Physical & Digital EST: The Future of Home Video Discussion Thread

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Oh, I totally agree but that’s the trend here in the U.K., people don’t seem to care. From what people say, it’s a trend in the U.S also?

Unfortunately it is everywhere.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

^So, if you buy a film via ITunes/Apple tv+, you will get lesser quality compared to the Apple TV box itself if you play it through a tv app or via a console? That seems a bit naff.

It is apple, they have always been about monopolistic tendencies.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

It is apple, they have always been about monopolistic tendencies.

I wonder if they make that info clear to purchasers?

[Steedeel]

Geoff just got a ban, what the heck?

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

The issue in essence is DVD, it represented ,as a format for a little while, both niche and mass so to some people it must be mass or niche will disappear.

Physical media very quickly reached mass market status. Then it peaked and has become niche. And it will stay niche until it either no longer makes financial sense to support it or it is replaced by something else.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I have redeemed my Lionsgate and Paramount digital codes at Vudu; will the Apple 4K TV allow me to access movies from a competing digital seller such as Vudu?

Yes, the Apple TV has a VUDU app. VUDU doesn't want to give Apple a cut of their profits, so you can only view your owned content or watch VUDU's free content. FandangoNow is the same way. The app has only been available since last year (I think), and FandangoNow strangely doesn't offer HDR on the app for some reason.

Apple and Amazon worked out a deal, so you can view and purchase content from Amazon.

Originally Posted by Steedeel

^So, if you buy a film via ITunes/Apple tv+, you will get lesser quality compared to the Apple TV box itself if you play it through a tv app or via a console? That seems a bit naff.

Apple TV+ is a streaming service, similar to Disney+ or Netflix. It's the Apple TV app on non-Apple devices, or "TV" app on Apple devices.

Some Apple TV+ programming has higher bitrates than the films you buy from any of the digital storefronts until BRAVIA CORE comes out. I'm not counting Kaleidescape since it's downloads, not streaming.

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I wonder if they make that info clear to purchasers?

lgans316 can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the bitrates would be comparable to VUDU, and certainly higher than Amazon on third-party devices, so I'm not sure there's any reason to. Basically, people with an ATV get a better experience.

Besides, I doubt most people really care about bitrates as much as enthusiasts do, and enthusiasts probably already know this information.

[cheez avenger]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I will ask my question here as it was ignored elsewhere:

I do have a question for those of you that stream far more often than I do. I have complained about the audio quality of streamed content, but I know some of that is due to how I stream in the first place. I use the built-in apps on my Sony X900F TV, mostly Vudu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, but my TV only supports ARC, not eARC.

Now that I have an AVR that supports Atmos, I would like to take full advantage of it and that means either buying a new TV that supports eARC or buying a dedicated streaming device that supports more audio formats. Which dedicated streaming device would be the best one to buy to get the most out of the apps that I use? I prefer one that has an ethernet connection as I made the effort to run ethernet cable to my viewing room. Is doing this worth the modest expense? Would I hear a noticeable improvement by using a dedicated streaming device over using the ARC function of my TV?

I have an Apple TV 4K. It's awesome and I use to stream almost exclusively. I also have a PS5. Prior to the APTV4K I used a PS4 and it was great.

[bhampton]

I do love my ATV4K and I am hopeful a new version will be even better.

My UHD BDP (Panasonic UB420) isn't connected to the network at all and my projector doesn't have any apps ... it's more like a monitor than a TV in that regard.

So, my ATV4K does about everything (streaming wise) and whatever it does it does it well. It's even pretty good at personal media using Plex or Infuse.

[meremortal]

Looking into streaming more. From what I've read, it looks like Disney+ is fairly good in the aq department with bitrates around 640kbps; it's basically equivalent to DD+ on blu and many older blus had this bitrate. Unfortunately some blu studios like Full Moon are using even less bitrate closer to dvd standards.

[Vilya]

Thanks everyone for all the information about the Apple 4K TV; it sounds like I should wait until the new version appears.

I notice that the Apple 4K TVs have either 32 gb or 64 gb of storage; is this mostly for some kind of gaming function? Only a $20 difference between the two, but I will not be using it to play games; that's what the computer is for.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Geoff just got a ban, what the heck?

I wonder what happened? I sure hope that his absence is a short one.

Another odd thing is that his avatar is still displayed with his posts. Usually, the avatar is removed while banned.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Thanks everyone for all the information about the Apple 4K TV; it sounds like I should wait until the new version appears.

I notice that the Apple 4K TVs have either 32 gb or 64 gb of storage; is this mostly for some kind of gaming function? Only a $20 difference between the two, but I will not be using it to play games; that's what the computer is for.

I have a 64GB Apple TV (4th Generation - HD) model, and a 32GB Apple TV (5th Generation - 4K) model. Unless you plan on gaming or think you MIGHT in the future, there's no reason to get a 64GB version.

Yeah, we know Apple is working on a newer model, and they probably planned to release it last year, but put it off due to the pandemic. Hopefully it's a Spring release and not a Fall release.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by Alan Gordon

I have a 64GB Apple TV (4th Generation - HD) model, and a 32GB Apple TV (5th Generation - 4K) model. Unless you plan on gaming or think you MIGHT in the future, there's no reason to get a 64GB version.

Yeah, we know Apple is working on a newer model, and they probably planned to release it last year, but put it off due to the pandemic. Hopefully it's a Spring release and not a Fall release.

Since March 2020 Apple has released the following new products:

MacBook Air
iPad Pro
iPhone SE
IMac
iPad iPad Air
Apple Watch series 6
Apple Watch SE
4 different iPhone 12 models
HomePod Mini
M1 MacBook Pro
M1 MacBook Air
M1 Mac mini
AirPods Max

I think it it safe to say that Apple did not put off releasing new products because of the pandemic.

[bhampton]

I'm hoping the new ATV4K is delayed because they are making the perfect device.

[cheez avenger]

And as what was mentioned pages back the current ATV4K will be getting an update soon. Firmware update 14.5 will have:

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.ph...&id=1613548043

[lgans316]

Originally Posted by meremortal

Looking into streaming more. From what I've read, it looks like Disney+ is fairly good in the aq department with bitrates around 640kbps; it's basically equivalent to DD+ on blu and many older blus had this bitrate. Unfortunately some blu studios like Full Moon are using even less bitrate closer to dvd standards.

D+ 5.1 is 256 Kbps and not 640 Kbps. Atmos is 768 Kbps.

Netflix is 640.Kbps for 5.1 and 768 Kbps for Atmos.

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Physical media very quickly reached mass market status. Then it peaked and has become niche. And it will stay niche until it either no longer makes financial sense to support it or it is replaced by something else.

Even at its peak physical media was drastically less popular than broadcast and cable TV. Physical media has never been the primary form of media viewing for most people.

From the moment I started collecting physical media in the 90s I recognized that it wasn't a popular thing to do... but that never bothered me in the slightest. I will continue to support physical media (and only physical media) because I think it's the superior option; that will always remain true regardless of how niche it becomes.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

And as what was mentioned pages back the current ATV4K will be getting an update soon. Firmware update 14.5 will have:

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.ph...&id=1613548043

Already discussed before this article.

I test the betas, and that 14.5 beta first appeared Feb 8th, it wasn't until 14.5 beta 2 was out and then that site started to yack about it. Its current beta 3 with both integer and fractional frame rate support. There is no 2160P@24 Hz DV setting anymore, only 30 Hz/60 Hz now.

Now the biggest joke out there is don't buy ATV update coming soon. The last model was September 12, 2017. If I had to guess they are looking at giving that a more powerful processor than the base A14 and that it would hold it up till 3rd Q. It won't happen in March as they are spending more effort on getting a line of desktops/workstations engineered for WWDC even if they don't ship until 3rd Q.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Even at its peak physical media was drastically less popular than broadcast and cable TV. Physical media has never been the primary form of media viewing for most people.

From the moment I started collecting physical media in the 90s I recognized that it wasn't a popular thing to do... but that never bothered me in the slightest. I will continue to support physical media (and only physical media) because I think it's the superior option; that will always remain true regardless of how niche it becomes.

I think the only thing we have to worry about is not physical media sales but retail stores allowing the consumers to see HT components/speakers and displays to motivate continued growth and sales irregardless of whether they are OTA, Cable, Streaming, or Physical Media users. This pandemic has heavily impacted sales of HT gear. As I like to use the AVR marketplace as a indicator to judge what's happening, too much out of stock at retailers observed except of junk or cheap models. Even TV I don't think there is a ton of inventory hanging out there to sell. I hope this year's manufacturing allows the industry to return.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by gotmule

Since March 2020 Apple has released the following new products:

MacBook Air
iPad Pro
iPhone SE
IMac
iPad iPad Air
Apple Watch series 6
Apple Watch SE
4 different iPhone 12 models
HomePod Mini
M1 MacBook Pro
M1 MacBook Air
M1 Mac mini
AirPods Max

I think it it safe to say that Apple did not put off releasing new products because of the pandemic.

A valid point (you forgot the 8th Generation iPad), but many of those products (iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, etc.) are yearly refreshes of very popular products, or new premium/budget versions of current products. Apple considers the Apple TV to be a "hobby" product, and the upcoming version is expected to be a small upgrade over the current model focusing primarily on chips and a rumored new remote. It's possible that chip production may have been targeted because of the pandemic as well.

However, you're absolutely right in that Apple most likely COULD have released the new ATV last year regardless of the pandemic if they wanted to. A streamer certainly seems like a good product to put out in the past year.