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

[Wendell R. Breland]

Redbox starting to rent UHD BD in test cities. Should help the format going forward .

[flyry]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Redbox starting to rent UHD BD in test cities. Should help the format going forward .

Redbox users certainly do not fit the UHD demographic IMO.

Most people I see using them still get DVDs.


I will say on the digital front, I am very annoyed with VUDU.

The app will not load on either of my Roku's since last night

Vudu is the reason I bought a STB roku since their app on my TV stopped giving me the option to purchase UHD inexplicably about 3 months ago. (They blame the TV maker, but ther ehas been an update since)

[veritas]

Originally Posted by flyry

Redbox users certainly do not fit the UHD demographic IMO.

Most people I see using them still get DVDs.


I will say on the digital front, I am very annoyed with VUDU.

The app will not load on either of my Roku's since last night

Vudu is the reason I bought a STB roku since their app on my TV stopped giving me the option to purchase UHD inexplicably about 3 months ago. (They blame the TV maker, but ther ehas been an update since)

None of the vod providers have done a very good job bug testing their services from what I have seen. my apple tv cant play bundles and isn't showing any purchases or rentals in the library and I can crash vudu by just fast forwarding and rewinding. Movies change quality and disappear with no ryme or reason and they all blame each other rather then fixing the problem.

Netflix works perfectly I could not complain about quality if these services could be as reliable as Netflix but they aren't. I should not see hiccups every few mins when I play with the remote.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

I have an established account. I have used the service in the past and had no issues with it. The two movies I got were Superbad (Unrated) and From Dusk Til Dawn. I ordered these on 5/10 and after multiple emails back and forth between VUDU and Walmart, they are still "processing." VUDU and Walmart cannot seem to figure out who is responsible for getting these shipped and are just giving me the runaround. I told them in my last email that if they can't ship them today or tomorrow, cancel these and I'll get them from Amazon instead.

Yes, I see that both of these are available on Vudu Disc+Digital. Is that where you bought them, and have you received the Digital? I haven't bought any lately this way, but I was only interested in the Digital and Early Release. So I wasn't worried about the shipping, and they didn't charged till it shipped. There's probably some confusion with the regular shipments to your store, and trying to coordinate these sales.

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by flyry

Redbox users certainly do not fit the UHD demographic IMO.

Most people I see using them still get DVDs.

I still rent from Redbox. No DVD's though, just blu-ray and the occasional game. I would be all for UHD rentals!

It's great for movies I missed in theaters but don't want to blind buy. Much cheaper than renting through a digital service as well.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by veritas

None of the vod providers have done a very good job bug testing their services from what I have seen. my apple tv cant play bundles and isn't showing any purchases or rentals in the library and I can crash vudu by just fast forwarding and rewinding. Movies change quality and disappear with no ryme or reason and they all blame each other rather then fixing the problem.

Netflix works perfectly I could not complain about quality if these services could be as reliable as Netflix but they aren't. I should not see hiccups every few mins when I play with the remote.

I would be beyond annoyed if I experienced those issues. I would put up with it for about a New York minute, too.

I have read comments from more than a few people that have complained that these multi-partner digital provider arrangements result in terrible customer service whenever a problem arises- and they seem to arise often. Instead of trying to solve the problem, they instead blame the other partner who in turn does the same thing.

The one game I play that requires an internet connection behaves like this, too. When there's trouble, Blizzard blames my ISP and my ISP blames Blizzard.

I will say that Netflix worked smoothly during my trial of it; they seem to know what the hell they are doing.

Using your remote should most certainly never cause problems while using any digital services provider. If I had experienced these problems with any frequency, I would never use those services again. I don't tolerate crappy service when I don't have to do so. The only instance where I put up with lousy service is with my incompetent ISP: the only provider in my area.

[octagon]

I love Redbox. Two bucks is a very reasonable rental and if it's something I wind up buying the rental tides me over until the purchase price drops by at least that much.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by octagon

I love Redbox. Two bucks is a very reasonable rental and if it's something I wind up buying the rental tides me over until the purchase price drops by at least that much.

$2 for a blu-ray rental? That is extremely affordable. What's the time limit?

[octagon]

Yeah, two bucks a night for BD rentals. There might be a few cents tax on top of that, I don't really pay attention.

They also regularly run some pretty good specials.

I'm a big fan.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Ender14

I still rent from Redbox. No DVD's though, just blu-ray and the occasional game. I would be all for UHD rentals!

It's great for movies I missed in theaters but don't want to blind buy. Much cheaper than renting through a digital service as well.

I use to rent from them too, BD and DVD's, but to get the good price I had to watch and take them back the next day. I find it easier to Stream my Movies, and then I have a big selection on Amazon Prime for my other Movies. Red Box now has On Demand, but it's usually $6 for Resent Releases. So I shop for the best prices on Streaming, here on this Site and the UV Stores.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by veritas

None of the vod providers have done a very good job bug testing their services from what I have seen. my apple tv cant play bundles and isn't showing any purchases or rentals in the library and I can crash vudu by just fast forwarding and rewinding. Movies change quality and disappear with no ryme or reason and they all blame each other rather then fixing the problem.

Netflix works perfectly I could not complain about quality if these services could be as reliable as Netflix but they aren't. I should not see hiccups every few mins when I play with the remote.

Originally Posted by Vilya

I would be beyond annoyed if I experienced those issues. I would put up with it for about a New York minute, too.

I have read comments from more than a few people that have complained that these multi-partner digital provider arrangements result in terrible customer service whenever a problem arises- and they seem to arise often. Instead of trying to solve the problem, they instead blame the other partner who in turn does the same thing.

The one game I play that requires an internet connection behaves like this, too. When there's trouble, Blizzard blames my ISP and my ISP blames Blizzard.

I will say that Netflix worked smoothly during my trial of it; they seem to know what the hell they are doing.

Using your remote should most certainly never cause problems while using any digital services provider. If I had experienced these problems with any frequency, I would never use those services again. I don't tolerate crappy service when I don't have to do so. The only instance where I put up with lousy service is with my incompetent ISP: the only provider in my area.

I don't experience any of your problems, but like I told you guys before, if you're going to enjoy Streaming you need a good ISP and be set up properly. You enjoy your BD Player because it's Hard Wired and you get all the Bandwidth, likewise with Streaming if you are Hard Wired you will get all your Bandwidth. More important it will be consistent with no fluctuations like Wireless. The other thing you guys complain about are your Streaming Devises, I use to use my Panasonic BD Player also Hard Wired, and had no problems.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

... likewise with Streaming if you are Hard Wired you will get all your Bandwidth. More important it will be consistent with no fluctuations like Wireless. The other thing you guys complain about are your Streaming Devises, I use to use my Panasonic BD Player also Hard Wired, and had no problems.

And no.

ISPs "fluctuate" whether you are hard wired or whether you are connected wirelessly. Servers on the provider side can, and do, get overwhelmed. Streaming content providers also screw up in completely different ways that no Cat6 cable can correct. A hard wired connection is not going to change the fact that the digital content customer you quoted received terrible customer service and on more than one occasion.

Unreliable ISPs and overtaxed servers do not magically perform reliably because you ran an ethernet cable to your TV, disc player, or streaming device. Multi-partnered digital services do not suddenly resolve all of their issues and their finger pointing because your toys are hard wired.

I lost service internet service for a week between the hours of 8-10 PM. My computer is hard wired connected and guess what? I still had no service.

The wireless router specifications of 802.11ac and the older 802.11n easily provide enough connection speed to stream video content. The former supports speeds of 866.7 Mbps while the latter supports speeds of 150 Mbps. The best 4K streaming service in existence uses a mere 25 Mbps- both of these wireless router standards can handle streaming demands with great ease.

Even the ancient 802.11g specification supports speeds of 54 Mbps and that is slightly more than twice what is necessary to stream from those same 4K streaming content providers. You just do not need the full bandwidth provided by your ISP to stream in 4K at a 25 Mbps bitrate.

When my ISP is working, so is my wireless network. My Netgear router is entirely reliable. I have had my home theater connected wirelessly for longer than I can remember and my wireless connection has never been the cause of streaming problems.

The problems lie primarily with my ISP and to a lesser extent, the streaming provider itself. When I could not stream content wirelessly, I also could not stream to my hard wired computer. My ISP was usually the culprit, followed by the streaming content provider, followed lastly by my cat unplugging something. When troubleshooting your network, don't forget the cat disconnection factor.

[veritas]

Originally Posted by alchav21

The other thing you guys complain about are your Streaming Devises, I use to use my Panasonic BD Player also Hard Wired, and had no problems.

I am willing to bet that Panasonic bd player doesn't run apps any better then an apple tv, tv, phone or tablet. The problem is they don't bug test these things for problems (enough or perhaps they do and they just don't care enough to fix it) and I'm sure as hell they don't do extra bug testing for a bd player app.

The other problem is the drm they have, all these different quality levels etc but they they haven't invested in enough customer service to fix problems as they come up. That's one thing digital requires that the studios have shown they just don't want to pay for.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by veritas

I am willing to bet that Panasonic bd player doesn't run apps any better then an apple tv, tv, phone or tablet. The problem is they don't bug test these things for problems (enough or perhaps they do and they just don't care enough to fix it) and I'm sure as hell they don't do extra bug testing for a bd player app.

The other problem is the drm they have, all these different quality levels etc but they they haven't invested in enough customer service to fix problems as they come up. That's one thing digital requires that the studios have shown they just don't want to pay for.

I never had any problems with the Apps on the Panasonic Player, and they were updated all the time. Also the Chip and Electronics are better on the Panasonic than the Roku. I don't know about the ATV, but I never had much confidence in the Roku. I was going to upgrade to the Panasonic UHD Player, and use their Streaming Apps they have an App Market Place with excellent selections. I'm seeing more advertisement in Streaming BD Players, that are Hard Wired and I'm sure the Chip and Electronics are far superior than most of the Streaming Devices now sold.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I'm sure the Chip and Electronics are far superior than most of the Streaming Devices now sold.

The surety of the things you're sure of is so reassuring.

I seriously doubt that you have any real knowledge of what chips are used by whom or in what devices. If you are going to make these kind of claims, you really should back them up with some kind of verifiable information. Your recommendations here appear to be based entirely on assumptions and that makes them highly suspect.

Take this CNET article, for example, listing the best streaming devices; there is not a single disc player on this list.

https://www.cnet.com/topics/media-st...dia-streamers/

There's this article from lifewire.com; no disc players on this list, either.

https://www.lifewire.com/best-device...ing-tv-4061016

Here's a list from Digital Trends; also no disc players on the list:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-t...aming-devices/

A list from wirecutter.com, no disc players here, either:

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-media-streamers/

Four articles from four different sources listing the best streaming devices and not a disc player on any of them. It is rather common knowledge that streaming app support on disc players is rather poor and quickly disappears altogether.

It is also curious that you do not recommend the Roku; it happens to be the best overall recommendation on every single one of the above cited lists.

Wait! Here's a fifth list:

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-st...view-2140.html

No disc players on it, surprise, and they, too, pick the Roku as their best overall choice. That's 5 for 5; I think there's a trend here.

[stonesfan129]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Yes, I see that both of these are available on Vudu Disc+Digital. Is that where you bought them, and have you received the Digital? I haven't bought any lately this way, but I was only interested in the Digital and Early Release. So I wasn't worried about the shipping, and they didn't charged till it shipped. There's probably some confusion with the regular shipments to your store, and trying to coordinate these sales.

Yes, it gave me the HDX versions right away when I made the purchase. But I have been back and forth between VUDU and Walmart 4 times now and all anybody can tell me is that they are processing which I explained to them 3 times I was already aware of. Their support seems useless. I asked them to cancel the discs and that I would buy them from Amazon instead. Even though the shipping is ~$5, I will at least not have to wait two weeks for them to ship it.

[veritas]

Its that time of month again digital is doing its monthly quality downgrade this month the losers are people who bought universal titles as their uhd copies become hdx on vudu

I feel like this happens every other month at this point and the studios never give us anything for the inconvience. They should just give uhd upgrades for all hd material they as they have proven they cant handle a 3 tier system at this point I'm not even sure if they can handle a 2 tier system at this point.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Everything is due back by 9pm the day after you rented. So the time limit is 45 hours if you rent at midnight. That's what I usually do when I rent games (if I happen to be awake). With movies I usually just pick them up in the morning on my way out and return them the next morning.

As octagon stated they also frequently have good sales. I've got plenty of rentals for less than dollar, sometimes they even have completely free rentals.

I will have to give them a try the next time I want to see something before making a purchase decision. Renting a disc offers the best in playback quality while also supporting physical media at the same time- the best of both in a single transaction.

[The_Donster]

You might also check out Netflix BD rental Vilya. Very affordable plan, no late fees and it gets delivered to your mailbox. The only down side is occasionally you do get a DVD on some of the older titles. I've used them since we made the leap and love them.

[The_Donster]

I'm sorry alchav21, but you've lost all credibility at this point for me. Which is probably why you've moved onto other threads to spread misinformation. Groot, Vilya and a few others have put holes in your theory. Myself included. All of my equipment hooks up via HDMI, but I stream apps through various parts of my house wirelessly. The only time I notice an issue is when I'm experiencing a problem at the source or through my internet provider. So stop telling people they need to be hard lined in to get the best out of their equipment. Because that's not necessarily true and is based more on apps/equipment than the internet.