The Fujita scale categories are listed with both wind speed and typical damage produced. The 'official' Fujita rating of a given cyclone is still determined by damage assessment. With modern Doppler radar providing accurate wind speed measurements from a distance, the 'F' rating can be estimated for locations where damage measurements are problematic (open farmland, etc.).
Related note: the record-setting May 1999 Bridge Creek/Moore/Del City/Midwest City tornado had the most accurate wind speed measurement to date, thanks to special portable Doppler units.
A key difference: the Nomads have digital inputs, while the iPods will only have analog inputs (from what I've read so far). So if you're wanting to record from a digital source, the iPod requires an extra step: D-to-A, then A-to-D.
One real world use for the Nomad's digital input is for very-high-quality recording -- check out this A-D converter. The quality of this would far exceed the iPod's built-in A-D converter.
-- Going back to the 'flicker' concept: the way a standard 35mm projector controls the light that passes through the print and lens is with a rotating disc. The disc has sections cut out of it, so that as it spins light from the lamphouse is interrupted while the intermittent pulls the film forward one frame. This process is entirely mechanical -- the blade is geared according to the standard design of 24 fps.
To introduce variable flicker, you would have to overhaul the projector and produce some type of controlled motor design. It would have to maintain sync electrically. One of the reasons projectors are the workhorses they are today is that the base mechanical design is pretty much idiotproof: the only way to get the blade out of sync is to reach in and forcibly move it out of alignment.
-- Introducing a variable-speed blade system and/or an IR flood into the projection booth presumes something very basic: someone willing to pay for it. The theater chains are still operating at or beyond the brink of bankruptcy -- so you're now going to ask them to retrofit thousands of projection systems at their own expense? The studios are notorious for introducing systems like this but expecting others to pay for them (sounds a bit like unfunded governmental mandates).
When you think about the thousands of theaters across the country, many running 20 or 30 year old projection equipment, expecting this to be introduced on a national basis is silly. If this ever shows up, it will only be in the largest cities.
The only difference regarding the 30 second skip between Replay and TiVo is that the TiVo function is not included in the documentation.
Activating 30 Second Skip on TiVo (works with 2.5 and later) -- while you are watching a recorded program (can't be Live TV), press the following in order:
Select Play Select 3 0 Select
You should hear three 'dings' when successful. This toggles the 'Skip to End' button on the remote from Skip to End to Skip 30 seconds. This is not a permanent switch -- if your machine reboots (power failure, OS update, manual reset), you need to re-toggle again.
I have that sequence stored as a macro on my remote, so I can switch back and forth between the two settings as desired.
I wrote an article about my experiences with digital projection (it can be read here), based on my background as a projectionist.
As to the question of print length for MaxiVision, the print will not be 2x longer. One change for MaxiVision is the reduction of the 35mm frame to 3 standard sprocket holes high (as opposed to the current standard of 4). They can get away with this due to the fact that the top and bottom of a standard 35mm frame is wasted space for 'flat' films, as that extra space is matted out in the projector by a 'key' (which blocks the light from passing through that portion of the frame). The lens on the projector expands the frame so the left and right image edges match up with the screen width, and the extra material on the top and bottom (beyond the 1.85:1 window) is lost.
This is one of the interesting ideas in MaxiVision, yet it also leads to a major complication: the anamorphic process (often called "CinemaScope" in shorthand) uses the entire current 35mm frame, so the 2.35:1 widescreen format would not work in this revised frame design. Anamorphic processes need the full frame height, as the width is derived from squeezing the image horizontally. Unless you also developed lenses to squeeze on the vertical as well, you'd have either a REALLY widescreen image (somewhere around 3.2:1), or you'd have to 'key' out the right and left sides of the image (losing image resolution).
While the MaxiVision process is interesting, choices in theater equipment always come down to finances: and since the studios control product, they're in the drivers seat, long-term, in forcing the theater companies to go their way. (The terrible financial state of theatrical companies also limits their ability to experiment with technologies not supported by the studios.)
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The Fujita scale categories are listed with both wind speed and typical damage produced. The 'official' Fujita rating of a given cyclone is still determined by damage assessment. With modern Doppler radar providing accurate wind speed measurements from a distance, the 'F' rating can be estimated for locations where damage measurements are problematic (open farmland, etc.).
Related note: the record-setting May 1999 Bridge Creek/Moore/Del City/Midwest City tornado had the most accurate wind speed measurement to date, thanks to special portable Doppler units.
Moore High School, Class of 1988 -- Go Lions!
A key difference: the Nomads have digital inputs, while the iPods will only have analog inputs (from what I've read so far). So if you're wanting to record from a digital source, the iPod requires an extra step: D-to-A, then A-to-D.
One real world use for the Nomad's digital input is for very-high-quality recording -- check out this A-D converter. The quality of this would far exceed the iPod's built-in A-D converter.
Couple of things here:
-- Going back to the 'flicker' concept: the way a standard 35mm projector controls the light that passes through the print and lens is with a rotating disc. The disc has sections cut out of it, so that as it spins light from the lamphouse is interrupted while the intermittent pulls the film forward one frame. This process is entirely mechanical -- the blade is geared according to the standard design of 24 fps.
To introduce variable flicker, you would have to overhaul the projector and produce some type of controlled motor design. It would have to maintain sync electrically. One of the reasons projectors are the workhorses they are today is that the base mechanical design is pretty much idiotproof: the only way to get the blade out of sync is to reach in and forcibly move it out of alignment.
-- Introducing a variable-speed blade system and/or an IR flood into the projection booth presumes something very basic: someone willing to pay for it. The theater chains are still operating at or beyond the brink of bankruptcy -- so you're now going to ask them to retrofit thousands of projection systems at their own expense? The studios are notorious for introducing systems like this but expecting others to pay for them (sounds a bit like unfunded governmental mandates).
When you think about the thousands of theaters across the country, many running 20 or 30 year old projection equipment, expecting this to be introduced on a national basis is silly. If this ever shows up, it will only be in the largest cities.
The only difference regarding the 30 second skip between Replay and TiVo is that the TiVo function is not included in the documentation.
Activating 30 Second Skip on TiVo (works with 2.5 and later) -- while you are watching a recorded program (can't be Live TV), press the following in order:
Select
Play
Select
3
0
Select
You should hear three 'dings' when successful. This toggles the 'Skip to End' button on the remote from Skip to End to Skip 30 seconds. This is not a permanent switch -- if your machine reboots (power failure, OS update, manual reset), you need to re-toggle again.
I have that sequence stored as a macro on my remote, so I can switch back and forth between the two settings as desired.
I wrote an article about my experiences with digital projection (it can be read here), based on my background as a projectionist.
As to the question of print length for MaxiVision, the print will not be 2x longer. One change for MaxiVision is the reduction of the 35mm frame to 3 standard sprocket holes high (as opposed to the current standard of 4). They can get away with this due to the fact that the top and bottom of a standard 35mm frame is wasted space for 'flat' films, as that extra space is matted out in the projector by a 'key' (which blocks the light from passing through that portion of the frame). The lens on the projector expands the frame so the left and right image edges match up with the screen width, and the extra material on the top and bottom (beyond the 1.85:1 window) is lost.
This is one of the interesting ideas in MaxiVision, yet it also leads to a major complication: the anamorphic process (often called "CinemaScope" in shorthand) uses the entire current 35mm frame, so the 2.35:1 widescreen format would not work in this revised frame design. Anamorphic processes need the full frame height, as the width is derived from squeezing the image horizontally. Unless you also developed lenses to squeeze on the vertical as well, you'd have either a REALLY widescreen image (somewhere around 3.2:1), or you'd have to 'key' out the right and left sides of the image (losing image resolution).
While the MaxiVision process is interesting, choices in theater equipment always come down to finances: and since the studios control product, they're in the drivers seat, long-term, in forcing the theater companies to go their way. (The terrible financial state of theatrical companies also limits their ability to experiment with technologies not supported by the studios.)