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California Man Sues Sony Because Killzone: Shadowfall Isn't Really 1080

Sonny Yatsen (603655) writes A California man with nothing better to do has launched a class-action lawsuit against Sony because he claims he was harmed because Killzone: Shadowfall's multiplayer mode doesn't have native 1080p resolution as Sony originally claimed. He now demands 'all economic, monetary, actual, consequential, statutory and compensatory damages' as well as punitive damages from Sony.

46 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. more power to him by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    as much as I don't care, some game companies need their hands slapped when it comes to false advertising. anyone remember simcity 4 multiplayer?

    1. Re:more power to him by ganjadude · · Score: 4, Funny

      go back even further, remember the atari games that would have box art that looked NOTHING like the game itself? http://games.slashdot.org/stor...

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    2. Re:more power to him by MtHuurne · · Score: 2

      Unfortunately the site hosting TFA from that story seems to be gone. In my opinion the most deceptive thing about 80's game boxes wasn't the cover art: it was pretty clear it wasn't representative of the in-game graphics. However, a lot of games were available on multiple systems and the box would often feature screen shots from a different system. Some had fine print stating which system the shots were from and some didn't even have that, but in either case there were more than a few game boxes with screen shots that looked significantly better than the game inside the box would.

    3. Re:more power to him by ganjadude · · Score: 2

      heh, i didnt even check the original link, I just did a google of it for a link saw a slashdot link from 2010 and thought why not? but thats a valid point too, i recall some games that were arcade ports that were HORRIBLE ports...but box art had game play from the arcade versions. just wrong

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  2. They deserve it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One one hand, this is a stupid frivolous lawsuit, but on the other hand game publishers have been feeding us so much bullshit and lies that I wish this guy would win just to make a point.

    1. Re:They deserve it by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      720p is absolutely HD, regardless of what's happened to your mind.

    2. Re:They deserve it by kannibal_klown · · Score: 4, Informative

      Except 720p was always defined as HD.

      Initially, you had two choices: 720progressive or 1080interlaced. They both required more-or-less the same bandwidth to run. 1080p is more of a Jonny-come-lately.

      Many preferred 720p for some shows where the progressive scan adding an important benefit: mostly fast-moving scenes (sports, action, etc). Others preferred interlaced for shows that didn't need the fine detail in motion.

      Eventually, years later, 1080p became a thing but for a while some TVs didn't even support it. And heck, cable-TV only recently started supported in limited amounts.

    3. Re:They deserve it by Lumpy · · Score: 2

      wrong. 480p is the LOWEST upgrade to NTSC. Learn your ATSC standards.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    4. Re:They deserve it by Charliemopps · · Score: 2

      720p is absolutely HD, regardless of what's happened to your mind.

      The specifically promised 1080p, not HD.
      and it's not even 720p either. It's some weird half scale that they're up-scaling to fit the screen.

      The game's packaging also features a "1080p HD video output" logo on the back of the box.
      But, as Digital Foundry pointed out in a March analysis, Killzone's multiplayer mode actually outputs natively in 960x1080 resolution, half of the 1920x1080 standard for "1080p." To output full 1080p graphics, this source image is fixed with a "temporal upscale" that fills in gaps with a horizontal interlace made up of pixels from the previous frame. The result is graphical performance that the lawsuit (and many reviews) call "blurry to the point of distraction."

    5. Re:They deserve it by omnichad · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That quote is also likely incorrect. It's almost certainly sending 1920x1080 signal to the TV. But rendering at 960x180. Atari emulators can do 1080p HD video output. The company knew what they were doing when they intentionally used weasel wording for their 1080p logo.

    6. Re:They deserve it by JackieBrown · · Score: 3, Funny

      Agreed. When downloading shows, I make sure to never get the HD stuff because the SD stuff just looks awful in comparison. Without that comparison, though, I'm usually good with a SD version.

    7. Re:They deserve it by entrigant · · Score: 2

      "class" and "action" are the 12th and 13th words in the damned summary.. Have /. readers stopped even bothering with the summaries anymore?

    8. Re:They deserve it by Aighearach · · Score: 2

      English assumes that jargon words are different than literary words, so it is not a gap between marketing-speak and English, but between literary English and technical English. HD is not "Partial HD" but it is partial HD, where "partial" is a literary word and HD is a jargon word. This is true because in Full HD the "full" is jargon, but jargon alligned with the literary meaning. So partial becomes true once full is there as a reference. Even though HD was full HD before there was Full HD. But then it was no longer the maximum amount of HD you could get. Note however that partial HD is fully and totally HD, it is just not Full HD.

      This message brought to you be the letter S, as in the word "measure."

    9. Re:They deserve it by Miamicanes · · Score: 3, Informative

      720p60 is absolutely true HD... but for various real-world technical reasons, natively-interlaced 1080i60 source that gets transcoded to faux 720p60 is NOT equal to native 720p60.

      True 720p60 is a beautiful thing. It's sad to see how many people have forgotten what smooth, lifelike video is supposed to look like, because almost everything on TV now is stuttering 30fps (look at turn signals & railroad crossing lights for the most graphic example of why that's bad).

      99 times out of 100, a nominally 1920x1080 60 field/second video is going to REALLY be 1440x1080. To convert it to 720p60, it's treated like 60fps 1440x540, then resampled to reduce the horizontal resolution to 1280, and interpolate the vertical resolution up to 720.

    10. Re:They deserve it by Dishevel · · Score: 4, Informative

      The box did not just say HD. It said 1080p.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
  3. "With Nothing Better To Do"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So he should just take it up the rear and not do anything about the company's lies? BOHICA! I'm glad he's suing. Let him represent the rest of us. Hopefully, companies will learn that they can't get away with this BS.

    1. Re:"With Nothing Better To Do"? by firex726 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Exactly... What was with the opening?

      If they claimed X and did not deliver it, it's a legitimate claim to be made. Should game companies be immune to false advertising claims just becuase they make "video games".

      Would the writer also say that the Aliens:CM false trailer was also frivolous?

    2. Re:"With Nothing Better To Do"? by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      No, but I think it's time to sue the maker of "The Never-Ending Story".

      The book sure is a tome (and the movie doesn't even come CLOSE to its depth), but still doesn't quite live up to its claim.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. You go girl by Russ1642 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm for it. Blatant false advertizing needs to be punished and this is the route that's available to him.

    1. Re:You go girl by sconeu · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Now go after them for their blatant false advertising:

      "OWN $MOVIE ON BLU-RAY TODAY!!!", when they later actually claim that you don't own the movie.

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    2. Re:You go girl by CanHasDIY · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm for it. Blatant false advertizing needs to be punished and this is the route that's available to him.

      On the one hand, I agree with this, especially considering that Sony is pretty well known for their shady business practices.

      On the other hand... I just bought a monitor that Tigerdirect advertised as 22", but when it was delivered the box says 21.5", and I don't think that's really worth paying my lawyer $250/hr to handle.

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    3. Re:You go girl by firex726 · · Score: 2

      The monitor is 22", the viewable area is 21.5"; the monitor's actual screen extends and is covered by the bezel on the sides.

      It's actually an area with a good amount of research being done, minimizing the bezel and getting as much viewable area from a display as possible.

    4. Re:You go girl by zzottt · · Score: 2

      its because you own the bluray but not the contents of said bluray. It might be slight of hand but if you are literal and pay attention to the words being used its not bait and switch

    5. Re:You go girl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think your interpretation is incorrect. The sentence says you own $MOVIE, which is on "BLU-RAY". You are giving them credit for saying "Own Blu-Ray with $MOVIE on it". YMMV

    6. Re:You go girl by Lendrick · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There needs to be an addition to contract law wherein if something is in large print, it trumps anything in small print.

  5. Seems more reasonable once you read the article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The guy just wants his $50 back because the graphics in the game aren't as good as advertised. Frankly, that's actually a reasonable request. You tell someone the game will perform some technical feat, and it doesn't, no shit the customer wants a refund.

  6. Re:Are you kidding me? by Karganeth · · Score: 2

    1080p is not meaningless. Turn your screen to 3/4ths of its native resolution and see how meaningless that is to you.

  7. Re:That's a garbage lawsuit by parlancex · · Score: 5, Insightful

    - so every second line consists of pixels from previous frames, but those are still pixels that are not the same as the ones in the current frame, the output has all of the 1920x1080 pixels in it, it's not like 2 lines of pixels are just 1 line stretched vertically. Technically Sony should win this.

    That's a bit disingenuous. Could they render at 320x240 and stretch to fill so the output resolution is still technically 1080p and still advertise "1080p" support?

  8. Troll much? by Jahoda · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Kind of a trollish headline, but both Sony and Microsoft have advertised 1080p as one of this generations' primary selling points - how is their continued inability to deliver upon this not false advertising, and how else are we to change their behavior if not through legal action? (Please don't say "boycott".)

    1. Re:Troll much? by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      (Please don't say "boycott".)

      Sorry, but depriving them of profit is still the best way to show your dissatisfaction. If you just can't live without the games anyway, then clearly you're not really all that dissatisfied.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Troll much? by gameboyhippo · · Score: 2

      What else is interesting is that the "underpowered" Wii U has more 1080p games than the high powered systems. And they look gorgeous.

  9. Re:1080 is 1080 by Lazere · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not exactly. If they say the game is 1080p, you'd be right to say that 960x1080 presented at 1920x1080 is still accurate. However, if they say the game is at native 1080p, the only definition that fits the bill is 1920x1080 presented at 1920x1080. Sony said the latter.

  10. Re:Are you kidding me? by DarkOx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Okay maybe its not the kind of thing I would be willing to invest time and money in; but you could easily ask the opposite question:

    What kind of society have we become when we allow vendors to blatantly misrepresent products prior to sale?

    Sony should be honest about the products actual specifications. We have regulations in place because we collectively decided that all the snake-oil selling had to stop. We standardized weights and measures, and pass truth in advertising laws. They should be followed, simple as that.

    --
    Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
  11. Re:First world problems by nine-times · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yes, it's a first-world problem, but at the same time, that doesn't excuse Sony (and Microsoft) for their false advertising.

    Placed side by side with the worst atrocities in the world, all kinds of problems seem trivial. Still, they're problems. So you say "this guy has a serious first-world problem," and I say, "Isn't the world bad enough without companies like Sony and Microsoft piling on little bits of bullshit everywhere? Those little bits add up."

  12. Re:That's a garbage lawsuit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    No, to get 960x1080, every second *column* is filled with pixels from the previous frame, and those *are* pixels from the previous frame; Sony and Guerrilla's argument is BS, and that's what the guy's beef is: The game is not presenting 1920x1080 from the current frame, but only half that, and the blurring is degrading the image. As the part you quoted states: "The result is graphical performance that the lawsuit (and many reviews) call 'blurry to the point of distraction.'"
    Also, 1920x1080 is a standard because it's 16:9 (the ATSC standard), not 16:10, which is what 1920x1200 is. Go ahead and buy 1920x1200 monitors, but TVs will either support the standard, stretch the 1920x1080 image to fit, or "letterbox" videos leaving black bars at the top and bottom.

  13. Re:That's a garbage lawsuit by TypoNAM · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Killzone's multiplayer mode actually outputs natively in 960x1080 resolution, half of the 1920x1080 standard for "1080p." To output full 1080p graphics, this source image is fixed with a "temporal upscale" that fills in gaps with a horizontal interlace made up of pixels from the previous frame. The result is graphical performance that the lawsuit (and many reviews) call "blurry to the point of distraction."

    Last time I checked that's called interlaced video, not progressive. Just because source video is 1080i, but goes out the HDMI video transmitter chip as 1080p it does not make it OK to call it 1080p since the source video is not progressive.

    --
    This space is not for rent.
  14. Re:That's a garbage lawsuit by roystgnr · · Score: 2

    What you're describing is what TV sets already do to display interlaced video. The reason why "1080p!" is an advertising point is because 1080i, even after interpolation, is inferior; that's why they weren't using that less-deceptive description to begin with.

    I mean if you don't like the product you can return it.

    If they don't like being sued for fraud they can stop committing fraud.

  15. Re:That's a garbage lawsuit by SydShamino · · Score: 3, Insightful

    To output full 1080p graphics, this source image is fixed with a "temporal upscale" that fills in gaps with a horizontal interlace made up of pixels from the previous frame.

    - so every second line consists of pixels from previous frames, but those are still pixels that are not the same as the ones in the current frame, the output has all of the 1920x1080 pixels in it

    So..in other words, they advertised 1080p and are delivering 1080i, but presumably at a 1080p frame rate instead of the usual, faster 1080i rate.

    I think you're trying to argue that it's still 1080, and it is, but it's still not what they advertised. No, this guy shouldn't be suing them. The FTC should be fining them for false advertising.

    --
    It doesn't hurt to be nice.
  16. Re:Nathan Fillion is speechless.gif by rwv · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't get what the .gif is supposed to mean. Are you trying to reference an image? Why didn't you hyperlink to it?

    Fucking puerile moron.

    Boy, that escalated quickly!

    .jpg :)

    Whatever... I learned a new word today! puerile.png FTW.

  17. Re: Are you kidding me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, but if I promised my date a whole four inches then gave her a magnifying glass, surely she'd still be disappointed.

  18. Re:That's a garbage lawsuit by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

    Sounds like they reinvented interlacing, one of the great evils of the analog era.

  19. Re:Are you kidding me? by jythie · · Score: 2

    Now now, because of original sin we know those babies probably have it coming.

  20. Re:1080 is 1080 by Narishma · · Score: 2

    That's arguable. Pretty much all AAA games render some stuff (shadows, particle effects, etc...) at half or quarter resolution. Where do you draw the line between what's native resolution or not?

    --
    Mada mada dane.
  21. Re:1080 is 1080 by ultranova · · Score: 3, Funny

    what is 1080p?

    A miserable little pile of pixels.

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  22. Re:1080 is 1080 by rjstanford · · Score: 2

    That's arguable. Pretty much all AAA games render some stuff (shadows, particle effects, etc...) at half or quarter resolution. Where do you draw the line between what's native resolution or not?

    Well, having 0% of the content as native resolution being "not" might be a good place to start that most people could agree on.

    --
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  23. Re:Are you kidding me? by Entropius · · Score: 2

    Rounded rectangles, man.

    Rounded fucking rectangles.