To download or not to download

[JimShaw]

Didn’t catch the whole radio program but they were discussing all the new electronics. That discussion turned to downloading movies and new systems that will download HD quality movies which they said has already started to slow down Blu sales because people are waiting to download vs purchasing discs.

Anyone heard of such a thing?? I have heard that one cannot down load true HD quality movies, any truth??

[Clark Kent]

There are options for downloading HD movies but it has had absolutely no effect on Blu-ray sales at all. The first market downloading will really eat into is pay per view and rentals. Anyone that says anything differently is biased against Blu-ray for whatever reason.

[pEgLeG]

Missed the program.

I'm sure one could DL true HD movies, but would we get the special feature's? I know a lot of people don't care about them, but I do.

EDIT: I know it's kind of silly, but I like to be able to see my movie collection in cases so I'll never settle for DL's unless I'm forced to. Unless it's just for movies I would only rent anyways, I would DL those.

[supersix4]

Yeah it’s like the movies they put on the systems where it says HD!, but really its only about 4-6gb of movie. There is no way its anything is happening in the next 2-5 years because its all going to be compressed so that its a quick download, most people haven’t even switched to 1400kbps(DSL) so to think they would start putting up movies that were 25-50gb it wont happen any time soon.


They are trying to limit bandwidth now so to think apple or MS will roll out a 20-50gb dl for mass use is like saying we can lanuch a rocket to mars in 3 days, it's just not going to happen.

[AintNoSin]

Never mind that downloading is still a geeky thing to do. Most average people don't have their entertainment systems wired to the internet, even when they do have fast enough connections.

The options for downloading movies are too numerous and confusing for mass adoption.

Blu-ray, on the other hand, is an extension of a familiar paradigm. Also, no matter whose player I have, I can get my movies from anywhere. I don't have to buy movies from Sony just becaues I have a Sony player.

Frankly, it will be a long, long time before downloads are ready for prime time.

[wem003]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

There are options for downloading HD movies but it has had absolutely no effect on Blu-ray sales at all. The first market downloading will really eat into is pay per view and rentals. Anyone that says anything differently is biased against Blu-ray for whatever reason.

I don't think digital distribution will ever take the place of physical media, but I am not sure I agree that the downloading HD content (whether its iTunes, on Demand, whatever) is not affecting blu sales.

The average consumer that doesn't yet care about blu-ray is going to get HD from whatever way is easiest to them, and they wont care that its lossy and compressed.

So if the guy who just picked up a 720p flat panel at Best Buy can watch on demand movies, why would he bother spending another $400 for a player and more for a blu-ray movie than dvd?

Being an early adopter and huge blu-ray fan, I certainly hope it keeps growing, but I can't help but wonder when players are still expensive, movies still expensive, and most of the population not being addicted like us - where will be a year from now?

[Marquoz]

The best defense Blu-ray has against downloads is being able to offer a complete package. It is easier to package all the extras, deleted scenes, and other stuff that a good majority of people want on the disk then it is to increase the download of a file even more. Even renting a disk gives you the added features versus download. As more and more people learn they are getting half the movie versus renting it in a store, I think people will shy away from downloading, or the download file will just get bigger and bigger, taking longer to download and being compressed even more.

I don't see a fully featured, lossless audio version being offered for download with high bitrates because of the length of time it would take to be able to get it from the server to the player. Even downloading a game off PSN aggravates me because it takes too long and I just want to run to circuit city 5 blocks away and pick it up.

[lch]

for me, downloading will be for show that i like but the like-ness is just not that enough to buy and keep it or the bd version is just mastered so poorly making me foolish to buy the disc.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by pEgLeG

Missed the program.

I'm sure one could DL true HD movies, but would we get the special feature's? I know a lot of people don't care about them, but I do.

EDIT: I know it's kind of silly, but I like to be able to see my movie collection in cases so I'll never settle for DL's unless I'm forced to. Unless it's just for movies I would only rent anyways, I would DL those.

That's not silly at all. I would have to buy a couple thousand tetrabyte drive before I could even consider collecting BD quality movies. Plus just downloading them would take countless hours because my cable connection speed is at best only 3000 kbps. I am not going to ditch my BD player and my BD collection for that.

I too would much rather have BDs in cases like I did for my DVDs. I like to physically see my collection.

Steve and Bill can just go suck an egg for all I care. I am not going to let everything that I own and my life too centered around and controlled by a computer. Their dream is my worst nightmare.

[Anthony P]

I don't think digital distribution will ever take the place of physical media, but I am not sure I agree that the downloading HD content (whether its iTunes, on Demand, whatever) is not affecting blu sales.

The average consumer that doesn't yet care about blu-ray is going to get HD from whatever way is easiest to them, and they wont care that its lossy and compressed.

but the one that does not care about quality does not care about quality. Why will he go for HD-light when he can have SD and if he cares enough for HD why would he not care enough for real HD and accept HD-light?

the issue is that most of this "HD-DL" are just way over compressed 720p. As for

As for easier, why is DL easier then buying (or renting) a BD. It is not as if I can take my DL movie to my friends house to see it? I need to pay a lot more for higher BW from my provider, if it is not some crap DL I will also get in trouble with my ISPs limits on monthly usage..... it is much simpler to just buy a movie and put it in your player when you want then being charged as much but hoping that all is well while you are watching because hicks on the internet will affect playback. And what if one person wants to watch one thing in the BR, someone else something else in the FR and a third something in the HT? do you have the BW for that?

[big-bleu]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

Didn’t catch the whole radio program but they were discussing all the new electronics. That discussion turned to downloading movies and new systems that will download HD quality movies which they said has already started to slow down Blu sales because people are waiting to download vs purchasing discs.

Anyone heard of such a thing?? I have heard that one cannot down load true HD quality movies, any truth??

downloading
even if you could it wouldn't be as good