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

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

In my opinion, that’s just human nature for many. Wanting something for nothing all the time. Makes me sick.

This person took the time to browse my collection, out of the thousands of collections on here, and then wrote to ask for two specific digital codes. He actually complimented me on the size and variety of my collection and then just asked for what he wanted out of it. Simply bizarre.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

This person took the time to browse my collection, out of the thousands of collections on here, and then wrote to ask for two specific digital codes. He actually complimented me on the size and variety of my collection and then just asked for what he wanted out of it. Simply bizarre.

I would be tempted to send a video of myself burning the digital code!

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Not sure why you went digital in the first place as you seem to prefer superior A/V quality. You get what you pay for after all.

As I said earlier, it was because of the cheap codes I could buy online. Basically price was the main factor and buying a code was cheaper than buying the disc that comes with the code.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by PCFan

As I said earlier, it was because of the cheap codes I could buy online. Basically price was the main factor and buying a code was cheaper than buying the disc that comes with the code.

Yeah but you must have known your collection would be more fragile and the quality would be inferior? You come across as very passionate about your movies so why compromise? I don’t get it.

[stonesfan129]

Digital would be better if it were an actual non-DRM file you could download - especially considering how many people don't watch on a big screen.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by PCFan

As I said earlier, it was because of the cheap codes I could buy online. Basically price was the main factor and buying a code was cheaper than buying the disc that comes with the code.

You can get really good prices on discs, too. Finding great bargains is very easy thanks to the Deals section on this website and also to several of our forum members that create threads to share news of any exceptional deals they find.

Don't regret past decisions, just learn from them and do what makes you happy now.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

Digital would be better if it were an actual non-DRM file you could download - especially considering how many people don't watch on a big screen.

I have heard tell of such people, but I don't personally know any. Mythical creatures as far as I can tell.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

Digital would be better if it were an actual non-DRM file you could download - especially considering how many people don't watch on a big screen.

Yep, they watch on phones but I am imagining it all according to many on here.

Subscription however is watched mostly on TV sets. Netflix being the leader I believe.

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yeah but you must have known your collection would be more fragile and the quality would be inferior? You come across as very passionate about your movies so why compromise? I don’t get it.

I put that into consideration when purchasing digital and that's why I've been so cheap when it comes to digital purchases.

[Vilya]

It's time for me to resume my binge watching of season 12 of Supernatural just as soon as I get my Oppo 203 to output to my phone.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

It's time for me to resume my binge watching of season 12 of Supernatural just as soon as I get my Oppo 203 to output to my phone.

Yes, but you are a older gentleman I believe?

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

In your last sentence, you appear to be referring to the internet speed recommendations of streaming content providers. Netflix's recommendation of 25+ Mbps is nothing new and it has been their recommendation for years. It has not been "bumped up." Sony Ultra recommends just 15-20 Mbps and their recommendation is also unchanged. These are not new and there are no articles that I can find that indicate that any streaming provider has plans to raise these internet speed recommendations. Netflix and the offer streaming content providers appear to be confident that these internet speeds are adequate for the bitrates that they offer, which have similarly been frozen in amber at 16 Mbps for 4K content. Bitrates are unchanged and therefore the internet speed recommendations are also unchanged.

No I was referring to a DSL Reports on ISP's that talk about the standard for Internet Connection:

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/0...oadband_speed/

They want to at least make it 25/3Mbps to be Standard. What the Streaming Providers list as minimums is highly questionable. In reality I feel much more Bandwidth is required. The Streaming Providers want to Standardize everything at the highest Quality. With Adaptive Streaming they can do that, and it will all depend on Bandwidth.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yes, but you are a older gentleman I believe?

One half of that description is more accurate than the other.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

No I was referring to a DSL Reports on ISP's that talk about the standard for Internet Connection:

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/0...oadband_speed/

They want to at least make it 25/3Mbps to be Standard. What the Streaming Providers list as minimums is highly questionable. In reality I feel much more Bandwidth is required. The Streaming Providers want to Standardize everything at the highest Quality. With Adaptive Streaming they can do that, and it will all depend on Bandwidth.

I doubt it. I suspect that streaming content providers wanting to maximize profits at the the lowest cost to themselves is a far more accurate assessment. They want to offer acceptable quality, not the highest.

Internet bandwidth is already robust enough in many markets for streaming content providers to offer higher bitrates and higher quality than they do currently, but they are not offering it because they do not need to; their customers are largely content with what they get already. I believe that convenience and economy are more important to most streaming customers than is quality.

As for streaming provider's minimum internet speed recommendations, I no more believe that these minimums are really sufficient any more than I believe that minimum recommendations for video games are sufficient. As a general rule, I double minimum recommendations as being a more accurate requirement for consistently good results.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yep, they watch on phones but I am imagining it all according to many on here.

Subscription however is watched mostly on TV sets. Netflix being the leader I believe.

I watched a movie on my phone at the gym. I got my Ragnarok on while getting my ab-na-rok on.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Groot

I watched a movie on my phone at the gym. I got my Ragnarok on while getting my ab-na-rok on.

Yeah, you and millions of others. I can’t bring myself to watch a film on a phone. It’s like listening to Mozart on a keyring speaker.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Using info from Netflix I checked the average prime time download speed for the highest provider for 2018 against the highest provider in 2014. For 2018 the speed was a little over 4 Mbps vs a little over 3 Mbps for 2014, that is a gain of 33%. At this rate we should be at DVD rates in another 16 years.

For reference, a DVD can do 9.5 Mbps, that would be 1 Netflix (the better ones) HD stream and 1 SD stream. A Blu-ray could stream 3 Netflix UHD programs at the same time and a UHD Blu-ray could stream almost 7 Netflix UHD programs at the same time.

I have checked several Netflix HD programs lately and several are now 3.85 Mbps. Most used to be 5.85 Mbps. One HD series I am watching is 7.35 Mbps.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Using info from Netflix I checked the average prime time download speed for the highest provider for 2018 against the highest provider in 2014. For 2018 the speed was a little over 4 Mbps vs a little over 3 Mbps for 2014, that is a gain of 33%. At this rate we should be at DVD rates in another 16 years.

For reference, a DVD can do 9.5 Mbps, that would be 1 Netflix (the better ones) HD stream and 1 SD stream. A Blu-ray could stream 3 Netflix UHD programs at the same time and a UHD Blu-ray could stream almost 7 Netflix UHD programs at the same time.

I have checked several Netflix HD programs lately and several are now 3.85 Mbps. Most used to be 5.85 Mbps. One HD series I am watching is 7.35 Mbps.

Yet many here argue that streaming services are not looking to shave off those bits. It’s hilarious.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yet many here argue that streaming services are not looking to shave off those bits. It’s hilarious.

They don't need to shave them; they are already anemic enough. They appear to have found a comfortable balance between low bitrates and quality that is more than acceptable to their subscribers.

Rtings. com has not updated their streaming provider bitrate chart in a year because these bitrates are unchanged. They have not gone up nor have they gone down. I have found no evidence that streaming providers are changing their bitrates in either direction. Their recommended internet speeds are also unchanged.

In an Aug. 29, 2018 article, Lifewire published these recommended internet speeds for multiple providers at all 3 streaming levels: standard definition, high definition, and 4K:

https://www.lifewire.com/internet-sp...iewing-1847401

I do not believe that they want to lower their quality. Lowering costs and increasing profits is the desire of every company, but cannibalizing your product is not the way to do it. Gambling with customer satisfaction would not be a smart move.

Netflix stock is trading at $364.36 per share at this moment; they seem to have a solid handle on how to run their business.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

They don't need to shave them

We will have to disagree on that one. About 1-½ years ago Netflix started using AI algorithms to compress their content on a scene by scene basis. IMO, they did this as more powerful computers became available as in Xeon processors with 24 cores. With this kind of horsepower it became practical to do multi-pass compression and use AI to do it. As noted above, we are now seeing the results of this. Some Netflix HD content I have watched in recent times is 2.85 Mbps. Another goal for Netflix is to have good video quality in the Kbps range for mobile use.