Ultra HD, 11.1 Surround Sound, 3D, Interactive...?
Discussion
Watching in HD with True HD Mastered sound is fantastic - leagues ahead of the quality we had but only a few years back. With the size of TVs and the qaulity of home AV systems now, it's almost making the cinema redundant.
Where's the next significant step up going to come from that has a genuine impact in the way we 'view' moving media?
I'd think it would be 3D with sound to match but having watched Monsters Vs Aliens in the cinema - while interesting, it still has a long way to go.
Where's the next significant step up going to come from that has a genuine impact in the way we 'view' moving media?
I'd think it would be 3D with sound to match but having watched Monsters Vs Aliens in the cinema - while interesting, it still has a long way to go.
I think that given how many struggle to even fit 5.1 speakers in the average UK living room, then 11.1 would be a very niche product. Also, the number of people I'd heard say that they already have HD (based purely on them owning a HD/HD ready TV rather than a BluRay player or Sky HD 
) then going to 'Ultra' would be a hard sell too. That's not to say there wouldn't be a receptive customer base (I've got 7.1 in my living room and a full HD TV & projector), but I think we are a small number which might make it less worthwhile for the companies investing. I think the sound and picture quality available already from BluRay gives a level of performance that only the extremely demanding (and rich 
) could ask for more.
Blimey....I might have 7.1 and a HD setup, but that makes me sound like a right luddite. Unfortunately it's got to be worth the companies' R&D costs for them to invest.
) then going to 'Ultra' would be a hard sell too. That's not to say there wouldn't be a receptive customer base (I've got 7.1 in my living room and a full HD TV & projector), but I think we are a small number which might make it less worthwhile for the companies investing. I think the sound and picture quality available already from BluRay gives a level of performance that only the extremely demanding (and rich ) could ask for more.Blimey....I might have 7.1 and a HD setup, but that makes me sound like a right luddite.
Unfortunately it's got to be worth the companies' R&D costs for them to invest.I see what you mean, but I'm talking about a significant step up from what we have now.
I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
Asterix said:
I see what you mean, but I'm talking about a significant step up from what we have now.
I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
From a sound perspective, the encoding technology is already far ahead of what the average or even the above average user can ever hope to maximise.I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
Even with 'standard' DTS and DD, and even in perfect conditions with ultimate kit the difference between that and the HD formats is negligable at best.
If it is negligible in a £50k listening room, 99% of people who buy their stuff from Comet don't have a hope. The blu-ray 7.1 at max bitrate is already above what even enthusiasts can accurately reproduce so the format itself won't improve for the foreseeable future, and by that I mean at least 10 if not 20 years.
Average Joe does not want to spend £10k on a surround setup. Hell, average Joe usually can't be bothered with setting up 6 speakers in the right place, neither can many enthusiasts want to add two speakers to get 7.1.
I am lucky enough to be able to listen to audio as a profession which means I have access to a very high end 7.1 system. People who get to drop in for a listen think it is awesome, but they are still not going to adopt to even maximise the current technology.
If you really want an 11.1 or even an 11.2 system you can do this already today. The point is no-one wants the cost or the hassle.
JustinP1 said:
Asterix said:
I see what you mean, but I'm talking about a significant step up from what we have now.
I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
From a sound perspective, the encoding technology is already far ahead of what the average or even the above average user can ever hope to maximise.I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
Even with 'standard' DTS and DD, and even in perfect conditions with ultimate kit the difference between that and the HD formats is negligable at best.
If it is negligible in a £50k listening room, 99% of people who buy their stuff from Comet don't have a hope. The blu-ray 7.1 at max bitrate is already above what even enthusiasts can accurately reproduce so the format itself won't improve for the foreseeable future, and by that I mean at least 10 if not 20 years.
Average Joe does not want to spend £10k on a surround setup. Hell, average Joe usually can't be bothered with setting up 6 speakers in the right place, neither can many enthusiasts want to add two speakers to get 7.1.
I am lucky enough to be able to listen to audio as a profession which means I have access to a very high end 7.1 system. People who get to drop in for a listen think it is awesome, but they are still not going to adopt to even maximise the current technology.
If you really want an 11.1 or even an 11.2 system you can do this already today. The point is no-one wants the cost or the hassle.
Perhaps my title is misleading as it indicates more bells and whistles on what we already have.
I'm thinking about a new way of listening and watching. What is the next revolution in the same way a car was to a horse - you could get faster horses until you reached the physical pinnacle of performance - then the car came along and and completely changed everything.
The HD 5.1 system I have in my house is simply a step up from my previous 2.1 system with a DVD player and a 28" CRT - it's revolutionary.
Asterix said:
JustinP1 said:
Asterix said:
I see what you mean, but I'm talking about a significant step up from what we have now.
I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
From a sound perspective, the encoding technology is already far ahead of what the average or even the above average user can ever hope to maximise.I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
Even with 'standard' DTS and DD, and even in perfect conditions with ultimate kit the difference between that and the HD formats is negligable at best.
If it is negligible in a £50k listening room, 99% of people who buy their stuff from Comet don't have a hope. The blu-ray 7.1 at max bitrate is already above what even enthusiasts can accurately reproduce so the format itself won't improve for the foreseeable future, and by that I mean at least 10 if not 20 years.
Average Joe does not want to spend £10k on a surround setup. Hell, average Joe usually can't be bothered with setting up 6 speakers in the right place, neither can many enthusiasts want to add two speakers to get 7.1.
I am lucky enough to be able to listen to audio as a profession which means I have access to a very high end 7.1 system. People who get to drop in for a listen think it is awesome, but they are still not going to adopt to even maximise the current technology.
If you really want an 11.1 or even an 11.2 system you can do this already today. The point is no-one wants the cost or the hassle.
Perhaps my title is misleading as it indicates more bells and whistles on what we already have.
I'm thinking about a new way of listening and watching. What is the next revolution in the same way a car was to a horse - you could get faster horses until you reached the physical pinnacle of performance - then the car came along and and completely changed everything.
The HD 5.1 system I have in my house is simply a step up from my previous 2.1 system with a DVD player and a 28" CRT - it's revolutionary.
It is all that different to what was available in 1999?
Or is it that you have you just adopted it now?
5.1 on DVD was around ten years ago, as were plamas (just!).
Whats coming?
4K 2D/3D projection with an accompanying 22.3 soundtrack has been showcased in Amsterdam earlier this year.
The trouble is with resolutions higher than we have now is the screen either has to be so large from a normal viewing distance as to be impractical so its for residential use there is a hard ceiling essentially.
The audio side is slightly more interesting as the 22.3 array was chosen as its 3 x 7.1 arrays presenting 3 soundstages in different vertical planes so its not just depth and width to the stage but also massive massive headroom. The demonstration was a camera shooting a 360deg shot from the top of St Pauls and each sound channel recorded in a different direction from the camera perpsective.
Again its use in residential situations will be limited but this time practicality rears its ugly head as the limiting factor.
Surround EX and the HD sound formats are very good all things considered and we've a long way to go before we've fully exploited them.
4K 2D/3D projection with an accompanying 22.3 soundtrack has been showcased in Amsterdam earlier this year.
The trouble is with resolutions higher than we have now is the screen either has to be so large from a normal viewing distance as to be impractical so its for residential use there is a hard ceiling essentially.
The audio side is slightly more interesting as the 22.3 array was chosen as its 3 x 7.1 arrays presenting 3 soundstages in different vertical planes so its not just depth and width to the stage but also massive massive headroom. The demonstration was a camera shooting a 360deg shot from the top of St Pauls and each sound channel recorded in a different direction from the camera perpsective.
Again its use in residential situations will be limited but this time practicality rears its ugly head as the limiting factor.
Surround EX and the HD sound formats are very good all things considered and we've a long way to go before we've fully exploited them.
JustinP1 said:
Asterix said:
JustinP1 said:
Asterix said:
I see what you mean, but I'm talking about a significant step up from what we have now.
I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
From a sound perspective, the encoding technology is already far ahead of what the average or even the above average user can ever hope to maximise.I know that the full HD experience with top of the line gear is stunning but if we were to say the same about cars, when the F40 came out, people were saying then that we'd reached the pinnacle of car performance - how can we possibly go faster, now we have the FXX and Veyron.
What about a 360 degree curtain of sound from a 10mm cable integrated into ceiling coving with a projection set up that or multilayer screen that actully provides depth to an image, for example.
Even with 'standard' DTS and DD, and even in perfect conditions with ultimate kit the difference between that and the HD formats is negligable at best.
If it is negligible in a £50k listening room, 99% of people who buy their stuff from Comet don't have a hope. The blu-ray 7.1 at max bitrate is already above what even enthusiasts can accurately reproduce so the format itself won't improve for the foreseeable future, and by that I mean at least 10 if not 20 years.
Average Joe does not want to spend £10k on a surround setup. Hell, average Joe usually can't be bothered with setting up 6 speakers in the right place, neither can many enthusiasts want to add two speakers to get 7.1.
I am lucky enough to be able to listen to audio as a profession which means I have access to a very high end 7.1 system. People who get to drop in for a listen think it is awesome, but they are still not going to adopt to even maximise the current technology.
If you really want an 11.1 or even an 11.2 system you can do this already today. The point is no-one wants the cost or the hassle.
Perhaps my title is misleading as it indicates more bells and whistles on what we already have.
I'm thinking about a new way of listening and watching. What is the next revolution in the same way a car was to a horse - you could get faster horses until you reached the physical pinnacle of performance - then the car came along and and completely changed everything.
The HD 5.1 system I have in my house is simply a step up from my previous 2.1 system with a DVD player and a 28" CRT - it's revolutionary.
It is all that different to what was available in 1999?
Or is it that you have you just adopted it now?
5.1 on DVD was around ten years ago, as were plamas (just!).
I had a 5.1 pretty early on but only ditched the CRT about 5 yrs ago.
Plotloss - Understood about viewing but I find the sound developments incredibly exciting. I opten think that as a whole, the sound can often make or break a film.
Asterix said:
Plotloss - Understood about viewing but I find the sound developments incredibly exciting. I opten think that as a whole, the sound can often make or break a film.
Agreed about the sound. However, the telling factor is not the way it is encoded or decoded.Unless you have good amps and good speakers, you really cannot tell. The problem is good speakers physically have to be large to produce the range of frequencies needed. Secondly good speakers are expensive. For the majority of people that is an unnecessary expense and fitting cables and large speakers is a PITA that most people baulk at.
DTS ES and the discrete version which is a DVD sound format which is either 6.1 or 7.1 has been around for years.
On my system the impact for the amount of sound information that can be put to the side surround and back surround speakers it makes a big difference, and makes a 7.1 system a real benefit.
The problem is it was really only utilised on a few discs - mostly Asian films.
So why didn't more people use it? No one can be bothered fitting 8 speakers around their lounge. That won't change no matter what bitrate any new formats could bring.
Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff