When it comes to video quality, there are a lot of things to consider: the color accuracy, brightness, possible viewing angles, contrast ratio, and so forth.  However, the factor that we use most to determine video quality is resolution.

What is Resolution?

With real film, images exist on transparent frames which get projected onto a screen all at once.  With digital images though, the images are made up of small lines on the screen which move from top to bottom.  There are two methods of displaying the lines.  With the interlaced scan method, the lines can be divided so first odd-numbered lines are displayed and then even-numbered lines are displayed.  Or, with the progressive scan method, the lines get displayed in a sequence.

Resolution refers to the amount of pixels per inch that a monitor can display.  Usually, resolution is given as width by height.  By multiplying the pixel height by width, you will get the maximum number of pixels that a monitor can display. The fewer the pixels, the lower the resolution will be. The ratio of the width to height will also affect the screen size.

Comparison of Video Resolutions

Keep in mind that the quality of video you view depends on two core factors: the quality of the actual video and the quality of the monitor you are viewing it on.  If you play a VHS video on a Hi-Def TV, you are not going to get Hi-Def.  That is why it is important to look at the resolution of the monitor you use, whether it be your TV, computer or other digital viewing device.

This chart gives you an idea of what resolution to expect from the most common digital monitors.

What is the Best Resolution?

Video resolution is constantly improving to produce better, clear images.  What was once considered high quality video is now considered virtually unwatchable by today’s standards.  Just a few years ago, DVD quality was the norm but now most films are being released in HD quality of at least 1280×720.  In order to compete with internet piracy, many DVDs are pushing quality even further.

Blu-Ray is one of the newest formats for videos.  While it is usually used to refer to a very high quality resolution, the term Blu-Ray is actually the name of a data storage disc.  Blu-Ray discs look just like a DVD but they can hold much more data.  Due to the increased amount of data storage, higher-resolution movies can fit onto one disc which plays in standard DVD players. Blu-Ray can hold a maximum of 1920×1080 resolution.  Many movie download sites offer Blu-Ray resolution, even though the movie doesn’t exist on an actual Blu-Ray disc.

Special effects have become so advanced that it is hard to distinguish them from reality.  But not all of those amazing movie scenes result from the careful manipulation of computer programs!  Here are some of the most outstanding special effects in recent cinema which are not CGI!

The Dark Knight

With a high-budget action film like The Dark Knight, you can expect some amazing special effects.  A good portion of the film we can accredit to computers but there is one scene in particular where the action is good ol’ stunt driving and destruction.  In the car chase scene where the batmobile gets destroyed in pursuit of the Joker, there is absolutely no computer effects.  The scene was pulled off with the help of remote control model cars which were smaller versions of the batmobile and the garbage truck which ended up on top of it!

Later in The Dark Knight, there is another scene which is so fantastic that you’d assume it is computer effects: a semi truck flips over 180 degrees.  Instead of relying on CGI, director Christopher Nolan took a much more direct approach: they had a street in Chicago blocked off and used a piston pump to flip a real semi over!

The Lord of the Rings

There are so many special effects in the Lord of the Rings that you probably overlooked some of the most blatant, like the fact that the hobbits are about half the size of the other characters.  Contrary to belief, computer special effects don’t make it possible to simply shrink the size of a character in the shot while leaving everything else the same.  Peter Jackson had to get very creative in some of the scenes in order to pull off the size difference.

In some scenes, the effect is as simple as using a short person in place of Elijah Wood.  In other scenes, the actor’s face gets montaged onto a stand-in.  But the most impressive technique used for the hobbits in the Lord of the Rings is called forced perspective.  Forced perspective is basically an optical illusion.  By putting one character further from the camera than the other character, the further one looks smaller.  The scene is then shot at a certain angle so both characters appear to be standing side by side.  You’ve probably seen forced perspective before in optical illusion illustrations or pictures like this one below.

The Terminator II

The Terminator movies, especially the earlier ones, don’t rely much on computer effects at all.  This can be difficult for us in the FX era to fathom but most of the special effects are done with tricks.  One of the really impressive trickery scenes in the film is when Sarah Conner cuts open the Terminator’s head to reboot his computer chip.

In the scene, we see the Terminator and Sarah Conner reflected in the mirror while they talk and move.  At the same time, we see how Sarah is cutting open his head from behind.  So how did they manage to cut a hole in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s head?  It must be his head because he can be seen talking and moving, right?  Wrong!  The trick with this one is that there is no mirror.  Rather, it is a clear window with Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton behind it.  What you see in the foreground is a model head and Linda’s identical twin sister Leslie!

With movie ticket sales on a decline, the industry has been putting the entire blame on piracy.  Of course, internet piracy is the leading reason that the entertainment industry has taken such a hit. When given the choice of watching a movie for free in the comfort of your own home and full refrigerator access, increasingly fewer people are willing to pay $20+ for a movie ticket and snacks.  Yet, the movie theatre industry is being too short-sighted by putting all of the blame on piracy.  By tackling other problems, they could convince more people to buy tickets. Here are just a few of the things that movie theatres could change that would get even some pirates to buy a ticket.

1. Make it Cheaper

In the past, movies were always one of the cheapest forms of entertainment.  Going to a movie was a heck of a lot cheaper than taking the entire family to a sporting event or out to a restaurant.  Even teenagers could afford movie tickets to take their girlfriends out on a passable first date.  With movie tickets costing about $5-$12 (depending on when you go and where you live), it is simply too expensive to go see a movie often.  When you factor in the costs of snacks, the prices become astronomical.

If movie theatres really wanted to draw in ticket buyers, they need to get creative with their promotions.  Why not offer a family discount so it only costs $16 instead of $30 to take the family to see Lion King 3D? As for food, we all know that popcorn doesn’t have much of an overhead.  Why not drop the prices for some snacks while keeping some high so at least financially-struggling movie lovers will have an option?

2. Offer More than Just Hollywood Films

If you go to any multiplex, chances are that it is showing the exact same repertoire of movies as the multiplex in the next town over (or even the multiplex a few blocks away!) While Hollywood films may still be the most popular, movie theatres shouldn’t discredit the demand for alternative and foreign films.  By adding these films to the program, movie theatres immediately reduce competition.  Also, alternative and foreign films are harder to find on the internet.

3. Crack Down on Mobile Phones

There is nothing more irritating than paying money to see a movie in the theatre but then having the experience ruined by a bunch of rowdy, noisy teenagers who are texting the entire time.  It is time that the movie theatres get serious about cracking down on cell phones.  A message “please turn off your phone” isn’t enough.  Sure, a few ticketholders may get angry after they are tossed out for texting during the movie but it will hopefully get the message across that cell phones and movies don’t mix!

You can download a feature film online without paying a cent and then watch it instantly while in your boxers and drinking malt liquor.  Of course, I’m not saying that you should illegally download films to save yourself the $20 it would probably cost to go to the theatre where you wouldn’t even be able to indulge in the malty beverage.  But, with illegal films so easily accessible, it takes a lot more to get people into the theatre.  One of the few things that has been effectively battling piracy is 3D film: if you want the experience of 3D film, you have to go to the theatre.  But how much will people really pay for this thrill?

3D Movies Tickets Are Going to Rise

The ticket price for a 3D movie is usually about $2-3 more than a non-3D picture.  Contrary to popular belief, this extra money isn’t for the cost of the 3D glasses.  Instead, the extra cost goes towards covering the costs of switching the movie screens to 3D.  Plus, theatres now that they can get away with charging more for 3D and haven’t hesitated in taking advantage of this.

Up until now, the film studios have been supplying movie theatres with free 3D glasses to hand out.  This means about an extra $7 million in costs for the studio.  In an effort to cut costs, Sony has announced that it will no longer foot the bill of the 3D glasses.  The cost of 3D glasses is going to get passed onto the movie theatres and they in turn will undoubtedly pass the cost onto moviegoers.

How Long Will the Fad Last?

In the last year alone, movie theatre attendance has dropped by 6% – and that is after a drop from the previous successive years. With piracy on the rise and an economic crisis still taking its toll, fewer people are willing to spend their hard-earned money when they can watch the same movie for free (albeit illegally).

The film studios have scrambled to capitalize off of the 3D hype.  They have found a way to profit while still keeping costs minimal by rereleasing blockbuster hits like The Lion King, Men in Black, The Amazing Spider Man, and Titanic.  For now, people are willing to pay the extra costs to see their favorite movies in stunning 3D quality.  But what will happen when the thrill of 3D wears off?  Are moviegoers still going to be willing to pay the extra $3+ for a 3D film?  It will be interesting to see how the film industry and movie theatres react as the thrill of 3D gives way to penny pinching.

Most of us can remember putting on those funny blue and red glasses and watching a cheesy 3D movie.  While 3D film seemed like a great idea, the technology wasn’t up to speed.  Watching a 3D movie meant enduring a terrible rainbow-like aura around all objects and enduring a splitting headache for the next couple hours after the film.  Yet, ever since the Avatar came out, 3D films have become a bigger hit than ever before.  Yes, the technology is better, but will this fad really hold up?

Short History of 3D Film

3D film has been around nearly as long as film itself.  The first 3D film was made in 1918 using stereoscopic technology, a camera system which records the same image from two perspectives. 3D film wasn’t a realistic option back at the dawn of the film era but it became a major hit in the 1950s.  Then, the technology was good enough to give people a thrill from watching a monster jump out of the screen or seeing a crowd run out of the screen towards them.

Despite the popularity of 3D film in the 1950s, it was never taken seriously as a genre.  There were too many obstacles hindering the medium: machinery was costly, there was no standardized format, and productions costs were high. Because of these obstacles, virtually every 3D film made during that era had a corny plotline with terrible writing.  Just take a look at 3D films of the 1950s like House of Wax, The Mad Magician, and Bwana Devil.

With such a cheesy approach to 3D films, it is no surprise that they disappeared from theatres for a while.  In the 1970s, there was a revival of 3D film, but mostly limited to horror films like Jaws 3-D.  By the 1980s, 3D was mostly limited to IMAX films which had to be viewed in a special stage.  Thus, 3D became more of a spectacle than a movie-going experience. Disney also produced several 3D movies but the adult audience was largely excluded from the realm of 3D.

3D Film Today

There were a few modern 3D films before the Avatar was released but that film is responsible for taking 3D technology forward. With Avatar, viewers were experiencing something completely new from 3D: the most advanced technology combined with a plot which was optimized to look great in 3D.

It isn’t a coincidence that the film industry decided just then to invest in a 3D film.  The Avatar came at a time when the industry was struggling with piracy.  There attempts to stop piracy have overwhelmingly failed so they are thinking up new ways to draw viewers into the theatre. Since piracy is also on the rise, we can expect that 3D film is here to stay and not just some passing fad.

I recently came across an article from 2002 in which the writer talks about his first experience downloading a film from the net.  It took him 20 minutes to download the movie.  Now, a decade later and vast anti-piracy efforts from filmmakers, an entire film can be downloaded in just a few minutes.  With technology increasing every day, will it be possible for the film industry to survive piracy?

From the moment that torrents became available, the entertainment industry worried about the threat of piracy on their business.  They were right to worry.  The film, music, and publishing industries have lost billions in revenue from illegal downloads.  The first major action against internet piracy was when the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued illegal downloaders in 2003.  While their campaign to single out individual downloaders to discourage all piracy was mildly effective at first, it ultimately was ineffective.  There are simply too many illegal downloads happening for an industry to attack individuals.  Plus, internet users are a lot smarter about hiding their digital footprint if they need to.

Now, the entertainment industries are getting a lot more creative when it comes to preventing piracy.  Instead of trying to stamp out illegal downloads, they are trying to offer a product which beats the pirated versions.  Films are now being made in 3D quality to encourage viewers to go to the theatre rather than watch at home. Companies even post their own films and  music online, allowing access after a fee is paid.  They believe that by offering faster download speeds and higher quality that they will dissuade piracy.  But will people really jump for these memberships when they can get nearly the same product for free so long as they wait a few minutes longer?

In the talk about piracy, we never hear about the television industry being afflicted.  That is because the TV industry has long-ago accepted piracy.  They don’t try to regulate the sale of VCRs and tapes.  Many networks even broadcast their entire programs on the internet with free streaming in high quality.

So why has the TV industry managed to be so successful in the face of piracy while the film faces possible ruin from piracy?

The revenues from TV have always been very different from the film and music industry.  TV relies on advertisement sales whereas films and music records must be directly sold. Even if film and music embrace advertisements, they would still need to cut their production costs in order to meet the bottom line.  A 50 minute TV show doesn’t cost nearly the amount of a 100 minute Hollywood blockbuster. When film revenues keep on dropping because of piracy, we can expect the production budgets of the films to drop too.  With the speed that the internet is moving, there isn’t much hope that film is going to conquer piracy.

In the past decade, it seems like filmmakers have confused the concepts of “horror” and “gore.”  The vast majority of the newer so-called scary movies simply infuse scenes with lots of blood in hopes of fitting the parameters of their genre. True, no one wants to be hacked up into little pieces.  But showing all that gore isn’t necessarily going to make something scary.  If that were the case, then people would be getting a thrill by watching surgery on those cable medical shows.  Truly scary movies utilize all techniques in order to induce the audience with nightmare-worthy fear: suspense, excitement, the supernatural, surprise, and unfamiliarity.  Here are some of the best movies which actually live up to the title horror film.

Halloween 1

The first Halloween movie is overwhelmingly considered the best and most frightening.  Right from the moment you start watching this movie, you know that it is going to be scary and keep waiting for Michael Myers to start hacking up everyone. Yet, it isn’t until well into the second half of the film that the gruesome action begins.  The first half of the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat as the suspense builds up, expecting Michael Myers to jump out at any moment.  After being tormented with shadows, terrifying music, and suspense which yields no action, the actual action seems that much more terrifying.

The Descent

The Descent, directed by Brit Neil Marshall, combines all the essential aspects of a horror film while still avoiding the clichés.  The plot revolves around a woman who goes on a caving adventure.  When the woman and her friends get trapped in the cave, they meet with terrifying cave creatures who are hungry for blood.

Last House on the Left

Wes Craven is one of the Godfathers of horror. While his later films get the most attention, his directorial debut should not be overlooked.  In Last House on the Left, two girls are raped and killed by a group of sadistic criminals.  By a strange turn of events, the criminals find themselves at the home of the girls’ parents.  When the parents figure out what has happened, they make sure that the criminals experience a punishment beyond even their own sadistic capabilities.

Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera is considered by many as the scariest films by Dario Argento, the Italian director who is notorious for invoking fear in his audience. Unlike the traditional story of the Phantom of the Opera, Argento’s phantom is not disfigured but has been raised by rats under the Paris Opera House.