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

[sapiendut]

If even after filtering which UHD to buy vs not and I still spend $250-ish monthly on purchases, that means UhD releases are still strong.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Cevolution

I don't believe Alchav21's devoted love for streaming and downloads, I've always thought that it's a money thing for him... I don't think he can afford physical media the way that some of us here can (there's nothing wrong with that, but why not just be honest and come out and say that, it's nothing to be ashamed of), therefore that's the main reason why streaming and downloads appeal to him. If money wasn't a factor (if he won the lotto tomorrow for instance), I think that he would buy physical copies over streaming and downloading.

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

I highly doubt that. Alchav has talked many times about how he moved in order to get fiber internet access (and suggested that others do the same). I can't imagine that anyone with that low of funds could afford to prioritize internet access when buying or renting a home.

He's too much of a zealot for it to just be a money thing.

Well I am retired and not rich, and I use to buy Movies on Disc like you guys. Like some of you, I started to look for ways to make my money back on Discs I didn't want to keep in my Collection. My devotion to Streaming (no downloads) didn't start till I bought a new home here to Utah, and the Fiber helped, and yes I'm a firm believer in making your own destiny. I have always been fascinated with Kaleidescape, so if I won a bundle of money I would go in that direction but I feel Streaming is headed there too.

Getting back to Fiber, Penguin is correct in my assessment we are headed to Networks and Servers connected with this Glass. It looks like 2020 is going to start the Big Shake Out, all the Big Boys are going Streaming. I think the General Public will Stream, and the Nitch Collectors will buy Discs but they will have to cost more because of the attractive features and Bling!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well I am retired and not rich, and I use to buy Movies on Disc like you guys. Like some of you, I started to look for ways to make my money back on Discs I didn't want to keep in my Collection. My devotion to Streaming (no downloads) didn't start till I bought a new home here to Utah, and the Fiber helped, and yes I'm a firm believer in making your own destiny. I have always been fascinated with Kaleidescape, so if I won a bundle of money I would go in that direction but I feel Streaming is headed there too.

Getting back to Fiber, Penguin is correct in my assessment we are headed to Networks and Servers connected with this Glass. It looks like 2020 is going to start the Big Shake Out, all the Big Boys are going Streaming. I think the General Public will go Streaming, and the Nitch Collectors will go Disc but they will have to cost more because of the attractive features and Bling!

So, when the general public finally discovers streaming, they "will go streaming" while the disc collectors will start collecting discs? You are not making a lick of sense as usual.

The general public already streams and disc collectors already collect discs; this use of the future tense to describe what has already occurred is .

Disc prices have been stable and while they may go up, you can be damn certain that streaming costs will also increase. Both the streaming providers themselves will raise their prices and you can bet your arse that your internet service provider will raise their prices. Netflix raised their prices 18.2% this year while my ISP has increased their prices 40% over the last three years. I am still paying about the same for a blu-ray disc as I ever have.

[sapiendut]

Funny you wrote that you mentioned “attractive features and bling”. I never realized that audio and video quality are considered as “features and bling”.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Disagree. Outright ownership of content, physical and electronic, is in decline. The revenues of the two of them combined does not match ownership revenue of yesteryear. Same for music.

I agree with you. My point was exactly that; i.e., less people are buying physical media these days than in the past. You misunderstood my post.

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Redbox has more than 40,000 locations so access should be pretty easy for many people. I have the best combo of all, Netflix BD by mail: Get to see and hear new releases in the best quality, cheap - about $2 per title and real convenient - placed in my mail box.

Good point. I know nothing about Redbox, because I've never liked renting Disks & never plan on using this service. In the Blockbuster days (which I don't miss) there were an inordinate amount of times that a Disk I would rent was scratched & either partially/completely unviewable - and, I would have to argue with the clerk & try to get my money back, etc. I foresee a similar situation with Redbox, but in cases when the disks are scratched it will be worse, because there is no physical store associated with these rentals.

These days, I will either buy or borrow physical media - but I have cut my purchases way back in in the last 6-7 years. My cutting back on buying disks coincided with my starting to stream for the first time (in late Summer 2012) - which just reinforces some of the points being made here.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Funny you wrote that you mentioned “attractive features and bling”. I never realized that audio and video quality are considered as “features and bling”.

I suppose when you are watching bit starved content all the time, Blu-ray and UHD discs must feel like the best steak when you have been eating economy burgers with cheap cuts full of grease.

[sapiendut]

So true... so true.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Bill Gates said that about Blu-ray but he was dead wrong!!

Care to name any new streamer boxes? You can't because there are not any. NVIDIA has dropped their top model of the Shield, same for Amazon and their top model of the Fire TV STB. Many models of Roku has lost their Hulu support and will lose their Netflix support soon.

Yes Bill Gates nixed my Windows Phone, he is not the best Predictor. As for Streaming Boxes or Dongles, I never liked any of them. I think High End Smart UHD TV's are the way to go!

[sapiendut]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I suppose when you are watching bit starved content all the time, Blu-ray and UHD discs must feel like the best steak when you have been eating economy burgers with cheap cuts full of grease.

The funny thing is that I wasn’t overly happy with regular blurays (perhaps only 50% I would consider as good and better, the rest are only acceptable or worse). Only with UHD I can say that nearly all of my 400 4K discs I’m happy with.

Perhaps this is because my grandfather used to own commercial cinemas (during 35mm days) and I was so used to “uncompressed” video look like. I still remember I was around 5 when my grandfather allowed me to feed celluloid to the projector (he was the one who installed the reel though, they were too heavy for a 5y.o. To handle).

[sapiendut]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Yes Bill Gates nixed my Windows Phone, he is not the best Predictor. As for Streaming Boxes or Dongles, I never liked any of them. I think High End Smart UHD TV's are the way to go!

Eh, one can’t spell high-end without The words “Physical” and “media”.

[rui no onna]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Disc prices have been stable and while they may go up, you can be damn certain that streaming costs will also increase. Both the streaming providers themselves will raise their prices and you can bet your arse that your internet service provider will raise their prices. Netflix raised their prices 18.2% this year while my ISP has increased their prices 40% over the last three years. I am still paying about the same for a blu-ray disc as I ever have.

Feels like I'm paying more for new releases now (both regular packaging and Steelbook) compared to before.

Checking my Amazon history, my older pre-orders were ~$20 for 3D+BD+Digital but nowadays, seems like $25 for BD+DVD+Digital and $30 for 4K+BD+Digital is the norm.

If one can afford to wait though, sale pricing can be really good.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Yes Bill Gates nixed my Windows Phone, he is not the best Predictor. As for Streaming Boxes or Dongles, I never liked any of them. I think High End Smart UHD TV's are the way to go!

Bill Gates did not "nix" your Windows phone.

Bill Gates stepped down as CEO and from day to day operations at Microsoft in 2000. His last full day at Microsoft was on June 27, 2008 over two years before Microsoft even launched their Windows phones in October of 2010. He quit as Chairman of the Microsoft board in 2014.

It was Microsoft's Joe Belfiore that finally confirmed the end of new features for Windows Phones in October of 2017, a full 17 years after Bill Gates had left his position as CEO. All support for Windows phones will end on Dec. 19, 2019.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/9/1...-phone-is-dead

https://www.biography.com/business-figure/bill-gates

Many streaming aficionados recommend using separate dedicated streaming devices over the apps on a TV. The apps on such dedicated devices are typically supported for longer than the apps on a TV and they often claim that these devices deliver better results than the apps on a TV. I can't personally vouch for any of that because I do not care enough about streaming to buy such a device and compare it.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by rui no onna

Feels like I'm paying more for new releases now (both regular packaging and Steelbook) compared to before.

Checking my Amazon history, my older pre-orders were ~$20 for 3D+BD+Digital but nowadays, seems like $25 for BD+DVD+Digital and $30 for 4K+BD+Digital is the norm.

If one can afford to wait though, sale pricing can be really good.

I rarely pay above $20 for any blu-ray, including 3D blu-rays. I typically import 3D blu-rays from the U.K. where they are reasonably priced and more readily available than they are here in the U.S.

I seldom pay more than $25 for a 4K disc.

By visiting this website it is pretty easy to plan one's purchases and to routinely find really great deals. Even our members will quickly tell everyone about the bargains that they find. When you buy as many discs as I do, it really pays to be a smart shopper.

I will gladly pay release day prices for movies that I really love, but I can wait for more agreeable pricing on the rest. It is usually a pretty short wait, too.

[rui no onna]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I rarely pay above $20 for any blu-ray, including 3D blu-rays. I typically import 3D blu-rays from the U.K. where they are reasonably priced and more readily available than they are here in the U.S.

I seldom pay more than $25 for a 4K disc.

By visiting this website it is pretty easy to plan one's purchases and to routinely find really great deals. I will gladly pay release day prices for movies that I really love, but I can wait for more agreeable pricing on the rest. It is usually a pretty short wait, too.

You're not really contradicting what I've previously said.

My observation is higher release day pricing compared to before but deeper discounts after the initial release period.

Alas, the only movies I buy on physical media are the ones I must have on release day. At 2-5 movies a year, not an issue. This was a pretty tough year though since Disney/Marvel did a big dump of 4K (exacerbated by me wanting steelbooks).

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by rui no onna

You're not really contradicting what I've previously said.

My observation is higher release day pricing compared to before but deeper discounts after the initial release period.

Alas, the only movies I buy on physical media are the ones I must have on release day.

I wasn't trying to contradict you; I was just sharing my experience.

There are so many places to buy discs that it is not that hard to find a decent price even on release day; you just have to shop around.

Steelbooks and Disney titles are an exception as they are typically higher priced on release day, but even Disney prices drop a few weeks after release and I do not usually care much about steelbooks so that is one premium that I seldom pay.

[rui no onna]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Steelbooks and Disney titles are an exception as they are typically higher priced on release day, but even Disney prices drop a few weeks after release and I do not usually care much about steelbooks so that is one premium that I seldom pay.

Lol, almost everything I buy is either Disney or WB.

Disney/Marvel went up from $20 for 3D (pre-ordered from Amazon and received before release date back when that was still possible) to $30 for 4K (ISPU at Best Buy).

I did get some pretty nice deals on WB 4K though so that was nice: Aquaman $14, Harry Potter 8-Film $100, Matrix Trilogy cat steelbook $30, Dark Knight Trilogy $45.

There are still a ton of items on my Disney, Marvel and Star Wars 4K wishlist so I just signed up for Disney Movie Club to get those on discount. I use the digital codes so I only import from UK for stuff like 3D or when the US release doesn't have digital copies, either.

[rui no onna]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Many streaming aficionados recommend using separate dedicated streaming devices over the apps on a TV. The apps on such dedicated devices are typically supported for longer than the apps on a TV and they often claim that these devices deliver better results than the apps on a TV. I can't personally vouch for any of that because I do not care enough about streaming to buy such a device and compare it.

It's a lot cheaper to replace a dedicated box/stick than it is replacing the TV.

Also, CPU on dedicated boxes are usually much faster. My bedroom TV/PC monitor is a Samsung 32" 1080p Smart TV (2013). Navigating streaming apps is painfully slow on that thing. I used it exactly once (HBO GO/Now?, Game of Thrones S04E01) and never again.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by rui no onna

It's a lot cheaper to replace a dedicated box/stick than it is replacing the TV.

Also, CPU on dedicated boxes are usually much faster. My bedroom TV/PC monitor is a Samsung 32" 1080p Smart TV (2013). Navigating streaming apps is painfully slow on that thing. I used it exactly once (HBO GO/Now?, Game of Thrones S04E01) and never again.

That's why I said High-End, especially Sony 900E&F with the X1 Processor, and Vilya should be able to verify this with his new 85" UHD TV. The Apps are updated and very easy to navigate with very good response.

[Vilya]

I have no complaints about how the streaming apps work on my new Sony 900F, but I also had no complaints about how well they worked on my 2016 LG UH8500.

I am enjoying this new gigantic TV immensely and it actually uses the X1 Extreme processor, which is not as good as the X1 Ultimate, but reportedly better than the X1.

I have never used a dedicated streaming device, so I can not personally comment as to whether or not they perform better. I am just pointing out that some of our most avid streaming fans on this website clearly prefer to use a dedicated streaming device and many of them certainly own "high end" TVs.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Bill Gates did not "nix" your Windows phone.

Bill Gates stepped down as CEO and from day to day operations at Microsoft in 2000. His last full day at Microsoft was on June 27, 2008 over two years before Microsoft even launched their Windows phones in October of 2010. He quit as Chairman of the Microsoft board in 2014.

Thanks for the update, he wasn't at the helm but I'm sure he was a big influence. That's where I heard it first on an interview with Bill Gates, he said he didn't use a Windows Phone. I still use the Phone, it works great and I'll keep using it till the supports stops. Like your Oppo, some people are starting to have problems with them.