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

[Admiral]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

That’s never the argument here. What I (we) have a problem with is people claiming there is little to no difference between the formats when that is a big fat whopping lie. The regular Joe is not going to notice a huge difference on their tv hanging on the wall compared to a HT, but then again, the average Joe doesn’t care. HT owners are not the average Joe. We have took our passion to the next level in the mission to replicate the cinema at home.

By th3 way, I can still see a considerable difference between digital and Blu-ray/UHD on a 55 inch OLED living room tv also.

That’s before we get to ownership and related issues. That’s another ball park.

I can only comment on what I see with my set-up. If you guys see and hear huge differences on your HT's for digital vs streaming I'll take your word for it. It's logical to me that any picture quality issues would be enhanced on a much larger screen.

On my set-up, I went as far as pausing the same 4K movie on iTunes and switching back and forth to the same scene on the UHD when I first purchased my Apple TV and I couldn't see the differences. Obviously a side by comparison would be better, but I didn't have that luxury.

[Admiral]

Originally Posted by bhampton

With bad playback gear there is little to no difference with the steaming.

On my phone the steaming looks better than UHD BD ... .

I'm using Sony A1 OLED. I don't think anyone would say that's a bad TV.

[JohnAV]

California Allows Movie Theaters to Reopen on June 12 With Restrictions - Hollywood Reporter - 6/8/20

Movie theaters in California can begin reopening as early as June 12 with strict social distancing measures in place for at least the first two weeks, according to a new industry guidance document issued by the state of California on Monday. A host of other safety measures are also recommended.

Anxious theater owners — and Hollywood studios — are being given the go ahead to flip on the lights later this week by California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office and the Department of Public Health. This means that Warner Bros. may still be able to launch Christopher Nolan's Tenet in cinemas on July 17 as originally planned.

Cinemas have been closed across the country since March 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsom's edit requires that theaters limit capacity to 25 percent, or no more than 100 people per auditorium, whichever is less, sources say. If all goes well, this rule is expected to relax after about two weeks, giving exhibitors enough time to ramp up before Tenet arrives.

The Los Angeles area is the largest moviegoing market in the country, so is integral for Tenet and other Hollywood films opening post-pandemic, a batch of titles that also includes Unhinged (July 1), Mulan (July 24), The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run and Wonder Woman 1984 (Aug. 14).

It's unclear when New York City theaters will be allowed to reopen. New York is the country's second largest moviegoing market. Theaters are expected to play catalogue titles pending the arrival of new product.

In addition to reducing capacity to 25 percent, California is recommending a host of other safety measures, including: limiting the flow of patrons into a theater so as to ensure that patrons are six feet apart; blocking off seats; requiring face masks when entering and exiting a theater, and at the concession stand; consider using disposable or washable seat covers; prop open doors at peak periods of traffic; consider limiting the the number of customers using the bathroom at one time and reconfigure parking lots.

[JohnAV]

British Columbia Film Production to Restart Amid Safety Guidelines - Hollywood Reporter- 6/8/20

Film and television productions in British Columbia has a greenlight to restart a couple months after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered local shoots for Netflix, Warner Bros. and other Hollywood studios and streamers.

"Employers can now prepare to restart production activity," the B.C. Provincial Film Commission at CreativeB.C. said in a statement on Friday. The go ahead follows WorkSafeBC, another government agency charged with reducing the risk of serious injuries on local movie sets, including by stunt performers, issuing Health & Safety Protocols to guide the industry's reopening with minimum standards.

Film and TV producers will be expected to develop their own workplace safety plans and use the WorkSafeBC protocols as a possible template. CreativeB.C. added no government authorization was required for new or returning production by Canadian and foreign producers to take place.

"The motion picture industry in B.C. was never ordered to shut down, however, all employers carefully restarting activity must be in compliance with provincial health officer orders, notices and guidance, and must develop and implement their own COVID-19 safety plans," the agency stated.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by alchav21

There was a time when State of the Art Sound System was the thing, but as time goes on you go back to the basics.

Nope.

Quality always remains important snd compelling.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by Admiral

I'm using Sony A1 OLED. I don't think anyone would say that's a bad TV.

I think the video part of your system would reveal the difference with streaming but it is most noticeable in the audio.

You are right that pausing the video isn't a great way to compare. it's like listening to a note from each of the audio tracks.

However, content on Tubi or some of the movies on Amazon Prime can have very bad video quality which is clearly noticeable. Some content needs to be remastered by now but if it's not market-able other than in the free zone of streaming sites it's also not getting remastered in a hurry.

I was speaking about this with a friend and he suggested the audio was much smaller than the video in terms of bandwidth so he didn't understand why the audio would suffer with the streaming. I see his point but it's still the way it is for now. Compression removes everything they think you won't miss. Still 80-90% of the data is gone and the quality does suffer.

[Cevolution]

Originally Posted by alchav21

There was a time when State of the Art Sound System was the thing, but as time goes on you go back to the basics.

I don't think this statement of yours applies to you... What did your state of the art sound system look like before you decided to go back to basics? Pics or it didn't happen... I don't believe that you have ever owned audio equipment to caliber of a lot of people on this site, therefore, you aren't qualified to speak and make judgment calls about things that you personally know nothing about from first hand experience.

The truth is, it's more like you accept the basics because you can't afford any better... There is nothing wrong with that, until you try to convince yourself and spread propaganda, that you are getting the same quality as people that have bought gear that goes beyond the quality of yours.

No doubt there are some people that have gone from an AVR & 5.1 plus speaker system to a soundbar, however, I doubt any of them would ever honestly say that the soundbar provides a superior experience.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

There was a time when State of the Art Sound System was the thing, but as time goes on you go back to the basics. My question to you guys, as more Movies are going to VOD what are your plans? Wait for Discs or pass the Movies?

https://www.releases.com/l/VOD_Movies/2020/6/

No, YOU go back to the basics. We enjoy quality.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Admiral

I can only comment on what I see with my set-up. If you guys see and hear huge differences on your HT's for digital vs streaming I'll take your word for it. It's logical to me that any picture quality issues would be enhanced on a much larger screen.

On my set-up, I went as far as pausing the same 4K movie on iTunes and switching back and forth to the same scene on the UHD when I first purchased my Apple TV and I couldn't see the differences. Obviously a side by comparison would be better, but I didn't have that luxury.

Why do you think Blurays have been such a blessing for HT? They look great projected. 4K Blu-ray even more so. The flaws will become very apparent with streaming though. That’s before we get to the audio. iTunes gets blown out of the water and then dunked back in for a few rounds before finishing up a quivering mess.

[Boccaccio]

Originally Posted by alchav21

There was a time when State of the Art Sound System was the thing, but as time goes on you go back to the basics. My question to you guys, as more Movies are going to VOD what are your plans? Wait for Discs or pass the Movies?

https://www.releases.com/l/VOD_Movies/2020/6/

Damn, you convinced me. Seeing all these goodies coming out in june I'm subscribing right away.

Looking at that list feels like being transported back in time 15 years and I'm standing in the video store looking at all those great straight-to-dvd releases.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Boccaccio

Damn, you convinced me. Seeing all these goodies coming out in june I'm subscribing right away.

Looking at that list feels like being transported back in time 15 years and I'm standing in the video store looking at all those great straight-to-dvd releases.

The June 18th release in that link seems very appropriate?

[Boccaccio]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

The June 18th release in that link seems very appropriate?

Very appropriate to us.

For Alchav it's more the June 26th release.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Boccaccio

Very appropriate to us.

For Alchav it's more the June 26th release.

[bhampton]

I've heard the Portrait of Lady on Fire is a good movie.

But, It was recommended by a divorced lady friend of mine that is a true man hater and so I haven't watched it yet.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I've heard the Portrait of Lady on Fire is a good movie.

But, It was recommended by a divorced lady friend of mine that is a true man hater and so I haven't watched it yet.

Chick flick? Nah.

[Vilya]

Late last night this website crashed. When it came back up everyone, including moderators, were banned for "no specific reason" and the date the ban would be lifted was stated as "never."

It was pretty startling; I was really wondering what the hell had I done until I went to blu-ray.com's facebook page and saw that I was far from alone. This "spare no one" ban wave alarmed a lot of us night owls.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

There was a time when State of the Art Sound System was the thing, but as time goes on you go back to the basics. My question to you guys, as more Movies are going to VOD what are your plans? Wait for Discs or pass the Movies?

https://www.releases.com/l/VOD_Movies/2020/6/

State of the art sound systems are timeless; an enthusiast, which you clearly are not, can spend exponentially more money on the audio side of a home theater than on the video side. Just because you abandoned quality for the "basics" doesn't mean that all of us have.

The titles in your link all look like direct to video filler; if I never see these titles I doubt that I will have missed much.

No single distribution method offers every title, but physical media, since the launch of DVD, has seen more than a quarter million titles released in the U.S. alone. Contrast that with Vudu which brags about having "over 100,000" titles- this is not even half of what has been released on disc in this country.

[bhampton]

You really don't need an audiophile grade setup to hear the difference of lossless vs compressed audio but you need a basic and direct wired setup at least. No fancy manipulation or transmission of the signal ... just a clean setup.

I think you could hear the difference in a car stereo.

But, not in a clock radio.

Any laptop with wired headphones can play High Res Audio. And iPhone can if the lightning connector is used with some apps.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Cevolution

I don't think this statement of yours applies to you... What did your state of the art sound system look like before you decided to go back to basics? Pics or it didn't happen... I don't believe that you have ever owned audio equipment to caliber of a lot of people on this site, therefore, you aren't qualified to speak and make judgment calls about things that you personally know nothing about from first hand experience.

Originally Posted by Vilya

State of the art sound systems are timeless; an enthusiast, which you clearly are not, can spend exponentially more money on the audio side of a home theater than on the video side. Just because you abandoned quality for the "basics" doesn't mean that all of us have.

The titles in your link all look like direct to video filler; if I never see these titles I doubt that I will have missed much.

No single distribution method offers every title, but physical media, since the launch of DVD, has seen more than a quarter million titles released in the U.S. alone. Contrast that with Vudu which brags about having "over 100,000" titles- this is not even half of what has been released on disc in this country.

Yes I go back Decades, my Sansui Sound System which I still have, was bought in Vietnam in 1969. That was State of the Art back then, Amp and Speakers with a Pioneer Turntable. As for those Movies, most are Independent but they are straight to VOD. Like before they use to go to DVD now to VOD, because the Distribution Method is changing....Will you guys Change?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Yes I go back Centuries, my Sansui Sound System which I still have, was bought in Vietnam in 1969. That was State of the Art back then, Amp and Speakers with a Pioneer Turntable. As for those Movies, most are Independent but they are straight to VOD. Like before they use to go to DVD now to VOD, because the Distribution Method is changing....Will you guys Change?

No. I won’t sacrifice quality. I didn’t buy expensive gear to feed it shit.