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

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by Vilya

You forgot to remind us that we need a hard wired internet connection and symmetrical internet service, too.

The real way to tell the difference between streaming and disc is to do a direct comparison by watching the same movie via both sources on your own personal set-up; how things look and sound in your own home with your own equipment (and your settings choices) in your own environment is what matters. Compare the 4K stream to the 4K disc, the HD stream to the blu-ray disc, and even the SD stream to the DVD.

Once you see and hear the differences that's where the objective measurement data becomes interesting; the data allows you to quantify the discrepancies beyond the mere use of subjective adjectives like describing the video/ audio quality as terrible, bad, good, or (dare I say it) fantastic!

This is correct and so well stated I want to frame a picture of it and post it outside of my home theater.

Reminds me of the similar Far Side comic GotMule had posted outside of his HT regarding MP3 audio quality.

In the early days of DVD I noticed the difference between Dolby Digital compressed tracks and PCM uncompressed tracks. Quality matters in the things I have and also in the things I share. I want to experience media in the highest quality possible.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by bhampton

This is correct and so well stated I want to frame a picture of it and post it outside of my home theater.

Reminds me of the similar Far Side comic GotMule had posted outside of his HT regarding MP3 audio quality.

In the early days of DVD I noticed the difference between Dolby Digital compressed tracks and PCM uncompressed tracks. Quality matters in the things I have and also in the things I share. I want to experience media in the highest quality possible.

Thanks for remembering!

https://images.static-bluray.com/htg...81101_full.jpg

[bhampton]

No high end system needed. Put on wired headphones and if CDs sound like MP3s the only thing you can do is get your hearing checked.

Last time I had a physical I knew one of my ears had impacted earwax but I wasn't ready for the difference it made when the nurse cleaned it out. It was like I could hear things that had not happened yet. The echoes within the room just after were startling.

I have always been one of those who has and wears hearing protection. I thought I would regret when my eyes go more but honestly I think I like hearing more than seeing.

[gotmule]

After a 15 hr car ride with two cats yesterday, I am now in Delaware waiting to settle on the new house tomorrow. Which brings me to my question around buying a new tv for the family room. It has been awhile since I bought one for every day usage, so could use some suggestions. I am looking at around a 73” and not married to one technology or the other. Verizon Fios will be the source and a lot of sporting events will be viewed on it. It will not be used for movies since I can be patient waiting for the basement and theater to get finished at some point early 2025. I may use some built in apps since some events are only available that way. The room can be bright with it facing west, but we will have plantation shutters to control it.

I know Vilya loves his Sony, so that is certainly on the list. The new Panasonic has my eye, but the 73” is not available yet. It will go into a console/hutch and be hooked up to a Blue Sound Pulse soundbar.

Help me spend some money!

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I have always been one of those who has and wears hearing protection.

Same here. I wear eye protection when weed trimming. Got a very small piece of matter in my eye while hedge trimming that required a trip to the emergency clinic. I was not wearing eye protection for this task. I bought one of these and it works well for ear and eye protection.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by gotmule

Help me spend some money!

Not into direct view but I would start with a budget range, you have already decided on 73" size. Can you go to 75" because that appears to be the size in this range. Is a NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) tuner important to you? If so then select a model with that feature. Same for Dolby Vision. Lots of reviews at Sound & Vision here.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Not into direct view but I would start with a budget range, you have already decided on 73" size. Can you go to 75" because that appears to be the size in this range. Is a NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) tuner important to you? If so then select a model with that feature. Same for Dolby Vision. Lots of reviews at Sound & Vision here.

Can accommodate a 75” and will not need the tuner you mention.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by gotmule

After a 15 hr car ride with two cats yesterday, I am now in Delaware waiting to settle on the new house tomorrow. Which brings me to my question around buying a new tv for the family room. It has been awhile since I bought one for every day usage, so could use some suggestions. I am looking at around a 73” and not married to one technology or the other. Verizon Fios will be the source and a lot of sporting events will be viewed on it. It will not be used for movies since I can be patient waiting for the basement and theater to get finished at some point early 2025. I may use some built in apps since some events are only available that way. The room can be bright with it facing west, but we will have plantation shutters to control it.

I know Vilya loves his Sony, so that is certainly on the list. The new Panasonic has my eye, but the 73” is not available yet. It will go into a console/hutch and be hooked up to a Blue Sound Pulse soundbar.

Help me spend some money!

I am very happy that you, your wife, and the kitties all made it safely to Delaware. I bet that the kitties are especially happy to be off of the road and exploring their new home.

I very much like my Sony Bravia 9, but it reportedly has some issue with the local dimming feature as stated in this review from What Hi-Fi dated July 23rd (see the "Picture" section):

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-bravia-9-k75xr90

What Hi-Fi believes that a firmware update can fix the issue. Sony did just release a firmware update on Oct. 8th., but whether it address the matter or not, I do not know. I can only watch Mad Max: Fury Road so often.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/sup...icles/00347793

I tried to see if I could notice the problem, but nothing obvious stood out to me. That may not be saying much given my condition. There are days when I can not find my reflection looking in a mirror with a flashlight to help.

It is also worth noting that I have not seen any other reviewer mention this issue with the Bravia 9, but I felt that I should mention it to you.

I have no regrets buying this TV; I will even have it paid for by December! I think that the Bravia 9 in particular, and the mini-LED tech in general, is a great choice for a TV that will be in a room with varying light levels. The Bravia 9 can get really bright: HDR brightness in a 10% window reaches 2873 cd/m2.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/so...-9-qled#test_4

Anyway, that's all I got in me. Today has not been one of my better days. Good luck with your shopping.

[bhampton]

Happy Deadpool & Wolverine release day. I enjoyed it in the local theater and tonight I'll enjoy it again in my own home theater.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by gotmule

Can accommodate a 75” and will not need the tuner you mention.

If you think you would use your new TV as an evaluation monitor then I would see what Stacey Spears, Kirs Deering, Vincent Teoh and others use as their personal display. I know Stacey uses a model by LG, don’t know what the others use.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

If you think you would use your new TV as an evaluation monitor then I would see what Stacey Spears, Kirs Deering, Vincent Teoh and others use as their personal display. I know Stacey uses a model by LG, don’t know what the others use.

No plans of such. Just want a great tv for everyday usage. Update is it needs to be a 65” as the bigger 75” will not fit. No big deal though. The contenders then would be the Bravia 9, the new Panasonic OLED and the Samsung S95D. I love the bezel and the anti glare of the Sammy right now. I reached out to Robert for some thoughts and availability.

[stonesfan129]

I'm staying with physical until I fill up this last 336-disc binder, so it will be awhile. But I have significantly scaled back my purchases. These days I'll typically rent something through Fandango or Apple, then if I think it has a lot of rewatch value, I'll search for a used Blu-ray and add it to my collection. After this, it will just be rentals or free streaming for me. I think digital copies still cost too much unless they are on sale for $5. Even with Blu-rays, Kino Lorber sells brand new ones for like $12-15 which is more reasonable imo.

[bhampton]

Stonesfan129, (and the other 128 Stones fans)

Don't forget the local library. Mine not only has physical media but offers a Kanopy subscription with 18 credits/month.

Kanopy does not have the best or worst AV quality but it's great to see something you are unsure about or if you are in the mood for something you have never even heard of.

I like Tubi and it's been a while but I used to like Pluto and probably still would.

Kanopy is ad free and has most Studio A24 stuff eventually and a ton of Criterions.



I wasn't going to buy Talk To Me after seeing it on Kanopy but it's $9.99 currently and I have a hard time turing down UHD BD at that price. (I did like the movie I just wasn't planning on buying it unless it was on sale.)

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I wasn't going to buy Talk To Me after seeing it on Kanopy but it's $9.99 currently and I have a hard time turing down UHD BD at that price. (I did like the movie I just wasn't planning on buying it unless it was on sale.)

Thanks for the heads up on Talk To Me. I really wanted the Amazon exclusive for the Q&A with the creators but it rarely drops below $40. I can live without it.

Also received my copy of:



Can't wait to watch it. One of my favorite Halloween movies.

[bhampton]

I love that one and will have to figure out where you bought it from as it doesn't seem to be on Amazon.

Sold out a week before it's release date on Arrow Video's website ... that's impressive. I have enjoyed the Blu several times so I guess that's why I didn't act faster when I read about it. Will hope for a non deluxe version in time.

Would not mind watching the older Trick or Treat movie with Ozzy

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I love that one and will have to figure out where you bought it from as it doesn't seem to be on Amazon.

Sold out a week before it's release date on Arrow Video's website ... that's impressive. I have enjoyed the Blu several times so I guess that's why I didn't act faster when I read about it. Will hope for a non deluxe version in time.

Would not mind watching the older Trick or Treat movie with Ozzy

That is the Arrow store exclusive Original Artwork cover. I dug it so paid a little extra for it. It's the same content as this one:



Yeah, I don't think I've seen the Ozzy one since I saw it in theaters. Man I'm old.

[bhampton]

Proud of gamers making good choices.

https://insider-gaming.com/disc-edit...console-sales/

Gamers usually want to save money if for no other reason than to buy more games with but giving up a disc drive is not worth it.

Digital only consoles which are $100 (20%!) cheaper only made up 18% of the sales.

[Lord-Oakbeard]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Welcome. I had it on my list of possible purchases, only to forget about it, and then it had a name change, but an online friend of mine mentioned how good it was, so I bought it and enjoyed.

One of the many good things about this site and most of the folk who post are the intriguing recommendations of films that are under the radar or are unbeknown - to me anyway - and I remembered reading your recommendation, bought Eight for Silver (UK version) and watched it last night. So thank you for that.

My short review of the film from the Halloween Horror Month 2024 (UK) thread:

One of the best blind buys of any genre I’ve ever watched. It’s a beautifully filmed and unusual gothic folk lore monster horror film with creepy atmospheric cinematography that draws you into it. Fine acting and a dark and grim storyline with a twist makes it a very stylish film I want to watch again before the winter ends.

[Lord-Oakbeard]

Originally Posted by CV19

Haven't come across this one before, so thanks for the heads-up. Sounds exactly the type of film I'll enjoy - enough for a blind buy.

It’s a terrific blind buy. I recommend it too.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Lord-Oakbeard

One of the many good things about this site and most of the folk who post are the intriguing recommendations of films that are under the radar or are unbeknown - to me anyway - and I remembered reading your recommendation, bought Eight for Silver (UK version) and watched it last night. So thank you for that.

My short review of the film from the Halloween Horror Month 2024 (UK) thread:

One of the best blind buys of any genre I’ve ever watched. It’s a beautifully filmed and unusual gothic folk lore monster horror film with creepy atmospheric cinematography that draws you into it. Fine acting and a dark and grim storyline with a twist makes it a very stylish film I want to watch again before the winter ends.

Originally Posted by Lord-Oakbeard

It’s a terrific blind buy. I recommend it too.

I am delighted you both enjoyed it.

Edit: sorry CV mistakenly multi quoted Lord twice rather than your post