BLU-RAY

Ravenna · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 637 Location: Toward The Terra

To be honest, I did see a Blu-Ray advert for Quantam of Solace (I think they were show-casing Blu-Ray in the shop window), and I found it to be a little Uncanny Valley for my tastes in terms of visuals.

For some reason, it wouldn't be so big a deal if I had kept up in more depth with this kind of thing and (buying) new console releases (ie kept up in reading them), but whenever I look at Blu-Ray I just find that there's something incredibly Uncanny Valley about what I'm seeing. DVD is a much more viable option for me right now anyways.
_________________
Bernard [about the job]: The pay's not great, but the work is hard.
~ Black Books ~

Tinalles · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject:

... Uncanny Valley? Buh? o.O
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

Asa · Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:18 am Post subject:

We have a thirty year old tv... and I still love my vhs-editions of the old musicals. I prefer the theater, actually.

What the heck, give me poetry readings and chamber quartets any day!
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

Squeeself · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 258

Eh? Can't really have uncanny valley without fake people...and Quantum doesn't have fake people from what Squee saw... Razz

Also, if you are hearing a noticeable quality difference between the lossless and the compressed version of an MP3, well...The encoder did a poor job, picked a bad bitrate, or something else. And yes, iTunes encoders tend to do a poor job. Razz

With only a slight sacrifice in size, you can compress audio so that only the most expensive of speaker setups will show the difference. Sure, audiophiles who spend their time caring about nothing but sound all the time will hear a difference, but it takes a lot of exposure to tell. Just saying that a lossless format isn't that big of a deal honestly...

YatesOfYore · Site Admin Joined: 27 Dec 2006 Posts: 855

My personal belief is that if you're on the cutting edge of technology, you're going to get cut. I wait a few years/months for all the bugs to be worked out, upgrades to be added and prices to drop before I go out and buy any of this new fangled business.

Dang kids on my digital lawn indeed!

Also: Quoted from wiki: (my comments in [ ] to explain the expression itself.)

Mori's hypothesis states that as a robot is made more humanlike in its appearance and motion, the emotional response from a human being to the robot will become increasingly positive and empathic [high], until a point is reached beyond which the response quickly becomes that of strong repulsion [low = valley]. However, as the appearance and motion continue to become less distinguishable from a human being, the emotional response becomes positive once more and approaches human-to-human empathy levels.

This area of repulsive response aroused by a robot with appearance and motion between a "barely-human" and "fully human" entity is called the uncanny valley. The name captures the idea that a robot which is "almost human" will seem overly "strange" to a human being and thus will fail to evoke the empathetic response required for productive human-robot interaction...

A similar problem exists in realistic 3D computer animation, such as with the films Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, The Polar Express, and Beowulf.

So I guess this is why Wall.E is so adorable - human like emotions with very little human like appearance. Also, Pixar is awesome.
_________________
Keeper of Nanashi's Vambraces and the Amethyst Trees.

PS: Don't panic! I changed my username - I'm not an impostor!

PurpleCactusPlant · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:32 am Post subject:

My old roomie used to talk about that "uncanny valley" theory all the time, although he never referred to as that. Nice to be able to finally put a name to it!
_________________
My printer thinks it's some kinda guitar hero because it won't stop jamming.
Finhawk=Love

Ravenna · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 637 Location: Toward The Terra

I originally heard about "Uncanny Valley" in Questionable Content. I was under the impression from TV Tropes that the Theory was named after a novel about robots, but I could be wrong. I just know that it's phrase you would use to describe something that's humanoid, but not quite human and very eerie.

As to why I used it to describe Blu-Ray, there's just something intensely weird about the movements people make when you watch Blu-Ray on an HDTV. They were just TOO fluid.

I know it's probably just that the image has been cleared up so much, or it could be that the TV's frequency had sped up too much. Or it could just be my eyes finally going a bit funny, like the optician said they would! But like most people, I'm waiting until Blu-Ray actually becomes AFFORDABLE for me. The prices aren't dramatically higher, but my laptop uses DVDs, and it's much cheaper for me to collect them at the moment.
_________________
Bernard [about the job]: The pay's not great, but the work is hard.
~ Black Books ~

UFAlien · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 180

Wait... are you in a region where they used PAL?

And Lady... Blu-ray is over two years old XD
_________________
Just because I like scary things doesn't mean I'M- okay, it kinda does sometimes.

Dubbed Loofah by Asa
UFAlien = UFA = oofah = Loofah

YatesOfYore · Site Admin Joined: 27 Dec 2006 Posts: 855

Well that's why I said "a few" and not "a couple" Laughing

_________________
Keeper of Nanashi's Vambraces and the Amethyst Trees.

PS: Don't panic! I changed my username - I'm not an impostor!

Virturealm · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 162 Location: OH!

My thoughts on such things:

1) Nobody ever finds their movies lacking until they see something better. Five years back everyone was perfectly content with DVD's and fifteen years ago, same with VHS. Basically, I think it's all in your head, and I have zero motivation to upgrade. I buy a blueray when my DVD player breaks.

2) I don't really intend on investing in such things until I see me a bluray burner. I'm not following this stuff much, but the impression I have is that nobody makes these discs without paying Sony for it. So why pay for a format I can't use? It's like it was obsolete before it was released. It should be only a matter of time before people dig up something more accessible shouldn't it? One would think? (okay probably don't know what I'm talking about)
_________________
{[Number One Perpetual Half Lurker Pseudo Regular]}
__......__
|__..|..|.._
__|..|..|__|

UFAlien · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 180

...you obviously didn't watch the video. There have been Blu-ray burners for years, dude.

As for the "In your head" thing? The only thing in you head is if you don't see a difference, at least on an HDTV - it's only because you don't want to, a "Fox and Grapes" kinda thing. Seriously, if you can go back and say, honestly, VHS looks just as good as DVD, you need an eye exam.
_________________
Just because I like scary things doesn't mean I'M- okay, it kinda does sometimes.

Dubbed Loofah by Asa
UFAlien = UFA = oofah = Loofah

Asa · Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:19 pm Post subject:

Loofah, you're getting defensive. It's obvious you're enamored of Blu-ray. This is fine, but that fact that we're NOT as enamored as you is ALSO fine. If you haven't convinced us yet, then brute force isn't going to work. I think it's time to back off a little bit before anyone starts attacking people, rather than their positions.
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

UFAlien · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 180

XD

I take points too far sometimes, yeah... I started out just wanting to tell him there were burners and got carried away. Apologies. *bows*
_________________
Just because I like scary things doesn't mean I'M- okay, it kinda does sometimes.

Dubbed Loofah by Asa
UFAlien = UFA = oofah = Loofah

Tyris · Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:14 pm Post subject:

UFAlien · Joined: 02 Dec 2008 Posts: 180

XDDD That much is true.

I was saying the eye exam thing was an EXCEPTION to the rule.

Point to you though XD
_________________
Just because I like scary things doesn't mean I'M- okay, it kinda does sometimes.

Dubbed Loofah by Asa
UFAlien = UFA = oofah = Loofah