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

[alchav21]

Call Digital Streaming what you want, but we are moving away from Physical Discs. Now we are getting Discovery+ January 2021!!!

https://www.soundandvision.com/conte...nnel-content-0

[mrr1]

My wife and I met in the "grunge band" era of the early 90s near Seattle, and her favorite movie of all time is "Singles". It is one of maybe half a dozen movies in existence that she can watch over and over again. I don't know where the hell to find it on streaming (or if even exists on streaming), so this Christmas I looked for a disc to gift to her, and discovered the stupid thing is out of print. I looked high and low for one, and found one in a sketchy flea market. She LOVED it, especially because (unbeknownst to me), she was searching for the disc herself a couple of months ago and the guy in the store told her they aren't making the discs anymore.

Streaming services are great and all, but my wife appreciated the physical disc of the movie a hell of a lot better than any online version of it I could've gifted her.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Call Digital Streaming what you want, but we are moving away from Physical Discs. Now we are getting Discovery+ January 2021!!!

https://www.soundandvision.com/conte...nnel-content-0

Boring. Look we know you are at the economy level of TV consumption, so you like streaming, but the "we " is only yourself.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Now we are getting Discovery+ January 2021!!!

Have you signed up or going to sign up? If not, why post anything here? It is just another pay TV service. For the umpteenth time
pay TV ≠ disc. Do I have to explain ≠ to you again?

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by mrr1

My wife and I met in the "grunge band" era of the early 90s near Seattle, and her favorite movie of all time is "Singles".
Streaming services are great and all, but my wife appreciated the physical disc of the movie a hell of a lot better than any online version of it I could've gifted her.

Well Vudu has it in HDX, with Bridget Fonda, you can rent it or buy. With Discs going OOP these older Movies will be on a Server somewhere!

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well Vudu has it in HDX, with Bridget Fonda, you can rent it or buy. With Discs going OOP these older Movies will be on a Server somewhere!

You can buy OOP titles online. If something disappears from streaming service, there is no guarantee you own it accessing another streaming host. MoviesAnywhere doesn’t have agreements with all studios.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well Vudu has it in HDX, with Bridget Fonda, you can rent it or buy. With Discs going OOP these older Movies will be on a Server somewhere!

If the movie is like the trailer at Vudu then it is an awful P&S transfer of a 1.85 movie. It is the very reason I stopped doing DVD2HD.

[JohnAV]

It’s fair to say that a lot of older content on streaming has never been upgraded. MGM never got past broadcast quality on Stargate SG1. Netflix is showing that, with the first few seasons P&S of 1.85 content.

[Vilya]

Singles is readily available on blu-ray and it also can be affordably imported. As it is a Warner Bros. title it is likely region free.

https://www.amazon.com/Singles-BD-Bl...s%2C168&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Bridget-F...s%2C257&sr=8-1

As it is a Warner Bros. title it will port to all digital providers linked in one's Movies Anywhere account also.

[sapiendut]

Outside the lack of AV quality, the biggest problem of streaming for me is that I have to remember which shows are available on which streaming service. There should be an app that can leech off titles of every streaming service I subscribe to so I only need to go to a single app when I want to watch something... you know, like a cable TV guide.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Outside the lack of AV quality, the biggest problem of streaming for me is that I have to remember which shows are available on which streaming service. There should be an app that can leech off titles of every streaming service I subscribe to so I only need to go to a single app when I want to watch something... you know, like a cable TV guide.

While not what you are asking for, the justwatch app and website will tell you which streaming and VOD services offer which titles.

https://www.justwatch.com/

[sapiendut]

Yes, on occasions I use that site. Still, I’m waiting for the app I’m looking for.

Also, it seems like none of the viewing recommendations (be it from Netflix, Prime, Disney+) can’t give proper recommendation for me. I can’t be the only one that the algorithm get nearly 100% wrong. Weird.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Yes, on occasions I use that site. Still, I’m waiting for the app I’m looking for.

Also, it seems like none of the viewing recommendations (be it from Netflix, Prime, Disney+) can’t give proper recommendation for me. I can’t be the only one that the algorithm get nearly 100% wrong. Weird.

I use Decider for that. They also provide the usual what's coming for a lot of subcription services each month, as well as reviews. Example what to watch

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

As it is a Warner Bros. title it will port to all digital providers linked in one's Movies Anywhere account also.

That could be changing.

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Opened my UHD BD complete set of Game of Thrones to find they used stacked disc cases which I dislike. May replace them with Vifa Elite 4 disc cases.

Digital Code, the first thing I noticed there was no mention of Movies Anywhere so I scanned the QR code and it redeemed at Vudu without asking what service I wanted to use.

[gotmule]

Just ordered the Panasonic UB9000 from Value Electronics. Too hard to pass up selling my 4 yr old Oppo for way more than I paid for it, and using that money for the Panny. Reviews all seem to point towards the Panny outperforming the Oppo with HDR content as well as SDR. Plus I now have an in warranty player. Will definitely report back once Santa brings me a late Christmas gift.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

That could be changing.

Game Of Thrones is a TV show and Movies Anywhere does not redeem codes for any TV show; only movies redeem there (excluding Lionsgate and Paramount titles).

To redeem your TV show code you have to have pick the ONE digital provider where you want it to redeem or have the QR code decide for you as was the case with your experience.

The steelbook set at Best Buy does not stack the discs, but it costs more.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by gotmule

Just ordered the Panasonic UB9000 from Value Electronics. Too hard to pass up selling my 4 yr old Oppo for way more than I paid for it, and using that money for the Panny.

Hope the 9000 works out well for you.

I have no plans to ever sell my Oppo unless there is something better introduced. I follow media players* fairly closely and there is not one that will do all the things the Oppo will do.

*Apple, Dune, Nvidia, Popcorn Hour, Zappiti, Zidoo, etc.

[gotmule]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Hope the 9000 works out well for you.

I have no plans to ever sell my Oppo unless there is something better introduced. I follow media players* fairly closely and there is not one that will do all the things the Oppo will do.

*Apple, Dune, Nvidia, Popcorn Hour, Zappiti, Zidoo, etc.

I thought about losing SACD & DVD-A capabilities, as they were the two features I used other than it being my video source. I have a Sony ES CD player that plays SACDs hooked up to my two channel system, so don’t really lose that function for the most part as I have gravitated away from multi channel music. I have 3 DVD-a titles that I will lose, but I have them all on new 180g vinyl, which I listen to more.

I weighed the options for a day or so, as I have had an Oppo for the last 12 yrs, but pulled the trigger in the end. The Oppo will not be listed until I get my hands on the Panny though and put it through it’s paces however.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Game Of Thrones is a TV show and Movies Anywhere does not redeem codes for any TV show; only movies redeem there (excluding Lionsgate and Paramount titles).

To redeem your TV show code you have to have pick the ONE digital provider where you want it to redeem or have the QR code decide for you as was the case with your experience

Yes love to point out these examples of great TV shows that Disney and others refuse to allow be replicated to other providers though something like Moviesanywhere.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by gotmule

I weighed the options for a day or so, as I have had an Oppo for the last 12 yrs, but pulled the trigger in the end. The Oppo will not be listed until I get my hands on the Panny though and put it through it’s paces however.

For as much as some crow about the 9000 I yawn. Its advantages are not significant unless you have a 4K projector that needs to have HDR10 converted to SDR, and DV playback can be not correct with some setups. Originally the HDR10 optimizer was something that improved HDR10 appearance with less capable TVs, but Robert started to peddle those like it was a miracle. Bah he is just a pushy salesman. Such as, Robert got carried away and was implying Panasonic players were delivering dynamic meta data with their HDR optimization. He really did there for awhile.

Examples of DV being different then it should.

Time stamp (13:13) in the video, you will see him changing the Contrast,. The TV stand during the video (example 4:17). Between my friends and I using (203 & UB820) with both Sony and LG TV's we noticed the Panasonic brighter in DV than the Oppo, but same/close with HDR, so it happens with different TV brands. Also noticed the loading screen (elevated gray) when you first start the DV movie (13:44). I thought my TV was at fault lol.

Another example of 820/9000 playback to compare

I watched the first two mission impossible's last night on the oppo 203 with DV and it looked good. Tried it in the panny with DV and again as expected it was brighter with less highlight details. I took a quick look at the same movie with the oppo 203 DV vs the panny HDR-10 with optimizer and the oppo DV looked better. It seemed like it had a tiny bit more color and more depth. Now for straight HDR-10 the panny's optimizer looks better which we already know. I am going to use my oppo for DV title's for now and my panny for HDR-10 movies.

But go ahead and compare, for some the 9000 works well for all situations, but its not true in all instances. But because the Oppo is no longer sold, only maintained, what choices do you have as alternatives except the 9000 now.