OUR 4K FUTURES!

Presuming that Apple releases a Retina (5120 by 2880 pixels) Cinema Display- where would you put your money? Into a computer display or a 4K TV?

I'm willing to wager that if Apple does release a rCD, it will be $1,999-$2,499. And it looks like you'll be able to get a 50'ish inch 4K TV from most of the major manufactures for about 5K by the fall.

So just the displays alone for the tricked out system they showed in the keynote will be almost 10K (and that's not a broadcast quality monitor either!).

I took a giant hit on taxes this year because I didn't have enough stuff to write off. Maybe I can convince my wife I'll come out ahead next year if I spend $15,000 to replace all my gear!

All joking aside, thankfully my work has no 4K delivery at this point, or probably for a few years to come.

Thank goodness.

But I will say that my 92" projection screen would definitely benefit from a doubling of resolution. That size at a "fill your view" distance of 6 feet- the current HD resolution definitely shows.

I'd be more pessimistic about delivery if it weren't for the 4K h.265 tests I saw at NAB. Truly remarkable quality at data rates I couldn't believe. It will amaze me if a physical disk 4K format ever catches on. Digital delivery already has the convenience- and the image quality gap is closing rapidly. I think h.265 coded HD material is going to be nigh-indistingishable from Blu-Ray.

Apple is obviously taking it very seriously. FCPX started with 4K frame sizes, now up to 5K, and with the release of the MacPro and FCPX enhancements this fall I think they're positioning themselves to be a leader in the UltraHD game.

Could Apple release a 4K h.265 AppleTV this fall, giving consumers a reason to look longingly at upgrading their HD sets, and producers a reason to start committing to 4K mastering?


What's everyone else's take on the 4K transition?

For me, i wish camera companies would focus on doing more with higher frame rates than bigger resolution. As a person trying to engage my audience, I think slow motion, if used right, is a stronger tool in my tool belt than 4k. As far as high frame rate in movie theaters....I think it has potential. I know a lot of people saw The hobbit in HFR and weren't digging it....but also guess what, HFR Hobbit was only available to see in 3-D. I dont know if you guys have magically got your eyes to work with those glasses, but i tried looking for the HFR and all I saw was the damn 3D! So, hopefully someone will release a non-3D HFR movie on the big screen.

Now, I am not saying 4K shouldn't be with us....I definitely want it, but I would rather have it when google fiber is running throughout a majority of the cities and quad-core processors are a standard for all computers. Oh...of course if your going to shoot for the big screen you either have to use 4K or shoot in film. i probably didn't need to bring that up though.

I too love higher frame rates & gorgeous slowmotion

appearing to defy gravity

this is quite mesmerizing

I can see the appeal of high frame rates for selective slow motion, but high frame rates on their own don't really do anything for me.

I'm sure I'm one of the dinosaurs which will go to his grave thinking 24p will always be... not more realistic, but certainly more "cinematic". That's the way I've been programmed by over 40 years.

But as I said, the high frame rates can help with flexibility in post.

And while I don't think anyone is working towards this goal in the near term- maybe within 25 years we could conceivably have a camera which

1. Has incredible dynamic range, better than the human eye; which make things like "over" or "under" exposure a near impossibility. If RAW cameras like the RED keep going on their current trajectory, this isn't far off...

2. Can shoot at high frame rates, either for flexible slow motion in post, or for high FPS exhibition should that come to pass. There are loads of cameras today able to shoot at incredible FPS.

3. Can shoot at super-high resolutions, allowing for great latitude in reframing and detail for composite work. And as a negative be protected against. RED EPIC Dragon sensor is allowing for 6.5K capture, with 8K I'm sure right around the corner.

4. Will shoot like they Lytro camera- with infinite focus; allowing the editor to adjust, expand, or narrow the depth of field in the shot. Lytro exists now, though with a limited resolution comparable to other cameras.

The ability for a camera to capture all this information is some ways off for sure, but each element is already a reality.

Scary if you think about it...

I am also a self confessed dinosaur. I have seen one 3D film to date and it was “Pina” from Wim Weneders. Some how it made sense for me having the new stuff 3D and the old stuff 2D. I could dig it.

Reading this post I was struck by the idea, that high frame rates are just another ingredient.

Check out these two posts from my Friend and Colleague...

finalbug.net/home-of-bruce/supplements/b...ion-one-trillion-fps

finalbug.net/home-of-bruce/supplements/b...lapse-the-next-level

Unfortunately for the first one we had to change the Nature video. The original one we had got pulled from You Tube by the BBC for copy right reasons but it was truly amazing. All about seals having to cross a whale infested area of the sea. And seeing those little seals swimming for their lives at an extra slow frame rate really helped the story.

At the other end of the stick there is time lapse. Something that I have not thought a lot about. Years ago I remember seeing a timelapse of a busy train station. The interesting thing was that you could see the homeless people hanging out at there favourite benches. Apart from that it was a hive of busy little ants! That left a lasting impression.

I have been revisiting Marshall McLuhan and he says the following

“I am resolutely opposed to all innovation, all change, but I am determined to understand what’s happening. Because I don’t choose just to sit and let the juggernaut roll over me. Many people seem to think that if you talk about something recent, you’re in favor of it. The exact opposite is true in my case. Anything I talk about is almost certainly something I’m resolutely against. And it seems to me the best way to oppose it is to understand it. And then you know where to turn off the buttons.”

My take, find the buttons understand them and learn when to press them and not press them. :whistle: