HD: Only the beginning
High definition, or HD, seems to be the standard nowadays when it comes to picture viewing quality. I do not possess enough technological know-how to scientifically dissect the HD systems in today’s modern hardware, I just know that they are really, really good. Pictures are clearer than ever; I thought DVD quality would be the farthest one could take it with this sort of thing, but boy, was I wrong.
I think the best way to explain how much clearer HD is than everything else is to describe it as being seamless. Scenes flow into one another, there is no lag between anything. If a video was once choppy or highly pixelized in VCD or DVD quality, then it is the exact opposite with HD technology. Everything is extremely smooth.
The most technical I can get in talking about this sort of thing is referring to it in terms of frames per second, or fps. This refers to how many frames can be transmitted or shown within one second. The higher the fps, the better the picture quality because more frames means that scenes are tighter and more precise. Out of the three, HD has the highest fps to date, hence the clearest picture quality.
To get the maximum HD experience, however, one would need to have a television or some sort of viewing device that is HD ready. Secondly, material that was shot or recorded in HD would be required, too. Having only one of these things is not enough because a pirated DVD will look just the same on that expensive HD TV and an HD movie will look the same on a normal TV as well. There are requirements for fully feeling this HD thing, actually.
However, the way technology works nowadays, HD will probably become as standard in every household as tissue paper. We all thought DVD players were a luxury when they came out, after all.
Taking steps towards making HD a regular thing for us Filipinos is JVC, a company that is making a full swing towards the HD revolution. They have HD TVs, HD mini components and players, and now, they even have HD video camcorders. They recently launched their Everio Series of handheld video cameras, which boast HD capabilities, digital recording and new age styling. They’re even designed to be user friendly, so all the negative associations about HD being complicated can be thrown out the window.
“The 2009 JVC Everio line is perfect for families, for students and for first time video camera owners. It is very portable and easy to use,” says JVC general manager Kazue Salud. “This particular line features a one-touch feature upload. At JVC, we do not believe in complicating our devices. Our thrust lies in simple and fun entertainment. And this is what the 2009 JVC Everio is about,” Ms. Salud added.
The Everio has a quick upload feature that automatically gets ones videos on the Internet; perfect for all of you Facebook and Youtube addicts out there. Even searching for which video to upload from the memory card has become easier using the Digest Playback function of the camera. The Laser Touch operation has been improved on as well, making zoom and recording tasks a cinch.
The truth, however, is that since HD videos are so jam-packed with quality, it sometimes takes a while for them to load on the Internet, especially with not-so-fast connections. This is a minor setback, however. I’m sure that when the time comes and HD is available to everyone, Internet connections would have somehow sped up as well. Just a prediction.
It seems pretty hard to top something as clear as HD technology. Really, I’m at a loss for words; the quality is just something else. But there must be something even greater, something clearer than HD in existence today. It’s just being kept a secret. So that when HD becomes a staple in every home, electronics companies will release whatever new technology they have in hiding, call it the new standard, and, due to our consumerist mentality, everyone will be compelled to upgrade once again.
Watch out. HD is only the beginning.
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Visit www.jvc.com.ph for more information. E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@yahoo.com.
