Warner Archive Streaming Service

[noirjunkie]

Warner Archive has a streaming service (https://www.warnerarchive.com/), and in its first iteration, users could see what titles were available in HD. However, since the site's makeover, I haven't been able to tell which titles are available in HD and which ones aren't, both in my browser and through the Roku app. Has anyone else had better luck figuring this out?

[PowellPressburger]

I just became a Warner Archive streaming member, and I had the same question which movies / tv shows are in HD and which are standard definition? I wish WB Archive would update their site for that info.

Currently they are running a really nice deal 1 month free and you can get a whole year for roughly 50-60 dollars ish afterward of 5.99 a month if you wish to pay month to month.

I decided to go for it since most of the movies that WB have on Amazon prime and even some you pay for Amazon the transfers are botched or incorrect ratios or stretched. The Legend of Lyla Clare was one that is correct on WB Archive.

I did watch The Squeeze with Stacy Keach and David Hemings last nite and that was standard def but sadly something odd was going on with the image quality every time there was movement of camera pans in the movie the images seemed to waver like a bent glass effect it was annoying but the movie was a nice slow burn with a great ending IMO.

I watched The Hand last nite and it was for sure HD with a good Dolby track. Looked great and I haven't seen the movie in so long I think it is a great psychological thriller everyone involved is great in it.

This would be a nice thread for those who watch any of their titles to post if they want the title and format.

[PowellPressburger]

I don't think I will be keeping s subscription to Warner Archive after the free trial. Honestly the move films I try to watch the more irritated I get. I realize not all films can be in HD but hardly any are! And the standard def titles for the majority and horribly horribly compressed like they have about 1mbps being pumped into them. Blotchy macroblocky messes. Also there are many titles that should be in widescreen 16:9 that are pan scanned versions even though their WB Archive DVD-R counterparts are in full widescreen. I've seen better video with YouTube videos.

So many titles that have the remastered moniker don't look beyond good at all! I tried to start watching Brewster McCloud and thought of thisnis the best this movie can look in standard def is there any way possible it can ever make it to Bluray or is WB Archive just letting poor transfer only be used for streaming.

Watching movies this way just makes your eyes hurt. I have laserdiscs that look better.

[crackedknee]

What system are you using to stream? And furthermore, who is doing the streaming, Warner themselves, or a company for them?

I ask because several companies offer streaming services for the studios, and will do so as you detail above: SD, horribly compressed, 16:9 pan/scanned or stretched/distorted to 16:9

Apparently they thought is that people will only watch this stuff in their phone, and it must therefore be formatted to 16:9 for phone use (or those people will freak out and never use the service). No kidding, those are the only customers they care about. I've contacted a few places about this. Shout Factory, for one, says they don't like it, but their provider (named adrise) does it against their will, at the demand of Samsung. (but Shout Factory has done nothing about it)

What's funny (not funny) about it all, is when you stream a foreign movie that is 2.39 and they format it for 16:9; the subtitles are totally cut-off the bottom (cannot be seen) as they would if viewing the disc.

They stretch 4:3 material to 16:9, but on occasion leave it intact at 4:3 (why I don't know, maybe an oversight that they don't actively sabotage that material as well

[Poya]

R.I.P. Warner Archive Streaming Service.

[whiteberry]

I can't say I'm surprised. There's been no posts to their Twitter/Facebook accounts since at least October and I assumed it was already dead. I guess this announcement makes it official.