HD envy

[Roger]

I just ran across an article that perfectly illustrates my don’t sweat it attitude when it comes to 1080p and beyond. I don’t mean to imply that resolution doesn’t matter but I have to chuckle a bit when I see folks arguing over what is or isn’t “full” or “true” HD, instead of just enjoying what we have now.

Think that new wobulating Samsung 1080p, rear-projection television is the cats meow? It may be today but tomorrow is always up for grabs in the consumer electronics world.

Japan’s NHK (the fathers of HDTV) recently ran a test transmission of their ‘Super HiVision’ broadcast protocol at 7680x4320 lines of resolution. Yeah four thousand three hundred and twenty lines of vertical lines of resolution….

While the virtual broadcast relied on a hardwired fiber-optic connection for signal transmission, NHK has access to Japan’s experimental 21GHz satellite band and feels that they can easily transmit these Super HiVision signals at 250Mbps. To give you some perspective on the bandwidth NHK is using, typical HD signals transmit at 20Mbps or lower.

Ok of course there aren’t any commercially available sources that are capable of providing anywhere near 4k lines of vertical resolution but the same could be said of 1080p, at least until Blu-ray hits the streets. My point is there’s always something better in the pipeline, don’t let that stop you from enjoying HD today.

Link To Original Article

[Josuah]

Studios are digitizing their films at 4k lines of resolution now, because there are digitizing houses for this and 4k is supposed to equal the resolution that film will provide. I suspect some of the high-definition content coming out will be off of those files.

If those studies (which I can't reference now) are correct in that 4k of lines is equal to film, then 4k should theoretically be as high-def as we need to go. At least until people start making movies with something more sensitive than film, or 3-D.

[Sonnie]

3D... yeah... that would be cool... if ya didn't have to wear the glasses.

[fibreKid]

Has anyone read the 3d article in this months popular mechanics? Kind of interesting ...

-john

[Sonnie]

I haven't seen it... but don't subscribe either. Is it something that can be shared here or no permissions.

[fibreKid]

In reference to the 4K lines of resoluion, the 35 mm pro type full frame sensors are 16 Mpixles. I guess it's pretty close to the film grain.
The next thing they need is to increase the frame rate. Hopefully technology can speed up to get the costs down. 24 fps is just enough to fool the brain but they "the studios" have known since the 60s that a higher frame rate gives the brain a better perception of depth. The film editors would hand crank the film forward and back and when they hit somewhere around 60 fps or more the sequences would become much more real. Fool the brain better. The example they used was the star field scenes where there was a slow pan and not much going on. I remember reading an article about some super cimemas that had frame rates of 60 and larger screens to give the moviegoers a greater sense of emersion. It was in that article that talked about where they found out about it. It was a sunday insert "parade"? I think.

-john

[fibreKid]

I just checked the PM web site and it's not posted yet. I read it in the magazine actually. My neighbor let me read it, it was his According to the art lucas and peter jackson are excited about it and King Kong should be available next March? in 3d. They talked about two different technologies, both with glasses that use polarized lenses and a very fast frame rate.

-john

I've always been excited at the thought of 3d, however, the experience never quiet lived up to what I'd dreamed of. Can't wait for true 1080p, then again I think it'll turn out just like the 3d did. In fact I can't really tell much difference in 720p and 1080i. I just hope Sony does something so that my sxrd (KDSR50XBR1) will accept 1080p in. Can't wait for Blu-Ray.