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

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

Gruv has a 3 4K disc for $30 deal going for Easter weekend. I scooped up:

Get Out
Hellboy 2
Split

You can also stack it with the 20% off code for a combined total of $26.46 with free shipping and sales tax. $8.82 per title!

That is a solid trio. I have run out of things to grab from their catalog titles unfortunately.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

I'm aware that the majority of people consume movies on their phones.

Funny how I'm not aware of that. Fun with anecdotes follows:

I don't know of a single person that has ever chosen to watch a movie on a phone when they had a better display option available to them. Come to think of it, everyone I know would wait until they had access to a TV, or something better, than to ruin a movie by viewing it on a 6" screen.

Originally Posted by crutzulee

if you look around you with all those peepers glued to screens in waiting rooms, on public transit, places of employment, walking into oncoming traffic etc. you would know that if my assertion is not yet 100% accurate now, it will be in 20 minutes.

People will always be looking for ways to pass the time in the situations that you listed, but that in no way means that that is how they prefer to watch movies. Why would anyone prefer to watch anything on a postcard size screen, now or ever?

Originally Posted by crutzulee

LOL... in every one of those livingrooms with a TV, there are at least one and sometimes multiple people watching some other device.

I have seen people using other devices while a movie plays on a large screen before them, but they are not watching anything per se; they are replying to texts and social media. It's not like they are choosing to watch a different film than the one that is playing right in front of them on a much bigger and better display.

[bhampton]

My kids watch on phone or computer because it’s their own device and because it’s convenient.

I actually prefer my phone over my tablet but I wouldn’t use either at home usually.

My phone is fine for a YouTube tutorial for example.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

LOL...in every one of those livingrooms with a TV, there are at least one and sometimes multiple people watching some other device. When they are not home, they are watching on those devices.

Your responses in multiple threads indicates that this triggers you. I've seen threads where people seem to take umberage with what they perceive as an elitist bent to your posts and the whole thread devolves into an attack fest.

If I'm being honest, I think your comments indicate that you somewhat like to be thought of as an elitist, even as you simultaneously have a bit of a persecution complex.

In multiple threads, you make perfectly clear that you hold physical media not just as the gold standard, but that anyone viewing by other means is somehow, in some small way, contributing to the decline of civilized society.

This is the thread where we are discussing Physical vs Digital. There is exactly ONE guy claiming that digital is superior in quality. The rest of us have better gear than him and it's fairly obvious that better gear will only serve to highlight the quality difference between Physical and Digital.

You're just a bit too precious in your righteous indignation man.

So you have visited every home in the USA and U.K.? Right, gotcha!

If people are multitasking in the home, chances are they are emailing, checking social media or gaming. So even if they are doing that, they are not watching a movie.

In the U.K., Disney+ has taken off really well. Like Netflix, it’s watched mostly on smart tv/connected tv. Facts you chose to ignore in my reply. All you have is the usual incorrect speculation. Yes, phones are hugely popular, but consumption of streaming services is still mostly on tv. That’s a fact. Social media and user generated video are king on smart phones.

Your original comment about most people consuming films on their phone is statistically incorrect. It’s a nonsense, sorry.

Your argument is ridiculous. People are always on their phone outside their home so therefore most people watch movies on mobile. It’s a stupendously flawed argument and one I can’t pay anymore attention to. I get the impression I could link the stats and you would still ignore it because it doesn’t suit your made up facts.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Funny how I'm not aware of that. Fun with anecdotes follows:

I don't know of a single person that has ever chosen to watch a movie on a phone when they had a better display option available to them. Come to think of it, everyone I know would wait until they had access to a TV, or something better, than to ruin a movie by viewing it on a 6" screen.



People will always be looking for ways to pass the time in the situations that you listed, but that in no way means that that is how they prefer to watch movies. Why would anyone prefer to watch anything on a postcard size screen, now or ever?



I have seen people using other devices while a movie plays on a large screen before them, but they are not watching anything per se; they are replying to texts and social media. It's not like they are choosing to watch a different film than the one that is playing right in front of them on a much bigger and better display.

All of his made up facts will be irrelevant anyway when AR glasses hit the mainstream market by the end of the decade. Smartphones are passé for the big companies now.

[crutzulee]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

All of his made up facts will be irrelevant anyway when AR glasses hit the mainstream market by the end of the decade. Smartphones are passé for the big companies now.

Your argument is predicated on the fact that 97% of homes own a TV. My argument is predicated on the fact that there are more cellphones and tablets per home than TVs. In one of your posts, you indicated that your source was Netflix. I'm sure that these companies should have the ability to ascertain what type of display is at the other end of the stream. I wouldn't take the results of a simple poll seriously. I know that all my kid's university and high school friends are watching on phones, tablets and laptops. Movies are not "events" for them. They ae stopping, pausing and breaking up the watching of multiple movies a day. All of my work associates do the same.

You seem to really care how others consume their media because you choose to throw in a comment in every movie thread about how you will wait for the superior medium whenever someone brings up the stream. I've sometimes taken a playful jab at you over it. I stopped recently when I read an exchange you were having with a few members that you claimed were attacking you. My comments on how you are being perceived were meant to be helpful. You can choose to view them as douchey or not.

In this thread, we are comparing and contrasting the two modes of consumption. I don't think we differ all that much on how we would prefer to watch. We definitely differ on how we are willing to watch and even more on where we think the industry is going. I'm just not fearful that the choices of others are going to meaningfully impact my enjoyment going further.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

Your argument is predicated on the fact that 97% of homes own a TV. My argument is predicated on the fact that there are more cellphones and tablets per home than TVs. In one of your posts, you indicated that your source was Netflix. I'm sure that these companies should have the ability to ascertain what type of display is at the other end of the stream. I wouldn't take the results of a simple poll seriously. I know that all my kid's university and high school friends are watching on phones, tablets and laptops. Movies are not "events" for them. They ae stopping, pausing and breaking up the watching of multiple movies a day. All of my work associates do the same.

You seem to really care how others consume their media because you choose to throw in a comment in every movie thread about how you will wait for the superior medium whenever someone brings up the stream. I've sometimes taken a playful jab at you over it. I stopped recently when I read an exchange you were having with a few members that you claimed were attacking you. My comments on how you are being perceived were meant to be helpful. You can choose to view them as douchey or not.

In this thread, we are comparing and contrasting the two modes of consumption. I don't think we differ all that much on how we would prefer to watch. We definitely differ on how we are willing to watch and even more on where we think the industry is going. I'm just not fearful that the choices of others are going to meaningfully impact my enjoyment going further.

If everyone was watching movies on their phone their would be ZERO incentive to improve streaming quality now or 20 years from now. Why would they bother?

Back in the real world though, most streaming services are still watched prominently on smart tv/connected tv.

The fact there are more personal devices than TV sets is an obvious observation. Most individual people have a smartphone, naturally in a typical household there would be more portable devices than TV sets. That’s a dumb point to even bring up.

The argument is that you claim People are watching movies exclusively on their devices and I don’t believe that is a big a thing as you claim, despite your antedotal comments.

I am often in other people’s households due to my job and I see a mix of smart tv, laptop, tablet and phone. Often, youngsters are updating social media stuff, that’s the typical activity. Tik Tok, Youtube, Instagram. I do t see a great deal of Netflix viewing on smartphones, not even on public transport. If I do catch a glimpse it’s usually photos which suggests social media.

https://www.vox.com/2018/3/7/1709461...ing-statistics

That was 2018, I know that that’s still the case having read an article several weeks ago, I just can’t find the bloody thing.

Now, if you were arguing that YouTube was dominant on smartphones,I would agree 100%. (Despite more and more people using the app on their tv).

I’m giving you stats, you are giving me antedotal stuff. The same stuff that has been spouted since I joined in 2011.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

Your argument is predicated on the fact that 97% of homes own a TV. My argument is predicated on the fact that there are more cellphones and tablets per home than TVs. In one of your posts, you indicated that your source was Netflix. I'm sure that these companies should have the ability to ascertain what type of display is at the other end of the stream. I wouldn't take the results of a simple poll seriously. I know that all my kid's university and high school friends are watching on phones, tablets and laptops. Movies are not "events" for them. They ae stopping, pausing and breaking up the watching of multiple movies a day. All of my work associates do the same.

You seem to really care how others consume their media because you choose to throw in a comment in every movie thread about how you will wait for the superior medium whenever someone brings up the stream. I've sometimes taken a playful jab at you over it. I stopped recently when I read an exchange you were having with a few members that you claimed were attacking you. My comments on how you are being perceived were meant to be helpful. You can choose to view them as douchey or not.

In this thread, we are comparing and contrasting the two modes of consumption. I don't think we differ all that much on how we would prefer to watch. We definitely differ on how we are willing to watch and even more on where we think the industry is going. I'm just not fearful that the choices of others are going to meaningfully impact my enjoyment going further.

I have never denied the future is streaming, I just don’t believe discs will die in the coming decades.

I also don’t believe smart tv or projectors will die out in the next couple of decades like you seem to. It would take a monumental collapse to go from 97% of households to obsolete, even in a 30 year threshold.
People love their tv, and live streaming is even growing in popularity.

By the way, university kids are so active, it makes sense that they watch on laptops, smartphones or tablets. I suspect they will get a tv as they grow up and have a family.

[Vilya]

It is easy to think that our own anecdotal observations represent the larger whole, sometimes even the entire whole.

Today's antidote is:

My neighbors to the north are a very young couple in their early 20s. They own as many TVs as I do. Why did they buy them? I wonder what they use them for? I mean, why bother when they also have smartphones? Maybe they're watching the new Spiderman movie on their phone and using their TV for social media? Maybe I have it backwards?

In fact, everyone I know across all demographics have at least one TV; most have 2 or more. They must be using them for something. When you own multiples of a thing, it strongly suggests that you like using that thing.

I better stop here; it's too early for me to get triggered.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Was that in WWII, those Subs were tiny.

no he was just a kid then but the sub was from that era

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_La...Poseidon_(S-78)

Have you been inside like the one at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii? Not much space, it would have been to claustrophobic for me!

many years ago there was a sub that parked itself at the Montreal port and they did give tours, so I and my dad went, don't remember if any of my sisters went as well.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Watching data for the US (link):

[Show spoiler]

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

The point I was making was that, although DIVX was a physical format, it had all of the drawbacks of current Digital EST with the exception of A/V quality (which, if I remember, was identical to DVD).

agree 100%, the discussions here often come down to "digital"/"physical" but for me it is not a matter of physical or virtual but of the need of connection. The issue is that no service/company is eternal aqnd so being dependent on it being around is the big flaw with "purchases". When it comes to rental that is a none issue since rentals by their nature are ephemeral.

I'm aware that the majority of people consume movies on their phones. I can't fault media distributors for catering to the majority.

agree

I'm just hopeful that they seem to be recognizing that the minority of people who care enough to create a more theatrical experience at home are worth catering to as well. The 2 are not mutually exclusive.

I don't see an issue with that (even though some pretend it is one or the other)

some "Studios" spend big money to make films they want to maximize revenue from them if not they would just offer the one that brings in the most from viewing (theatrical presentations), what they need to do is get the $$$ from people willing to pay $$$$ to watch it (theatres) get the $$ from people willing to pay $$$ to watch it and the $ from people looking for the cheapest honest solution.

when Joe brings his family to the theatre and pays 100$ in tickets the studio makes a lot more compared to him paying 20$ to purchase and watch it at home and that brings in a lot more then him paying 20$ for a subscription where the family saw 100 films in the month.

. The technology exists for the streamer to adjust the bandwidth necessary to provide the highest quality that can be perceived on each.

That is not accurate. I did not reply last time where you talked about Gb connection but Netflix (as an example) tops off at 25Mbps so with a 200Mb connection a family of 6 can easily all be watching Netflix at the best quality available with plenty of BW left over for e-mail... all the other active/none active things that can be going on in the BW without needing to decrease to one of the lower quality levels at any point in time or any reason.

I believe that this will only get better.

in some ways yes, in other ways no, Increasing quality for the streaming provider means huge higher costs in equipment (if the best quality is 50GB then they need 50GB of storage for it if now they offer 100GB then they now need an extra 100GB of storage for that film unless they start removing some tiers) and connectivity (if you are streaming at 25 Mbps you need 25 and the service provider needs 25 9and everyone else in between but irrelevant to this discussion) if now they offer 50Mbps (closer to UH DBD quality) they also need to have that 50Mbps. The issue is that when you multiply by all the concurrent users it adds up.

IF people are willing to pay a lot more for higher quality yes it can get better but if people are complacent and looking for the cheapest solution why would they spend a lot more?

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

If the majority of people are watching movies on their phone, why does the US AND U.K. have 96% of all households with at least one tv?

Also how has consumption of smart TVs risen 160% in the last couple of years?

Are you suggesting that people are switching off their living room tv to consume films on their phone? If so, can you back that up with stats?

I thought that was your usual point I have never watched TV/film on my phone/tablet. But I don't see it as "exclusive". There was a time when I traveled a lot and I would watch films on my laptop that did not mean that I was shunning bigger screens it just meant that sometimes bigger screens where not an option.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

In multiple threads, you make perfectly clear that you hold physical media not just as the gold standard, but that anyone viewing by other means is somehow, in some small way, contributing to the decline of civilized society.

Steed watches streaming so I don't think your view of him is accurate. If I am not mistaken (and it is not elitism or anything like that) I am the only one that does not watch any streaming here (except when I am at other peoples homes)

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Funny how I'm not aware of that. Fun with anecdotes follows:

I don't know of a single person that has ever chosen to watch a movie on a phone when they had a better display option available to them. Come to think of it, everyone I know would wait until they had access to a TV, or something better, than to ruin a movie by viewing it on a 6" screen.



People will always be looking for ways to pass the time in the situations that you listed, but that in no way means that that is how they prefer to watch movies. Why would anyone prefer to watch anything on a postcard size screen, now or ever?



I have seen people using other devices while a movie plays on a large screen before them, but they are not watching anything per se; they are replying to texts and social media. It's not like they are choosing to watch a different film than the one that is playing right in front of them on a much bigger and better display.

agree, just want to add that I have seen people that watched TV on busses/waiting rooms, but I don't remember ever seeing anyone watching films. I am sure it must happen occasionally but I think, for most part people fill that 1/2 hour commute with a 1/2 hour sitcom instead of a film on installments ( take a week of back and forth to watch the extended version of LOTR)

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by bhampton

My kids watch on phone or computer because it’s their own device and because it’s convenient.

we were all kids and we all did that when I was a teen I used my old Commodore 64 screen connected to our old retired VCR so that I could watch TV in my room. It was not about presentation but it meant that I did not have to watch what my parents/sisters wanted to watch.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

agree, just want to add that I have seen people that watched TV on busses/waiting rooms, but I don't remember ever seeing anyone watching films. I am sure it must happen occasionally but I think, for most part people fill that 1/2 hour commute with a 1/2 hour sitcom instead of a film on installments ( take a week of back and forth to watch the extended version of LOTR)

I get public transport every day and have done since I moved home. A decade now. I haven’t once seen a person watching a film on public transport. The closest would be a cricket match that some guy was streaming in the summer.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Watching data for the US (link):

[Show spoiler]

60% tv viewing before we even get into the streaming side. Ummmmmmm.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

You seem to really care how others consume their media because you choose to throw in a comment in every movie thread about how you will wait for the superior medium whenever someone brings up the stream.

you do realize your post makes it seem like you care more about how others (aka Steed) consume then he does?

If he said I aw it in theatres because I could not wait would you have been OK. and If we all acknowledge the UHD BD is superior then the alternative what is wrong with him waiting. Don't get me wrong I had the same BS argument with people saying I will wait for the BD instead of watching it on DVD. Time is limited I can watch something I want to watch on the gold standard as you called it or watch something I want to watch on the none gold standard IMHO since time is limited the bet option is watch now the one on gold standard and watch later the other one when I can on the gold standard (unless I am at a friends place and it is about hanging out and then there is no "gold standard" to watch so it is moot)

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

you do realize your post makes it seem like you care more about how others (aka Steed) consume then he does?

If he said I aw it in theatres because I could not wait would you have been OK. and If we all acknowledge the UHD BD is superior then the alternative what is wrong with him waiting. Don't get me wrong I had the same BS argument with people saying I will wait for the BD instead of watching it on DVD. Time is limited I can watch something I want to watch on the gold standard as you called it or watch something I want to watch on the none gold standard IMHO since time is limited the bet option is watch now the one on gold standard and watch later the other one when I can on the gold standard (unless I am at a friends place and it is about hanging out and then there is no "gold standard" to watch so it is moot)

I mention in film threads that I will only watch on disc because that’s the truth. Just as some mention they will watch via streaming. I’m only telling the truth.