garden variety screens that are the same as a 1080 TV. 4k is 3840 pixels × 2160. If this is below your laptop screen resolution, you probably already know it because you paid for it.
I'm just going off speculation as 4k tvs are new to me, that if it's a higher resolution than 1080, then wouldn't the TV reduce it's resolution to the 1080 laptop plugged in to it? I'm aware the average laptop has 1080 I have two of them. Other than that, I'm a bit confused to what you're explaining...it kinda looks like the same thing I said.
A TV cannot reduce its resolution. It upscales the signal, be it from a DVD or from a laptop.
OP: just do it.
I plugged in my laptop to my 4K TV. It filled the screen. The wallpaper on my laptop, which is a gorgeous high res photo, looked totally pixelated on the 4K TV because it upscales. Pgoto was 100 x 100 and TV upscaled ot to 400 x 400 (not true numbers). However, the laptop icons and everything on it looked perfect. Playing games looked better then using the laptop screen.
It works perfectly on any 4K TV and probably 90% of laptops out there. I imagine there might be some low end laptops that do not look great attached to 4K.
It's unusual for upscaling to pixelate. Not as if the technology is new. DVD, which IIRC, are 480p, have upscaled for years with great results, ever since flat panel TV came out. I'm sure upscaling is even better with 4K. Not as if technology has been still for the past 15 years.
Wonder what happened to the wallpaper?
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