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

[flyry]

Originally Posted by Allerion

The really frustrating thing is that Vudu has awful customer service, unless they've improved things recently. I know that whenever I've had problems in the past it would take them days to get back to me, if they even bothered at all. I like Vudu when it works...I'm annoyed that it isn't compatible with my tablet anymore.

I've noticed people who complain about Vudu customer service never seem to call.

I've always called them if I have any issues and their CSR's are friendly and usually get it resolved very quickly on the call.

[Allerion]

Originally Posted by flyry

I've noticed people who complain about Vudu customer service never seem to call.

I've always called them if I have any issues and their CSR's are friendly and usually get it resolved very quickly on the call.

While it's true I've never called them I don't think it negates the fact that they need to work on their email/online customer service. I've had fantastic customer service from other companies who get back to me very quickly via email. I'm happy to hear that you've had such good experiences with Vudu though and I'll keep that in mind for next time I need to contact them.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by flyry

I've noticed people who complain about Vudu customer service never seem to call.

I've always called them if I have any issues and their CSR's are friendly and usually get it resolved very quickly on the call.

Originally Posted by Allerion

While it's true I've never called them I don't think it negates the fact that they need to work on their email/online customer service. I've had fantastic customer service from other companies who get back to me very quickly via email. I'm happy to hear that you've had such good experiences with Vudu though and I'll keep that in mind for next time I need to contact them.

So I took Flyry's advise, and called Vudu Support on a D2D problem I was having because the eMail was not coming back. They took my call right away and worked on the problem. It wasn't resolved, but their Customer Service was outstanding. They walked me through various steps, and the problem was escalated for resolution. So they have to work on their eMail, but if you have a problem you want resolved soon, call them.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by willo007

Physical Copies or Digital?

Well, I reside in this dimension, If I can touch it, then is real and mine, if I can't, then is not real and imaginary, so lets get "Physical!"

Well I live in the Real World, and now it's all Digital HD...So get Digital!

[BlakkMajik3000]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well I live in the Real World, and now it's all Digital HD...So get Digital!

Did you even read the post you quoted?

[flyry]

Originally Posted by alchav21

So I took Flyry's advise, and called Vudu Support on a D2D problem I was having because the eMail was not coming back. They took my call right away and worked on the problem. It wasn't resolved, but their Customer Service was outstanding. They walked me through various steps, and the problem was escalated for resolution. So they have to work on their eMail, but if you have a problem you want resolved soon, call them.

It may be "escalated" in perpetuity, but at least they were friendly

[master gandhi]

I got an XBOX One S today for my birthday and picked up a physical copy of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 in UHD to compare to my VUDU UHD. It looked crisper and better overall on the physical disc, but they both looked great. It definitely wasn't night & day to my eyes.

I then popped in The Revenant 4K Blu-ray. Very impressive. I don't have a 4K digital copy of The Revenant to compare it to, but it looked flawless and as good as a theatrical presentation IMO.

Also tested Wonder Woman in 4K on VUDU compared to Wonder Woman in HD on iTunes. VUDU definitely wins that battle, likely because it's 4K.

Not sure if I'll jump on a 4K Apple TV anymore. I did unplug my Roku, though. The XBOX One S and Apple TV 4 seem like a good pair of players for me for now. I only have one 4K input on my TV, so the XBOX will occupy that.

Now I just wonder whether Movies Anywhere will support a 4K locker that will port 4K purchases made on Amazon, iTunes and VUDU onto each other. That would be nice.

[voltz]

Does anyone think that the laws of ownership should be revised so that EULA agreements should explicitly state that you're purchasing the full right to your content and not just a licensing agreement that can be terminated at any time?

And along with that I would like to see enforcement on this, including the customer right to sue studios for barring anyone from their investment (i.e. Account Termination, etc) I know movie studios would be all and out in disfavor of even having this talk, but with the fact that they're hellbent on taking away the liberty of ownership, I fear we're going to need these safeguards in place to ensure they don't turn our media into something only they have control of.

We have to get our rights back!

[cpr3584]

Ebay has rolled out a dedicated section of its online marketplace called The Entertainment Shop to cash in on the resurgence of physical media.


https://www.retail-week.com/sectors/...025754.article

[master gandhi]

One thing about Digital that annoys me is how iTunes has extra features for many of its movies, while the extras are much more often absent on VUDU.

Take Blade Runner, for instance. The Final Cut version on iTunes includes three audio commentary tracks, the feature-length documentary Dangerous Days and more. On VUDU, it's barebones, no matter which version you choose. I did Disc-to-Digital for Blade Runner on VUDU after seeing the initial teaser of Blade Runner 2049 last year, in hopes that VUDU would later add extras. I could've bought it on iTunes when it was on sale for $5 instead.

That's why, if you value extras on new and older films, iTunes or physical media is where it's at.

Luckily, I own Blade Runner on both 4-disc DVD and 3-disc Blu-ray, so I was able to watch Dangerous Days this week (on the Blu-ray version, because the DVD's disc had problems...), but VUDU users shouldn't be denied that documentary.

There needs to be more consistency between streaming services. I guess if/when Movies Anywhere launches, the streaming provider with the best overall experience will be the one people actually watch their movies on. You can still buy on Amazon/VUDU, but watch it on iTunes. That would/will be great.

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

One thing about Digital that annoys me is how iTunes has extra features for many of its movies, while the extras are much more often absent on VUDU.

Take Blade Runner, for instance. The Final Cut version on iTunes includes three audio commentary tracks, the feature-length documentary Dangerous Days and more. On VUDU, it's barebones, no matter which version you choose. I did Disc-to-Digital for Blade Runner on VUDU after seeing the initial teaser of Blade Runner 2049 last year, in hopes that VUDU would later add extras. I could've bought it on iTunes when it was on sale for $5 instead.

That's why, if you value extras on new and older films, iTunes or physical media is where it's at.

Luckily, I own Blade Runner on both 4-disc DVD and 3-disc Blu-ray, so I was able to watch Dangerous Days this week (on the Blu-ray version, because the DVD's disc had problems...), but VUDU users shouldn't be denied that documentary.

There needs to be more consistency between streaming services. I guess if/when Movies Anywhere launches, the streaming provider with the best overall experience will be the one people actually watch their movies on. You can still buy on Amazon/VUDU, but watch it on iTunes. That would/will be great.

If Movies Anywhere actually comes true, I wonder if those movies I own in my iTunes library will duplicate if I have the same movie in Vudu? I know there's a hide feature for my iTunes account but this will be a hassle to hide duplicates if I have at least a few hundred of the same movies in my iTunes account as well and iTunes is my main digital movie purchase/redemption provider.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by PCFan

If Movies Anywhere actually comes true, I wonder if those movies I own in my iTunes library will duplicate if I have the same movie in Vudu? I know there's a hide feature for my iTunes account but this will be a hassle to hide duplicates if I have at least a few hundred of the same movies in my iTunes account as well and iTunes is my main digital movie purchase/redemption provider.

I only see them duplicating if they decide to make new MA versions when it ports to another provider, instead of just redeeming an existing version that already exists in their store/database. But we shall see. I'd rather they duplicate and have all the iTunes Extras than not port at all.

[dublinbluray108]

I have found some news about the new Disney rental streaming service coming out in 2019. All material relating to Marvel and Star Wars will become exclusive on this service which means you won't be able to view them on Netflix anymore.

There is also plans to release the new service in international countries before the US has it first.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/07/disn...g-service.html

[markazali]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

One thing about Digital that annoys me is how iTunes has extra features for many of its movies, while the extras are much more often absent on VUDU.

Take Blade Runner, for instance. The Final Cut version on iTunes includes three audio commentary tracks, the feature-length documentary Dangerous Days and more. On VUDU, it's barebones, no matter which version you choose. I did Disc-to-Digital for Blade Runner on VUDU after seeing the initial teaser of Blade Runner 2049 last year, in hopes that VUDU would later add extras. I could've bought it on iTunes when it was on sale for $5 instead.

That's why, if you value extras on new and older films, iTunes or physical media is where it's at.

Luckily, I own Blade Runner on both 4-disc DVD and 3-disc Blu-ray, so I was able to watch Dangerous Days this week (on the Blu-ray version, because the DVD's disc had problems...), but VUDU users shouldn't be denied that documentary.

There needs to be more consistency between streaming services. I guess if/when Movies Anywhere launches, the streaming provider with the best overall experience will be the one people actually watch their movies on. You can still buy on Amazon/VUDU, but watch it on iTunes. That would/will be great.

Parity is a big annoyance. For whatever reason VUDU doesn't always have the 1080p version of movies that are available elsewhere.

The Extras + feature on VUDU is a step back too since you can't watch on standalone players.

[master gandhi]

So does the announcement of free HD to UHD upgrades on iTunes spice up the Digital/Physical debate? Instead of forcing us to double dip to get UHD, iTunes is treating UHD pretty much as the new HD. If that isn't a point scored for Digital, I don't know what is.

[jhrobinson]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

So does the announcement of free HD to UHD upgrades on iTunes spice up the Digital/Physical debate? Instead of forcing us to double dip to get UHD, iTunes is treating UHD pretty much as the new HD. If that isn't a point scored for Digital, I don't know what is.

I totally agree with you, it was a great announcement. However, it remains to be seen which content will be available in UHD, how it looks, how long it take to download, etc.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by jhrobinson

I totally agree with you, it was a great announcement. However, it remains to be seen which content will be available in UHD, how it looks, how long it take to download, etc.

I'll report back about it next week.

Btw, that shiny new XBOX One S? I'm returning it. Apple TV 4K for me.

[twobelowpar]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

So does the announcement of free HD to UHD upgrades on iTunes spice up the Digital/Physical debate? Instead of forcing us to double dip to get UHD, iTunes is treating UHD pretty much as the new HD. If that isn't a point scored for Digital, I don't know what is.

And a point for iTunes as well.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by twobelowpar

And a point for iTunes as well.

A huge point. I already liked iTunes the most out of all the Digital retailers. Now even more so.

[randian]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

So does the announcement of free HD to UHD upgrades on iTunes spice up the Digital/Physical debate? Instead of forcing us to double dip to get UHD, iTunes is treating UHD pretty much as the new HD. If that isn't a point scored for Digital, I don't know what is.

Interesting if the studios are honest. I can easily see the studios play the "slightly different name" game, where the UHD has a different name ("Anniversary Edition" or "Special Edition") than the HD so you don't actually get a free upgrade. "Sorry, different movies".