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

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by WestMan

I've used a Roku, XBOX One, and Fire TV, and Sony UHD TV all in the last year with streaming....

FireTV worked great for the apps it had. It h However, the list of big apps was incomplete which means it could never be a one box solution for most consumers.

Sony UHD TV. I've never been impressed with streaming on television devices. The user interface is cluttered. Some of the apps worked very slow with noticeable delays.

XBOX One is a very powerful machine so of course the apps worked very well. My biggest problem is that I use PS Vue and XBOX does not have that app. I didn't like having to change devices when I was trying to stream different content. If I used Hulu TV or Sling TV, I would probably still be using the XBOX One.

Roku is not the most fancy box but it does everything very well. It's app selection is the best of any device. The user interface is so simple with no clutter which is refreshing compared to the other devices mentioned. When new apps are released, the Roku is usually within the first 2 or 3 devices to get the app. It is easy to see why it is the most popular box out there.

I have never used the AppleTV. If you only play in the Apple Universe, I have heard it is great. However, I refuse to put any of my content in the Apple Universe because it is so restrictive.

Like I have asked before, how is your Sony UHD TV connected, mine is Hard Wired Straight from the Switch, and it is Rock Solid. I don't think the Apps are cluttered, and you can access them very easily. No extra box is needed, and everything is at your fingertips. Streaming HD or UHD on the Sony TV is Fantastic......Digital HD all the Way!!!

[dfinch]

I was in the physical camp until my PS3 finally died last year. Ive slowly been making the transition from physical to digital since and I dont think I am looking back.

Its kind of funny to see some of the earlier posts in this thread from members who where adamant physical media only types now have pretty big digital libraries

[WestMan]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Like I have asked before, how is your Sony UHD TV connected, mine is Hard Wired Straight from the Switch, and it is Rock Solid. I don't think the Apps are cluttered, and you can access them very easily. No extra box is needed, and everything is at your fingertips. Streaming HD or UHD on the Sony TV is Fantastic......Digital HD all the Way!!!

I don't hard wire anything. The problem with the Sony UHD is with the software, not my wireless internet. The apps are sluggish.

[BlakkMajik3000]

Originally Posted by WestMan

I don't hard wire anything. The problem with the Sony UHD is with the software, not my wireless internet. The apps are sluggish.

TV apps are usually terrible, and I stay away from them 100% of the time. Media boxes/consoles are always better, and the apps are updated much more often. Unless you absolutely demand the minimalist aesthetic of only a TV and maybe a soundbar, there is no reason to not go for a streaming device of some kind.

I honestly wish I could buy a "dumb" TV again. All I need my set to do is output the best picture possible and nothing more.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by WestMan

I don't hard wire anything. The problem with the Sony UHD is with the software, not my wireless internet. The apps are sluggish.

Originally Posted by BlakkMajik3000

TV apps are usually terrible, and I stay away from them 100% of the time. Media boxes/consoles are always better, and the apps are updated much more often. Unless you absolutely demand the minimalist aesthetic of only a TV and maybe a soundbar, there is no reason to not go for a streaming device of some kind.

I honestly wish I could buy a "dumb" TV again. All I need my set to do is output the best picture possible and nothing more.

Well there you go, Hard Wired is always better especially with Streaming. Sony UHD TV's have Android Apps, and they are updated consistently. I too thought my Panasonic Blu-ray Player had the best Streaming Apps, but using Sony Apps proved me wrong. The only other ones that compare would be the Kaleidoscope or Oppo Players.

[Vilya]

The new Oppo UHD players, models 203 and 205, do not have any apps whatsoever. I own the 203 myself.

https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-...-Features.aspx

The apps on my 2016 4K LG TV work fine; I have no need for any other streaming device. Even my old PS3 runs the most common apps well.

[TROLLY]

Digital is much better


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

The new Oppo UHD players, models 203 and 205, do not have any apps whatsoever. I own the 203 myself.

https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-...-Features.aspx

The apps on my 2016 4K LG TV work fine; I have no need for any other streaming device. Even my old PS3 runs the most common apps well.

Well I think you are mistaken, the Link you sent shows access to Android Apps through your UDP-20X Media Control. You can access Amazon Store or what ever Android Streaming App you want. The Player has a Gigabit RJ45 to connect to your Network and the Internet.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well I think you are mistaken, the Link you sent shows access to Android Apps through your UDP-20X Media Control. You can access Amazon Store or what ever Android Streaming App you want. The Player has a Gigabit RJ45 to connect to your Network and the Internet.

The Oppo 203 and 205 have zero apps installed on the player itself. You can connect any number of optional devices to it.

"The player is expensive and defiantly free of built-in streaming features."

"Say you're dropping $550 on a new 4K Blu-ray player, what kind of features would you be looking for? If you said "Netflix," you're going to be sorely disappointed, but I actually applaud Oppo's decision to ditch apps. Streaming apps on a Blu-ray player or smart TV almost never get the latest revisions, and by contrast a Roku box is crazy cheap and regularly updated.

If you want to stream via the Oppo you can plug one of those boxes or sticks into its novel HDMI input. The company says "This approach affords users the flexibility to choose from a wide range of streaming devices and easily upgrade as streaming technologies evolve, while still taking advantage of the UDP-203's audio and video processing capabilities."

from CNET review: https://www.cnet.com/products/oppo-udp-203/review/

From the Audioholics review:

"No integrated Apps"

http://www.audioholics.com/blu-ray-a...dp-203-udp-205

From Home Theater and High Fidelity's review:

"Unfortunately, there are no built-in apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or YouTube."

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/...player-review/

From Sound And Vision's review:

"Oppo has elected not to include streaming apps in the player itself."

https://www.soundandvision.com/conte...o8St0aIJtpp.97

See this Youtube video review from the 28:10 mark forward:

Oppo UDP-203 in-depth Review! All External file formats tested! (Do Watch before buying) - YouTube

You can also ask forum member JohnAV, Oppo Product Beta Tester directly in his thread:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...82570&page=246

Again, as an owner of the Oppo 203 I can verify that there are no apps installed on it. None.

[WestMan]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well there you go, Hard Wired is always better especially with Streaming. Sony UHD TV's have Android Apps, and they are updated consistently. I too thought my Panasonic Blu-ray Player had the best Streaming Apps, but using Sony Apps proved me wrong. The only other ones that compare would be the Kaleidoscope or Oppo Players.

If everything I use is not hard wired.... then that is my “control”. It isn’t easy to compare them equally with the same parameters.

And like I said before..... it is the slowness of the apps and operating system that is the problem. Not my internet speed.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well I think you are mistaken, the Link you sent shows access to Android Apps through your UDP-20X Media Control. You can access Amazon Store or what ever Android Streaming App you want. The Player has a Gigabit RJ45 to connect to your Network and the Internet.

Originally Posted by WestMan

If everything I use is not hard wired.... then that is my “control”. It isn’t easy to compare them equally with the same parameters.

And like I said before..... it is the slowness of the apps and operating system that is the problem. Not my internet speed.

Well everything works off of each other, the Sony OS and Android Apps which access the Providers through your Internet Access. With my Hard Wired Access I find the Apps very responsive with no lag.

[BlakkMajik3000]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I too thought my Panasonic Blu-ray Player had the best Streaming Apps, but using Sony Apps proved me wrong. The only other ones that compare would be the Kaleidoscope or Oppo Players.

I find BD player apps only slightly less awful than TV apps.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by BlakkMajik3000

I find BD player apps only slightly less awful than TV apps.

I seldom stream anything, unreliable internet here, but the apps on my LG TV work just fine. If they didn't, I could add a Roku, or similar such, for pocket change anyway.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by BlakkMajik3000

I find BD player apps only slightly less awful than TV apps.

Originally Posted by Vilya

I seldom stream anything, unreliable internet here, but the apps on my LG TV work just fine. If they didn't, I could add a Roku, or similar such, for pocket change anyway.

Roku never impressed me, a cheap little plastic box with poor Video Processing Power. Like I said, I used Panasonic and it sounds like LG and some other quality Players would be better. It's all about the quality of the Electronics, Processing Power, and connection the Apps are just the interface.

[Vilya]

As Oppo has said directly, I could add nearly any streaming device and still take advantage of the Oppo 203's video and audio processing.

"This approach affords users the flexibility to choose from a wide range of streaming devices and easily upgrade as streaming technologies evolve, while still taking advantage of the UDP-203's audio and video processing capabilities."

-From Oppo, quote contained within CNET's review of the Oppo 203

As it is, with my on and off again ISP, all I stream from is Amazon Prime because it is included as a little perk with my Prime membership and occasionally from Youtube. I would add others if I could go two whole months without an internet service outage.

[dublinbluray108]

As soon I got my Android Smart TV in the summer; the only app that I have found which is no longer supported on it so far after reading responses about was Kodi. Not that I mind that little issue in my own situation as Kodi provides links to pirated media content when provided from illegal uploaders. I was a little disappointed with my Toshiba Blu-ray player at first with not providing any apps at all after I bought it. But now; I couldn't even care less about them because I'm lucky that I don't have to deal with all of that stressful nonsense. I just want the basic functionalities of any Blu-ray player to work great as intended as soon I have it purchased online or from other regular stores.

This would be the very reason now that will make me really happy while purchasing Blu-ray players.

[BlakkMajik3000]

Originally Posted by Vilya

As Oppo has said directly, I could add nearly any streaming device and still take advantage of the Oppo 203's video and audio processing.

"This approach affords users the flexibility to choose from a wide range of streaming devices and easily upgrade as streaming technologies evolve, while still taking advantage of the UDP-203's audio and video processing capabilities."

-From Oppo, quote contained within CNET's review of the Oppo 203

As it is, with my on and off again ISP, all I stream from is Amazon Prime because it is included as a little perk with my Prime membership and occasionally from Youtube. I would add others if I could go two whole months without an internet service outage.

When I finally upgrade to a 4K setup, I'll be looking at this since I plan to primarily use 4K BD for UHD (my data cap is not really conducive to streaming UHD).

[marine92104]

Originally Posted by Vilya

As Oppo has said directly, I could add nearly any streaming device and still take advantage of the Oppo 203's video and audio processing.

"This approach affords users the flexibility to choose from a wide range of streaming devices and easily upgrade as streaming technologies evolve, while still taking advantage of the UDP-203's audio and video processing capabilities."

-From Oppo, quote contained within CNET's review of the Oppo 203

As it is, with my on and off again ISP, all I stream from is Amazon Prime because it is included as a little perk with my Prime membership and occasionally from Youtube. I would add others if I could go two whole months without an internet service outage.

I’ve got the Oppo 203 & really wish they would add Dolby Vision pass through to the HDMI in. I love my Apple TV 4K & would love to run it thru the Oppo for the video processing to get 12 bit output. Apple TV 4k is 8 bit output.

I’ve called Oppo several times on this & they said they have no information to whether it would be added. They do have HDR pass through for now. I guess they don’t want to pay for the DV to get certified on the HDMI in.

[QUINTISON]

I used to buy dvd/bd disc however if you buy a uhd disc you get a 1080p digital copy of the same movie 🎥 which will require a separate 4k digital copy anyway so I simply get everything digitally in 4k from iTunes and vudu!

[veritas]

Originally Posted by QUINTISON

I used to buy dvd/bd disc however if you buy a uhd disc you get a 1080p digital copy of the same movie �� which will require a separate 4k digital copy anyway so I simply get everything digitally in 4k from iTunes and vudu!

If you redeem on iTunes then you will get a 4k digital copy with your physical copy. If you get a 4k blu ray then you can redeem a 4k digital copy also (with a few exceptions). If you buy physical then a blu ray has less compression then a 4k digital file making Blu ray approximately equal to 4k digital. It seems like you get more with physical purchases but its your choice.