Man, Luthorcorp uses some expensive security cameras.

[Praxis]

Apparently, LuthorCorp's WAREHOUSE cameras record at 5000 frames per second, as Lionel was able to watch at 1/5000th speed one frame at a time.

I shudder to imagine the costs of putting one of those in every warehouse :eek:

For those non-technical people that have no idea what I'm talking about- an average video for a TV in the United States is 30 frames per second. When you watch a DVD, you see 30 pictures flashing by every second (I'm simplifying a bit and ignoring things like interlacing).

The maximum the eye can see is 60 frames per second.

Using a camera that records 5000 pictures per second would not only cost a fortune, but it would take up space a hundred times faster than a regular video recording. Not something you can easily put on a laptop.

Oh BTW, anyone notice that evil villains always use Dells or other Windows-based systems and the heroes always use Macs? Lex started with a 15" PowerBook (a Mac) for the first seasons, then switched to some PC (I think it was a Dell, not sure) in the third or fourth season. Chloe used a Mac, then Lionel gave her Alienwares (evil villain with the Windows-based system) but on the screen you always see the Mac operating system (which can't be installed on an Alienware system...).

In fact, even when the good guys have a regular PC you always see the Mac OS on the screen...

I wonder if this is deliberate, as it has been noted on other shows.
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,50441,00.html
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20020514-2162.html

Lionel was shown typing on a Dell tonight, which implies evilness. After all, Dell is the most evil of all Windows-based brands.

[brandonmincy69]

Wasn't that where the ship was? Maybe they had expensive cameras on the ship? I think that was where the ship was wasn't it?

[LOONEY]

Wow and i thought we were nerds for just loving the show...dang dell vs. good computers you need to enjoy the show a bit more dang.......you are worried about how true a camera can be hello THE SHOW IS ABOUT AN ALIEN WITH SUPERPOWERS

[SeanZo]

Yeah but your average John Doe viewer doesn't know much to anything about that stuff.

[Ares]

wow.. That was something to read.. hm.. thats um interesting.. an yeah.. good work typing that up. Yeah so umm. What?

[E-Val]

umm it was actually at 1/500th speed. but still thats quite high. not as high as you are saying though.

[UpandAtom]

Lex has that much money to put a camera in a warehouse but he can't afford to put any cameras in his fertilizer plant or his own house.

[muffinpeddler]

Originally posted by brandonmincy69
Wasn't that where the ship was? Maybe they had expensive cameras on the ship? I think that was where the ship was wasn't it?

That's gotta be it. Lex was hoping it might pop back up, so he never took them down, and Lionel got to the footage first.


Originally posted by UpandAtom
Lex has that much money to put a camera in a warehouse but he can't afford to put any cameras in his fertilizer plant or his own house.

Don't ya just love the greatest criminal mind of our generation?:D :rotfl:

[SoulCystic]

You are ~sort of~ correct about the frames per second deal, although not entirely. An analog camera captures video just like (or very similar to) a human eye, 60 frames per second. Most DVRS only will record up to 30 frames per second. Something that most people don't notice on playback.

However!! while I was watching the video it seemed to me that we really were only seeing 3 frames. Now..according to my sometimes flawed math it is theoretically possible to catch Clark on one frame. For this I will approximate the speed of the blast bubble at the speed of sound since we are so close to it.

Speed of sound 760mph x 5280 ft = 4,012,800 fps
4,012,800 fps / 60 (minutes in hour / 60 seconds in minute = around 1115 fps.

Divide that by 30 frames per second and you get a capture rate of 37 feet per frame. or 1110 fps. Almost the speed of sound.

I will approximate that we are looking at 200 feet of warehouse and that we only see Clark on the last frame (if we could have kept looking he would disappear) and that gives us that he is traveling at or above the speed of sound at that point because if you remember from the episode that the blast happened in he stopped to pick up Lana.

It is ~possible that we could see him on the video on frame by frame playback. But only likely because he stopped in the middle of the second being captured.

Would still require alot of hard drive space and the clip on the DVD would be very very short. Especially to capture his face as well as it did.

[asparks]

Oh yes, the discussion on how a camera can capture so many frames per second. Crazy the time that people have on their hands.

HOWEVER!!! I did realize that while watching the video, THAT IT IS JUST A TELEVISION SHOW!!!

[jimmyolsenblues]

I assume a large portion of LuthorCorp's free cash is spent on watching Clark.
That Clark shrine Lex has in his mansion is not cheap.
Lex has been checking into Clark since the pilot.
Lionel is obsessed with Clark and Martha.

So I assume they are spending the best that any fictional money can buy to capture clark. 24/7/365. I thought Lionel was watching Martha live when she threw that dvd in the fire place.

[Praxis]

Originally posted by SoulCystic
You are ~sort of~ correct about the frames per second deal, although not entirely. An analog camera captures video just like (or very similar to) a human eye, 60 frames per second. Most DVRS only will record up to 30 frames per second. Something that most people don't notice on playback.

However!! while I was watching the video it seemed to me that we really were only seeing 3 frames. Now..according to my sometimes flawed math it is theoretically possible to catch Clark on one frame. For this I will approximate the speed of the blast bubble at the speed of sound since we are so close to it.

Speed of sound 760mph x 5280 ft = 4,012,800 fps
4,012,800 fps / 60 (minutes in hour / 60 seconds in minute = around 1115 fps.

Divide that by 30 frames per second and you get a capture rate of 37 feet per frame. or 1110 fps. Almost the speed of sound.

I will approximate that we are looking at 200 feet of warehouse and that we only see Clark on the last frame (if we could have kept looking he would disappear) and that gives us that he is traveling at or above the speed of sound at that point because if you remember from the episode that the blast happened in he stopped to pick up Lana.

It is ~possible that we could see him on the video on frame by frame playback. But only likely because he stopped in the middle of the second being captured.

Would still require alot of hard drive space and the clip on the DVD would be very very short. Especially to capture his face as well as it did.


^best post ever^
:D



24/7/365.

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 weeks a year? :p

[kryptonite-proof]

I also thought about how absurd it is for Luthorcorp to have such an expensive camera in a warehouse. It could have been the warehouse that held the ship, but I didn't think it was.

Not that it really matters, but I think Clark was moving at well above the speed of sound to outrun the blast like he did.

[Hurricain]

So, this camera can catch something moving on the speed of sound?

At Clark/Superman at his fastest running, can a any Camera see him?

Just wondering.

[SoulCystic]

Originally posted by Praxis
^best post ever^
:D




24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 weeks a year? :p


Yes I know I have toooo much time on my hands :rotfl:

[chuckmo]

Originally posted by Praxis
Oh BTW, anyone notice that evil villains always use Dells or other Windows-based systems and the heroes always use Macs? Lex started with a 15" PowerBook (a Mac) for the first seasons, then switched to some PC (I think it was a Dell, not sure) in the third or fourth season. Chloe used a Mac, then Lionel gave her Alienwares (evil villain with the Windows-based system) but on the screen you always see the Mac operating system (which can't be installed on an Alienware system...).

In fact, even when the good guys have a regular PC you always see the Mac OS on the screen...

I wonder if this is deliberate, as it has been noted on other shows.
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,50441,00.html
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20020514-2162.html

Lionel was shown typing on a Dell tonight, which implies evilness. After all, Dell is the most evil of all Windows-based brands.


that is such an amazing observation!

btw, in season 3 everyone in the show had Alienware computers, although the good guys had Mac OS 9 running while Luthorcorp has its own operating system or something

[SoulCystic]

Originally posted by Hurricain
So, this camera can catch something moving on the speed of sound?

At Clark/Superman at his fastest running, can a any Camera see him?

Just wondering.

Simple answer, yes. Just like you can see a jet breaking the sound barrier. When you get into the not being able to see Clark is when you have a limited field of view, such as a fixed position camera and he moves through that field of view faster than the camera can react.

[muffinpeddler]

Originally posted by kryptonite-proof
I also thought about how absurd it is for Luthorcorp to have such an expensive camera in a warehouse. It could have been the warehouse that held the ship, but I didn't think it was.



It was. Remember, the DVD footage was from Lockdown, when Lana led the cops to the warehouse, she'd been there before. Same warehouse Brainiac's ride was in.

[Mr. Spoiler]

Everytime Lex see Clark in the caves he asks what are you doing here or how did you get in here. Why don't Lex just install cameras in and around the cave. I guess the evil genius never thought about that.

[spideyfan]

Originally posted by Hurricain
So, this camera can catch something moving on the speed of sound?

At Clark/Superman at his fastest running, can a any Camera see him?

Just wondering.

Nope....he will run way to fast for the camera to even catch a glimpse....Again i am estimating roughly that CK runs at speed of light...which is pretty much accurate....

[asparks]

I think that Clark runs at the speed OF A TELEVISION SHOW!!!!!

have a nice day.

[LordSkywalker]

Its a good thing people like the original poster weren't on the forums back in Lois and Clark days. There would've been entire essays written on every episode with plotholes, blatant goofs, and other crazy crap.

Do you realize this is a plot device, and it's used better than alot of other shows use them.

-Monty

[markbot]

u didn't pay attention.....cloe also uses a dell.

yeah...true,,,,it was the wharehouse with the space ship...thus it might have had a very good camera.

[ClLaLeChFAN01]

Thats the power of Television....anything is possible!!!

Of course I was amazed that the camera didnt get distroyed by the explosion....but hey anything is possible, right!?!?!?!?

[loisluvr_72]

It's funny how there are camera's in some locations and not in others. I mean, why would you not have a camera in the lab Victor was in? You spend millions of dollars on him, have to use a fingerprint and code to gain access, but you don't have at least one camera recording things in the lab? Geez, if Lex would have put up a few more cameras, he would know Clark's secret, or at least about some of his powers.

[SoulCystic]

Originally posted by LordSkywalker
Its a good thing people like the original poster weren't on the forums back in Lois and Clark days. There would've been entire essays written on every episode with plotholes, blatant goofs, and other crazy crap.

Do you realize this is a plot device, and it's used better than alot of other shows use them.

-Monty

Well, Monty it seems that you have a superiority complex. Yes everbody realizes it is a plot device but if you haven't noticed this is a forum of THOUSANDS of posts discussing plot devices and how they play out. If nobody talked about the real possibilties of plot devices, then nobody would relate to the show and thus there would be no show.

;)