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

[crutzulee]

My OG Z9X just keeps getting better and better with age...never a stutter, frame rate skip or lip sync issue... plays everything I throw at it... it's only fault is that it's not a streamer so that I could have everything under one roof...

My son has moved everything over to a JELLYFIN server that he built out of pieces we had lying around...I love getting rid of the rat's nest of drives and cables from my HT room... My family is happy to get rid of NETFLIX...

As impressive as the JELLYFIN setup has been, I'm so glad that I can simply point HT5 at the new server and continue to enjoy the ZIDOO as before... even with the JELLYFIN client's ability to use the ZIDOO'S player, I simply prefer HT5 to anything I've ever seen...

[Vilya]

My latest acquisitions:

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I am so sorry that your sister has so many daunting problems and that these may prevent the transplant. "May" is the key word here and we must continue to hope that the transplant will happen. Your sister is tough and she may surprise us yet again.

Keep the faith and keep losing the weight that you need to lose. Even the smallest chance to help her is all the motivation in the world.

I wish your nephew the best, too. His determined spirit and the support of his family will carry him far.

Thanks as always, we still have hope they can come together and find some solution.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

In Post Audio I had a top of the line Technics turntable, don’t remember what arm I used. IIRC, had a Shure V15 Type III cartridge, Sure test and tracking disc, tracking force gauge and lab reference weights to make sure the gauge was accurate. That set-up could track disc that others could not. Used Discwasher for cleaning.

For a lot less money AR (Acoustic Research) made a turntable that was almost as good as the Technics and may have been better at less feedback.

Still have my AR-3a loudspeakers, have not used in many years. I need to re-foam the bass drivers.

Sorry to hear your family health issues continue. Hope you can remain strong for yourself and those you must support. I am now having to take glucose readings once a week.

Thanks for that.

Yes, that sounds just the ticket. I think such reliability always earns loyalty, and that’s the case with those two brands for me.

Plus, they look really cool!

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by bhampton

Alchav,

How will you celebrate if your dream of a world without high quality media comes true ? Do you have plans for it ? Maybe buy some shiny new ethernet cables?

Are there other things people love that you can't stand and maybe you will take up one of those like no more bananas or something?

Can I recommend photography forums where you suggest SLR cameras are losing the war to phones ... that seems like a good one.

The question is what are you guys going to do? IPTV and Streaming is Quality enough for me. The future is Fiber Networks, and Streaming is only going to get better. Disc having less than 10% of the Video Market should be clear that it's not sustainable. Yes, I did have two SLR Cameras, one I bought in Vietnam a Ricoh Film Camera and took a lot of Slides, and an Olympus E-500 Digital Camera I bought here with a Telephoto Lens. I sold them both on Ebay, now all I use is my Android Phone!

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

The question is what are you guys going to do? IPTV and Streaming is Quality enough for me. The future is Fiber Networks, and Streaming is only going to get better. Disc having less than 10% of the Video Market should be clear that it's not sustainable. Yes, I did have two SLR Cameras, one I bought in Vietnam and took a lot of Slides, and a good one I bought here with a Telephoto Lens. I sold them both on Ebay, now all I use is my Android Phone!

We will continue watching our discs well into the next decade and beyond. We will watch unimportant stuff via streaming.

Streaming isn’t going to get better, that should be obvious by now.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

The question is what are you guys going to do? IPTV and Streaming is Quality enough for me. The future is Fiber Networks, and Streaming is only going to get better. Disc having less than 10% of the Video Market should be clear that it's not sustainable. Yes, I did have two SLR Cameras, one I bought in Vietnam a Ricoh Film Camera and took a lot of Slides, and an Olympus E-500 Digital Camera I bought here with a Telephoto Lens. I sold them both on Ebay, now all I use is my Android Phone!

The real question is why do you ask when you know that you do not care? Are you expecting us to all commit seppuku?

There is no objective evidence to support that streaming will get better. It has remained the same for many years now. Not one aspect of it has improved in that time, but you do get to pay more for it now AND enjoy the addition of advertising.

You are the typical streaming customer who, by your own words, states that "Streaming is Quality enough for me" already.

Originally Posted by alchav21

I don't see a big difference from HD to 4K.

^Maybe that's because you only use streaming?

There is no need to improve anything about streaming for those that are as easily satisfied as you. If they did improve it, you would be unwilling to pay more to get it as evidenced below:

Originally Posted by alchav21

I dropped back from 4K to HD on Netflix Streaming because of cost.

If you were unwilling to pay for improved quality then, you almost certainly would not now.

You do not know what percent any category has of any market. You do not even understand that the rental and purchase markets represent distinctly different types of consumer products and different consumer desires. I/we could explain that difference to you AGAIN, but you would not understand it this time, either.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by alchav21

The question is what are you guys going to do? IPTV and Streaming is Quality enough for me. The future is Fiber Networks, and Streaming is only going to get better. Disc having less than 10% of the Video Market should be clear that it's not sustainable. Yes, I did have two SLR Cameras, one I bought in Vietnam a Ricoh Film Camera and took a lot of Slides, and an Olympus E-500 Digital Camera I bought here with a Telephoto Lens. I sold them both on Ebay, now all I use is my Android Phone!

You are skimming the surface of everything you are interested in.

An android phone can take pictures just like it can play audio. The lens, the speaker. the screen is not the best but you don't want the best or ever better than the lowest common denominator.

What I can't figure out is why you take part in discussions with people who do want better things and are willing to learn about technology.

I recently used my iphone 14 along with my Nikon SLR when I was taking pictures. I used the RAW ability of the SLR which has a lower resolution but the iphone can not take a picture without editing it and post processing it from the instant you take a picture.(Edit- Android phones can now capture RAW images and some iPhones can capture ProRAW... I am going to investigate this now that I have discovered and see if my iPhone can do this.) I'm not very "into" photography yet at all but I am interested in learning and knowing things. And I have always been interested in trying to make the best of what I can have.

That's what tends to happen. People get interested in something and find out they are able to affect the quality and suddenly they are taking part in the end results.

Maybe you're interested in something. I don't know. Symmetric fiber internet ... something.

It takes all kinds. I don't know what you are doing here but at least your perspective is valid if a bit shallow.


I will tell you what I am going to do - I'm going to keep collecting the things I enjoy and keep enjoying the things I have and keep learning along the way.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by bhampton

You are skimming the surface of everything you are interested in.

An android phone can take pictures just like it can play audio. The lens, the speaker. the screen is not the best but you don't want the best or ever better than the lowest common denominator.

What I can't figure out is why you take part in discussions with people who do want better things and are willing to learn about technology.

I recently used my iphone 14 along with my Nikon SLR when I was taking pictures. I used the RAW ability of the SLR which has a lower resolution but the iphone can not take a picture without editing it and post processing it from the instant you take a picture. I'm not very "into" photography at all but I am interested in learning and knowing things. And I have always been interested in trying to make the best of what I can have.

That's what tends to happen. People get interested in something and find out they are able to affect the quality and suddenly they are taking part in the end results.

Maybe you're interested in something. I don't know. Symmetric fiber internet ... something.

It takes all kinds. I don't know what you are doing here but at least your perspective is valid if a bit shallow.


I will tell you what I am going to do - I'm going to keep collecting the things I enjoy and keep enjoying the things I have and keep learning along the way.

Phone pictures look fine until you blow them up. Says it all really.

[bhampton]

Folks can learn if they WANT to.

When I was in Auto Technician training one of my older teachers go to wisdom was "There's no replacement for displacement" meaning the larger the engine the more power. This was only true until new forms of optimization changed things.

There is plenty of interest in taking pictures via phones and slowly the ability to use different lenses or shoot from multiple angles or capture RAW data is all bringing the tech forward and making it better.

If people just wanted to take pictures and they didn't care about the results none of that would happen.

Someone wants better and that's how we get better.

Take a good picture and compress it into a small data size and then send it over ultra symmetric fiber ethernet shielded cables and it's still garbage compared to the original picture. Most of us can understand that. It may be better than nothing but that doesn't mean it's the best.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by bhampton

Folks can learn if they WANT to.

When I was in Auto Technician training one of my older teachers go to wisdom was "There's no replacement for displacement" meaning the larger the engine the more power. This was only true until new forms of optimization changed things.

There is plenty of interest in taking pictures via phones and slowly the ability to use different lenses or shoot from multiple angles or capture RAW data is all bringing the tech forward and making it better.

If people just wanted to take pictures and they didn't care about the results none of that would happen.

Someone wants better and that's how we get better.

Take a good picture and compress it into a small data size and then send it over ultra symmetric fiber ethernet shielded cables and it's still garbage compared to the original picture. Most of us can understand that. It may be better than nothing but that doesn't mean it's the best.

I spent 10 years with a Nikon, so I agree with everything you say.

[stonesfan129]

Discs won't die out. But the prices are forcing a lot of people out. Eventually it will get like vinyl and SACD where you can buy them, you can buy players; but at massively inflated prices to where most people are just not going to waste time.

I'm with alchav21 on this. I use a number of different services like Tubi, PlutoTV, Freevee, Vudu, Apple; in addition to my 1080p Blu-ray collection, and handful of DVDs. The streamed content from the above services looks good enough to me to where I can enjoy something. And lots of times you can find deals as low as $5. Yeah you don't own it. But that's not much more than I'd pay for a rental anyway.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

most people are just not going to waste time.

I'm with alchav21 on this.

We can dis agree about what is a waste of time.

Maybe watching diluted/gimped/intentionally inferior media is a waste of time when something better is available.

You and Alchav will be very happy togeather ... I'm glad he's got a streaming seems fine buddy.

[stonesfan129]

Originally Posted by bhampton

We can dis agree about what is a waste of time.

Maybe watching diluted/gimped/intentionally inferior media is a waste of time when something better is available.

You and Alchav will be very happy togeather ... I'm glad he's got a streaming seems fine buddy.

How good must it look? I have been totally happy with Apple's stream quality. Vudu is mostly good (they still have some old masters that need updating). If I sit there and worry about the quality, then I'm ruining the enjoyment of what I'm watching. And if it's only $5-8, I'm really not going to complain much.

[bhampton]

I have 1453 movies in iTunes.

They look and sound good enough is some settings. At my second home there is a TV and ATMOS sound bar and I don't bring my discs there.

I built a dedicated home theater to enjoy movies at the highest quality I can achieve which features the ability to playback lossless audio including lossless ATMOS and this sounds better to me.

If you like Mc Donalds then how good does food really need to be?

There's nothing wrong with accepting second best and if you like it that's great.

If you want to suggest other people should not have something better that's a little strange.

[stonesfan129]

Originally Posted by bhampton

If you like Mc Donalds then how good does food really need to be?

FWIW, I nearly always make my own burgers or go to a bar for one.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

As impressive as the JELLYFIN setup has been, I'm so glad that I can simply point HT5 at the new server and continue to enjoy the ZIDOO as before... even with the JELLYFIN client's ability to use the ZIDOO'S player, I simply prefer HT5 to anything I've ever seen...

Just curious, if you are content with HT5 then why have Jellyfin as a server? Windows can group your HDD’s into one large volume then you could make that as a share which HT5 could see. I have no personal experience doing this, I use hardware RAID 5.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

Discs won't die out. But the prices are forcing a lot of people out. Eventually it will get like vinyl and SACD where you can buy them, you can buy players; but at massively inflated prices to where most people are just not going to waste time.

I'm with alchav21 on this. I use a number of different services like Tubi, PlutoTV, Freevee, Vudu, Apple; in addition to my 1080p Blu-ray collection, and handful of DVDs. The streamed content from the above services looks good enough to me to where I can enjoy something. And lots of times you can find deals as low as $5. Yeah you don't own it. But that's not much more than I'd pay for a rental anyway.

The fact you have swayed back and forth for the last several years suggests to me that deep down, you aren’t really happy with streaming.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Streaming was always targeted to the masses and that will not change. The masses is content with low data rate content as seen here (January 2025). Not much has changed in 40 years, us LD owners tried to show and explain the difference between LD and HBO & Showtime, video cassette with very little success.

Wonder how many of the anti disc posters would turn down a free delivered and installed JVC NZ900 projector, a large scope Stewart screen, a Trinnov Altitude32 based immersive audio system, a R_volution NAS with 2000 Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray titles on it, a R_volution media player, 1000 Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray titles on disc and a Panasonic UB9000 UHD Blu-ray disc player. My money is on NONE would turn down such an offer.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

No mate, it’s been a horrible couple of weeks. Because of her bladder complications (and bowel removal when she was younger) the surgeons are uncertain if they can proceed with kidney transplant. The risk is huge, mainly because of the bladder, and bladder removal is now a far less desired option as they still think she will have issue post removal.
I can’t to pretend to understand all the technical stuff, but suffice to say, the possibility of dialysis for the rest of her life is a very real possibility.
A daunting and scary prospect.

I have to continue with losing weight and tests just in case the consultants/surgeons can come up with something unexpected, but I must admit, it’s knocked my motivation no end.
I have lost 1 stone and need to lose another five pounds or so. Want to be about 13 stone.

My younger sister is fit and in great shape health wise, but her son continues to have issues related to his brain injury, it’s a worry but he meets his problems with courage and determination, like yourself.

Thanks for thinking of us when you are going through all your health problems, it’s very much appreciated.

had to search what stone meant. Wish you and your family all the best with thyeir problems