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

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I hear ya!

Yes, it was one of my most stupid moves sitting on that 3D title. I had a bunch of other stuff to buy and I delayed it a few months. Next thing I know, it’s sold out. Only got myself to blame. It would have made a perfect double bill with my House Of Wax 3D Blu-ray!

I let this one slip away:



Someone is asking $289.99 for it on Amazon! It is much more reasonable on ebay where it is going for just $80. Buying out of print titles on Amazon is usually outright extortionist; ebay is the better choice almost every time.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I let this one slip away:



Someone is asking $289.99 for it on Amazon! It is much more reasonable on ebay where it is going for just $80. Buying out of print titles on Amazon is usually outright extortionist; ebay is the better choice almost every time.

I will be buying 3D Rarities volume 2 on day one!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I will be buying 3D Rarities volume 2 on day one!

I never bought Vol.1 because I already own a lot of what is on it. If it ever goes on deep discount, maybe then I will get it.

I'd love to know what is planned for Vol. 2, though.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I never bought Vol.1 because I already own a lot of what is on it. If it ever goes on deep discount, maybe then I will get it.

I'd love to know what is planned for Vol. 2, though.

Well, we are getting a full feature for a start! The Sword Of Granada. Plus 65 minutes of shorts.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by gotmule

He also talks about how much a system should cost even though he listens to tv speakers, or on a big day, wireless headphones. He does not comprehend anything about credibility. I guess I should go find a Harley Davidson forum and post on it because I had a nice moped 35 years ago.

Sure if you know the basic Sound System, you can just add to it with the right equipment. Back in the day I had that Sansui 5000A, still set up in the garage, with the Sansui Speakers giving real nice sounds. I still keep up with all the latest equipment, been a Subscriber to Home Theater now Sound & Vision, for decades. Like the name implies, Sound is their priority and they write about some very nice and pricy Sound Systems. They also cover some less pricy Systems, that's why I have a good idea on cost. So when I said 5K$ for a Display and Sound System. I was talking about an OLED or LED UHD LG or Sony. Then you can put the rest on the Sound System of choice. It won't be as elaborate as some of your Sound Systems, but it should be decent.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Do any of you 3D enthusiast have the 3D Music Album as seen here? If true, thoughts or comments.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Do any of you 3D enthusiast have the 3D Music Album as seen here? If true, thoughts or comments.

No, I don’t have much in the way of concerts or music stuff in 3D.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Do any of you 3D enthusiast have the 3D Music Album as seen here? If true, thoughts or comments.

Sorry, but I do not own that title.

In other exciting news, I am watching Fire Walk With Me tonight. Pineapple upside down cake will have to stand-in for the cherry pie, though.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Sorry, but I do not own that title.

In other exciting news, I am watching Fire Walk With Me tonight. Pineapple upside down cake will have to stand-in for the cherry pie, though.

Finally!

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

In other exciting news, I am watching Fire Walk With Me tonight.

Have it on DVD, never procured it on Blu-ray. Will have to give it a watch soon. Watched Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway (Netflix disc) in recent weeks.

I do have Blue Velvet on BD.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

If I buy this title, as of now it would be purchased at Best Buy for 29.95. A cool savings of $50.45 compared to the place in question.

As of 2200 EDT, the Amazon price is $24.95 for Endgame.

[The_Donster]

Sorry, I’ve been preoccupied with a few things and been too distracted to make multiple points at the same time. Something that concerns me about some of the streaming services is the same concerns I had when the cable networks started doing the same thing. What exactly am I getting to justify the price bump. I like using both Prime and Netflix, and sometimes VUDU’s free movies to gauge what’s a buy and what’s a pass.

Gone are the days of blind buys. With a family to support I have to decide what is a need and what is a want. So I’ve become very particular on what has replay ability. It’s those purchases that I get most of the digital copies that are in our digital libraries. It’s what works for me. I’m not really sure where I was going with this. Was initially going to stop by and just say I was keeping up on things, but not posting as much until I get a handle on a few things.

[The_Donster]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

As of 2200 EDT, the Amazon price is $24.95 for Endgame.

I’m not sure if this is 4K, but the BD was like $22.95 on release day. If not for wanting uniformity with my MCU stuff, I’d have waited for the 4K to drop before picking it up.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by The_Donster

I’m not sure if this is 4K, but the BD was like $22.95 on release day.

The UHD BD for Endgame is now $24.96 at Amazon, the BD is $17.96 and Prime Video is $19.99.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Some actual Blu-ray cost data from Media Play News:

.............This Year...Change...Last Year
BD Avg Cost...$17.11.....-6.2%.....$18.24
DVD Avg Cost...$9.35......1.0%......$9.26

They do not separate BD from UHD BD for this data. The digital sales only list the rank of the titles and vendor but no mention of actual units sold or revenue .

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Some actual Blu-ray cost data from Media Play News:

.............This Year...Change...Last Year
BD Avg Cost...$17.11.....-6.2%.....$18.24
DVD Avg Cost...$9.35......1.0%......$9.26

They do not separate BD from UHD BD for this data. The digital sales only list the rank of the titles and vendor but no mention of actual units sold or revenue .

The data shows that the average cost of blu-rays are down 6.2%. Do you have a direct link to this data for future reference? Once again, our self proclaimed "expert" on disc prices, the same "expert" that never buys any, is proven to be wrong.

Blu-rays are not increasing in price, which my own routine shopping experience already demonstrated. I budget the same amount each month for my disc purchases and I am buying about the same quantity of titles each month.

Streaming services and internet services are what are increasing in price and markedly so. Our streaming fanboy never has anything to say about these facts.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Do you have a direct link to this data for future reference?

Media Play News (here) then click Revenue Report in the Research column.

Streaming services and internet services are what are increasing in price and markedly so. Our streaming fanboy never has anything to say about these facts.

Many streamers are in denial about the true cost of their streaming. Mine cost me ≈ $40 to $75 a month.

[cpr3584]

I posted this in another forum but didnt get much response, so I'm hoping you guys can help me.
What do you think is better, 4K HDR streaming or regular 1080p blu ray?

The reason I ask is because I now have a 65in 4K HDR set.
I don't have a UHD blu ray player. I have my xbox one (first edition) which only plays Blu ray discs. I won't be paying $200 for a stand-alone 4K player because the next Xbox will play 4K blu ray, and I can wait a year for it to come out. Don't need any more players.
I purchased a couple 4K HDR streams on Vudu to check them out. Overall they were good, but the 1080p blu ray seemed better overall.
Blu Ray of 'The Revenant' vs The Revenant 4K HDR VUDU: Blu-ray won this, hands down. Its a low-lit movie, and the blu ray had much more detail in darker scenes. The sharpness was much better on blu ray as well. the 4K HDR stream looked soft.
Avengers: Infinity War blu ray vs Avengers: Infinity War 4K HDR Vudu: Here, I could start seeing the benefits of 4K HDR. Many scenes seemed to have more detail and the images 'popped', while the blu ray looked flat. Again, the sharpness and overall resolution looked better on Blu ray. This one was close, so it was tough to pick one over the other.

So what do you guys think is the better option for me until the new Xbox comes out? (when I will be watching 4K discs)

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by cpr3584

I posted this in another forum but didnt get much response, so I'm hoping you guys can help me.
What do you think is better, 4K HDR streaming or regular 1080p blu ray?

The reason I ask is because I now have a 65in 4K HDR set.
I don't have a UHD blu ray player. I have my xbox one (first edition) which only plays Blu ray discs. I won't be paying $200 for a stand-alone 4K player because the next Xbox will play 4K blu ray, and I can wait a year for it to come out. Don't need any more players.
I purchased a couple 4K HDR streams on Vudu to check them out. Overall they were good, but the 1080p blu ray seemed better overall.
Blu Ray of 'The Revenant' vs The Revenant 4K HDR VUDU: Blu-ray won this, hands down. Its a low-lit movie, and the blu ray had much more detail in darker scenes. The sharpness was much better on blu ray as well. the 4K HDR stream looked soft.
Avengers: Infinity War blu ray vs Avengers: Infinity War 4K HDR Vudu: Here, I could start seeing the benefits of 4K HDR. Many scenes seemed to have more detail and the images 'popped', while the blu ray looked flat. Again, the sharpness and overall resolution looked better on Blu ray. This one was close, so it was tough to pick one over the other.

So what do you guys think is the better option for me until the new Xbox comes out? (when I will be watching 4K discs)

Well, my answer should be easy to predict.

I will take a blu-ray disc over a 4K stream without any reservation. The blu-ray will generally provide a more solid, stable, and consistent viewing experience, especially in dark scenes as you have already noticed for yourself, and in offering well defined background detail. Discs perform reliably and they are never dependent upon the many vagaries of ever variable internet connectivity.

4K streams often look very good and they do benefit from HDR and WCG, but they are also highly compressed and prone to artifacts.

The main deciding factor for me after such quality considerations and the subjective value we each place upon them is that a blu-ray disc conveys actual ownership and full control over the purchased content. You get neither with digital and streamed content.

If you know that you will soon have the ability to play 4K discs, then I would buy 4K disc combo packs. With your 4K disc purchase, you get everything: the 4K disc, the blu-ray disc, and the digital code. Streaming is just how I rent content while physical discs are the only purchase option that I will even consider.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by cpr3584

I posted this in another forum but didnt get much response, so I'm hoping you guys can help me.
What do you think is better, 4K HDR streaming or regular 1080p blu ray?

The reason I ask is because I now have a 65in 4K HDR set.
I don't have a UHD blu ray player. I have my xbox one (first edition) which only plays Blu ray discs. I won't be paying $200 for a stand-alone 4K player because the next Xbox will play 4K blu ray, and I can wait a year for it to come out. Don't need any more players.
I purchased a couple 4K HDR streams on Vudu to check them out. Overall they were good, but the 1080p blu ray seemed better overall.
Blu Ray of 'The Revenant' vs The Revenant 4K HDR VUDU: Blu-ray won this, hands down. Its a low-lit movie, and the blu ray had much more detail in darker scenes. The sharpness was much better on blu ray as well. the 4K HDR stream looked soft.
Avengers: Infinity War blu ray vs Avengers: Infinity War 4K HDR Vudu: Here, I could start seeing the benefits of 4K HDR. Many scenes seemed to have more detail and the images 'popped', while the blu ray looked flat. Again, the sharpness and overall resolution looked better on Blu ray. This one was close, so it was tough to pick one over the other.

So what do you guys think is the better option for me until the new Xbox comes out? (when I will be watching 4K discs)

Backgrounds look way better on Blu-Ray. Far less macro blocking, banding and other issues.