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

[CV19]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Oppos are top top machines. Worth every penny.

I spotted in Richer Sounds website two Oppo models, cheapest is £649 and another at about £1,300. They are extremely expensive, but as you say, you get what you pay for.

[DrWally]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

You get what you pay for. Besides, you can pick up a PS4 for £250. Very reliable disc players. Quiet in my experience also.

I thought that the prevailing wisdom was that, purely as a Blu Ray player, the PS4 pretty much sucks?

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by DrWally

I thought that the prevailing wisdom was that, purely as a Blu Ray player, the PS4 pretty much sucks?

It seems to have the same extraordinary deinterlacing/combing eliminating capability that the PS3 has so I’d say that puts it far ahead of most players.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Oppos are top top machines. Worth every penny.

Originally Posted by moviegeek1992

I'm sure they are, but I just can't justify that huge an expense.

Originally Posted by Vilya

If you can't justify it, try rationalizing it. Next best thing.

When you guys were talking about Oppo, I thought about my Panasonic Blu-ray Player which was my Streaming Device. It was also Hard Wired with a Fantastic Picture. When I bought my Sony UHD TV, I was going to buy a Panasonic 4K Player for Streaming. I found that the Sony Apps were sufficient for my needs. I still say that the Chip and Graphics in Players has a lot to do with your Players.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by DrWally

I thought that the prevailing wisdom was that, purely as a Blu Ray player, the PS4 pretty much sucks?

Not true at all. The PS3 is probably slightly better but the PS4 is fine at that budget.

[moviegeek1992]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Not true at all. The PS3 is probably slightly better but the PS4 is fine at that budget.

I originally had the 80GB chunky PS3, there were a few DVDs where it would start whirring so much it sounded like it was going to explode lol. But for most blu-rays it was fine till it eventually got the lights of death and stopped working.

I have a backup LG player which is mostly whisper quiet but the Toshiba is the region free one and unfortunately I use that a lot also to play DVDs from different regions too. I'm guessing it's due to age its started making a noise because it never used to before. I bought it back in 2013.

[AsOldAsRhyme]

Phyiscal copies, with two exceptions. The first being if a title has never been released on blu-ray, and the second being if iTunes has a very good sale on (I’d never spend more than $5 on a digital film).


The real challenge right now is that a lot of the older titles I want on bluray don’t come with digital copies, which is extremely irritating. I want my digital library to mirror my physical one, but the only ways to do that are either by double-dipping and buying both formats separately (which I don’t care to do) or using VUDU’s paid disc-to-digital service.

The third option, I suppose, is to wait for rereleases or 4K upgrades, but those things might never come—and it’s really not worth turning down an $8 bluray.

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Oppos are top top machines. Worth every penny.

I only have a 40" 1080p TV in my bedroom but I sit about between 5-6 ft away from it. Would the Oppo 203 still be worth it if I can afford it or am I better off buying an Xbox One X?

[Vor4]

Originally Posted by PCFan

I only have a 40" 1080p TV in my bedroom but I sit about between 5-6 ft away from it. Would the Oppo 203 still be worth it if I can afford it or am I better off buying an Xbox One X?

You still don’t get it, what I’ve been telling you for the last several months. Your one of those people who still can’t decide between digital media and physical media. You mentioned that you had huge physical media collection and ran out of space for it. You probably did a disc to digital on Vudu before you sold your entire physical media collection for a huge lose. You probably now have a huge digital hd collection in your iTunes library by Movies Anywhere, buying movie codes, and buying on sale movies in iTunes or in Vudu.

You started on thread on the 4K Blu-ray hardware section on the Xbox One X as a 4K Blu-ray player and many people responded that it’s not a really good 4K Blu-ray player, a stand alone 4k blu-ray player is better. I had a Xbox One X for about a one month and it had hdmi handshaking issues, unable to display video on Blu-ray and 4K discs, constant video drop outs when playing games, and the gpu overheated when playing games. Also you tried out a Sony X800 4K Blu-ray player and had issues with streaming from Vudu.

With your 40 inch 1080p tv, it’s a waste of money to buy a 4K Blu-ray player. You will not notice a difference in picture quality between a 4K movie being downscaled to 1080p, a true 1080p movie, and video streaming at 1080p. Also buying a $549 4k Blu-ray player for a 40 inch 1080p tv does not make sense at all.

You complained on issues with physical media players, the Roku Ultra, Nvidia Shield, and ATV4K. Also you complain on issues when both physical media and digital media. You are probably one those people that look for issues in products, even really minor issues before you return the product back to the store.

At this point, it’s too late for you to go back physical media since you have a huge digital hd collection in iTunes.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by PCFan

I only have a 40" 1080p TV in my bedroom but I sit about between 5-6 ft away from it. Would the Oppo 203 still be worth it if I can afford it or am I better off buying an Xbox One X?

In your case, probably not. I’m not saying you won’t see a improvement because you will but it’s a lot of money. Maybe give yourself another year or two to decide which direction you are going 4K wise. If you decide to go all in on 4K and your next tv is 4K, (probably all will be by default) The Oppo would absolutely be worth it imo. They will get the best out of 4K for sure. You would have 4K discs and many subscription services will more than likely be 4K soon (most are already) so you would have the best of both worlds and wouldn’t need to make your mind up. Of course, as you know, Blu-ray Discs would all look splendid upscaled on the Oppo also.
You probably already know my views on Digital HD, I see it as a format with a limited lifespan.
The Xbox One X will no doubt be a fine option if you can’t stretch to a Oppo. I read there were issues with contrast and brightness but they have apparently been fixed now and the picture is said to be very good. It won’t be the best (like The Oppo) but it should still have the wow factor. One major problem at the moment is that the Xbox doesn’t (unless someone can correct me) support HDR or Dolby Vision so that is a road block. I would imagine it would be upgraded via a software update but I wouldn’t be buying one until that was confirmed. By 2019/2020 we should know if the next PlayStation will be a 4K disc spinner. I think there is a decent chance it will. PlayStations are very solid disc players and would be fine for your bedroom I would say.

Like I say, maybe best to give it a year or two and see how things are settling.

Oh, and to anyone who may comment about recommending the best of both worlds via streaming and 4K disc, I don’t want streaming to thrive, but even I can’t deny that subscription services are going to be going strong for a long while yet.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by PCFan

I only have a 40" 1080p TV in my bedroom but I sit about between 5-6 ft away from it. Would the Oppo 203 still be worth it if I can afford it or am I better off buying an Xbox One X?

Until you own a 4K TV, with HDR and, ideally, Dolby Vision, you really do not need to buy any 4K disc player.

Unless you are committed to buying a significant portion of your content on 4K discs and blu-rays, you certainly do not need a higher end player costing $549.

The Oppo 203 and the flagship 205 are possibly the very best 4K disc players made, but until you make up your mind about disc ownership and until you own a good 4K TV, you just do not need either of them.

Keep in mind that the Oppo 203 and 205 have no streaming apps of any kind, although you can connect any number of streaming devices to them and thereby benefit from the Oppo's processing capabilities. Naturally, virtually all 4K TVs are smart TVs with streaming apps included, so you don't have to have them on the disc player. Some people prefer dedicated streaming devices like a Roku, also. The 4K Oppo's, however, are dedicated disc players: no apps of any sort.

You need to decide how you want to own content before spending this kind of money on a 4K disc player. Whether you prefer disc, digital, or subscription streaming, or a mixture of them, you will want a 4K TV to watch them at their best.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by PCFan

I only have a 40" 1080p TV in my bedroom but I sit about between 5-6 ft away from it. Would the Oppo 203 still be worth it if I can afford it or am I better off buying an Xbox One X?

Originally Posted by Vilya

Until you own a 4K TV, with HDR and, ideally, Dolby Vision, you really do not need to buy any 4K disc player.

Unless you are committed to buying a significant portion of your content on 4K discs and blu-rays, you certainly do not need a higher end player costing $549.

The Oppo 203 and the flagship 205 are possibly the very best 4K disc players made, but until you make up your mind about disc ownership and until you own a good 4K TV, you just do not need either of them.

Keep in mind that the Oppo 203 and 205 have no streaming apps of any kind, although you can connect any number of streaming devices to them and thereby benefit from the Oppo's processing capabilities. Naturally, virtually all 4K TVs are smart TVs with streaming apps included, so you don't have to have them on the disc player. Some people prefer dedicated streaming devices like a Roku, also. The 4K Oppo's, however, are dedicated disc players: no apps of any sort.

You need to decide how you want to own content before spending this kind of money on a 4K disc player. Whether you prefer disc, digital, or subscription streaming, or a mixture of them, you will want a 4K TV to watch them at their best.

This is good advise because most people now are acquiring 4K Digital. 4K Players are expensive, and you can view 4K content without them. The Standard 4K TV size now is 65", and before I bought mine I was going to buy a UB 900 4K Panasonic Player because the Streaming capabilities in my old one were Fantastic. I found I didn't have to because the Sony Apps, Chip, and Electronics were Remarkable. So a person has to figure all this out, but you're right the 4K TV is a must to start off. I still think Oppo made a mistake not including Streaming Apps, because the HDMI Input is basically pass-through.

[Kage]

Originally Posted by alchav21

This is good advise because most people now are acquiring 4K Digital. 4K Players are expensive, and you can view 4K content without them.

There is a lot more 4K Digital media content over the internet than 4k physical media on store shelves. Plus its cheaper to purchase 4k digital media than 4k physical media. Most people usually pick the cheaper option to acquire media.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by alchav21

This is good advise because most people now are acquiring 4K Digital. 4K Players are expensive, and you can view 4K content without them.

Originally Posted by Kage

There is a lot more 4K Digital media content over the internet than 4k physical media on store shelves. Plus its cheaper to purchase 4k digital media than 4k physical media. Most people usually pick the cheaper option to acquire media.

You said it, Discs are dying....RIP! I was at Target the other day, and they are redoing the store. There use to be several isles of Blu-rays and DVD's, now it's only one isle with very few selections. There was only me and a lady looking, and I said they cut it way down she said it was pathetic. The only reason I shop for Disc is the Digital Copy, then I sell the Disc but I'm luck if I get 50% back. The only other Threads here that get more hits than this one are 4K Digital, D2D, and Digital Codes.

[moviegeek1992]

Originally Posted by alchav21

You said it, Discs are dying....RIP! I was at Target the other day, and they are redoing the store. There use to be several isles of Blu-rays and DVD's, now it's only one isle with very few selections. There was only me and a lady looking, and I said they cut it way down she said it was pathetic. The only reason I shop for Disc is the Digital Copy, then I sell the Disc but I'm luck if I get 50% back. The only other Threads here that get more hits than this one are 4K Digital, D2D, and Digital Codes.

Wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy codes from this site or other places? Rather than going through the hassle of buying the blu-ray, selling it on and also losing money selling it on.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

You said it, Discs are dying....RIP! I was at Target the other day, and they are redoing the store. There use to be several isles of Blu-rays and DVD's, now it's only one isle with very few selections. There was only me and a lady looking, and I said they cut it way down she said it was pathetic. The only reason I shop for Disc is the Digital Copy, then I sell the Disc but I'm luck if I get 50% back. The only other Threads here that get more hits than this one are 4K Digital, D2D, and Digital Codes.

I have said it before, I will say it again. If you are so sure, let’s have a wager? First to die, Disc or Digital HD. (Not subscription, that’s a different story)

If you have a Paypal account and you are younger than 80 (in other words, still around in a few years) let’s do it?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by alchav21

You said it, Discs are dying....RIP! I was at Target the other day, and they are redoing the store. There use to be several isles of Blu-rays and DVD's, now it's only one isle with very few selections. There was only me and a lady looking, and I said they cut it way down she said it was pathetic. The only reason I shop for Disc is the Digital Copy, then I sell the Disc but I'm luck if I get 50% back. The only other Threads here that get more hits than this one are 4K Digital, D2D, and Digital Codes.

The 4K disc thread? You might want to check those numbers. It’s in the millions. More than this entire Digital section. Oh and surprise surprise cheap codes is massively popular over in this section. Hardly surprising.

Not sure how you are expecting 4K digital to thrive when Digital HD is a relative flop?

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by alchav21

You said it, Discs are dying....RIP! I was at Target the other day, and they are redoing the store. There use to be several isles of Blu-rays and DVD's, now it's only one isle with very few selections. There was only me and a lady looking, and I said they cut it way down she said it was pathetic. The only reason I shop for Disc is the Digital Copy, then I sell the Disc but I'm luck if I get 50% back. The only other Threads here that get more hits than this one are 4K Digital, D2D, and Digital Codes.

Originally Posted by moviegeek1992

Wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy codes from this site or other places? Rather than going through the hassle of buying the blu-ray, selling it on and also losing money selling it on.

I do, I shop around I've bought from this site but the Code prices have been going up even here. I also had a $5 Gift Certificate to use, and for a Recent Release it was only $10 more so it was worth it. Another Thread that gets a lot of hits is the InstaWatch, and the new Jumanji Movie was selling for almost $30. So you can watch it early, but that's a little too much for me.

[flyry]

Currently I have 4 pre-orders.

2 digital (Paddington 2 and Annihilation)

and 2 physical (Black Panther & Suspiria).

I would have gotten a 4K Paddington 2 if it was released stateside but do not wish to have ugly ratings logos on my shelf. Plus it comes out digitally (UHD) in 1 month and my wife and I are dying to rewatch it.

[Vilya]

Back to using your personal shopping observations at your local stores as a barometer for the entire market again? You're still eagerly waiting to sign the death certificate on physical media as if repeating your predictions will make them come to pass.

Seeing as we are repeating ourselves, I will repeat some sales figures, again. Physical media for 2017 made up 22.9% of the entire home entertainment spending while digital purchases were only 10.48%. Over 10,000 titles were released on DVD and over 2,500 titles were released on blu-ray last year alone. Physical media was down 14.1% compared to 2016 while digital purchases were up 5.74%. 4K discs are the exception for physical media, showing impressive growth: a 187% increase in 2017 and that with just 247 titles released.

Realize also that the growth in digital purchases was up about 15% the year prior to that in 2016. Digital purchase growth is trending downwards now to a little more than a third of what it was in 2016. The only strong growth in digital is with subscription based streaming services, up 31.05%, and comprising 46.82% of home entertainment spending.

Ownership of content is trending downwards while streaming subscriptions are climbing, but ownership in all forms will survive along with your unrelenting hyperbole. Rental in all forms plus streaming subscriptions make up two-thirds of all home entertainment spending. I have given citations for these numbers previously, but such things don't seem to matter compared to your personal observations at the Target and Best Buy stores in your neighborhood, especially combined with the random remarks of the clerks and shoppers therein. Who needs actual data when we can just send you shopping?