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

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Like I said before, with a name like PCFan you should be on the UV side and have nothing to do with iTunes. I hope your UHD TV is going to be a Sony, and then you will be in great position for Digital HD. I have Vudu and Amazon, with Sony Ultra for UHD Streaming and I love this set up. Bandwidth and set up is a big consideration, and if you don't have this then you will be in a position to consider Disc. Like you said, Streaming Digital HD is The Future, but Fiber will be needed for the Gold Standard!

But don’t you wish you could watch more than just Sony movies and Amazon originals (and I’m sure you could add Netflix if you wanted) in UHD?

Starting tomorrow, thanks to the new Apple TV 4K, people can access movies from all the major studios in 4K (Disney isn’t 4K on iTunes yet, but it is on VUDU, which we’ll find out whether VUDU will be 4K on the new Apple TV). That sounds more ideal to me.

But I know you’re happy with your Sony TV. What matters is that our needs are met. I like more than just Sony movies. I’m sure you do too. The Apple TV is low profile, and the interface is super smooth. Amazon will be on it real soon. Keep your eyes on it.

[Texan26]

Looks like VUDU is starting to do something to match iTunes 4K prices.

VUDU is giving you the UHD version of Spider-Man Homecoming plus $3 credit if you preorder the HDX version.

https://www.vudu.com/movies/#!content/851335

This also comes after Wonder Woman UHD being the same price as the HDX version.

[PCFan]

I think I'm done with digital media purchases from any service. A few months ago I purchased Blade Runner (The Final Cut) in iTunes and it's now in Spanish with Spanish subtitles showing even though it got the 4k upgrade. I did an online chat with Apple support and they said it's been pulled from the store and I should not have streaming access to it any longer and the one that's showing up in my iTunes library is a different version even though it's the same title and same cut. I was told by their support that I should download all my iTunes purchases to prevent losing access to my purchases and that if I don't download my purchases they can't guarantee access to them if they get pulled out of the iTunes store. However, I find the iTunes app in Windows very buggy and not user friendly and that's why I stream instead of download. Apple would not refund me for this movie and they can't give me a reason either. I only did watch the first 2 minutes of it but it was in Spanish and no option to change it to English and prevent the Spanish subtitles from displaying. The Final Cut of this movie is not showing up in the store but is still showing up in my iTunes movie library in my Apple TV and the movie count did not go down, and I can stream it still, just not in English. I was told that it's in Spanish because it's been pulled out of the iTunes store. Also you can't download 4k from iTunes from what I read. There is no guarantee I will have access to my purchases unless I download them according to tech support. I think digital subscription is going to be my only form of streaming in the near future, I just want to finish what I have left on my iTunes and Vudu accounts. I'm very possibly done with digital purchases.

[master gandhi]

I totally get your frustration, PCFan. The customer service people on iTunes are clueless. It doesn’t happen often, but when titles become temporarily inaccessible, all customer service does is agitate anyone who seeks their counsel. They tell you that you should download your movies to back them up, even though everything today is about streaming, not downloading. Don’t listen to them. Your title will be orrected. What surprises me the most is how their customer service hasn’t gotten better about dealing with these issues. They need to offer assurances, not tell people tough shit.

Your collection is safe. These glitches don’t last long. My copy of 2 Guns disappeared a few days ago, and the only history of its existence was seeing my purchase receipt of its redemption. Tonight it popped back up on my Apple TV. It’s in my TV app on my phone under Up Next (where it shows Purchased), but not in my actual collection. If I click on it under Up Next, it says it could not load the video. I expect it to all be back normal in another day or two. I definitely won’t contact the pessimistic customer care about it. They’ll just say it’s out of their hands. Frustrating? Yes. But nothing’s perfect. I still prefer digital over disc.

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

I totally get your frustration, PCFan. The customer service people on iTunes are clueless. It doesn’t happen often, but when titles become temporarily inaccessible, all customer service does is agitate anyone who seeks their counsel. They tell you that you should download your movies to back them up, even though everything today is about streaming, not downloading. Don’t listen to them. Your title will be orrected. What surprises me the most is how their customer service hasn’t gotten better about dealing with these issues. They need to offer assurances, not tell people tough shit.

Your collection is safe. These glitches don’t last long. My copy of 2 Guns disappeared a few days ago, and the only history of its existence was seeing my purchase receipt of its redemption. Tonight it popped back up on my Apple TV. It’s in my TV app on my phone under Up Next (where it shows Purchased), but not in my actual collection. If I click on it under Up Next, it says it could not load the video. I expect it to all be back normal in another day or two. I definitely won’t contact the pessimistic customer care about it. They’ll just say it’s out of their hands. Frustrating? Yes. But nothing’s perfect. I still prefer digital over disc.

2 Guns is still in my iTunes account and I can stream it.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by PCFan

2 Guns is still in my iTunes account and I can stream it.

Exactly. It’s a temporary glitch. I redeemed my digital code for 2 Guns early last week, and days later it disappeared. Many others are experiencing recently purchased movies disappearing over this past week. There’s some glitches happening. The engineers will fix it. Meanwhile, the customer service reps will further upset Apple’s customers.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by PCFan

I think I'm done with digital media purchases from any service.

Originally Posted by master gandhi

I totally get your frustration, PCFan. The customer service people on iTunes are clueless. They need to offer assurances, not tell people tough shit.

Frustrating? Yes. But nothing’s perfect. I still prefer digital over disc.

PCFan you really Flip-Flop on Digital HD, but like Master said, if you are going to do it right you should be Streaming not Downloading. I think it all has to do with your Streaming set up, and Bandwidth. I may not like iTunes, but like Vudu they won't intentionally get rid of any Movie, it's just not good PR. Streaming is The Future, and Release Dates keep getting shorter and shorter. So if you want to see First Run Movies when they come out, you will need a good Streaming Provider, and the proper set up and Bandwidth.

[i_max2k2]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

Exactly. It’s a temporary glitch. I redeemed my digital code for 2 Guns early last week, and days later it disappeared. Many others are experiencing recently purchased movies disappearing over this past week. There’s some glitches happening. The engineers will fix it. Meanwhile, the customer service reps will further upset Apple’s customers.

I had 14 movies disappear from my account that I know, I have more then 300 right now, so no idea about the ones I couldn't point out. But at least the 14 came back, I doubt I still have any missing. But I don't think they will ever void a purchase/redemption lightly, I doubt it will ever happen.

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by alchav21

PCFan you really Flip-Flop on Digital HD, but like Master said, if you are going to do it right you should be Streaming not Downloading. I think it all has to do with your Streaming set up, and Bandwidth. I may not like iTunes, but like Vudu they won't intentionally get rid of any Movie, it's just not good PR. Streaming is The Future, and Release Dates keep getting shorter and shorter. So if you want to see First Run Movies when they come out, you will need a good Streaming Provider, and the proper set up and Bandwidth.

I do stream from iTunes. I don't download from iTunes anymore because I find the iTunes app for Windows too buggy and not user friendly. Also I'm on a 45 Mbps internet connection with a 22 ms ping. This had nothing to do with my internet bandwidth. Anyways, Blade Runner (The Final Cut) now has been corrected but still this leaves me with bad feelings about whether I should continue to make digital purchases.

[PCFan]

Alchav21, I noticed that you recommend using Vudu instead of iTunes but Vudu on my Apple TV sucks. I was streaming Boardwalk Empire through the Vudu app on my Apple TV and it looked like SD instead of HDX, then I streamed it through iTunes and it looked much less blurry than it did in Vudu on my Apple TV. Also Little House on the Prairie TV series for some reason looks more like SD than HDX on the Vudu app on my Apple TV. These TV shows look less blurry on my TV's Vudu app. My TV's Vudu app has issues with kicking out of the Vudu app while I stream so I don't use it on my TV.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by PCFan

Alchav21, I noticed that you recommend using Vudu instead of iTunes but Vudu on my Apple TV sucks. I was streaming Boardwalk Empire through the Vudu app on my Apple TV and it looked like SD instead of HDX, then I streamed it through iTunes and it looked much less blurry than it did in Vudu on my Apple TV. Also Little House on the Prairie TV series for some reason looks more like SD than HDX on the Vudu app on my Apple TV. These TV shows look less blurry on my TV's Vudu app. My TV's Vudu app has issues with kicking out of the Vudu app while I stream so I don't use it on my TV.

Alchav21 watches VUDU on his smart TV that is hardwired to the internet. He doesn’t use a streaming box.

The VUDU app on the Apple TV isn’t all the way there yet. Some of the HDX content plays in SD, like it does with certain content on the iOS version of the VUDU app. It should keep improving with updates.

IMO, VUDU doesn’t match iTunes, even at its best, especially now on the Apple TV 4K with 4K-quality iTunes content.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by PCFan

Alchav21, I noticed that you recommend using Vudu instead of iTunes but Vudu on my Apple TV sucks. I was streaming Boardwalk Empire through the Vudu app on my Apple TV and it looked like SD instead of HDX, then I streamed it through iTunes and it looked much less blurry than it did in Vudu on my Apple TV. Also Little House on the Prairie TV series for some reason looks more like SD than HDX on the Vudu app on my Apple TV. These TV shows look less blurry on my TV's Vudu app. My TV's Vudu app has issues with kicking out of the Vudu app while I stream so I don't use it on my TV.

Originally Posted by master gandhi

Alchav21 watches VUDU on his smart TV that is hardwired to the internet. He doesn’t use a streaming box.

The VUDU app on the Apple TV isn’t all the way there yet. Some of the HDX content plays in SD, like it does with certain content on the iOS version of the VUDU app. It should keep improving with updates.

IMO, VUDU doesn’t match iTunes, even at its best, especially now on the Apple TV 4K with 4K-quality iTunes content.

Yes I have a Sony UHD TV with a ton of Android Apps that can connect to any Streaming Provider except iTunes. For my UHD Movies I use Sony Ultra, and the Picture Quality is Outstanding. I know you have AT&T U-Verse, and the Last Mile is Twisted Copper not the best for Streaming. If you can get their GigaPower that is FTTH, and I highly recommend that for Streaming. If you have a Blu-ray Player that has a Vudu App give that a try especially if you Hard Wire it.

[MachoKing]

I'm all digital. I hate the process of storing a bunch of discs and switching out discs.

I started with buying/collecting DVDs. Digital was not really established. Digital was like through cable companies. So I bought a DVD stand and it was eventually filled up. I decided I was not buying another stand and wasn't buying more DVD's. Too much space and it was bugging me. By this time bluray was new and popular but they were also very expensive. I was done with physical media anyway.

Streaming was becoming more of a thing. I had an XBOX360 and I loved to use it for movies, games, etc. So I started buying some TV episodes on there foolishly, since now those purchases are mostly lost. Wasn't really anything good anyway. It was kinda experimental and a learning phase.

Finally, Amazon Video app came to the XBOX 360 in 2012. I checked it out and liked the way it worked. Roku was established at this point too so they had the app, which meant I could watch these movies on more devices. Much better than buying anything on XBOX Video store, obviously. So I started buying movies there, I had tried Netflix but didn't like their movie offerings, they didn't have what I wanted to watch. I was buying movies here and there on Amazon and they were movies I could watch over and over. I was really picking smartly and had some of my favorite movies. Still didn't buy too much as it was kinda expensive to buy them.

Then I was searching deals and saw free Wreck It Ralph for connecting DMA to Vudu on SlickDeals. I had heard a lot about the Ralph movie and that it was very good. It appealed to me and by this point I had noticed I had the Vudu app on some of my devices. I signed up to Vudu which gave me 5 HDX titles and Wreck It Ralph. I really liked this DMA system (Amazon wasn't a partner yet). So then I bought 2 other favorite Disney movies of mine Secretariat and Miracle.

Not long after 101 Dalmatians was releasing and I saw the commercial "Blu-ray + Digital HD" I asked on imdb forums (such a newb) how does that work. I got the answer I wanted that it could be redeemed at Vudu. So I started searching the internet for places I could buy the codes, because what I really wanted was Lion King and had to find out if that would work the same way. Life changed forever. The rest is history. Added so many movies. From there I found out about UV codes and started redeeming them on Vudu. Then D2D where I got so many of my favorite movies quick and cheap.

So yea I made my decision to be all digital a while ago and sticking to that.

[TicketToHeaven]

Time to put in my 2 cents worth.

I was a big physical media collector. Until a few years ago I was obsessed with sourcing the very best edition of a film with all the extras. So I got a multi-region blu-ray player and prided myself on the fact that friends would come to me to borrow films and would ask me for recommendations.

What I found was that once Netflix got popular and with so much choice out there in terms of entertainment, those requests ran dry and I myself was watching more through Netflix, iPlayer, HBO etc.

The majority of the extras I’d hunt down, I’d never get round to watching them. A month after selling my collection and going iTunes only I’ve watched a bunch of extras and also Mad Max Black and Chrome which was part of my mad max purchase, where as I’d have had to buy that disc again.

So for me it’s extras and tv shows on my commute and feature films at home. I won’t watch a feature on a small screen but the convenience factor is the big win. I can literally just log into my friends Apple TV in his home cinema and be good to settle down for a movie night.

Quality wise it’s now ‘good enough’. Maybe I fatigued myself with regard to tech and specs, however I’m happy with my choice.

I have a heap of vudu movies from when I lived in the US. However you need a VPN to access them outside of the US. That’s why I jumped to iTunes and am hoping MA Keychest becomes a reality.

[jhrobinson]

Originally Posted by TicketToHeaven

Time to put in my 2 cents worth.

I was a big physical media collector. Until a few years ago I was obsessed with sourcing the very best edition of a film with all the extras. So I got a multi-region blu-ray player and prided myself on the fact that friends would come to me to borrow films and would ask me for recommendations.

What I found was that once Netflix got popular and with so much choice out there in terms of entertainment, those requests ran dry and I myself was watching more through Netflix, iPlayer, HBO etc.

The majority of the extras I’d hunt down, I’d never get round to watching them. A month after selling my collection and going iTunes only I’ve watched a bunch of extras and also Mad Max Black and Chrome which was part of my mad max purchase, where as I’d have had to buy that disc again.

So for me it’s extras and tv shows on my commute and feature films at home. I won’t watch a feature on a small screen but the convenience factor is the big win. I can literally just log into my friends Apple TV in his home cinema and be good to settle down for a movie night.

Quality wise it’s now ‘good enough’. Maybe I fatigued myself with regard to tech and specs, however I’m happy with my choice.

I have a heap of vudu movies from when I lived in the US. However you need a VPN to access them outside of the US. That’s why I jumped to iTunes and am hoping MA Keychest becomes a reality.

Good stuff. I find myself watching more content on my phone during my long bus ride from work, also. I still like buying physical media for SOME things, though. It is so great to live in a world with all of these options!

[Cutter_]

I do both. Two main reasons:

1) The price. Whatever is cheaper is the way I usually go. Sometimes the digital copy is cheaper, sometimes the blu-ray is cheaper. I go with the cheaper version. Why pay the more expensive price?

2) Now, there are some instances where I prefer physical discs. Any Hollywood blockbuster I could care less about having on a physical disc, so I usually own these on digital. So, something like any Marvel Comic Book movie is always digital. But, small boutique retailers like Shout Factory and Kino, for example have movies that are not on digital, and the only way to get them is to buy the physical discs. So I buy these in physical format.

A couple of other thoughts. I've always been scared about losing digital copies. No record exists for my copy of Being John Malkovich, which was purchased about six years ago. So, I already lost that digital movie. Plus there's quite a few albums that I've lost through the years from iTunes. So, I'm always scared. Also, you can always sell physical copies, digital you can not. So you can never recoup any of the money you spent. So, I like having some physical copies around.

And lastly, I like the idea of the new apple 4K TV. I have 100 iTunes movies, but I refuse to pay $200 just to watch them, when I can just screen share or download it to a usb stick and my television plays them. I wish Apple would just join the world and stop isolating themselves and forcing fans to pay their high prices.

[bubba111]

In the Bay area, housing is often well over $1000 per square foot. While I'll always own some amount of physical media, I have to treat the precious space it takes up as a recurring and expensive cost. For me, digital media is orders of magnitude much less expensive because it does not use up the limited space I have in my house.

[veritas]

Originally Posted by bubba111

In the Bay area, housing is often well over $1000 per square foot. While I'll always own some amount of physical media, I have to treat the precious space it takes up as a recurring and expensive cost. For me, digital media is orders of magnitude much less expensive because it does not use up the limited space I have in my house.

You know the price per square foot is basically a sunk cost. I mean you can say your house is small so space is precious but the price you payed is irrelevant only the current market value for that space (like getting a bigger bed or bigger couch being able to walk in your house etc) and your own personal utility matter (how much you value each item) . Unless your going to rent out your extra square footage then your space is simply the space you have its a limited resource but items using it are not costing you rent money.

Basically the price per square foot is irrelevant only the amount of square footage and competition for each square foot matters.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by veritas

You know the price per square foot is basically a sunk cost. I mean you can say your house is small so space is precious but the price you payed is irrelevant only the current market value for that space (like getting a bigger bed or bigger couch being able to walk in your house etc) and your own personal utility matter (how much you value each item) . Unless your going to rent out your extra square footage then your space is simply the space you have its a limited resource but items using it are not costing you rent money.

Basically the price per square foot is irrelevant only the amount of square footage and competition for each square foot matters.

I think the point they’re making is that they’re living in as much space as they can afford, which is smaller than they’d like, so space is limited.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by veritas

You know the price per square foot is basically a sunk cost. I mean you can say your house is small so space is precious but the price you payed is irrelevant only the current market value for that space (like getting a bigger bed or bigger couch being able to walk in your house etc) and your own personal utility matter (how much you value each item) . Unless your going to rent out your extra square footage then your space is simply the space you have its a limited resource but items using it are not costing you rent money.

Basically the price per square foot is irrelevant only the amount of square footage and competition for each square foot matters.

Originally Posted by master gandhi

I think the point they’re making is that they’re living in as much space as they can afford, which is smaller than they’d like, so space is limited.

I remember, I started with a small box then I bought a rack. Then the wall furniture that supported my HDTV had cabinets, and the Movies went in there, then I added selves in those cabinets and they all filled up. It was an endless battle to store all these Discs, and keep track of what I had. That's why I say, Digital HD all the way!