Enough with the Pixels

So this week I got my copy of the new B&H catalog and on the rear cover is an ad for Canon’s new Cinema camera that is capable of 4.5K video. Every time I see this kind of stuff I think to myself, enough with the fake perceived new pixel resolution. The thing that irritates me the most is consumers being suckered into buying these products.

Why am I so annoyed, well because unless you read the articles about it over the last couple of years, most neuroscientists agree that these resolutions are undetectable by the human eye.

"There's going to be some density beyond which you can't do any better because of the limits of your eye," said Don Hood, a professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University, in a phone interview with NBC News.

A person's field of vision covers about 200 degrees, a little more than a semicircle. At arm's length their index finger's fingernail will appear to be about the width of one of those degrees. Imagine that fingernail covered in 120 alternating black and white stripes — being able to discern those stripes at that distance is just about the theoretical limit of the human eye.

In reality, though, hardly anyone has such superb vision. In fact, most people would be unable to discern pixels or lines twice that size. And whether a phone or tablet display meets that standard depends on how far it it is from the viewer. In a living room, a viewer's 40- to 60-inch TV is positioned at a fixed distance, probably seven to nine feet away. Unless pixel-hungry TV fans buy far larger set, or push their couches much closer, any increases in resolution simply won't be perceived.

Most experts agree that 3D was a more meaningful invention than 4K because at least 3D can be seen by the human eye.

So if piling on more pixels isn't the next big thing — despite what TV makers and retailers will try to tell shoppers over and over again — what is? Experts said there are plenty of ways displays could improve.

Neuroscientist point to newly developed "quantum dot" technology for displays that is already leading to far better color representation on some devices. Advancements in dynamic range, leading to displays capable of showing light and shadow in movies and games the way we see them in real life.

When you're in a scene where there's indoor stuff, outdoor stuff, glossy materials reflecting other lights ... that dynamic range is huge,. Consumer-grade displays don't get that stuff right.

Some of the great masters, the painters, they knew things about light and shadow. They kind of knew instinctively how the retina works. In other words, perhaps the secret to a better TV is hidden in the smile of the Mona Lisa.

So, keep all of this in mind, not only when you buy TVs and other displays, but also when buying newer cameras. If you think your customers will prefer the new 4.5K or 5K video, you are wasting your time, better to stick with what actually works, rather than having clients upset because you shot their wedding in 5K and they cannot see a quality difference.


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