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

[tiger_qc]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

10 years in tech is a long time. That's why I mentioned Apple and how things can collapse. VR and things like that are coming don't forget. I don't know how old you are but Sega were massive. So we're Atari. You shouldn't put all your faith in one company.

That's why I used the word 'IF'. Believe me, 10 more years of Bluray will bring such joy. Sure, it might last 15 or more years, that would be a huge bonus. Who knows, maybe ITunes 8k won't suck?

Oh wait, Apple might not be here then! That's what a lack of Innovation can do. Just ask Blackberry (IMO)

I know I'm biased because I'm an apple supporter but you know there's over 1 billions iPhones IN USE right now?
They invented smartphones, tablets, portable mp3 players and they own the world's biggest music store, apple is richer than most Countries in the World. They're just too big to die.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by ArmyOfDarknessAW

Yeah it's crazy the pioneers of home video games completely tanked. Apple has so much money they could keep all their employees for many years without making a thing and be fine. However to use the word forever is foolish. That is a bold statement considering their past and the past of other tech companies. Who knows their state in 10, 20, 50 years?

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

10 years is very possible. Stranger things have happened.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by tiger_qc

I know I'm biased because I'm an apple supporter but you know there's over 1 billions iPhones IN USE right now?
They invented smartphones, tablets, portable mp3 players and they own the world's biggest music store, apple is richer than most Countries in the World. They're just too big to die.

Smartphones themselves could be gone in ten years. Maybe smartwatches will replace them.

No company is too big to die. None.

By the way, I love Apple. I am typing this on a IPad.

[Rocket Richard]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Get yourself a projector and join us.

Does this imaginary projector sit next to your imaginary Generator?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Rocket Richard

Does this imaginary projector sit next to your imaginary Generator?

No, it sits in my apartment. I don't display my home theatre for reasons I have went into before but I am not going to go into detail with you.

You do know having a projector these days is not a big deal right?

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by PenguinMaster

Plus if Apple goes away everyone will lose their entire iTunes collection.

It's actually quite simple to remove the DRM if you really want to. If you do, you get standard MP4 files that can be played back on almost any device.

If they stop making Blu-ray movies all of the existing Blu-ray titles will still work just fine.

Unless they start to rot. And at some point it would become difficult to obtain a working player. Try finding a reliable HD-DVD or Laserdisc player today.

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by PenguinMaster

The majority of people who are switching primarily to digital are doing so because of the price, not because of the convenience.

Well, I can only speak for myself, but the main reason why I buy certain content (such as TV shows) in digital form is absolutely convenience (primarily shelf space, easy streaming around the house, and copying stuff to the iPad when I'm traveling).

[tiger_qc]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

Try finding a reliable HD-DVD or Laserdisc player today.

I have 2 working HD-DVD players at home and 2 brand new in their boxes in a closet that I bought as an extended warranty. After Toshiba's announcement the remaining HD-A30s were selling for under $100 CAD. It's still easy to find brand new player on eBay or amazon though.

[alchav21]

Well this Thread has been going on more than a year, and it has been a fun ride. Dying down a little a couple of times then coming back strong. Disc Lovers are adamant for their Love of Blu-ray, and the Posters that Love Digital HD have had their moment. I still feel that your equipment set up has a lot to do with the way you feel one way or another. I feel if you haven't seen Vudu HDX, you really haven't experienced Digital HD at it finest. Going back through the Posting, it does seem there are more Disc Lovers than Digital HD Lovers.

I took a Philosophy Class once in College, and they talked about a belief in God which reminds me of this discussion. There was plenty of evidence on both sides Evolution vs. Creation, but at the end it was better to believe in God than not. If you did believe in God and Heaven then you were likely to go there, but if you didn't then you are going to Hell. So just like this discussion, it's better to be ready for Digital HD than not. Like Steedeel says, only time will tell but if you are not entirely ready for Digital HD, you will be left in the dust. Technology is unforgiving, today you might have what you feel is enough, and tomorrow you will wonder what happened. Digital HD is growing like a Tidal Wave, don't get left in The Surf!

[PenguinMaster]

Originally Posted by alchav21

So just like this discussion, it's better to be ready for Digital HD than not. Like Steedeel says, only time will tell but if you are not entirely ready for Digital HD, you will be left in the dust. Technology is unforgiving, today you might have what you feel is enough, and tomorrow you will wonder what happened. Digital HD is growing like a Tidal Wave, don't get left in The Surf!

That becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If people stop supporting physical media because it will eventually go away then it will go away faster.

Also how is anyone who is currently supporting physical media not ready for digital? If physical media ever does go away will I be unable to buy digital content at that time because I'm not buying it now?

[PenguinMaster]

Originally Posted by tiger_qc

I have 2 working HD-DVD players at home and 2 brand new in their boxes in a closet that I bought as an extended warranty. After Toshiba's announcement the remaining HD-A30s were selling for under $100 CAD. It's still easy to find brand new player on eBay or amazon though.

Plus HD-DVD and Laserdisc were never as popular as Blu-ray. With the hundreds of millions of Blu-ray players in existence it will likely be at least a century before they are ever difficult to find. During that time thousands of titles will be removed from iTunes and become impossible to obtain.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well this Thread has been going on more than a year, and it has been a fun ride. Dying down a little a couple of times then coming back strong. Disc Lovers are adamant for their Love of Blu-ray, and the Posters that Love Digital HD have had their moment. I still feel that your equipment set up has a lot to do with the way you feel one way or another. I feel if you haven't seen Vudu HDX, you really haven't experienced Digital HD at it finest. Going back through the Posting, it does seem there are more Disc Lovers than Digital HD Lovers.

I took a Philosophy Class once in College, and they talked about a belief in God which reminds me of this discussion. There was plenty of evidence on both sides Evolution vs. Creation, but at the end it was better to believe in God than not. If you did believe in God and Heaven then you were likely to go there, but if you didn't then you are going to Hell. So just like this discussion, it's better to be ready for Digital HD than not. Like Steedeel says, only time will tell but if you are not entirely ready for Digital HD, you will be left in the dust. Technology is unforgiving, today you might have what you feel is enough, and tomorrow you will wonder what happened. Digital HD is growing like a Tidal Wave, don't get left in The Surf!

So now you're comparing supporting Digital HD to believing in God? Wow.... just wow. I can't even find the words.

I won't go on too much as I'm pretty sure it's against forum rules, but suffice to say that if that's the comparison you are making, then:
A. It's all the more reason for me to not specifically and directly support Digital HD (given my general personal thoughts on religion in general)
B. To believe in God "just incase" he's real because you are worried that not believing in him (if he's real) means going to hell, then you are believing in him for the wrong reasons, he will know the true believers from the "just incase" believers, and the "just incase" believers will probably end up there anyway.


Your comparison also falls apart for a few reasons...

-First and foremost, many Blu-Rays these days, especially new releases, come with a Digital HD copy anyway. So I fail to see the problem with buying the physical media in that regard. If I'm also getting the digital version anyway, then what exactly is the issue here?

-Even if the day comes where they stop releasing content on physical media like DVD and Blu-Rays, odds are compatible players will still be made available for years beyond that. Even though it's been a long time since any content has been officially released on VHS, you can still buy VCRs (mostly in the form of DVD/VHS combo units) to play old tapes that you have. While it's certainly not my preferred way to watch movies and shows, there are some cases of content that has never been released on any format since VHS.

-There are people even now who buy DVDs of content that is available on Blu-Ray and Digital HD. Their discs work just fine and will continue to as long as they take reasonably good care of them. If they are fine with the quality, then what exactly is the problem? Is watching a DVD 10 years from now going to be some kind of horrible thing the equivalent of going to hell? What about watching a Blu-Ray?

-Currently, it is simply an objective fact that when all other aspects are equal (i.e. the same mastering of a particular film being used for all releases) currently Blu-Ray does offer far better picture and sound than Digital HD. Even if digital at some point surpasses the PQ and AQ of Blu-Ray and even the new 4k BD format, the discs won't suddenly stop working, and the studios will most likely want people to buy the content AGAIN, regardless of whether their last purchase was on physical media or Digital HD. They aren't going to just give away the version with upgraded quality to those who previously bought the content digitally out of the goodness of their hearts. So no matter how people are purchasing content today, it doesn't mean that the studios will stop trying to sell an upgraded version tomorrow. Digital HD is not immune to this.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Even if digital at some point surpasses the PQ and AQ of Blu-Ray and even the new 4k BD format, the discs won't suddenly stop working, and the studios will most likely want people to buy the content AGAIN, regardless of whether their last purchase was on physical media or Digital HD. They aren't going to just give away the version with upgraded quality to those who previously bought the content digitally out of the goodness of their hearts. So no matter how people are purchasing content today, it doesn't mean that the studios will stop trying to sell an upgraded version tomorrow. Digital HD is not immune to this.

This makes me wonder if iTunes or Vudu would ever implement a model where their users could pay a monthly fee to have higher bitrate versions of their digital copies. And users that don't pay that fee will continue to get the current bitrate versions. I imagine I'd pay that fee. Obviously the studios could still get people to double dip on 4K/Dolby Atmos versions or whatever else they want to upgrade to, but the higher bitrate idea would be pretty cool. Like increase the bitrates to BD levels for $4.99/month or something. Just a thought.

[Krizzle1]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

This makes me wonder if iTunes or Vudu would ever implement a model where their users could pay a monthly fee to have higher bitrate versions of their digital copies. And users that don't pay that fee will continue to get the current bitrate versions. I imagine I'd pay that fee. Obviously the studios could still get people to double dip on 4K/Dolby Atmos versions or whatever else they want to upgrade to, but the higher bitrate idea would be pretty cool. Like increase the bitrates to BD levels for $4.99/month or something. Just a thought.

Im probably not cool with paying a monthly fee to upgrade my current (?) titles to higher bitrate. I might pay a coupla dollars to upgrade each title though

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by Krizzle1

Im probably not cool with paying a monthly fee to upgrade my current (?) titles to higher bitrate. I might pay a coupla dollars to upgrade each title though

That would add up quite a bit more than $4.99/month, though. I have hundreds of movies in my collection, so I'd still prefer a flat fee.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well this Thread has been going on more than a year, and it has been a fun ride. Dying down a little a couple of times then coming back strong. Disc Lovers are adamant for their Love of Blu-ray, and the Posters that Love Digital HD have had their moment. I still feel that your equipment set up has a lot to do with the way you feel one way or another. I feel if you haven't seen Vudu HDX, you really haven't experienced Digital HD at it finest. Going back through the Posting, it does seem there are more Disc Lovers than Digital HD Lovers.

I took a Philosophy Class once in College, and they talked about a belief in God which reminds me of this discussion. There was plenty of evidence on both sides Evolution vs. Creation, but at the end it was better to believe in God than not. If you did believe in God and Heaven then you were likely to go there, but if you didn't then you are going to Hell. So just like this discussion, it's better to be ready for Digital HD than not. Like Steedeel says, only time will tell but if you are not entirely ready for Digital HD, you will be left in the dust. Technology is unforgiving, today you might have what you feel is enough, and tomorrow you will wonder what happened. Digital HD is growing like a Tidal Wave, don't get left in The Surf!

Vinyl is finished. I am going to throw my vinyl away and upgrade to CD. Vinyl has been fantastic but no one is listening to it anymore. I don't want to be seen as old fashioned so I am following the sheep.

The above paragraph is based on a true story. Belief shouldn't waver. We are Blu-Ray . Super Bluray, we are Blu-Ray for life.

By the way, your tidal wave comment was the forum highlight of the week for me. more like a plonk.

[Krizzle1]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

That would add up quite a bit more than $4.99/month, though. I have hundreds of movies in my collection, so I'd still prefer a flat fee.

Im not sure how a monthly fee would work to 'upgrade' your titles to iTunes 'UHD', if you stop paying will they go back to normal 1080p HD?

I'd like to choose which titles to upgrade, like Gladiator, Man of Steel, Avatar, Children of Men, etc and would leave titles like Fast & Furious, The Hangover, Hercules in 1080p. Also once ive paid a few dollars, I would have them in 'UHD' 'forever'

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Krizzle1

Im not sure how a monthly fee would work to 'upgrade' your titles to iTunes 'UHD', if you stop paying will they go back to normal 1080p HD?

I'd like to choose which titles to upgrade, like Gladiator, Man of Steel, Avatar, Children of Men, etc and would leave titles like Fast & Furious, The Hangover, Hercules in 1080p. Also once ive paid a few dollars, I would have them in 'UHD' 'forever'

As I have mentioned before,It is more likely that the 'pay by screen size' model will be rolled in. Hence the move to mobile and the end for home cinema as not many people will pay for a more expensive tv viewing when it will be cheap as chips on mobile. Isn't Digital great?

[Steedeel]

Interesting that Arrow are going to release Digitally soon. Their page basically promotes the ability to watch the movies on the go. See? Even the studios think Figital is for mobile devices. Dawn of the Dead on my Smartwatch! Can't ****ing wait!

[Rocket Richard]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Interesting that Arrow are going to release Digitally soon. Their page basically promotes the ability to watch the movies on the go. See? Even the studios think Figital is for mobile devices. Dawn of the Dead on my Smartwatch! Can't ****ing wait!

All TVs now have Apps, so Digital and the big screen will never go away, it's only getting bigger. You couldn't buy an 70" or 80" TV 5 years ago.

Not everyone will buy/stream video simply for their watches....