Sunday 13 March 2011

The millisecond

This is a discussion on how important are milliseconds to human perception and interaction.

The exact timing of various inputs (signals) of the human sensory system is very important to the perception of them and what they represent.

For example continuous motion is perceived at about 15 or more frames per second (an image/frame per 66 msecs.) Human vision and perception can distinguish a lot more frames per second. TV signals are about 24-25 frames per seconds (40 msecs per frame) which creates an acceptable motion picture. Smoother animations and motion pictures can be produced by higher frame rates, e.g. 60 or 100 frames per second which is a frame per 16 or 10 msecs.

In telephony, up to 150 msecs latency for the voice to travel from one person to the other makes the two participants not interrupting each other. At ore than 150 msecs latency the conversation becomes uncomfortable and potentially annoying.

How fast something might pass in front of your eyes so you don't see it?

How fast can you move your eyes.