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

[t-mel]

When Netflix launched its streaming business, you could find everything you wanted, from every era of film and TV, available at all times.

revisionism

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by alchav21

With Disc you are always thinking the best, but is it really?

not sure what that means. A DVD vs UHD BD UJD BD should win so DVD won't be the best even if it is a Disc, A VCD vs 4k Netflix, Netflix should easily be better, a BD vs 4k K dl? the 4k K DL should be better.


Can there be the rare exception where someone considers something that should normally be inferior be a bit better (i.e. someone might not like the changes GL made to a new hope and prefer watching the original cut where Han shoots first on LD even if the quality is less)

But generally speaking all else being equal (i.e. 4k stream vs 4k disk) there is no comparison

[Wendell R. Breland]

When Netflix launched its streaming business, you could find everything you wanted, from every era of film and TV, available at all times.

Was not the way for me. I had Netflix disc by mail and streaming, in the early days streaming was part of the disc plan. Later, they split it out and I subed streaming as well.

Every few days I would have my list of titles to add to my disc queue, if a title was available via Netflix streaming then it would show. In my 17 years of Netflix disc and streaming there were very few titles available for streaming that I would have in my disc queue.

IIRC, Vilya posted a short time back he had almost as many movies on Blu-ray as Netflix streaming had.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by veritas

If the 4k is worse then the blu ray do you still buy the 4k version? I kind of want to by reservoir dogs but the coloring is kind of awful on the 4k version. Honestly I don't think the image improvements are worth the hack job of the color grading.

realistically I don't spend any time reading reviews so on the rare exception where the BD is better I won't know about it until I bought the UHD. so in that sense the answer is yes.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by veritas

I have seen it on iTunes and the color grading is ugly and pretty noticeable. It annoyed me to the point where switching to Netflix made a noticeable improvement.

you can't use itunes (or any other streaming service) as reference for the physical media. Because they are so bit starved grading is definitely something that can easily be a compression artifact and not in the master.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I think colour grading is very much a personal thing, some despise a different look, no matter how subtle or obvious, while others go all in on their favourite films looking different and embrace it.

I remember Halloween going through this back in the DVD day, and on Blu-Ray, with back and forth about the look of the film dominating that specific thread topic.

It applies to many films but it always divides people.

Is he talking a different colour palette/shift (i.e. make it a bit more red, a bit darker...)or grading a part of the screen moving from one colour to an other gradualy that when over compressed can lead to seeing ultra annoying bands.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by bhampton

NASA launches new Streaming platform NASA+

Free
Ad free
Subscription free
*family friendly*

https://gadgettendency.com/nasa-laun...-subscription/

cool, this is one streaming that might actually interest me

[Uptight]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...yl-1235639108/

When Netflix launched its streaming business, you could find everything you wanted, from every era of film and TV, available at all times.

Oh, really? In what parallel universe was that?

If that's so, explain these two articles from 2012 and 2014, even back then I always said Netflix and the streaming model (which had no competition 10 years ago, I might add) was doomed to FAIL, from the start.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150305...-with-netflix/

https://web.archive.org/web/20160205...d-a-hard-place

These two articles are offline now, still we can read them again from Web Archive. Pay attention to what they say, to get the gist of why this could never have succeeded, as it is the case with many online-only enterprises...

"Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority"

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

Is he talking a different colour palette/shift (i.e. make it a bit more red, a bit darker...)or grading a part of the screen moving from one colour to an other gradualy that when over compressed can lead to seeing ultra annoying bands.

The former I presumed.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

you can't use itunes (or any other streaming service) as reference for the physical media.

True. The problem, none of us know what the source is for a disc or stream. In general, a Blu-ray will be a trim pass of the DCI-P3. A streamer will receive a mezzanine file(s), most likely one of the Apple Pro Res versions. There again, very few will be privy as to the source the mezzanine file(s) were made from.

Because they are so bit starved grading is definitely something that can easily be a compression artifact and not in the master.

Over compression should not change the color grading, can it make it look really bad, sure can. Some effects of heavy compression:

[Show spoiler]

Why Snow and Confetti Ruin YouTube Video Quality - YouTube

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Over compression should not change the color grading, can it make it look really bad, sure can. Some effects of heavy compression:

since I tend to read and reply imediately (and not read following posts) it can be the same case here. But to be clear. when I read his post my mind went to him complaining about banding in the grading

i.e.


and not a color shift space, that is why when people where talking about a color shift/space in following posts I asked the question.

the fist can definitely be caused by compression the latter I agree is less likely.

[Eurbane132]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Why the Dying DVD Business Could Be Headed for a Resurrection

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...yl-1235639108/

That means Dvds and Blu-rays are gonna save the day.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

since I tend to read and reply imediately (and not read following posts) it can be the same case here. But to be clear. when I read his post my mind went to him complaining about banding in the grading

When someone says there has been a change in color grading that implies work in a post color suite using something like Davinci Resolve (here). Banding can certainly be caused by over compression. Banding and color grading are entirely two different things.

[t-mel]

Originally Posted by Uptight

https://web.archive.org/web/20160205...d-a-hard-place

Interesting article, and it is why I still use the disc service in the UK. I suppose it's more costly than any streamer and you can't watch as much, but I'd rather pay for something I actually want (albeit for less) than pay for a load of things I don't really care for. That goes for disc buying too really. People ok with crap as long as they don't have to pay much.

I did find this quote funny though

It would have a very hard time moving people to a much higher price point, and it wisely hasn't tried. Instead, it's trying to optimize its service for much less content.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

When someone says there has been a change in color grading that implies work in a post color suite using something like Davinci Resolve (here).

agree but what was actually said was

Originally Posted by veritas

I have seen it on iTunes and the color grading is ugly and pretty noticeable. It annoyed me to the point where switching to Netflix made a noticeable improvement.

I am willing to assume I miss-interpreted what he was saying (since everyone sees it differently) but my post was done with my original interpretation

[stonesfan129]

One thing I've noticed, not sure if anyone else has - the audio on streaming stuff sounds normalized. Like Vudu, I'm trying to watch the Bond movies, now I'm watching Lethal Weapon. I own these movies on both DVD and Blu-ray as well. My DVDs and Blu-rays both sound more dynamic. On my receiver, I'm constantly having to turn the sound down on Vudu because it's just all too loud and it sounds really shrill/tinny. I don't think the problem is DD+. I can listen to DD/DTS on my DVDs and it doesn't sound like that. It's like the way it's mastered.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

One thing I've noticed, not sure if anyone else has - the audio on streaming stuff sounds normalized. Like Vudu, I'm trying to watch the Bond movies, now I'm watching Lethal Weapon. I own these movies on both DVD and Blu-ray as well. My DVDs and Blu-rays both sound more dynamic. On my receiver, I'm constantly having to turn the sound down on Vudu because it's just all too loud and it sounds really shrill/tinny. I don't think the problem is DD+. I can listen to DD/DTS on my DVDs and it doesn't sound like that. It's like the way it's mastered.

It may be mastered like that as the intended audience is probably using their TVs built in speakers.

[cheez avenger]

Watched The Killer on Netflix and it was great.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

It may be mastered like that as the intended audience is probably using their TVs built in speakers.

There in lies the problem.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

One thing I've noticed, not sure if anyone else has - the audio on streaming stuff sounds normalized.

Be sure to check your streaming device audio settings for DRC (dynamic range control) and set it to Off if it is On. Could be listed as “Night Mode” or something similar.

Also note that most non-original content on Amazon Prime is just 192 Kbps for the audio.