Might the pixel be on it's way out and dead in 5 years? This project developing a
vector based video codec predicts so. The project team consists of researches of the University, Root6 Technology, Smoke & Mirrors and Ovation Data Services.
The pixel isn't perfect. A grid simplification of the original image, at any scale bigger than it was intended the image looks blocky. To that add the
aliasing problems regarding edges and lines that don't match the grid nicely, and even at the original size things can look chunky.
The transition from pixel based bitmaps to
vector based images has been happening for a long time in the static image world. This team of researchers is saying this is also a better way to record moving images and that it will replace the pixel in five years.
The team developed something called a vector-based video codec that attempts to overcome the challenges of a typical vector display. A typical vector display features drawn lines and contoured colors on a screen (rather than the simple, geometrical map of pixels we're all accustomed to). But it has problems--notably, areas between colors can't be filled in well enough for a high-quality image to be displayed, the researchers say.
Professor Phil Willis, from the University's Department of Computer Science, said: "
This is a significant breakthrough which will revolutionize the way visual media is produced."
Read more
here.
