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

[Wendell R. Breland]

For western fans, know anything about The Old Way? Have The Old Way in my disc rental queue but it shows a long wait. Not a western but will add One Ranger to my queue, releases June 13, 2023.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I want to know more about this Anthonyflix!

I will tell you in 30 years, for now I will be paying an extra 20$ a month so that the telco won't be asking why I want symmetrical when the time comes.

[bhampton]

In 30 years maybe steaming quality will be good enough for me. Depends on how well I age.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by bhampton

In 30 years maybe steaming quality will be good enough for me.

It won't be.

I don't see you settling for less.

A quick post to prove that I'm still standing.

[unberechenbar]

Nope. Have a big backlog so it'll be a while before I get around to it. Will share my thoughts here when I do though.

Well I finally got around to watching Stagecoach.

The PQ was great. The movie itself was average. It was kind of obvious that Trace Adkins was wearing a wig and there weren't the wide-open spaces that I typically associate with Westerns. It also didn't look like Texas since there were so many trees. Predictable story with a nice twist. The score was not bad.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

For western fans, know anything about The Old Way? Have The Old Way in my disc rental queue but it shows a long wait. Not a western but will add One Ranger to my queue, releases June 13, 2023.

I appreciate some Cage movies, but I wasn’t grabbed by seeing him in a western. The trailer looked pretty formulaic and did not compel me to order it, but I still may grab it at some point down the road if some positive reviews start coming in. I think a rental is the smart way to go. Don’t know anything about One Ranger though.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by unberechenbar

The PQ was great. The movie itself was average.

I agree. It was a really cheap UHD purchase so no regrets as it was one of the few blind buys I have made.

[Lee A Stewart]

Circana Research: Disc Still Spinning, Generated $1.34B in U.S. During Past Year

While Netflix may be exiting the disc rental business, research shows consumers are keeping the disc spinning.

The U.S. DVD/Blu-ray Disc industry generated $1.34 billion for the 12 months ending March 2023, with sales reaching 94 million units, according to Circana, formerly The NPD Group and IRI.

Tentpole titles, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick continue to sell through as consumers show an ongoing interest in owning hard copies, noted Circana. Collector’s Editions are also driving growth, with year-over-year unit sales rising 85% to reach $80 million.

“Granted the market size is not what it was in the mid-2000s when DVD sales reached their peak, but it’s clear that consumer demand for the DVD still exists,” read a Circana press release.

As of March 2023, 26% of U.S. households bought DVDs and Blu-rays in the six months prior, according to Circana. This base of consumers is nearly the same size as it was a year ago; in part being propped up by households with children under age 18 as far more of them — 39% — still buy DVDs and Blu-rays.

“Consumers continue to show interest in the nostalgia and collectability of physical media, notable as Record Store Day just celebrated its 15th anniversary,” said John Buffone, VP and industry advisor at Circana.” It’s no surprise that in the height of streaming video era the DVD still holds a place in consumers’ hearts and on retailers’ shelves.”

Geography also plays a role when it comes to DVD and Blu-ray sales, according to Circana. While all 212 designated market areas (DMAs) tracked by Circana show year-over-year sales declines. Certain larger markets continue to better sustain demand. The following three DMAs generated over a half million unit sales and showed declines of 20% or less, beating the industry average by six points: Miami-Ft. Lauderdale; New York; and Los Angeles.

“Some loyalists may be upset about the news that Netflix will be shuttering its DVD rental business this fall,” Buffone said. “It’s notable that the legacy packaged media DVD format still outsells BD with a 71% share of unit sales, a depiction of its market prowess for over 25 years.”

https://www.mediaplaynews.com/circan...ing-past-year/

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Circana Research: Disc Still Spinning, Generated $1.34B in U.S. During Past Year

Finding global disc sales is a PITA. Sites with info want big $s to access. Used to have one with info, just need to find it.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Finding global disc sales is a PITA. Sites with info want big $s to access. Used to have one with info, just need to find it.

I'm still waiting for the 2022 MPA THEME Report which does report global disc sales. 2021 came out at the end of March 2022 so the 2022 version is sort of late.

Here is the 2021 MPA THEME Report:

https://www.motionpictures.org/wp-co...port-FINAL.pdf

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

So let me get this straight, your point is that I should be paying 20$ more a month for internet now (difference in price between what I pay now and the closest plan that offers symmetrical)because 30 years from now I might decide to offer Anthonyflix to my friends and Family where they can stream films from my home while I stream films from theirs?

why can't I just wait 30 years for it?

as for gold standard, when I started off with dial-up it was symmetrical what is the uplaod and download speed and if they are both enough that is important and not if they happen to be the same

Of course you can do whatever you want, but you must see we are headed for a Fiber Network World. I've had Fiber for a Decade, and haven't looked back since. Dial-up used Telephone Voice Lines for two-way communication, but the Data Flowed Down. Symmetrical Data goes up and down at the same rate maintaining that communication with that Server, IMO makes for a Rock Solid Connection for that Streaming Quality!

[veritas]

Finally watched reservoir dogs in 4k on iTunes and I honestly prefer the color grading on on my old blu ray. Colors just don’t look natural with a dimmer, whiter, paler image.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Of course you can do whatever you want, but you must see we are headed for a Fiber Network World. !

Great !

I've been trying to get Fiber Optic internet in my area it but if it's taking over the world I should just wait until I don't have a choice and they have to just give it to me. One less thing to think about.

Question, if symmetric goes at the same rate in both directions does that mean when I want to download a movie I have to have a movie to upload? If I don't have particular data to send will they just start taking some?

[bhampton]

Hollywood writers on strike over concerns about streaming.


https://www.euronews.com/culture/202...anges-industry

https://gizmodo.com/wga-hollywood-wr...fli-1850392107

Quote -

"To put it simply, the restructuring of the entertainment industry around streaming has created problems for the writing vocation. Since the advent of TV programming, the writer has always been considered the king of content. But a glut of shows and the rise of Netflix and other streaming platforms has meant that writers—once the top dog—are not seeing the same returns that they once did. Previous forms of income for writers—like syndication—do not apply in the streaming world, and studios are deploying ever smaller writer’s rooms and lower entry pay. WGA argues that streaming has made the studios a lot of money, but most of that money hasn’t trickled down to the people powering the stories that are generating that cash."

In short - Streaming isn't the future, those 10 second tik tok videos of people dancing at the grocery store.... that's the future. Enjoy it if you can.

[alchav21]

I've always said that Technology moves forward, you can hang on to the The Past for as long as you want but Technology will win and Run You Over. Streaming is here to stay, and with Gigabit Fiber Networks Picture and Sound Quality will be better than any Disc!

I remember in School, College when Calculators were restricted, and then Computers with Memory and Storage. Now Streaming and AI, but Technology will always Win and Move Forward!

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Of course you can do whatever you want, but you must see we are headed for a Fiber Network World.

Actually the world has been connected with fiber for quite sometime. There are many subs still connected via coax but many of those go to a close by fiber node. The speed problem is not sub to ISP, it is ISP to CDN’s. That is why I posted the “bandwith speed” in my recent Apple TV HUD results.

Symmetrical Data goes up and down at the same rate maintaining that communication with that Server, IMO makes for a Rock Solid Connection for that Streaming Quality!

Problem 1 - you do not know anything about binary data because if you did you would not make these stupid statements. 2 - Vilya compiled a long post with info from video vendors showing recommended download speeds. Upload speeds were never mentioned and for good reason, the upload speed is very minimal. 3 - Below, a screen grab that I did while streaming a video from Netflix. The Receive rate is 20 Mbps (20,000,000 bits per second) the Send rate at the time of the grab was 400 Kbps (400,000 bits per second). A good part of the time the Send was at 0 bits.

Get a 2PST switch and make a ethernet cable to go between your TV and router/switch/?? and insert the switch on the two Tx lines. Start a streaming video, give it several seconds then switch off the Tx (send) lines. I bet it will be several seconds if not minutes before the video stops. Your TV spigot is just 100Base-T so only two Tx and two Rx are used.

[Show spoiler]

[Wendell R. Breland]

Click here to see the latest Netflix ISP Speed Index for the USA. The best was 3.6 Mbps, the top 4 were cable, number 5 was fiber. These index speeds have changed little over the last seven years.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I've always said that Technology moves forward, you can hang on to the The Past for as long as you want but Technology will win and Run You Over. Streaming is here to stay, and with Gigabit Fiber Networks Picture and Sound Quality will be better than any Disc!

I remember in School, College when Calculators were restricted, and then Computers with Memory and Storage. Now Streaming and AI, but Technology will always Win and Move Forward!

You’re out of your element Donny.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Streaming is here to stay, and with Gigabit Fiber Networks Picture and Sound Quality will be better than any Disc!

It's saying stuff like this. You literally ignore facts and make so sense.

There's a real disconnect between your cheerleading and reality.

Team streaming needs a better representative because we can't even debate with you.

Tim Cook should post here. Apple blew me away when they announced all of Apple Music would convert to lossless audio and then made it happen. This was brave because the~$600 Airpods Max don't even support lossless audio. Most Apple products don't support lossless audio. Why did they do this ? Because lossless audio matters and is significant and represents the art best. If anyone could make a case for the future of streaming it would have to be Apple. The ATV4K is the best streaming device that exists with the best interface and while it is the most expensive it's still totally cheap. iTunes and ATV+ has great, compelling content no one else has. Some it it so good it gets a release on physical media and in theaters.

If streaming somehow became better from a technical aspect we would be all for it. But there is no reason for it to compete with physical media and there is no chance of it competing from a technical perspetive any time soon. It's optimized for portable devices and is acceptable on televisions. It's not and not likely to be "better than any disc" any time soon.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by bhampton

The ATV4K is the best streaming device that exists with the best interface and while it is the most expensive it's still totally cheap.

I do like the ATV4K but it does not have some of the capability in terms of control customization like the Shield Pro or Roku Ultra. AFAIK it is the only device that has diagnostics for all streamers. But I can tell you it is a PITA, every time Apple makes any change in osTV then HUD goes away and you have to make sure your Mac OS and Xcode all jive before you get HUD back.

Apple and Shield on remote. Roku is almost like Shield.

[Show spoiler]