Why do some digital movies not have 5.1 surround sound available?

[MrHT]

There are a few digital movies that come to mind that are not available in 5.1 surround sound, such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Striptease.”

Both are Movies Anywhere so I can stream them on MA, ITunes, Vudu and Amazon. With TMNT, Movies Anywhere is the only app that has it in 5.1 surround sound but it’s out of sync. With Striptease, none of the apps offer 5.1. Yet both are 5.1 on Blu-ray.

What is with that? This is what makes me frustrated with going digital and making me cling onto physical media!

[-Gonzo-]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is available in 5.1 via iTunes in the UK.

[lgans316]

Originally Posted by MrHT

There are a few digital movies that come to mind that are not available in 5.1 surround sound, such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Striptease.”

Both are Movies Anywhere so I can stream them on MA, ITunes, Vudu and Amazon. With TMNT, Movies Anywhere is the only app that has it in 5.1 surround sound but it’s out of sync. With Striptease, none of the apps offer 5.1. Yet both are 5.1 on Blu-ray.

What is with that? This is what makes me frustrated with going digital and making me cling onto physical media!

Have a look at the 4K threads. QC issues reported quite often. I myself have gone through a string of bad 4K discs. The grass always looks greener on the other side.

You do get some some inconsistencies with digital and at times the Studios do fix it if you report it and at times they turn a blind eye

[donutbat]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a title that bothers me since it only plays stereo except at MA. It does list 5.1 at all retailers if it's a 4K copy though, but I haven't been able to upgrade.

[erlinmeyer]

Originally Posted by donutbat

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a title that bothers me since it only plays stereo except at MA. It does list 5.1 at all retailers if it's a 4K copy though, but I haven't been able to upgrade.

Just played it from the Apple app and it was 5.1.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by -Gonzo-

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is available in 5.1 via iTunes in the UK.

Funny, it’s only on stereo on my end. I’m in the U.S.

I ended up just buying it on BD.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by lgans316

Have a look at the 4K threads. QC issues reported quite often. I myself have gone through a string of bad 4K discs. The grass always looks greener on the other side.

You do get some some inconsistencies with digital and at times the Studios do fix it if you report it and at times they turn a blind eye

So you’re saying that the lack of 5.1 surround sound is likely a QC issue?

[lgans316]

Originally Posted by MrHT

So you’re saying that the lack of 5.1 surround sound is likely a QC issue?

I am not sure The Studios are in charge of the file. You can contact customer support and see if it gets any positive response.

Just because a few movies have incorrect audio doesn't mean the entire platform is bad.

[-Gonzo-]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Funny, it’s only on stereo on my end. I’m in the U.S.

I ended up just buying it on BD.

They appear to be listed under different studios, Warner Bros in the US whereas in the UK it’s under Golden Harvest.

I also have the US BD

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by lgans316

I am not sure The Studios are in charge of the file. You can contact customer support and see if it gets any positive response.

Just because a few movies have incorrect audio doesn't mean the entire platform is bad.

The studio/distributor provides the digital file, some retailers get stuck with older files that either have the wrong aspect ratio or audio is downgraded from the original track. The video and/or audio can also have an error that the studio would have to fix.

Broken Arrow 1996 is stereo via Apple & Movies Anywhere, it is 5.1 through Vudu & Amazon. However, Vudu’s file has an error where the audio comes out of all the speakers.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by steve_dave

The studio/distributor provides the digital file, some retailers get stuck with older files that either have the wrong aspect ratio or audio is downgraded from the original track. The video and/or audio can also have an error that the studio would have to fix.

Broken Arrow 1996 is stereo via Apple & Movies Anywhere, it is 5.1 through Vudu & Amazon. However, Vudu’s file has an error where the audio comes out of all the speakers.

The interesting thing is that TMNT is in 5.1 even on the DVD. So I don’t understand how some digital copies are downgraded to stereo.

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by MrHT

The interesting thing is that TMNT is in 5.1 even on the DVD. So I don’t understand how some digital copies are downgraded to stereo.

Originally digital copies were for portable use thus 5.1 or even surround sound was not a huge deal. As digital evolved into an accepted format for home viewing and home theaters, so did the quality.

The studios provided digital files with stereo audio and have not updated these since. Of course, with 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos now being the highest quality, now new files are being uploaded. For iTunes, that means even an HD movie can have Atmos audio but for other services, only the 4K stream gets the audio upgrade.

Now as I and some others have said, if a title is Movies Anywhere then you can service hop to find a provider who offers surround sound for your movie. If it is not then unfortunately, you have to just wait & see if the studio sends an updated version.

[donutbat]

Originally Posted by erlinmeyer

Just played it from the Apple app and it was 5.1.

Thanks for the info!

[blurayjunkie]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I have a question about digital movies. Does Microsoft update the HD movies you have bought when a 4K version becomes available (like itunes does) or do they make you repurchase the movie to have it in 4K?I started buying some movies digitally because of amazing prices and convince, so I would be very tankful to have this question answered.

PS bonus question anyone know what codec Microsoft uses? Obviously newer movies and tv shows should be using x.265, but do you think they use this same codec for older content to save on server space?.

[kannibaliztik]

Originally Posted by blurayjunkie

Sorry to hijack this thread but I have a question about digital movies. Does Microsoft update the HD movies you have bought when a 4K version becomes available (like itunes does) or do they make you repurchase the movie to have it in 4K?I started buying some movies digitally because of amazing prices and convince, so I would be very tankful to have this question answered.

PS bonus question anyone know what codec Microsoft uses? Obviously newer movies and tv shows should be using x.265, but do you think they use this same codec for older content to save on server space?.

No, you have to buy again for 4K.

[blurayjunkie]

Originally Posted by kannibaliztik

No, you have to buy again for 4K.

Oh that's a shame, oh well.

[arob]

Here's a few that I have held off disc to digitaling because they only have stereo at VUDU, and are not MA.

Disturbia
Old School Unrated
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
White Christmas

This one I had been holding off on, but just checked and it's now 5.1. Yay! I am guessing because they added the 4K.

Enemy at the Gates

MGM are also notorious for bad sound on VUDU, and of course not being MA you are stuck with them (HDX examples below just from my collection). Hopefully with Amazon owning them now, they may want to improve their digital releases for Prime, and they could trickle down to VUDU.

1. Dances with Wolves
2. In the Heat of the Night
3. Platoon (4K has 5.1)
4. Return of the Magnificent Seven
5. Guns of the Magnificent Seven
6. The Magnificent Seven Ride!
7. Legally Blonde
8. Jeepers Creepers
9. Carrie 1976
10. Capote
11. Robocop 1987 (4k has 5.1)
12. Rocky 2
13. Rocky 3
14. Rocky 5
15. Get Shorty
16. Rob Roy
17. Mad Max (4K has 5.1)

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by arob

Here's a few that I have held off disc to digitaling because they only have stereo at VUDU, and are not MA.

Disturbia
Old School Unrated
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
White Christmas

DO NOT.... I repeat, DO NOT purchase "White Christmas" from Vudu. The picture quality is absolutely horrendous! Looks like a public domain copy of some sort.

Don't make the same mistake I did. If you purchase it, you will regret it for the rest of your life!

[crackedknee]

Originally Posted by MrHT

DO NOT.... I repeat, DO NOT purchase "White Christmas" from Vudu. The picture quality is absolutely horrendous! Looks like a public domain copy of some sort.

Don't make the same mistake I did. If you purchase it, you will regret it for the rest of your life!

It might be the same as The Kentuckian, another very poorly scanned movie. It's possible that White Christmas and The Kentuckian were a lazy (and sloppy) HD upconvert rather than a proper HD scan.

[mulscul]

Originally Posted by arob

Here's a few that I have held off disc to digitaling because they only have stereo at VUDU, and are not MA.

Disturbia
Old School Unrated
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
White Christmas

This one I had been holding off on, but just checked and it's now 5.1. Yay! I am guessing because they added the 4K.

Enemy at the Gates

MGM are also notorious for bad sound on VUDU, and of course not being MA you are stuck with them (HDX examples below just from my collection). Hopefully with Amazon owning them now, they may want to improve their digital releases for Prime, and they could trickle down to VUDU.

1. Dances with Wolves
2. In the Heat of the Night
3. Platoon (4K has 5.1)
4. Return of the Magnificent Seven
5. Guns of the Magnificent Seven
6. The Magnificent Seven Ride!
7. Legally Blonde
8. Jeepers Creepers
9. Carrie 1976
10. Capote
11. Robocop 1987 (4k has 5.1)
12. Rocky 2
13. Rocky 3
14. Rocky 5
15. Get Shorty
16. Rob Roy
17. Mad Max (4K has 5.1)

So Wargames, Rocky 4, and Misery are ok as they aren't on this list?