11/06/2025

Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Resolution On A TV?

As Black Friday approaches, you’re probably being inundated with ads for bigger, better televisions. But just how good is good enough? Are there limits to what our eyes can even make out?

Visual perception researcher Maliha Ashraf joins Host Flora Lichtman to describe her new study on display resolution—including a display calculator she and her colleagues developed to help you determine the optimal display characteristics for a given room. And retinal neuroscientist Bryan Jones joins the conversation to delve into the workings of human vision.

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Segment Guests

Maliha Ashraf

Dr. Maliha Ashraf is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

Bryan W. Jones

Dr. Bryan W. Jones is a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Segment Transcript

The transcript is being processed. It will be available 2-3 days after this story’s publication date.

Meet the Producers and Host

About Charles Bergquist

As Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.

About Flora Lichtman

Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.

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