720p60
Latest
Sony restricts stereoscopic PS3 games to 720p 3D
Sorry, fellow gamers, we're out of luck if we want to play stereoscopic PS3 titles in their full high definition glory -- Joystiq reports that Sony guidelines won't allow for 1080p 3D. As we discovered in April, the goal is to run even native 1080p content at a lower 720p resolution when splitting the image in twain, allowing enough processing overhead for a smooth 60fps framerate and likely reducing eyestrain. Mind you, it's not like there are many occasions when you'd have cause to complain -- even in two dimensions, native 1080p titles on modern consoles are few and far between. Exempt from the specification are 3D Blu-ray movies, which run at a slower (but larger) 1080p24 by default, so rest assured that when you're being tortured with Clash of the Titans repeat viewings, you'll see every glorious detail.
GoPro HD Hero review and helmet cam face-off
What's this, another tiny, high-definition camera to strap onto your person before doing something wild and crazy? Yes, it's the latest pixel-pushing contender for high-def helmetcam supremacy, the GoPro HD Hero; a little gray box in a waterproof case that can record 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 60, and comes with a selection of mounts that will enable the thing to hang on to just about whatever you want to sling it from -- but at $299 you might not feel particularly inclined to put it in harm's way. Worth the risk, and how does it compare to the competition and its predecessors? Read on for the full analysis, and of course plenty of gratuitous high definition footage.
Panasonic's AG-HMC40 does 1080p24 on something of a budget
Panasonic's latest camcorders have been well-liked by the masses, but haven't quite had enough features to appease those consumers with higher expectations -- or professionals on limited budgets. To captivate the eyes and ears of that prosumer market the company has announced the AG-HMC40, a 2.2 pound semi-pro cam that will do 1080i or 720p at 60 frames-per-second, but more important for many can manage a cinematic 1080p at 24 frames-per-second, all written to SDHC cards. With 10.6 megapixel stills and a 12x optical zoom on tap it sounds like a very well-rounded offering, and, while $3,195 may not fit into every budget, it should do well for modestly funded aspiring filmmakers when it ships in August -- just in time for capturing some back-to-school teen angst drama.
Major Nelson asks what's best for gaming? 720p, 1080i or 1080p
On this edition of Major Nelson's weekly podcast he has a special guest, Tyler the HDTV expert. Among the things they discussed were what HD means, a few of the reasons Microsoft chose HD-DVD to support, why the Olympic broadcast isn't the best it could be, and the many different formats of HD. It's a pretty long conversation that I'll try to summarize here, but I suggest you give it a listen to get all the details on why 720p may be better for gaming than 1080i or even 1080p (which the PS3 will apparently have and the Xbox 360 doesn't).We will leave the breakdown of spatial and temporal resolution to Tyler, but there are several elements here to consider.
