Beyond HD

InMyHO · 24-10-2010, 09:44

Colleagues
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There is a lot of thinking about what technology brings us beyond HD. There are some ultra-high UHDTV experiments going on. We should remember that our curent HDTV started off in the lab at about the time colour television started to be broadcast so the gestation period was fairly long.

The thing that strikes me is that there is one limiting component in the signal chain that has not changed significantly since TV started and that is the lens. The lenses for professional HD cameras are at the limit of what is possible with current technology. You can do better with larger sensors but the cameras become more bulky and more difficult to use. Lenses are improved over their counterparts of 70 years ago but their basic make-up is still near identical. Progress in this technology is slow. A higher resolution than HD is possible but not by as much as you might think because in available light there is only so much you can get out of the lens. Inevitably there will be fewer extreme angles and less zoom range in order to achieve the quality levels needed.
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So UHDTV needs even larger screens than we currently commonly use at home but as technology moves on this will become possible. UHDTV is fantastic to watch. One reason I think is that it has such a shallow depth of field which more closely mimics the eye. This is a kind of pleasing effect. On the screen you will see more resolution but a lot less of the picture will be in focus of course. So the amount of information does not increase greatly - if at all. I wonder whether this relegates UHDTV to a kind of IMAX experience - fantastic to indulge in occasionally but is it really an improvement to everyday viewing? I cannot ignore cost in this. If it were for free then why not have a go but extra definition will increase the spend and frankly there are things I would improve first - like better scripts, scenery and so on. From the little opportunity I have had to watch them so far these higher resolution systems are not the way to go, in the near to mid future anyway, for normal living rooms - in my opinion.

What do others think?

Nigel Goodwin · 24-10-2010, 10:55

I think it's a complete waste of time, and can't see it happeneing for domestic TV.

People now watch HD from too far away, they will just do the same if resolution increased further, so gain nothing.

I doubt it's going to happen, apart from professional and commercial applications - aren't many films now made on extra resolution digital media rather than film?.

technologist · 24-10-2010, 11:14

I think that there is a point about having higher resolution acquisition - as we are seeing now with HD acquired SD..
The technology behind UHDTV could used for HD (plus) holographic Tv - which is a lot better than the exiting S3D... but needs a high res transmission system .... as the first Transform is done by Flys eye micro-lens systems. www.3dvivant.eu

But UHDTV is marvelous experience and very very life like - far better than S3D (which really is rather disappointing even when it Works!)

24-10-2010, 09:44	#1
InMyHO Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: South Coast Posts: 123	Beyond HD Colleagues . There is a lot of thinking about what technology brings us beyond HD. There are some ultra-high UHDTV experiments going on. We should remember that our curent HDTV started off in the lab at about the time colour television started to be broadcast so the gestation period was fairly long. The thing that strikes me is that there is one limiting component in the signal chain that has not changed significantly since TV started and that is the lens. The lenses for professional HD cameras are at the limit of what is possible with current technology. You can do better with larger sensors but the cameras become more bulky and more difficult to use. Lenses are improved over their counterparts of 70 years ago but their basic make-up is still near identical. Progress in this technology is slow. A higher resolution than HD is possible but not by as much as you might think because in available light there is only so much you can get out of the lens. Inevitably there will be fewer extreme angles and less zoom range in order to achieve the quality levels needed. . So UHDTV needs even larger screens than we currently commonly use at home but as technology moves on this will become possible. UHDTV is fantastic to watch. One reason I think is that it has such a shallow depth of field which more closely mimics the eye. This is a kind of pleasing effect. On the screen you will see more resolution but a lot less of the picture will be in focus of course. So the amount of information does not increase greatly - if at all. I wonder whether this relegates UHDTV to a kind of IMAX experience - fantastic to indulge in occasionally but is it really an improvement to everyday viewing? I cannot ignore cost in this. If it were for free then why not have a go but extra definition will increase the spend and frankly there are things I would improve first - like better scripts, scenery and so on. From the little opportunity I have had to watch them so far these higher resolution systems are not the way to go, in the near to mid future anyway, for normal living rooms - in my opinion. What do others think?

24-10-2010, 10:55	#2
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	I think it's a complete waste of time, and can't see it happeneing for domestic TV. People now watch HD from too far away, they will just do the same if resolution increased further, so gain nothing. I doubt it's going to happen, apart from professional and commercial applications - aren't many films now made on extra resolution digital media rather than film?.

24-10-2010, 11:14	#3
technologist Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: London Posts: 7,519	I think that there is a point about having higher resolution acquisition - as we are seeing now with HD acquired SD.. The technology behind UHDTV could used for HD (plus) holographic Tv - which is a lot better than the exiting S3D... but needs a high res transmission system .... as the first Transform is done by Flys eye micro-lens systems. www.3dvivant.eu But UHDTV is marvelous experience and very very life like - far better than S3D (which really is rather disappointing even when it Works!)

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Beyond HD