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  1. 1. 2k monitors starting at $89 (2k = 1920x1080)
    https://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?N=4294966896+4294820805+116+429...low&SortNow=Go

    2. ACER
    https://www.displayninja.com/acer-kg281k-review/
    A good basic TN monitor.
    Tn vs Ips panel.
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gf2r717BfvY
    Watch from 1:00.

    I prefer ips panels - these look better from all angles.

    3. 4k ips monitors from $229
    https://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?N=4294966896+4294820805+4294818...low&SortNow=Go
    ...

    4k vs 2k
    It's like 300~ dpi laser printing vs 150dpi fax.
    If you've never seen a 4k at this size, you'd never know what you're missing.
    Once you've seen one, it's clear obvious and the 2k text looks grainy, pixellated. Much like phone screens before the iPhone retina display vs after.

    Another 4k advantage is when you've got 2 windows side by side, or 2x2, you still have enough pixels so that everything is sharp and legible. On a 2k display, you run out of pixels quick. Only if you multitask....

    ....

    For video editing, 4k is great for editing 2k. You can have the 2k clip at 1:1 pixel on screen, all the toolbars and editing interface around it without scaling.

    ...

    But up to you. $89 2k vs $189+.
    E.g. My 28" tv is only 720 but perfectly fine because I'm viewing it from so many feet away, I couldn't even see more pixels.
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  2. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    But up to you. $89 2k vs $189
    I feel kinda embarrassed now because, for whatever reason I thought 2k was slightly higher in pixel count than 1080p so you did in fact answer my original question in your first reply. Sorry about that. I guess I was thinking of QHD which is of course 2560 x 1440 but also referred to as 2k. But yeah, 1920x1080 x 2 =4K; duh me.

    I went ahead and purchased the Acer Kg281. I'm not going to be viewing anything at any angles. I'm literally going to be 1.5 feet away from my screen at all times. Plus I will probably pass down this monitor to my oldest son for gaming if and/or when he gets the new xbox x series console. 4k for $180, Im good with that.

    Thanks gain for your input and help!
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  3. Good to hear!
    Probably by that time 8k monitors will be hitting the market.
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  4. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    babygdav is incorrect:
    2k does NOT = 1080p. 2k is 2048 x 1080. Full HD 1080p is 1920 x 1080. Almost ALL consumer "2k" monitors are actually 1080p monitors, no matter how they are marketed. 2k is a film-related resolution. 1080p is a video-related one. The big exception - some pro projectors are 2k, mainly because those are meant to project digital films.
    Similarly with 4k: 4k does NOT = UHD. 4k is 4096 x 2160. UHD(1) is 3840 x 2160. Again, almost ALL consumer monitors & TVs are actually UHD, NOT 4k even if they are marketed that way.
    So, 2k is slightly higher in pixel count (2211840 vs. 2073600, or 138240 more pixels).
    babygdav is otherwise on the right track with the advantages of "4k" computer monitors over HD. This benefit should always be taken cautiously with respect to DISTANCE, however.

    Scott
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  5. To be specific, there are regional differences as well as country specific and industry specific naming differences.

    Image
    [Attachment 52218 - Click to enlarge]

    Modern films are delivered digitally to theaters in digital packages with standard formats that ARE NOT FOUND in common consumer tvs and monitors.
    These 2K DCI, 4K DCI, 8K DCI...resolutions are slightly wider than the common tv/monitor resolutions of 1920x1080, Etc.

    Outside of the film making industry, these dci resolutions are not used in general.

    ....

    Japan is "sensible" and realizes that 1920x1080 is about 2 megapixels, thus 2K as an abbreviation. Same with 4k, 8k. Again, convenient abbreviations even though you've got 8MP, And 33MP respectively, and 3840 isn't a true 4000 pixels wide, nor is 7,680 a true 8000 pixels wide. The doubling of horizontal pixels as you go from 2k to 4k or 4k to 8k is what is important and represented by 2k, 4k, 8k.
    Image
    [Attachment 52219 - Click to enlarge]


    America went nuts and couldn't decide.
    Thus, we've got standard 2K or Full HD (1920x1080) and 2K DCI (2048x1080) as common labels in use. They even used HD wrong as other countries only labeled 1920x1080 HD, not 1280x720 like it was in the USA.

    It gets worse with 4K, often called UHD or Ultra HD, but also 4K UHD on bluray packaging and tv sets - all not the same resolution as 4K DCI. (You'll see camera manuals specifying 4K as the consumer resolution, 4K DCI as the filmmaking resolution on camera that support both, for example.)

    ...

    In the end, I'm using 2k, 4k, 8k to represent common standard tv and monitor resolutions per consumer expectations and Asian specs, not per uncommon dci resolution standards only filmmakers use. This is in line with consumer cameras, camcorders, smartphones as well as tv specs that label 1920x, etc as 2k, etc.
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  6. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    .
    Great info. Thanks.
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  7. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    .
    Haven't been able to get my PC built. Been so dang busy. Hopefully this weekend.
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  8. Hopefully not because you're fighting the corona.
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  9. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    Hopefully not because you're fighting the corona.
    Thankfully no but I am fighting some sort of head cold.
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  10. Cold - zinc to help deactivate the virus.
    Oysters, vitaminwater with zinc on the label, beef (yes burgers).

    Flu - star anise in chicken stew, or same thing in $100+ tamiflu prescription (same compound as in star anise kills flu virus).

    In both cases, otc antihistamine like claritin etc to stop the runny nose. Longer it runs, more it spreads the virus and the worse it gets.
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  11. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    Cold - zinc to help deactivate the virus.
    Oysters, vitaminwater with zinc on the label, beef (yes burgers).

    Flu - star anise in chicken stew, or same thing in $100+ tamiflu prescription (same compound as in star anise kills flu virus).

    In both cases, otc antihistamine like claritin etc to stop the runny nose. Longer it runs, more it spreads the virus and the worse it gets.
    I actually take all that stuff except the antihistimines. I don't like em. I add star anise extract to my coffee drink substitute every morning. Used to have it in my homemade herbal tea. Been eating oysters since I was a kid. Don't like vitamin water. I make fresh natural vegetable and fruit juice. Thanks for the advice though
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  12. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    .
    Jeepers this is insane. I still havent built my PC. This corona stuff has sure thrown a wrench into the gears. But hopefully, this weekend might the weekend! Haha. Anyways, I was wondering if you know a little something about ripping CDs, I have like 30 classical CDs I bought back in the 1990s that I would like to have in digital form on my SSD. I used to rip some of my CDs back in the early 2000s into MP3 file format at 320kb using who knows what program but, I was wondering if there is a better format nowadays and a better or best process to rip them. Would you know and if not, where would I go to get the best info? Too many YouTube videos recommending a slew of stuff.
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  13. Good time to do taxes tho. Nothing else to do during this silly lockdown (silly =
    https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm over reaction to a flu like virus that has killed less than the 20-60k killed yearly by the common flu).

    I usually use CDEX to rip to mp3 for most music and the widest compatibility across players:
    https://cdex.mu/screenshots

    Using the latest LAME MP3 encoder:
    https://www.rarewares.org/index.php

    Lame is set to:
    -b 320

    CBR instead of VBR because it's ranked highest on the LAME preset quality chart, and wider compatibility with old mp3 players.

    That'll give the best mp3 quality without going crazy with A/B testing and custom parameter tweaking along with spectral audio analysis.

    ...

    Although AAC was designed to give slightly higher audio quality at the same bitrate vs mp3, it is less compatible.

    There is noticeable improvement using AAC at lower bitrates like 128 kbps. Something to consider if squeezing the best into the smallest storage space is a goal.

    Otherwise, almost all modern music compressed into mp3 320kbps is more than satisfactory.

    http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Hydrogenaudio_Listening_Tests


    ...

    Step up from that and I immediately jump to FLAC lossless compressed encodes.
    This preserves 100% CD quality, simply compressed saving 2-3x the space. Also, almost all modern players and most good Android smartphones easily handle FLAC natively (sorry Apple).

    With careful A/B testing, it's almost unnecessary on most modern music (the usual loud and noisy R&B, Rap, etc).

    Technically challenging music includes classical, some jazz, opera, and many musicians that have amazing vocals (Adelw, Utada, Misia..).

    An example is Misia's Toki o Tomete.
    Days and days of mp3 encoder tweaking at the highest bitrate simply never produced a satisfying result - clearly audible artifacts. A non-lossy rip was the only way.

    ....

    If you do choose FLAC, you'll want to test an encode on all your players first for compatibility. (If you use modern PCs and Androids, they ought to just play fine.)



    ...etc
    ....
    If you play over bluetooth, bt AT the very best connection codecs (ldac) is still Lossy and only as good as 320kbps mp3~. The common codecs sbc/aac are less good, so no point for flac is this is your common headphone/speaker connection method.
    ...

    https://www.head-fi.org
    The forums are crazy good for portable audio talk and reviews..

    https://www.head-fi.org/forums/local-regional-head-fi-meets-parties-get-togethers.24/
    The meet-ups are huge - you can test hundreds of headphones.
    Hope the Corona doesn't kill my local socal meet.

    This is where you get Serious thinking about things you'd never need before a meet up. Like an $1000 Audeze LCD-X headphone connected to a $5000 Cavali tube amp connected to a $10k dac to a pc playing hires flac, but it Sounds Freaking Awesome!!!!
    Last edited by babygdav; 11th Apr 2020 at 14:03.
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  14. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    Good time to do taxes tho. Nothing else to do during this silly lockdown (silly =
    https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm over reaction to a flu like virus that has killed less than the 20-60k killed yearly by the common flu).
    Yeah, totally agree. This is not about a virus, its about an agenda but thats a deep subject. Anyways... As always, thank you for the awesome info. I am trying out a program called Exact Audio Copy to produce .flac files at 1024kb. I am ripping classical music and I will almost exclusively listen to it at home on my PC.
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  15. Eac used to be something "leading edge" with it's damaged cd extraction tech, but nowadays, after Plextor drives, then Pioneer drives with advanced cd audio extraction
    (https://jpn.pioneer/ja/pcperipherals/bdd/products/bdr_x12j/ pure read), that all become a non-issue.

    As long as the CD is clean, modern drives like the Pioneer can easily extract cds without a hitch (unlike the very earliest, original Pioneer and other CD drives that did have trouble at times on some of my extractions).

    Eac, cdex, Nero, Windows media player, winamp, etc can all extract well today.

    Only reason for me to pick one or the other is simply simplicity and interface design nowadays.

    Duh, which reminds me - Windows keeps jamming in features without making it obvious. Like putting a video editor into Photos, or Flac extraction from cd into Windows media player.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rZW_VOId0-0

    Don't even need any 3rd party software.
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  16. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    Duh, which reminds me - Windows keeps jamming in features without making it obvious. Like putting a video editor into Photos, or Flac extraction from cd into Windows media player.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rZW_VOId0-0

    Don't even need any 3rd party software.
    Yeah, I don't have Windows 10 but will be upgrading to it once I get my PC built (which wont be this weekend). I decided to just go ahead with EAC and everything worked out pretty good. Much better quality than my MP3s thats for sure. Obviously, the FLAC files take up MUCH more space but thats ok. I have two 8tb HDDs.
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  17. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    .
    Howdy. I figure since you seem to be the expert on all things audio and video, you would probably know the answer to my question: Is there a way to extract audio from a DVD? I am not sure if the DVD is protected or unprotected. Its a DVD box set I've had for years of Beethoven's Symphonies and I could only ever hear the music by playing it on TV. I would love to be able to have just the audio.

    Thanks in advance.
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  18. 1. Unprotected dvd.
    Try extracting directly using vlc to mp3 or flac.
    https://www.wikihow.com/Rip-DVD-Audio-to-MP3-Using-VLC-Media-Player

    2. Protected
    Copy the disc to pc using makemkv
    https://www.makemkv.com/

    Then either vlc like above or

    A mkv track extractor
    https://mkvtoolnix.download/
    https://www.videohelp.com/software/MKVcleaver

    ....

    If you extract an audio track this way, it'll retain the additions sound format. Eg Dolby 5.1, dtsx headphone, etc.
    You'd have to play these original tracks on a PC or a phone/tablet that supports playback of such raw audio tracks with the appropriate software (vlc, mphc on pc can).

    If you use vlc to extract and convert to mp3/flac, it probably won't retain the full surround/encoding.

    ...

    There's tons of dvd/mkv extractors and converters, too.
    E.g. Paid dvdfab let's you extract dvds of any type to audio and video - mp3, mp4, etc.

    DVD Audio Extractor is another trialware designed just for this. https://www.dvdae.com/

    ............

    If you want the original dvd navigation, menus, and video, simply makemkv to extract the entire disc to one mkv file you can play on pc or a tablet/phone with the right software (try vlc, mphc).
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  19. Image
    [Attachment 52794 - Click to enlarge]


    Well, finally got motivated to install the cheap $12 via firewire pci-e card I got off eBay. Been doing more gardening and home repairs during the Corona Lockdown.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/PCIE-PCI-E-Firewire-IEEE-1394-2-1-3-Port-Card-Work-With-Windo...8AAOSwX0NZxMJL
    Image
    [Attachment 52795 - Click to enlarge]


    Naturally, had to install the legacy firewire driver from Microsoft.
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2970191/firewire-port-based-device-does-not-w...ndows-8-1-or-w

    After that, easily got the word of God coming through a canopus advc-110 from a old digital antenna tuner box for tube TVs as a quick test.

    The Nvidia 1050ti interrupts messed with the firewire card, system didn't boot all the way with both, so out it went since I didn't want to waste the time to figure out if it's even possible to make it work in the old Dell inspiron 620.

    Other than that, about 45 minutes to get it all connected, figured out under Win10 1903.

    Next up, gotta dig out the old tapes to do a capture and compare vs a Panasonic dmr-ez48v tape to dvd deck...
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  20. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    If you extract an audio track this way, it'll retain the additions sound format. Eg Dolby 5.1, dtsx headphone, etc.
    You'd have to play these original tracks on a PC or a phone/tablet that supports playback of such raw audio tracks with the appropriate software (vlc, mphc on pc can).

    If you use vlc to extract and convert to mp3/flac, it probably won't retain the full surround/encoding.
    So if I convert to FLAC will I lose quality as well or just the sound format?

    What exactly is that firewire card for? Hasn't that been replaced with Thunderbolt and even USB 3.1?

    Home repairs. Ugh! Thats all I have ever done since I was 12.
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  21. If you're pulling audio off a mono to basic 7.1 mix from a cd/dvd and dropping it into a flac file, it's like the original. Nothing lost.

    ...

    However, if you're pulling out audio from modern surround encodes like DTS X and Dolby Atmos, you'll lose the 3D surround info and while you can get a flac mix that sounds the same from afar, it has none of the identical 3D virtual sound placements.

    Also, if you feed the flac into your audio / video receivers, they won't switch into atmos/etc mode. It'll remain a basic 5.1/7.1 mix.

    This is one of the biggest reason people rip dvd/bluray videos straight - to retain the original audio track encodings.

    ....

    That said, over headphones or two speakers, in general, most won't mind the flac version.

    ....

    Firewire card to capture old vhs tapes since I already have the Canopus ADVC-110 that can strip protection and runs over firewire.
    Plus for curiosity since I have a Panasonic DMR-EZ48v vhs+dvd deck to compare what a vhs to dvd or vhs to dv transfer looks like.

    Just things to fill the time during the corona lockdown...
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  22. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    If you're pulling audio off a mono to basic 7.1 mix from a cd/dvd and dropping it into a flac file, it's like the original. Nothing lost.

    ...

    However, if you're pulling out audio from modern surround encodes like DTS X and Dolby Atmos, you'll lose the 3D surround info and while you can get a flac mix that sounds the same from afar, it has none of the identical 3D virtual sound placements.

    Also, if you feed the flac into your audio / video receivers, they won't switch into atmos/etc mode. It'll remain a basic 5.1/7.1 mix.

    This is one of the biggest reason people rip dvd/bluray videos straight - to retain the original audio track encodings.

    ....

    That said, over headphones or two speakers, in general, most won't mind the flac version.

    ....

    Firewire card to capture old vhs tapes since I already have the Canopus ADVC-110 that can strip protection and runs over firewire.
    Plus for curiosity since I have a Panasonic DMR-EZ48v vhs+dvd deck to compare what a vhs to dvd or vhs to dv transfer looks like.

    Just things to fill the time during the corona lockdown...
    Right, I understood about the surround loss but was wondering if converting from those modern encodes to FLAC would give me quality loss. I'm still not sure on that point.

    I'm not on forced lockdown but I've been in a sort of voluntary lockdown for about a month. Excuse for me to be a lazy bum. Perks of having your own business I guess. Hehe. Tomorrow though I start work full force and it'll be nonstop for the rest of the year. My bum days are over.
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  23. No. Perceptually no.
    All the formats for surround sound on discs and broadcast are all lossy, with bitrates far below raw audio.

    You'll be fine converting to flac.

    ...

    Guess one thing about the lockdown - now we really know which businesses and jobs are necessary (trash), which aren't (sports). Hopefully getting rid of the unnecessary ones will get people back in shape - more strolls around the block, less couch potato.
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  24. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Not completely accurate, @babygdav. Dvd-Video, Dvd-Audio, and Bluray all have lossless and lpcm surround options. However, Flac has no trouble accurately representing these as well. And not just "perceptually" but mathematically. In = Out.

    Also, you seem to be misunderstanding the nature of directional, 3D-object-oriented audio, such as Atmos and DTS-X.
    They RENDER to the end user's surround system (as described by the end user) live at playback. So it is certainly possible for a user to have a "default" surround layout, and in such circumstances, pre-rendering of the directional sound objects does not lose any quality, as long as the subsequent (lossless) file is played primarily ONLY on that same system.

    Scott
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  25. https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/ultimate-surround-sound-guide-different-for...explained/?amp

    Not sure which 5.1+ surround formats are lossless, but the majority of the popular formats listed on all the bluray discs I've got are lossy.

    ....

    Yes, true. Any sound signal can be rendered to a specific speaker system, recorded as flac, and replayed identically.
    Doing so loses all the features of that surround format naturally, so it's not ideal in the long term unless one plans on never upgrading.
    Any of the 360 degree sound object placement can't be done correctly with a flac recording of the atmos/dts x/etc as a result on different speakers, even sounding very strange.
    In this case, better to render down to a traditional 5.1 instead.
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  26. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/ultimate-surround-sound-guide-different-for...explained/?amp

    Not sure which 5.1+ surround formats are lossless, but the majority of the popular formats listed on all the bluray discs I've got are lossy.

    ....

    Yes, true. Any sound signal can be rendered to a specific speaker system, recorded as flac, and replayed identically.
    Doing so loses all the features of that surround format naturally, so it's not ideal in the long term unless one plans on never upgrading.
    Any of the 360 degree sound object placement can't be done correctly with a flac recording of the atmos/dts x/etc as a result on different speakers, even sounding very strange.
    In this case, better to render down to a traditional 5.1 instead.
    Jeepers. such good info from both of you. I think I understand now. Hope I can do it soon and see how it goes. Next week is the week I finally get my PC done! No if ands or butts. Then, its on to editing. That'll be fun
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  27. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Lossless surround formats in consumer stuff:
    LPCM, MLP/DolbyTrueHD, DTS-HD-MA, Atmos (lossless when in TrueHD, lossy when in DD+), DTS-X (in lossless mode, lossy mode also available).

    Scott
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  28. Originally Posted by Cornucopia View Post
    Lossless surround formats in consumer stuff:
    LPCM, MLP/DolbyTrueHD, DTS-HD-MA, Atmos (lossless when in TrueHD, lossy when in DD+), DTS-X (in lossless mode, lossy mode also available).

    Scott
    Many thanks!
    Looked through a stack of discs, only a handful had these in my collection. Bourne, Dory, the professional, resident evils.

    Good to know, although the Hollywood audio industry must be NUTS coming up with so many audio formats! No standardization at all.
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  29. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    There's plenty of standardization, just too much variety of standards for your comfort, I guess. Reason there is so many standards: different circumstances, diff approaches, diff priorities, and market competition. There is no, nor can there be, "one size fits all".

    Scott
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  30. Originally Posted by babygdav View Post
    .
    I finally got my PC built last weekend. They sent me the wrong PSU so I had to get another one. That took a whole week. I think I can finally start editing this weekend! Woohoo! Hope you'll be around for some questions! Haha.
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