Posted by moonbasegirl on
URL: https://www.shado-forum.com/UFO-on-Family-Room-HD-tp1510555p1510568.html

--- In [hidden email], "Marc Martin" <marc@...> wrote:

 
> So hopefully in the near future I will be updating my
> UFO HDTV page with some actual frame captures (and
> perhaps a very brief clip), which should be an improvement
> over the current photographs of a HDTV screen!



Thanks Marc, I'll be interested to see these :-)


A while back you said the HDTV was sourced from the original film -
obviously the highest definition possible. I have two questions to
ask about this: firstly, has this HD version produced an exact
copy of the original film quality? Or is it not possible to replicate
the original and there's always a downgrade of sorts? Secondly, are
there plans to transfer this HD version onto DVD for home viewing?


You mentioned compression and how this reduces picture quality.
Forgive my total ignorance of all things digital, but I just don't
get the point of this. If the 'raison d'etre' of HD is to provide a
better quality picture, but some of that improved definition is then
lost through compression, what's the point in bothering in the first
place? Assuming UFO were released on HD DVD, would it be similarly
compressed, and if so, how much of a loss in quality from the
original HD would there be?

 

Assuming there would still be a considerable improvement over SD the
only real advantage I can see for HD is to provide a better quality
picture on those huge flatscreen TVs that are becoming the "norm"
nowadays. If I were to watch the SD DVDs on both a 28" screen side-
by-side with a 50" screen, then the smaller picture is going to look
much better, isn't it? An HD version would look considerably better
on the 50" screen compared to the SD on that same screen, but
wouldn't necessarily look better than the SD on the 28" screen. Or
am I completely wrong?


Talking of comparisons, Branko and Rob both commented about watching
the SD DVDs on giant sized TV screens and in one case the picture
quality was judged to be excellent, but not in the other! There
will always be quite a subjective element in making such judgements,
never mind all the variables involved with using different makes of
equipment and so on that affect picture quality. I know someone who
watches the SD DVDs via a projector where the viewing image is life-
size and it's very watchable! So without comparing "like-with-like"
AND "side-by-side" it would be impossible to tell which was the best
quality and even then it's down to personal opinion :-)


After all this rambling, my point is - just what advantage would HD
DVDs actually have over the excellent SD versions, should they ever
became available? Would it really be worth all that extra expense?
Or is HD as a technology upgrade a bad case of diminishing returns
and is really only a load of hype to get everyone to spend lots more
money?


I hope this makes some sense!!! :-}


Sarah