Inference Regarding Planned Future Digital Downloads - Blu-ray Forum

JJ · 12-13-2007, 04:26 PM

I was mulling over the subject whilst stuck on my commute home yesterday, and I got to thinking - exactly how does the plan for Digital Downloads work? I mean, there are a few points I was going over that didn't register upstairs, and I thought to myself I need them answered, so let's give it a try here.

How big would a movie download file be? If eventually all that is available are downloads, then for those enthusiasts of films - those of us with hundreds and thousands invested in Sound and Video equipment, will the quality still be there? The prospect of downloading a 50 GB file from the internet seems a bit folly - wouldn't it require massive hard drive space to store them? Space that not everybody would have?

And if what I have read that they are temporary, and that you pay, say $10 for a 14-day period as in XBox Live - is true, then that is incredulous. How could that be justified?

I don't see a future in which downloads could work, unless I've horribly missed something - I mean, with such enormous files, servers would crash, ISPs would be backed up, deer would roam the streets, and the world would come to an end. Not everyone has high speed internet too.

Did I miss something?

Snowgod · 12-13-2007, 04:30 PM

Now, Imagine everyone starts downloading the next Harry Potter film at the moment it is released. The internet would come to a screeching halt. No amount of load balancing would be enough.

JJ · 12-13-2007, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowgod

Now, Imagine everyone starts downloading the next Harry Potter film at the moment it is released. The internet would come to a screeching halt. No amount of load balancing would be enough.

Heck, when a highly anticipated trailer comes out, its bad enough.

NutsAboutPS3 · 12-13-2007, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

exactly how does the plan for Digital Downloads work?

It doesn't work, the whole thing is a non-starter, it's too expensive, too poor quality, and too inconvenient compared to other ways to view movies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Did I miss something?

No

JJ · 12-13-2007, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutsAboutPS3

It doesn't work, the whole thing is a non-starter, it's too expensive, too poor quality, and too inconvenient compared to other ways to view movies.

No

Good. That's what I thought. Then how did MS ever conjure up with this half-baked scheme?! Oy. I need a drink.

181 · 12-13-2007, 07:18 PM

I think the problem is that you are assuming Microsoft comes up with good ideas. If you throw that assumption out, you have your answer.

JJ · 12-13-2007, 07:30 PM

Silly Microsoft. I need to learn from Windows Me and this silly Vista Im running.

Kayne314 · 12-13-2007, 07:45 PM

I really don't think this kind of thing would work for High Definition. I have Video on demand for Standard definition, and even that is highly compressed video quality. I truly don't think the bandwidth exists to handle a 3 hour HD movie like POTC-AWE. And I cannot imagine people putting up with a 50Gb download. Even on high speed internet it would take 12 hours to download, if the connection doesn't choke.

Downloading compressed SD content for portable devices is already active, and I can see that expanding to TV use, but not for Home Theater Quality, and High Def. We'd need an entirely new internet infrastructure, and some new technology considerably faster than existing internet speeds. The costs would be so astronomical, I cannot see it being feasible for at least 15 to 20 years.

Of course, "640k should be enough for anybody".

Blu-Generation · 12-13-2007, 08:01 PM

I can download at 400 k/b per second, but it still require some time to download big files.

You will need an internet connection of at least 1 or 2 TB!! In order to download hi-def movie.
That's like close to, or as fast as the speed of light!

Yeah, i'm exaggerating, pretty crazy huh?

You will also need a 4 TB hard drive space, or higher.

Look at my 100 gig, it's huge, but still gets eaten up pretty quickly.

Just imagine the price!

squirrelprophet · 12-13-2007, 08:06 PM

I've downloaded a few moives to my Ipod- and they look oKAY on an SD set- but you can still tell the difference- PLUS- you could get the DVD version of Pirates for 13.99 the first week at most place- the iTunes version is 12.99 for the new Release- ad more than likely will end up at 14.99 eventually- and I know that comes to over a Gig - maybe 2 or three considering the siaze- and it DOESN"T have speical Featues, the pciture sound qualtiy- the audio quality, or the audio and subtitle options. noty to mention that at just a few GIgs (i'm assuming- I haven't downloaded the latest one- seems a waste of money and space to me) but even on a 250 GIg hardrive that would tkae a lot of space- and a whole or most of a DVD-R 4.7 GIg to back up.

PLUS- are digital downlaods going to start adding previews and commercials as well?

It's no stuprise that SO many people are starting to abajndon Microsoft- i've noticed a SERIOUS increase in Apple sales since Vista came out. I still hate XP- I can't imagine having to get used to another OS that I will surely hate.

milou6 · 12-13-2007, 08:10 PM

bandwidth and storage will increase dramaticially (internet2 etc), but not THAT dramatically -- which brings us to the real issue: downloading limited-use poor-res media is already here, and if it gains enough speed before HDM is widely embraced, we're screwed. It will make HD-DVD look good by comparison! We're talking video compression up the wazoo and back to 320k dolby digital. J6P doesn't know what PQ and AQ is upposed to look like -- hell J6P watches stretched SD on their HDTV and thinks it looks good -- so unless people get a taste of quality they will happily settle for poor quality "semi HD" movies.

Blu-Generation · 12-13-2007, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milou6

so unless people get a taste of quality they will happily settle for poor quality "semi HD" movies.

They'll get a taste by the end of this holiday season.

Christmas + Blu-ray player + Blu-ray movies = QUALITY

milou6 · 12-13-2007, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blu-Generation

They'll get a taste by the end of this holiday season.

Christmas + Blu-ray player + Blu-ray movies = QUALITY

blu-rayfan101 · 12-13-2007, 08:19 PM

How the hell do I take it to a friends or let him watch it at his house on the weekend? How do I sell it when i'm bored of it? What do I do if i'm half way throught downloading it and my computer crashs or interent signal fails? What happens if I delete by mistake can I get it back for free or do i have to buy it again?

Blu-Generation · 12-13-2007, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blu-Generation

They'll get a taste by the end of this holiday season.

Christmas + Blu-ray player + Blu-ray movies = QUALITY

OH YEAH, I forgot to add HDTV to the math. My bad.

milou6 · 12-13-2007, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blu-rayfan101

How the hell do I take it to a friends or let him watch it at his house on the weekend? How do I sell it when i'm bored of it? What do I do if i'm half way throught downloading it and my computer crashs or interent signal fails? What happens if I delete by mistake can I get it back for free or do i have to buy it again?

Exactly. Consumer gets hosed. They are testing the waters now to see how far they can go -- anyone lose their iTunes library yet? The consumer has the burden of proof when their PURCHASED file fails -- either by DRM nightmare or hardware failure.

bwillcox · 12-13-2007, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blu-Generation

I can download at 400 k/b per second, but it still require some time to download big files.

You will need an internet connection of at least 1 or 2 TB!! In order to download hi-def movie.
That's like close to, or as fast as the speed of light!

Yeah, i'm exaggerating, pretty crazy huh?

You will also need a 4 TB hard drive space, or higher.

Look at my 100 gig, it's huge, but still gets eaten up pretty quickly.

Just imagine the price!

My download speed peaks at 600KB/s (requires a well-connected server and not too much other traffic on the path between my system and the server). If that rate could be sustained (not likely), it would take over 83 hours (3 1/2 days) to download a 50GB movie. Given this, it seems *very* unlikely to me that an online movie download service would be viable w/o a significant decrease in picture & sound quality. They just couldn't afford to offer movies that are this big (and I'm pretty sure that's not their plan).

JJ · 12-13-2007, 08:40 PM

Glad I got all these responses - very well put, and do everything to prove my point - that downloads are aimless for the people.

DefTechPioElite · 12-13-2007, 08:46 PM

My main question is how would I even watch this on my HDTV? Assuming I take the time to download a HD movie, do I have to have a PC hooked up to my TV? I mean what's the deal here? Do I have to burn it to a DVD/BD/HDDVD? Streaming? I seriously dont get it. And that is aside from my whole issue with the picture/sound quality. I really dont think we would be getting PCM tracks or top quality video from a download. I am a true purist at heart, I dont use EQ, I prefer to listen to a CD versus compressed music, and I only use surround if it's encoded on the disc, other wise, 2-channel all the way. So, just the thought of watching a downloaded compressed movie irks me.

Sonny · 12-13-2007, 08:57 PM

Everything about DD is shit & the files would have to be much smaller which is even crappier

Never, NO thanks they can keep that shit!!!!

12-13-2007, 04:26 PM	#1
JJ Blu-ray Count Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Miami, FL Home Theater Gallery:99 4K collection:619 Blu-ray collection:1293 DVD collection:31 Digital collection:5 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:203	Inference Regarding Planned Future Digital Downloads I was mulling over the subject whilst stuck on my commute home yesterday, and I got to thinking - exactly how does the plan for Digital Downloads work? I mean, there are a few points I was going over that didn't register upstairs, and I thought to myself I need them answered, so let's give it a try here. How big would a movie download file be? If eventually all that is available are downloads, then for those enthusiasts of films - those of us with hundreds and thousands invested in Sound and Video equipment, will the quality still be there? The prospect of downloading a 50 GB file from the internet seems a bit folly - wouldn't it require massive hard drive space to store them? Space that not everybody would have? And if what I have read that they are temporary, and that you pay, say $10 for a 14-day period as in XBox Live - is true, then that is incredulous. How could that be justified? I don't see a future in which downloads could work, unless I've horribly missed something - I mean, with such enormous files, servers would crash, ISPs would be backed up, deer would roam the streets, and the world would come to an end. Not everyone has high speed internet too. Did I miss something?

12-13-2007, 08:01 PM	#9
Blu-Generation Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:1	I can download at 400 k/b per second, but it still require some time to download big files. You will need an internet connection of at least 1 or 2 TB!! In order to download hi-def movie. That's like close to, or as fast as the speed of light! Yeah, i'm exaggerating, pretty crazy huh? You will also need a 4 TB hard drive space, or higher. Look at my 100 gig, it's huge, but still gets eaten up pretty quickly. Just imagine the price! Last edited by Blu-Generation; 12-13-2007 at 08:04 PM.

Similar Threads
thread	Forum	Thread Starter	Replies	Last Post
So much for digital downloads...	Blu-ray Technology and Future Technology	scrumptious	47	05-08-2009 11:39 AM
Here are future releases and planned releases.Which do u think will look great in BLU	Blu-ray Movies - North America	BLU for Blue	26	02-07-2008 01:28 PM
The true future with downloads: RECESSION!!!!!	General Chat	buckshot	6	01-13-2008 07:14 PM
HD media war, why it's not fierce, and the future (downloads)	General Chat	jsteinhauer	19	10-13-2007 04:37 AM

12-13-2007, 04:30 PM	#2
Snowgod Active Member Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Central NH	Now, Imagine everyone starts downloading the next Harry Potter film at the moment it is released. The internet would come to a screeching halt. No amount of load balancing would be enough.

12-13-2007, 07:18 PM	#6
181 Active Member Member since:Dec 2007	I think the problem is that you are assuming Microsoft comes up with good ideas. If you throw that assumption out, you have your answer.

12-13-2007, 07:30 PM	#7
JJ Blu-ray Count Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Miami, FL Home Theater Gallery:99 4K collection:619 Blu-ray collection:1293 DVD collection:31 Digital collection:5 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:203	Silly Microsoft. I need to learn from Windows Me and this silly Vista Im running.

12-13-2007, 07:45 PM	#8
Kayne314 Senior Member Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Blu-ray reviews:1	I really don't think this kind of thing would work for High Definition. I have Video on demand for Standard definition, and even that is highly compressed video quality. I truly don't think the bandwidth exists to handle a 3 hour HD movie like POTC-AWE. And I cannot imagine people putting up with a 50Gb download. Even on high speed internet it would take 12 hours to download, if the connection doesn't choke. Downloading compressed SD content for portable devices is already active, and I can see that expanding to TV use, but not for Home Theater Quality, and High Def. We'd need an entirely new internet infrastructure, and some new technology considerably faster than existing internet speeds. The costs would be so astronomical, I cannot see it being feasible for at least 15 to 20 years. Of course, "640k should be enough for anybody".

12-13-2007, 08:06 PM	#10
squirrelprophet Junior Member Member since:Jun 2007	I've downloaded a few moives to my Ipod- and they look oKAY on an SD set- but you can still tell the difference- PLUS- you could get the DVD version of Pirates for 13.99 the first week at most place- the iTunes version is 12.99 for the new Release- ad more than likely will end up at 14.99 eventually- and I know that comes to over a Gig - maybe 2 or three considering the siaze- and it DOESN"T have speical Featues, the pciture sound qualtiy- the audio quality, or the audio and subtitle options. noty to mention that at just a few GIgs (i'm assuming- I haven't downloaded the latest one- seems a waste of money and space to me) but even on a 250 GIg hardrive that would tkae a lot of space- and a whole or most of a DVD-R 4.7 GIg to back up. PLUS- are digital downlaods going to start adding previews and commercials as well? It's no stuprise that SO many people are starting to abajndon Microsoft- i've noticed a SERIOUS increase in Apple sales since Vista came out. I still hate XP- I can't imagine having to get used to another OS that I will surely hate.

12-13-2007, 08:10 PM	#11
milou6 Active Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Ohio	bandwidth and storage will increase dramaticially (internet2 etc), but not THAT dramatically -- which brings us to the real issue: downloading limited-use poor-res media is already here, and if it gains enough speed before HDM is widely embraced, we're screwed. It will make HD-DVD look good by comparison! We're talking video compression up the wazoo and back to 320k dolby digital. J6P doesn't know what PQ and AQ is upposed to look like -- hell J6P watches stretched SD on their HDTV and thinks it looks good -- so unless people get a taste of quality they will happily settle for poor quality "semi HD" movies.

12-13-2007, 08:19 PM	#14
blu-rayfan101 Expert Member Member since:Aug 2007 Location:The Universe.	How the hell do I take it to a friends or let him watch it at his house on the weekend? How do I sell it when i'm bored of it? What do I do if i'm half way throught downloading it and my computer crashs or interent signal fails? What happens if I delete by mistake can I get it back for free or do i have to buy it again?

12-13-2007, 08:40 PM	#18
JJ Blu-ray Count Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Miami, FL Home Theater Gallery:99 4K collection:619 Blu-ray collection:1293 DVD collection:31 Digital collection:5 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:203	Glad I got all these responses - very well put, and do everything to prove my point - that downloads are aimless for the people.

12-13-2007, 08:46 PM	#19
DefTechPioElite Expert Member Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Baltimore, MD Home Theater Gallery:23 Blu-ray collection:108 Blu-ray reviews:1	My main question is how would I even watch this on my HDTV? Assuming I take the time to download a HD movie, do I have to have a PC hooked up to my TV? I mean what's the deal here? Do I have to burn it to a DVD/BD/HDDVD? Streaming? I seriously dont get it. And that is aside from my whole issue with the picture/sound quality. I really dont think we would be getting PCM tracks or top quality video from a download. I am a true purist at heart, I dont use EQ, I prefer to listen to a CD versus compressed music, and I only use surround if it's encoded on the disc, other wise, 2-channel all the way. So, just the thought of watching a downloaded compressed movie irks me.

12-13-2007, 08:57 PM	#20
Sonny Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Aug 2007 Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray reviews:6 Trading Score:1	Everything about DD is shit & the files would have to be much smaller which is even crappier Never, NO thanks they can keep that shit!!!!

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals