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by drbig 847 days ago
Instead looking at smartphone screens, it seems to me we're approaching the "CD moment" - in case of screens it's the DPI. Can't see a pixel with a naked eye? Not even when a water droplet forms a lens? If so then packing more pixels doesn't... change anything; in pretty much the same sense that after 44.1 kHz 16 bit it's the human senses that don't perceive any difference.

Seems screen-wise the new frontier is brightness and HDR.
2 comments
twelfthnight 847 days ago
I think CD quality is a good analogy to 4k, 1080p is mp3 128 and 1440p is mp3 320. 1080p isn't quite human level perception, but no one will notice if they aren't trying. 1440p is essentially exactly human perception, and 4k is slightly better.

Personally, since you can't really buy 1440p TVs, makes sense to me to keep 1080p TV if you have one, but buy a 4k if you're getting a new TV.

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drbig 846 days ago
> 1080p is mp3 128

Good chuckle here and """I'm offended!!!""". I'm not. mp3 128 in video is a crappy 480p stuff - bearable, but not _enjoyable_. 1080p on an appropriate display would kinda work as mp3 v0 - good enough for _almost_ all.

But then again, I have not spent any time with 4k content on an appropriate display. I may stay mistaken until!

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twelfthnight 846 days ago
Ha, okay mp3 128 is 480p then. Fwiw, I happened to watch an old DVD I had recently (480p), it was so much worse than I remembered. 1080p to 4k is very much not as big a quality jump.
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JohnBooty 847 days ago
Agree totally.

I fear it's a tough sell though.

Screen size and resolution are firmly implanted in consumers' minds as THE metrics to rule all metrics.

Just like other flawed metrics like horsepower for cars, megapixels for cameras, "watts" for amplifiers and powered speakers, and so on. Hope I'm wrong!

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drbig 846 days ago
And Mhz for CPUs? :-)

As much as numbers are universal they seem to be quickly fatiguing the general public... if there isn't a _perceptible_ improvement! Regardless of units; and I like that about non-engineering - normal people: if it isn't perceptibly better then... _whatever, next!_.

(and I certainly didn't by my current camera-device for the megapixels)

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JohnBooty 846 days ago
Yeah, megahertz is maybe the best example of all!

    and I like that about non-engineering - normal people:
    if it isn't perceptibly better then... _whatever, next!_
Well... I like what you are saying, but I think there is additional nuance.

There are a lot of things that are "perceptibly better" that only reveal themselves over time.

Probably the best example would be the benefits of well-designed physical controls in cars, relative to poorly designed touch interfaces. Unless you're really attuned to UI design it's hard to understand how aggravating bad touch interfaces are until you've already bought the car and spent some significant time with them.

Same with things like boots. A poorly made boot is most definitely going to be perceptibly worse over time even if you are are not a "boot nerd" but it is hard to discern this up front.

A display with great HDR support is kind of like that. It's most definitely perceptibly better even if the viewer doesn't care about tech crap. But it's harder sell.

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