The Wheel of Time

[Cplhicks]

Originally Posted by Vincanws

I'm enjoying this but, like Witcher, I know very little about the source material (aside the video game in Witcher's case), and this will absolutely need a second viewing to take it all in.

My biggest gripe / hang-up is actually technical. And not sure I've seen it mentioned in thread so far. The Amazon Prime encoding / image artifacting is terrible. Seeing blotches and all sorts that stand out at 4K on a larger size screen. I've compared it with other shows on Amazon to be sure, and I can't work out why they've made one of their new flagship shows look that bad considering the money they've pumped in. They could probably fix it by re-encoding the whole show for Prime as the source material I'm assuming is fine as it should be. It looks great to me in most other areas: environments, world building, costumes and sets. The cg is 'fine'.

I had the same problem with the encoding looking horribly compressed and blocky/pixely. I switched to 1080 (turned off 4k) and it looked SOOO much better. Something is wrong with the 4k feed on Amazon, I think. Expanse 4k looks amazing, this looks terrible. So it's not my internet feed, it's the 4k version. Try 1080p if you can, it will look a lot better, I bet.

[Vincanws]

Originally Posted by Cplhicks

I had the same problem with the encoding looking horribly compressed and blocky/pixely. I switched to 1080 (turned off 4k) and it looked SOOO much better. Something is wrong with the 4k feed on Amazon, I think. Expanse 4k looks amazing, this looks terrible. So it's not my internet feed, it's the 4k version. Try 1080p if you can, it will look a lot better, I bet.

Thanks, not only me then. I might switch it to 1080p, but honestly, they should fix that.

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by Vincanws

Thanks, not only me then. I might switch it to 1080p, but honestly, they should fix that.

I haven't watched this particular show yet, but Amazon Prime uses some of the lowest 4K bitrates I have seen (often under 10 Mbps), so if you have material that isn't very easy to compress it can look crappy. It's strange because their 1080p bitrates are typically fine. So yes, switching to 1080p will probably be a major improvement in this case if you can do without HDR.

[Vincanws]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

I haven't watched this particular show yet, but Amazon Prime uses some of the lowest 4K bitrates I have seen (often under 10 Mbps), so if you have material that isn't very easy to compress it can look crappy. It's strange because their 1080p bitrates are typically fine. So yes, switching to 1080p will probably be a major improvement in this case if you can do without HDR.

Maybe will have to, just would rather not. You have other shows like Hanna in 4k that look absolutely fine and I don't know anything else I've seen that looks as bad as Wheels. I sway to it just being iffy encoding? So, I don't know. They need to just correct it or something.

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by Vincanws

Maybe will have to, just would rather not. You have other shows like Hanna in 4k that look absolutely fine and I don't know anything else I've seen that looks as bad as Wheels. I sway to it just being iffy encoding? So, I don't know. They need to just correct it or something.

It depends a lot on the source material. For example, shows with film grain are much harder to compress than digitally shot shows with that clean digital look. Another example of the latter is The Expanse, which looks fine in 4K even at Amazon's low bitrates.

[s2mikey]

So, Im three episodes in and Im just not feeling it with this one. Feels generic or something. None of the characters are particularly interesting either. So, probably bailing on this. Just not that good, IMO. Ya'll enjoy.

[reedzkee]

Originally Posted by Cplhicks

I had the same problem with the encoding looking horribly compressed and blocky/pixely. I switched to 1080 (turned off 4k) and it looked SOOO much better. Something is wrong with the 4k feed on Amazon, I think. Expanse 4k looks amazing, this looks terrible. So it's not my internet feed, it's the 4k version. Try 1080p if you can, it will look a lot better, I bet.

I can't stream anything 4K HDR from amazon at home. It's always a disaster. Huge splotches of teal and pink across the whole screen. Strange skin tone colors.

Interestingly, it looks fine at work on a non-hdr 4k TV and a terrible internet connection.

[RLEVIS]

Great shoow must watch

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

So, Im three episodes in and Im just not feeling it with this one. Feels generic or something. None of the characters are particularly interesting either. So, probably bailing on this. Just not that good, IMO. Ya'll enjoy.

OK. Gonna hold you to this and not expect any more posts here from you.

[Det. Bullock]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

So, Im three episodes in and Im just not feeling it with this one. Feels generic or something. None of the characters are particularly interesting either. So, probably bailing on this. Just not that good, IMO. Ya'll enjoy.

It's one of the most copied fantasy sagas after JRR's, of course it feels generic especially at the start when it was intentionally so.

[Naiera]

lollers

[Det. Bullock]

Apparently this is the episode where one of the main actors left, when I saw the episode I knew it was an odd change but my understanding was that he left between seasons not before they finished shooting.

[Vincanws]

I'm getting into the story the past couple of episodes or so in particular episode 6. As I was thinking I'd say when the season is said and done a rewatch from the start may be be in order as I'm now familiar with the characters and where they'd headed. Good stuff...

[Det. Bullock]

Possible spoilers for those that haven't read the books:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnbm...ature=youtu.be

[John1701D]

Really interesting video but damn my hand cramped just watching it.

[Auditor55]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

So, Im three episodes in and Im just not feeling it with this one. Feels generic or something. None of the characters are particularly interesting either. So, probably bailing on this. Just not that good, IMO. Ya'll enjoy.

Well, it's more or less a series based on a feminist, matriarchal fantasy world, where the men are generally weaker and ruled under powerful gynocratic order.

[Det. Bullock]

Originally Posted by Auditor55

Well, it's more or less a series based on a feminist, matriarchal fantasy world, where the men are generally weaker and ruled under powerful gynocratic order.

LOL wut?

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by Det. Bullock

LOL wut?

Don't give it any attention.

[Auditor55]

Originally Posted by Det. Bullock

LOL wut?

Have you watched it? Men aren't even allowed to channel? This show is clearly a fantasy world where the female gender is dominant over the men, which is a matriarchy. The Aes Sedai is a gynocratic order.

[Det. Bullock]

Originally Posted by Auditor55

Have you watched it? Men aren't even allowed to channel? This show is clearly a fantasy world where the female gender is dominant over the men, which is a matriarchy. The Aes Sedai is a gynocratic order.

Yes and they are seen as indisputably positive and they have no issues with conflicting agendas or outright evil stuff at all.