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

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

How could you not be happy to see me back when I'm so damn able?

Charging more and actually getting it are two different things; extremely few people would pay even existing theater prices to stream a first run movie at home. With so few people being willing to rent at these prices, the studios would never make anything remotely close to what they make at the box office.

Copy protection for streamed content is laughable. You can buy streaming capture software for about the cost of one blu-ray or digital movie. FTP sites and bootleggers would have a field day with streamed first run movies. The studios would be robbed blind of their most valuable intellectual properties.

None of those CES showboat TVs will be in very many homes; Samsung's The Wall is estimated to cost $100,000 for the 146" model. That's diagonal inches, too; theater screen width can be 30-90 feet. Then there's the theater audio system, too; that could easily run you another 6 figures plus an electrician to rewire your theater room. The commercial theater experience is not going to be truly replicated at home anytime soon for most of us mere mortals.

The modular TVs (the wall) are around five years away from being affordable to the masses in my opinion.

[Steedeel]

I knew my way of collecting films would help me out one day! I still have 38 films to watch on Blu-ray, all sitting there in their protective wrappers. I also have 6 UHD discs. I’m covered until December!
I also have (in Blu-ray) 12 episodes of Killing Eve, season 4 and 5 of The Twilight Zone (around 40 episodes), and tons of box sets on Sky Q. I’m good.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

The commercial theater experience is not going to be truly replicated at home anytime soon for most of us mere mortals.

Agreed. On several occasions we had orchestras or big bands in the studios and I remember how striking the difference in sound was when going from the live sounds in the studios to the post audio room. The audio room about 20'W X 30'D X 10'H, had some of the best equipment made (mics, audio desk, speakers, etc.) but the sound in there was not a facsimile of what I heard in the studio. Was even worse when compared to what I heard at our local concert hall.

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

For me, none. There is no sub for a real, large space which requires a large screen and sound system. My Yamaha CX-A5100 has a lot of pre-programed concert halls available in its DSP and many are very good but I never believe for a μsec that I am in one of halls. I am the same way about 3D.

At work we had a fair size auditorium and we installed a Hughes/JVC DILA projector using a large screen. I used 3 large commercial JBL (THX) speakers for the fronts, 2 JBL (THX) sub-woofers and 6 JBL (THX) surround speakers. The experience of watching DVD's there beat all home theaters I have been in by a wide margin and I have been in some pricey places. Size does matter

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Copy protection is never effective; everything is pirated almost immediately upon release. It's impossible to make a video that is easy to watch on standard TVs and monitors but difficult to copy.

The studios will never be able to get anywhere near box office revenue for streaming, they'd be foolish to try.

So Discs are secure, I was making Back-ups for DVD's over a decade ago. Pirates have been around a long time, but their stuff is poor quality. To make Quality Back-ups is expensive.

You put Streaming from a Server in a different category than Streaming from a Disc, and I say it can be the same or better. How do you think Movie Theaters get their Movies for their Digital Projectors.....Over their Network to their Secure Servers!

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

So Discs are secure, I was making Back-ups for DVD's over a decade ago. Pirates have been around a long time, but their stuff is poor quality. To make Quality Back-ups is expensive.

You put Streaming from a Server in a different category than Streaming from a Disc, and I say it can be the same or better. How do you think Movie Theaters get their Movies for their Digital Projectors.....Over their Network to their Secure Servers!

I think you mostly talk bollocks but congrats on using ‘their’ in the correct context every time. A lost art in these social media days I feel.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

You put Streaming from a Server in a different category than Streaming from a Disc, and I say it can be the same or better. How do you think Movie Theaters get their Movies for their Digital Projectors.....Over their Network to their Secure Servers!

DCP is not streamed real time, the files are downloaded or received via HDD's. How binary data is stored or transported has nothing to do with the quality of the content of said data. Paper punch tape works just fine for binary data storage and transport.

GNT 4601 Paper Tape Punch - Punching Words into Paper tape - YouTube

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

So Discs are secure, I was making Back-ups for DVD's over a decade ago. Pirates have been around a long time, but their stuff is poor quality. To make Quality Back-ups is expensive.

You put Streaming from a Server in a different category than Streaming from a Disc, and I say it can be the same or better. How do you think Movie Theaters get their Movies for their Digital Projectors.....Over their Network to their Secure Servers!

Discs don't "stream" data over an internet connection; the data on them is read by a disc player, decoded by the disc player, and then the data is sent over a premium high speed HDMI cable (up to 18 Gbps for 4K discs) or a regular high speed cable (10.2 Gbps) for blu-rays to a display device. There is no internet connection and no networking of any kind involved. None of the many variables that can interfere with streaming over an internet connection apply here.

Streaming from a remote server over an internet connection delivers very highly compressed bitrates; the best streaming providers hover around 30 Mbps while many others like Netflix stream at just 15-16 Mbps.

In theory, one could stream from a remote server with bitrates equal to that of a 4K disc, but that would result in much greater costs as it would explode the amount of data that both a streaming provider and their customers would use. Streaming is popular because it is CHEAP and convenient; raising the bandwidth to equal that of a 4K disc would make streaming more expensive both from the provider and from your internet service provider.

Just how much more would you be willing to pay, both provider and ISP, to receive less compressed video? I'm guessing nothing because you already think that everything streamed looks and sounds "fantastic." Streaming customers like you do not want to pay more for better quality, so you aren't very likely to get it.

The beauty of a digital file is that there is no degradation when you make a copy of it. My 1:1 back-ups look and sound perfect compared to their source and their bitrates are identical. Digital files allow pirated content to look and sound exactly like where they were sourced from if the pirate makes a 1:1 copy without adding additional compression. Pirated copies can be identical in quality to official licensed product amd uploading them to a FTP site is easy and cheap. Blank physical media is inexpensive now and especially when bought in bulk; some large pirating outfits even offer pressed discs.

Most movie theaters receive downloads over a secure satellite connection; they do not stream data over the internet like the rest of us. Once a theater has received the huge high quality downloaded file the data is read from a solid state hard drive on their local server and transferred to their digital projectors over their local network. There is no streaming over the internet involved here at all; they download a file and essentially they just play it.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I think you mostly talk bollocks but congrats on using ‘their’ in the correct context every time. A lost art in these social media days I feel.

It's enough to make you "loose" your mind.

[Anthony P]

Vilya, nice to see you back

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

As Hollywood postpones movies in theaters, that has a direct relationship to home video sales. No new movies in theaters - no new home videos released. I expect to see a drastic reduction in home video sales coming up soon.

I don't know, it depends what happens. If people don't go to theaters, bars restaurants….. that means more time at home watching stuff, people could also use that money saved to splurge on a fun activity that is safe at home.

Only time will tell

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I don't know, it depends what happens. If people don't go to theaters, bars restaurants….. that means more time at home watching stuff, people could also use that money saved to splurge on a fun activity that is safe at home.

Only time will tell

I agree. I expect to see a huge increase in streaming subscriptions very soon.

[Lee A Stewart]

With School Closures Due to Coronavirus, Disney+ Debuts ‘Frozen II’ March 15, Three Months Early

https://www.mediaplaynews.com/with-s...-months-early/

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

I agree. I expect to see a huge increase in streaming subscriptions very soon.

74% of Americans already have Netflix, either through their own accounts or via shared accounts . 10% of Americans have no internet service at all, either by choice or circumstance, leaving only 16% left for Netflix to woo and even if they get that remaining bit many of them would likely share accounts just as many already do now.

I am one of those who share accounts; my monthly streaming bill is $0.

The point being that, in the case of Netflix at least, subscription streaming is close to reaching market saturation here. Of course, people may add more services, but most people subscribe to no more than three services at any one time.

I mentioned all of this pre-pandemic apocalypse and I had links to support this information, but I'm too lazy to dig them back up unless someone really insists.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I am one of those who share accounts; my monthly streaming bill is $0.

I am one of those who pays for Netflix by mail, Netflix UHD, Disney+ and Amazon Prime streaming.

If anyone cares to share and reduce my cost then send me your login ID, PW, CC# and SS#. Remember, this is strictly voluntarily and you will receive absolutely nothing from me. But I will continue to rail against streaming when warranted.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I am one of those who share accounts; my monthly streaming bill is $0.

Yes, people take advantage of those shared accounts, so with Netflix's huge debt I can see them tightening up those accounts. I think it should be by household, so I would't advertise it so much.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Vilya

74% of Americans already have Netflix, either through their own accounts or via shared accounts . 10% of Americans have no internet service at all, either by choice or circumstance, leaving only 16% left for Netflix to woo and even if they get that remaining bit many of them would likely share accounts just as many already do now.

I am one of those who share accounts; my monthly streaming bill is $0.

The point being that, in the case of Netflix at least, subscription streaming is close to reaching market saturation here. Of course, people may add more services, but most people subscribe to no more than three services at any one time.

I mentioned all of this pre-pandemic apocalypse and I had links to support this information, but I'm too lazy to dig them back up unless someone really insists.

What you have described is under normal circumstances which today is not. With more families/kids staying home I expect to see a large increase in Disney+ subscribers. And I am sure that Peacock, HBO Max and the expanded CBS All Access are doing everything in their power to get their streaming systems up and running as quickly as possible knowing they will have a captive audience with more disposable income. Spending an extra $20 to $30 a month is chickenfeed compared to money saved on external entertainment like restaurants, bars and movie theaters just to name a few.

Plus they know that there is no contract to sign. Can drop any paid streaming service at any time.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Yes, people take advantage of those shared accounts, so with Netflix's huge debt I can see them tightening up those accounts. I think it should be by household, so I would't advertise it so much.

Sharing accounts is permitted under the terms of service; it is easy, allowed, and it is why everyone and their dog does it. It is why Netflix in particular allows you to create multiple viewing profiles in excess of the number of devices allowed per plan level.

There is no way for the streaming services to restrict access based upon geographic location, such as one household address, unless they want to prevent people from viewing upon their mobile devices and when they travel. People would not like such restrictions one little bit; they want to be able to watch on any device wherever they are.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

What you have described is under normal circumstances which today is not. With more families/kids staying home I expect to see a large increase in Disney+ subscribers. And I am sure that Peacock, HBO Max and the expanded CBS All Access are doing everything in their power to get their streaming systems up and running as quickly as possible knowing they will have a captive audience with more disposable income. Spending an extra $20 to $30 a month is chickenfeed compared to money saved on external entertainment like restaurants, bars and movie theaters just to name a few.

Plus they know that there is no contract to sign. Can drop any paid streaming service at any time.

That is exactly why they do not need to spend a single cent more than they are doing now. It is so easy to add and drop services that there is no need to have more than two or three at a time. Just keep switching from service to service depending on which one is offering what you want to see.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Vilya

That is exactly why they do not need to spend a single cent more than they are doing now. It is so easy to add and drop services that there is no need to have more than two or three at a time. Just keep switching from service to service depending on which one is offering what you want to see.

That may be fine for a savvy person like yourself but I strongly doubt Joe Public is doing that.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

That may be fine for a savvy person like yourself but I strongly doubt Joe Public is doing that.

Lots of people are well aware of how to take advantage of streaming's easy peasey terms.