Yesterday I purchased a rather swanky Samsung KS7000 4K HDR 10 Bit TV (KS8000 in North America). It's not Samsung's top end TV but mid to high range. I traded in my 4K 28" ASUS monitor for this TV so I could take advantage of the Xbox One S and soon to be PS4 Pro HDR capabilities. My conclusion is that VR has a long way to go as 2D TVs are simply miles ahead in terms of visuals. I'm not necessarily just talking about how lovely 4K looks in comparison but more the HDR and colour spectrum which are miles ahead of current HMDs. The good news hopefully though is once VR headsets can catch up (although we could be waiting 10 more years) then I believe VR will have reached its full potential. I also have to state that much like trying to describe VR to those who've not experienced it the same can be said for HDR.
As a couple of examples - I watched a 4K youtube video (yes, not the best 4K quality but good enough) of some scenes of New York, having been there with the missus a few years back for my birthday. She remarked on the quality of the image and said it was almost like actually being there due to the high resolution, wide range of colours and lighting. I tend to agree despite the lack of full 360 degree viewing and 3D depth.
I've also been playing some Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 and can honestly say the HDR in Battlefield 1 (officially HDR supported) using the Xbox One S up-scaled 4K is excellent and certainly creates much more believable lighting. There's moments where you're flying a biplane into the sunlight above the clouds, it's breathtaking and could be considered a work of art - something I've never really experienced in VR. Bright light sources can make you almost squint which is an interaction with a TV I've never had before. The KS7000 has a HDR feature that can also add some HDR effects to unsupported content and a look at one of my Rise of the Tomb Raider 4K videos was simply stunning. I've gotten over the merits of 4K long ago with my monitor but the HDR is on another level. You feel the brightness of every light source and the reflection or casting on skin/materials is highly impressive.
So it got me thinking about the parallels between the two planes of VR and 2D content and I surmised that although lacking the immersive qualities of current VR the overall picture quality of current TVs offers a different kind of immersion that's unmatched - looking into a window of a reality rather than being in it at low quality where any belief is dispelled due to the poor (in comparison) visuals. Perhaps it's not fair to compare the two as they are so far apart but the mind can only boggle that once VR displays are on the same levels as current high spec TV sets we will truly be able to fool the mind that we're someplace else in the real world - here's looking at you 360 degree 3D VR videos of the future.
As a couple of examples - I watched a 4K youtube video (yes, not the best 4K quality but good enough) of some scenes of New York, having been there with the missus a few years back for my birthday. She remarked on the quality of the image and said it was almost like actually being there due to the high resolution, wide range of colours and lighting. I tend to agree despite the lack of full 360 degree viewing and 3D depth.
I've also been playing some Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 and can honestly say the HDR in Battlefield 1 (officially HDR supported) using the Xbox One S up-scaled 4K is excellent and certainly creates much more believable lighting. There's moments where you're flying a biplane into the sunlight above the clouds, it's breathtaking and could be considered a work of art - something I've never really experienced in VR. Bright light sources can make you almost squint which is an interaction with a TV I've never had before. The KS7000 has a HDR feature that can also add some HDR effects to unsupported content and a look at one of my Rise of the Tomb Raider 4K videos was simply stunning. I've gotten over the merits of 4K long ago with my monitor but the HDR is on another level. You feel the brightness of every light source and the reflection or casting on skin/materials is highly impressive.
So it got me thinking about the parallels between the two planes of VR and 2D content and I surmised that although lacking the immersive qualities of current VR the overall picture quality of current TVs offers a different kind of immersion that's unmatched - looking into a window of a reality rather than being in it at low quality where any belief is dispelled due to the poor (in comparison) visuals. Perhaps it's not fair to compare the two as they are so far apart but the mind can only boggle that once VR displays are on the same levels as current high spec TV sets we will truly be able to fool the mind that we're someplace else in the real world - here's looking at you 360 degree 3D VR videos of the future.
