Bit Rates and HR and Standard

with 350mb releases the bitrate is around 1000 kpbs and the qf around 0.20.

with 700mb releases the bitrate is around 1900 kbps and a qf of around 0.15.

so even though the pixel number is much greater on the 700mb files the data per
pixel 25% less. how does this affect the picture?

much depends on the display device, but it's generally perceived to be an
improvement.

as you note - it's not a simple doubling, if one were only using file size as
a guide.

although there is less original information per pixel, if you want to put it
like that, there are 2.3 times as many of them per sampling area.

if we follow that train of logic then we have 75% qf multiplied by 2.3 times
the pixels, giving us a (strictly quantitative) 1.7 times the quality.

obviously there are many other factors at play, and the qf is not a linear
value etc., but it'll do for an illustrative rule of thumb.


as far as qualitative perception, the general consensus seems to be ...

on standard res tv displays it's barely detectable (crt or lcd, no matter how
good the scaling hardware).

on standard `dumb` pc displays a lot depends on the video card and drivers,
but it's generally considered a noticeable improvement, but certainly not a
`no brainer` when it comes to deciding if the extra file size is worth it.

on hdtv res tv displays it's a definite improvement in most cases, but very
dependent on the quality of the scaling/up-sampling kit in the device.
(for some reason an awful lot of hdtv manufacturers - and pc video card
manufacturers for that matter - still have a long way to go in matching the
performance of pre hdtv interpolation methods)