Netflix has a hit on its hands with its streaming service, which allows anyone with an unlimited Netflix subscription to watch movies and TV episodes for free on the Internet. So it should come as little surprise that the service is looking to expand its coverage. It has been widely reported that Netflix demo’ed streaming [...]
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HDTV Almanac - Netflix Coming to the Tiny Screen
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alfredpoor
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videograbber
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> (Hey, even Apple’s big iPad doesn’t have high definition resolution.) <
Technically, that's true. "HiDef" is defined as 720p or more, on the vertical axis. The iPad is 1024x576, when viewing 16x9 content.
Is it "true" HD? No, but with a screen that's less than 8" wide, at 132 dpi, you literally won't be able to tell the difference, when viewed from a foot or two away. It will look just as "HD" as the 50" 1080p screen you're watching from 12' across the room.
- Tim
Technically, that's true. "HiDef" is defined as 720p or more, on the vertical axis. The iPad is 1024x576, when viewing 16x9 content.
Is it "true" HD? No, but with a screen that's less than 8" wide, at 132 dpi, you literally won't be able to tell the difference, when viewed from a foot or two away. It will look just as "HD" as the 50" 1080p screen you're watching from 12' across the room.
- Tim
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alfredpoor
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Pass/Fail Question
I'm puzzled by the fact that so many people have offered the same reaction as you give here, that yes the iPad isn't HD but it doesn't really matter because it's small. Yet Apple is touting this as the absolute best movie watching experience ever! I don't buy it.
Sure, if you watch a 50" screen from too far away, you can't tell whether it's HD or SD. That's true for any display. If you tape the New York Times to your wall and try to read it from across the room, then you won't be able to make sense of the image, either. But the Times is not designed to be read from 10 feet away; it's to be held up close to you. And there's a reason why they don't set the type with an old (low resolution) 9-pin dot matrix printer, either. The high resolution type is easier to read and looks better. Just like an HD image.
If you hold an iPad close enough so that the display fills the same field of view that you see when you go to the movies, then I bet you'll be able to see the difference between it's "almost HD" and a true HD display.
Alfred
Sure, if you watch a 50" screen from too far away, you can't tell whether it's HD or SD. That's true for any display. If you tape the New York Times to your wall and try to read it from across the room, then you won't be able to make sense of the image, either. But the Times is not designed to be read from 10 feet away; it's to be held up close to you. And there's a reason why they don't set the type with an old (low resolution) 9-pin dot matrix printer, either. The high resolution type is easier to read and looks better. Just like an HD image.
If you hold an iPad close enough so that the display fills the same field of view that you see when you go to the movies, then I bet you'll be able to see the difference between it's "almost HD" and a true HD display.
Alfred
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videograbber
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Well, I don't go to the movies any more (I meant to get out to check out Avatar in 3D, but never made it). But when I watch movies at home, they're 90" wide, from 9' away. I'd never watch an iPad from that w/d ratio (1.2x). First off, that's WAY too close (about 9.5"), and secondly, I'm not sure I could even focus at that distance. It certainly wouldn't be comfortable.
When I'm just "watching TV", that's usually ~8' away from a 61" diagonal RP screen. Or a d/w of 1.8x. The equivalent for an iPad would be about 14", and that might not be too far off (maybe 16-18").
> ...then I bet you'll be able to see the difference between it's "almost HD" and a true HD display. <
That's probably true. But I'd never even consider using it that way, nor would I even if it had full 1920x1080p resolution.
> Yet Apple is touting this as the absolute best movie watching experience ever! I don't buy it. <
Apple is touting it as "magical" and "revolutionary" as well, and I'm not buying any of that hype either. In other words, it's BS. Some get caught up in the insanity. Myself, I just think it damages their credibility. None of which negates the fact that an iPad will be better for casual portable video watching than almost anything else out there, or that it has value in various usage scenarios. But there will be a flood of portable tablet-type devices coming out this year, and I plan to wait at least a few months past its intro (and possibly as much as end-of-year, though that might be painful), before making a selection.
- Tim
When I'm just "watching TV", that's usually ~8' away from a 61" diagonal RP screen. Or a d/w of 1.8x. The equivalent for an iPad would be about 14", and that might not be too far off (maybe 16-18").
> ...then I bet you'll be able to see the difference between it's "almost HD" and a true HD display. <
That's probably true. But I'd never even consider using it that way, nor would I even if it had full 1920x1080p resolution.
> Yet Apple is touting this as the absolute best movie watching experience ever! I don't buy it. <
Apple is touting it as "magical" and "revolutionary" as well, and I'm not buying any of that hype either. In other words, it's BS. Some get caught up in the insanity. Myself, I just think it damages their credibility. None of which negates the fact that an iPad will be better for casual portable video watching than almost anything else out there, or that it has value in various usage scenarios. But there will be a flood of portable tablet-type devices coming out this year, and I plan to wait at least a few months past its intro (and possibly as much as end-of-year, though that might be painful), before making a selection.
- Tim