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Yeah, I think we were just getting confused with some terms. Aemon Send a noteboard - 20/04/2011 08:04:47 AM
It's neither, or perhaps it's me who doesn't understand what you call the "soap opera effect". What you brought up do exist, it's a display setting that speeds up display, faking a higher frame rate and thus the eye perceive smoother movements on screen. It's all it does, and it's not what pros would refer to as "frame interpolation". It creates no new data, the way the 3:2 pulldown does in postproduction (3:2 pulldown is strictly a conversion from 24p or 25p t0 29.97 (59,94 @ 120 Khz)fps, it merely splits and rearranges the display of existing data to fake more in-between frames that don't actually exist. It works fairly well or looks shitty depending on the original footage, as it's not meant to work on all HD formats and often should be turned off.


Whatever the technical reason, people definitely think of the soap opera effect as the "too smooth" motion of certain processing effects. These effects are almost always associated with the higher hz tv modes. As far as the mode itself, though, I'm sure you're completely correct about it not being what the pros call "interpolation." I've basically just been using that term because it's what I've seen advertised. Samsung, for example, has this in their tv ad:

"Automotion Plus 120Hz image interpolation technology provides smoother motion"

It'd hardly be unusual for an ad to use the wrong term for marketing purposes though.

What I meant, though, is that this setting strictly has nothing to do with what people normally mean by finding HD is "too crisp", "too real" or that it looks like cheap telly (soap opera quality),

...

People tend to associate this with "soap opera" because in SD it's cheap TV that used to be shot so bright (with bad lighting and bad make-ups) you could see how fake everything was.


Again, I think we just have a mix-up of terms. I know what you're talking about with lighting and general quality issues that are associated with soap operas. I guess you were arguing that side of the issue, while I jumped right to the motion thing that's usually termed the "soap opera effect." I guess just because that's just what I'm used to hearing most people complain about. I very rarely hear someone say "the lighting seemed slightly off; it reminded me of a soap opera." No, I hear, "I turned on this weird mode and things got way too smooth, kind of like a soap opera."

Two sides of the same coin, I guess.

It's mostly for lack of time, and because to be honest I have little interest in TV circuitry and I would need to go read just tedious articles to see what it's all about and how it relates to the end of the process I know well.


Very understandable. Internet debates get tedious sometimes. :P I appreciate you coming back to it though. There's nothing more frustrating than when someone drops a knowledge bomb, then bows out with an "eh, I don't feel like arguing with you."


Indeed, but unless I completely misunderstand what you mean by that I don't think you've spotted the right cause for this feeling the OP got, seing HD TV for the first time (while probably being used to watch DVDs on fairly big SD TV, thus a fairly crappy/soft signal vs. a very crisp one).


Yep, I might have interpreted his complaint wrong. When I read "soap opera" I have a hard time thinking of anything but the motion issue that I've always heard called the "soap opera effect." It's definitely possible that imlad's complaint was nothing more than a quality issue, though. That just doesn't come to mind, I guess, because I've never seen anyone complain about that stuff. Most complaints strong enough to make someone prefer SD over HD have to do with motion issues, not quality issues (in my experience, anyway).
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Game of Thrones - Episode 1: Official discussion thread - 17/04/2011 11:04:49 AM 3004 Views
i'm going to start off with.... - 17/04/2011 04:08:12 PM 1296 Views
HOLY CRAP - 18/04/2011 03:06:55 AM 1317 Views
No, but Jaime and Tyrion have a VERY strong sibling resemblance. - 18/04/2011 06:29:00 AM 975 Views
Joff's lips were just not pouty enough I thought, still I can't stand the sight of him, so good job *NM* - 18/04/2011 07:13:22 AM 415 Views
I couldn't stand him at first sight - 19/04/2011 07:34:33 PM 844 Views
I also approve of the casting. Other impressions: - 18/04/2011 06:33:44 AM 1093 Views
Dany's wedding night did not end with a smile.... - 18/04/2011 07:08:38 AM 1103 Views
Hmm. - 18/04/2011 07:47:44 AM 1007 Views
I think you're pretty close to remembering correctly - 19/04/2011 02:28:06 AM 964 Views
Meh, I didn't really mind that scene. - 19/04/2011 03:38:34 AM 825 Views
I see it differently. - 19/04/2011 05:11:25 AM 871 Views
Re: I see it differently. - 19/04/2011 02:16:42 PM 780 Views
Re: I also approve of the casting. Other impressions: - 18/04/2011 08:09:05 AM 956 Views
I really enjoyed it, but one thing that was distracting me... - 18/04/2011 08:15:54 AM 1158 Views
So you were definitly watching it on a LCD or LED tv with 120hrtz or greater.....they are poopy - 18/04/2011 08:52:29 AM 948 Views
so, will I have this problem watching the Hobbit next year? - 18/04/2011 07:17:58 PM 775 Views
Hard to say. - 18/04/2011 09:44:13 PM 934 Views
Ouch.... - 18/04/2011 09:59:28 PM 898 Views
I'm not an expert by any means, but I think you have that wrong. - 19/04/2011 03:22:46 AM 1084 Views
Re: I'm not an expert by any means, but I think you have that wrong. - 19/04/2011 02:29:30 PM 835 Views
As I said, you sound like you know what you're talking about. - 19/04/2011 03:53:34 PM 963 Views
I've gotta butt in - 19/04/2011 04:46:28 PM 805 Views
The more, the merrier. - 19/04/2011 05:26:29 PM 952 Views
Poopy was kinda strong language. It is a matter of taste and Aemon is my new favorite. - 19/04/2011 06:25:15 PM 875 Views
INFERIASMA! - 19/04/2011 07:25:45 PM 629 Views
That's definitely the case. They're both good. *NM* - 19/04/2011 07:27:42 PM 465 Views
Gonna look into the setting tonight - 19/04/2011 07:22:19 PM 878 Views
Re: As I said, you sound like you know what you're talking about. - 20/04/2011 12:24:25 AM 808 Views
this whole discussion has gone way over my head - 20/04/2011 12:53:06 AM 772 Views
Yeah, I think we were just getting confused with some terms. - 20/04/2011 08:04:47 AM 798 Views
I def agree with you about Dany's wedding night. *NM* - 22/04/2011 04:45:10 AM 473 Views
One question that can be seen in the preview - 18/04/2011 06:55:16 AM 970 Views
I wondered at this too - 18/04/2011 07:26:15 PM 809 Views
Re: I wondered at this too - 18/04/2011 08:21:07 PM 844 Views
It appears doggy-style is the preferred method of copulation so far. *NM* - 18/04/2011 08:11:45 AM 481 Views
the last couple we saw doing it that way - 18/04/2011 08:34:33 AM 1293 Views
Is it me - 18/04/2011 12:48:48 PM 986 Views
Yes, it was definitely a different scenery than the rest of Winterfell. - 19/04/2011 04:31:00 AM 902 Views
Yeah, she was walking through the inner yard and then arrived there - 19/04/2011 08:35:54 AM 1024 Views
A good start! - 18/04/2011 02:08:45 PM 1023 Views
you're not entirely wrong - 19/04/2011 02:40:45 AM 902 Views
It was as epic as I had hoped - 18/04/2011 09:05:28 PM 730 Views
ended right where I expected - 19/04/2011 02:52:05 AM 757 Views
Well I think it was as good as it could have been. - 19/04/2011 03:03:27 AM 1075 Views
Interesting that you comment on the looks, because I felt the same. - 19/04/2011 03:50:49 AM 1046 Views
I agree - 19/04/2011 08:12:18 AM 842 Views
Re: I agree - 19/04/2011 02:23:18 PM 924 Views
Demonstrating that beauty is subjective, I strongly disagree - 23/04/2011 09:20:08 PM 1002 Views
It was certainly good, but some disappointment too - 19/04/2011 07:53:30 AM 1065 Views
That was very good, but... - 19/04/2011 08:17:02 AM 983 Views
Actually, I have never read the books..... - 19/04/2011 05:07:29 PM 904 Views
Good to know *NM* - 19/04/2011 05:32:56 PM 433 Views
A friend.... - 19/04/2011 07:32:05 PM 850 Views
so having watched it - 19/04/2011 09:13:44 AM 698 Views
A couple of early impressions... - 19/04/2011 07:55:04 PM 1131 Views
nah, the break out performance on this show is going to be - 20/04/2011 01:00:50 AM 901 Views
yup, I already love her character. *NM* - 20/04/2011 03:24:46 AM 496 Views
Entirely possible - 20/04/2011 04:17:28 PM 776 Views
If there is one thing I wanna see next year... - 21/04/2011 10:13:07 AM 876 Views
as someone who has never read the books I thought it was OK - 22/04/2011 04:59:34 PM 792 Views
My take - 23/04/2011 06:50:47 PM 799 Views

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