What is the frame rate at which the human visual system operates?
Frame rates in the visual media have always been a compromise between what we want and what we can afford. Movie makers have budgets, and film is expansive. In the early years, cameras and projectors were limited because fast shutters wore out fast and often jammed. The public demanded 15 fps and got it. As machinery got better, 24 fps became standard because film was still expensive. TV reduced flicker by interlacing odd and even horizontal lines. Instead of 15 whole images, they showed 30 half images per second. Most movies today are shot in digital electronic format, and those old limitations are vanishing rapidly. The main limits are related to broadcast compatibility. Broadcasters typically oversell their bandwidth, so you pay for HDTV and get a cheap imitation of it. Our eyes recognize shapes, edges and more complex patterns. These patterns are transmitted to the brain and refreshed on an as-needed basis. When the brain detects a discrepancy, it calls for a fresh set of patterns
