Comparison of interpretability of 1080p30 and 720p60 motion imagery: trade-offs in resolution and frame rate

摘要

We have conducted an evaluation comparing the interpretability potential of two standardized HD video formats, 1080p30 and 720p60. Despite the lack of an existing motion imagery (MI) quality scale akin to the NIIRS scale, we have exploited previous work on MI scale development in measuring critical imagery parameters affecting interpretability. We developed a collection of MI clips that covers a wide parameter range. These well-characterized clips provide the basis for relating perceived imagery interpretability to MI parameters, including resolution (related to ground sample distance, GSD) and frame rate, and to target parameters such as motion and scene complexity. This report presents key findings about the impact of resolution and frame rate on interpretability. Neither format is uniformly preferred, but the analysis quantifies the interpretability difference between the formats and finds there are significant effects of target motion and target size on the format preferences of the imagery analysts. The findings have implications for sensor system design, systems architecture, and mission planning.