‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Rekindled My Love Of Physical Media

[stonesfan129]

To each their own. I enjoy streams as well as Blu-ray discs. I am unable to tell the difference between the lossless sound formats and plain old vanilla Dolby Digital 5.1. As for picture quality, I think services like Vudu and Apple have gotten a lot better vs 8-10 years ago. But I would still say a disc looks better, especially when it comes to things like film grain, dimly lit films and other small subtleties. I remember watching a few of the Harry Potter films on Vudu last fall and couldn't believe how much banding it had in dark areas (using the HDX versions). Put my Blu-rays in and did not notice any banding. And as stated, having the physical discs means no one can cut off your access to viewing the work.

[deatheats]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

To each their own. I enjoy streams as well as Blu-ray discs. I am unable to tell the difference between the lossless sound formats and plain old vanilla Dolby Digital 5.1. As for picture quality, I think services like Vudu and Apple have gotten a lot better vs 8-10 years ago. But I would still say a disc looks better, especially when it comes to things like film grain, dimly lit films and other small subtleties. I remember watching a few of the Harry Potter films on Vudu last fall and couldn't believe how much banding it had in dark areas (using the HDX versions). Put my Blu-rays in and did not notice any banding. And as stated, having the physical discs means no one can cut off your access to viewing the work.

I’m imagining you are either using TVs speakers, or a run of the mill sound bar. The difference between lossless and lossy audio is night and day if you have the proper equipment. Fury Road, in particular, has a very energetic and engaging sound design.

Watched the Road Warrior last night in Atmos, and 4k for the first time…definitely sounds better than the DVD…

[stonesfan129]

Originally Posted by deatheats

I’m imagining you are either using TVs speakers, or a run of the mill sound bar. The difference between lossless and lossy audio is night and day if you have the proper equipment. Fury Road, in particular, has a very energetic and engaging sound design.

Watched the Road Warrior last night in Atmos, and 4k for the first time…definitely sounds better than the DVD…

My main system in the den is a Sony STR-DH590 receiver and the speaker system off of an old Philips/Magnavox MX940. I think the main speakers are 6", the sub is smaller though, probably one of those 5.25" deals, rears are just small satellites and I am guessing the center channel is smaller too like the satellites. It sounds a hell of a lot better than a soundbar to me and I'm no longer stuck with multichannel DD/DD+ or stereo PCM.

The receiver that the MX940 system came with was on its last leg, didn't have the controller for it anymore, and the sub is starting to go too (hence my seeking to replace it). I got this from my dad who bought them about 25 years ago and he just never used it. It was one of those deals that used DLPII to upmix stereo into surround. I just don't think it really shows off what lossless was capable of. Either that or my hearing sucks or I just can't tell.

I moved my Roku system to my upstairs bedroom. That consists of a Roku Streambar Pro and the 10-inch subwoofer it comes with (I think it is now called the Wireless Bass Pro - 10-inch 150W). This setup only supports multichannel DD/DD+ and stereo PCM. I think it sounds fine for a bedroom/small room.

Yes, soundbars will never be a replacement for a proper AVR setup. But they take up less room and are easier to deal with for the vast majority of folks.