sound & vision

[PeterG]

Don't really know how to argument this or word it from an anatomical or human digital format perception perspective, so here's just the bottom line:


Haven't the vast improvements in vision (resolution on TV & in cinemas) and in sound, already surpassed the level which the human eye & ear can detect? I.e. the improvements they have been making in the last 2 or 3 years are almost undetectable to the human eye and ear. Yet manufacturers continue to look for new ways to improve it further. But what is the point?

[zravkapt]

I.e. the improvements they have been making in the last 2 or 3 years are almost undetectable to the human eye and ear. Yet manufacturers continue to look for new ways to improve it further. But what is the point?

$$$

Consumers be gullible bastards.

[Lopez]

I bought the clear vinyl box - wait, this isn't about the Bowie collection from Rykodisc? Never mind.

[rcarlberg]

But what is the point?

Part of it is "gullible bastards" yes, but at least in the video world, UHD is visibly much sharper than HD which was visibly much sharper than SD. Whether 4k or 8k is a visible improvement over UHD is yet to be seen. Literally -- there is no content. But it's obvious we're reaching the threshold of diminishing returns because the eyes, as you said, can't distinguish differences if they're too subtle.

Certainly in movie theaters Cinerama was a big improvement over 35mm, and 70mm an improvement over Cinerama, and IMAX an improvement over standard 70mm.

In the audio world, there is still a lot of variety in the sound of speakers -- nobody has settled on a "standard sound" -- although the upper reaches tend to converge on a very similar sound. In components other than speakers the differences between good quality components tend to be unicorn's eyelashes, i.e. things that people swear they can hear until faced with the dreaded double-blind test, which proves that they really can't.

Of course you can't tell them that. They have too much invested, emotionally, financially, and intellectually, to ever admit it.