Next step after HD?

As of now, we have games, movies, and TV running in HD (shiny buildings!), giving joy to our eyes with the hyper-realistic shots of skylines, etc. And you can't help but think, this is pretty much as good as it can get, is there anything more to achieve in the image department? If you can see the pours on a guy's face in a movie more vividly than in real life, what comes after that? It probably won't be anything in the audio department, because the DTS HD Audio in 5.1 pretty much covers the whole audible experience. So if we have perfect image and perfect sound, what is the next logical step in technology? I imagine it would have to be some kind of device that streams directly into your head, matrix style. Holographic images would actually be a downstep because they will always be semi-transparent. Not fun watching something with your fat neighbor's ass shining through it. So I don't know what could be better than HD. What do you think?

It's looking like 3D may be that next step. I'm still not sold on it though.

Erm, check out a few PC games in person? The current so called HD is gonna be considered borderline low-res in a couple of years. Not to mention most console games run at sub-HD resolutions to (barely) keep a decent frame rate and lack any meaningful AA/AF settings. Image quality is far from perfected. So I'd guess the next logical step, other than the hyped 3D applications, is gonna be to actually deliver on their HD promises with good AA/AF and solid 60fps for all games, whether they're corridor shooters or vast open role playing games with abudant use of physics. Other than that, nope, I guess to the untrained eye there won't be much of a difference. But of course it's also going to be easier for less capable studios to make matching visuals when they have excess power leftover, so more games will look as good as only the few very, very best do nowadays, at least when it comes to technical terms and not art.

Then there will be 3D!!!!!!
 
Seriously though, I don't think there needs to be an upgrade from pure HD since that difference in visual quality won't be that significant to warrant an upgrade. The next step for me would only be virtual reality.

I dont really care :\

3D is only an awkward side step

I thought the next step was playing games using a condemned prisoner avatar.  Hmm, has Hollywood lied to me?

Higher Defination?

" Higher Defination? "

Possibly revisiting VR? i think we need to first get every game running in full HD first, personally, I think I'd be happy with that.

Optical HD implants.  No more screen, you just lay back and it goes straight to the brain.  Porn will never be better  :/

" Optical HD implants.  No more screen, you just lay back and it goes straight to the brain.  Porn will never be better  :/ "

" Erm, check out a few PC games in person? The current so called HD is gonna be considered borderline low-res in a couple of years. Not to mention most console games run at sub-HD resolutions to (barely) keep a decent frame rate and lack any meaningful AA/AF settings. Image quality is far from perfected. So I'd guess the next logical step, other than the hyped 3D applications, is gonna be to actually deliver on their HD promises with good AA/AF and solid 60fps for all games, whether they're corridor shooters or vast open role playing games with abudant use of physics. Other than that, nope, I guess to the untrained eye there won't be much of a difference. But of course it's also going to be easier for less capable studios to make matching visuals when they have excess power leftover, so more games will look as good as only the few very, very best do nowadays, at least when it comes to technical terms and not art. "

High-Definition-Three-Dimensional-Blu-Ray-Mind-Fuck. 

Yeah I agree that the next step in gaming technology is getting all games to run in 1080, instead of 720. But in movies... @organicalistic_: I don't get the whole 3d thing. My friend said that after seeing avatar in 3d in a theater she was feeling extremely depressed afterwards, when she had to go out of the theater. She said "I was such a bummer to go back to the shitty looking world we have to live in". I was like whaaaaaaaat. 3D is just an illusion and it has one major flaw. Even though you perceive things like if they're right next to you, but you can't fucking touch them. That pretty much kills the whole experience. It is kinda funny how people dodge bullets in their seats when watching a 3d movie. :D

" @oldschool said:

" Optical HD implants.  No more screen, you just lay back and it goes straight to the brain.  Porn will never be better  :/ "

Or worse :O "

Is it bad I can't really tell the difference between HD and SD....?

3D. And after that, 4D...?
 
But regardless those standards aren't even going to be in widespread use until all of us gets HDTV.

A retro SD craze

Ha, Not really. Sometimes it is only really apparent when watching sport or when you see a panning landscape shot. It is certainly an improvement though, just more obvious at some times rather than others

" @OracleXIII: well people say 3d, but the problem with that is if you want the full 3d effect you have to not notice the borders of the screen, 3d works ok in our movie theaters, but in our home? No, unless we all had HUGE home theaters, I have not seen the 3ds, or anything else, but according to science 3d is just an optical illusion formed when visual media is filmed to have different shades of grey, I saw avatar 3d yesterday, and people are like YOU HAVE TO SSE THIS, but I felt it was a waste of money, the movie itself wasn't good and the odd creature sex was just odd, and the 3d wasnt that good at all, the stuff was blurry even with the glasses. So I can say that I am not going to buy a 3d tv, and my next tv will be what ever comes out next that will have better picture, because that could use some work. "

" depth. when you watch a movie the backround is blurred. imagine things looking like real life. "

" @Al3xand3r said:

" Erm, check out a few PC games in person? The current so called HD is gonna be considered borderline low-res in a couple of years. Not to mention most console games run at sub-HD resolutions to (barely) keep a decent frame rate and lack any meaningful AA/AF settings. Image quality is far from perfected. So I'd guess the next logical step, other than the hyped 3D applications, is gonna be to actually deliver on their HD promises with good AA/AF and solid 60fps for all games, whether they're corridor shooters or vast open role playing games with abudant use of physics. Other than that, nope, I guess to the untrained eye there won't be much of a difference. But of course it's also going to be easier for less capable studios to make matching visuals when they have excess power leftover, so more games will look as good as only the few very, very best do nowadays, at least when it comes to technical terms and not art. "

this mans got it. graphics have still got a considerable way to go. animation in particular is quite sub par.
 
really though, the next huge step (ala television itself, 2d to 3d, vhs to dvd etc) will be vr. still a real long way off though i imagine. "

"
 
@Khann said:

" @Al3xand3r said:

" Erm, check out a few PC games in person? The current so called HD is gonna be considered borderline low-res in a couple of years. Not to mention most console games run at sub-HD resolutions to (barely) keep a decent frame rate and lack any meaningful AA/AF settings. Image quality is far from perfected. So I'd guess the next logical step, other than the hyped 3D applications, is gonna be to actually deliver on their HD promises with good AA/AF and solid 60fps for all games, whether they're corridor shooters or vast open role playing games with abudant use of physics. Other than that, nope, I guess to the untrained eye there won't be much of a difference. But of course it's also going to be easier for less capable studios to make matching visuals when they have excess power leftover, so more games will look as good as only the few very, very best do nowadays, at least when it comes to technical terms and not art. "

this mans got it. graphics have still got a considerable way to go. animation in particular is quite sub par.
 
really though, the next huge step (ala television itself, 2d to 3d, vhs to dvd etc) will be vr. still a real long way off though i imagine. "

I agree with this, however my question is more about movies than games. Games still have a loooong way to go before they start looking real.  "

" Is it bad I can't really tell the difference between HD and SD....? "

SMELLOVISION!!! 
or even better TASTEOVISION!!! 
 
I wont be satisfied until all five of my senses are being numbed at once.

" SMELLOVISION!!! or even better TASTEOVISION!!!  I wont be satisfied until all five of my senses are being numbed at once. "

MUSHD  or MegaUltraSuperHighDefinition

" Is it bad I can't really tell the difference between HD and SD....? "

HHD!
It'll blow your socks off and have HIGHER DEFINITION THAN REAL LIFE

" @DCFGS3 said:

" Is it bad I can't really tell the difference between HD and SD....? "

If you're just judging this off of watching TV. You're not watching HD channels. You are watching SD channels. "

After "HD" will come another marketing term to sell whatever the new  "standard range" of resolutions are. Sorry...HD...its w/o real meaning. Only there to make it easier to sell TVs and such. 
 

" @JJWeatherman: I just bought Avatar on Blu-ray yesterday. Figgered, if the chick liked the movie so much, I'ma put it on my ps3, give her a trip back to wonderland and get some booty. But now with what you're telling me I'm having second thoughts... "

                                                    (Reich)
Super Heavy Califragilistic third^ dimensions of xtreme clarity?  
 
The hills are alive with the sound of nuking.

3D and then just higher definition. 1080p will be the standard for resolution for quite a while though.

Not 3D.
God please not 3D......

surely 1080p/i will be replaced with a higher scale, maybe 2160p?

The players are pushing 3d, but it will fail.  My guess will be 3d technology without glasses or special equipment.  As it stands now, 3d is impractical as you need glasses for everyone who will be watching.  Hosting a superbowl party becomes impossible.  

It's obviously 3d is the next step, after that, virtual reality.

Please refer to this chart  from wikipedia. As you can clearly see, HD is only half way down the scale from the resolution standards set so far. 
 

Super Turbo HD Remix.

meh, ill stick with my SDTV thank you very much .

Higher resolutions ofcourse, and bigger screens :)