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

[Lee A Stewart]

Dec 15, 2020

The quest to offload DirecTV continues, though bids remain disappointing. The Wall Street Journal recently reported the best bid AT&T (NYSE:T) has received to date for the struggling satellite cable platform is "above $15 billion including debt," topping a reported offer of less than $15 billion made in August.

The Journal's phrasing could mean myriad numbers in excess of $15 billion. The wording, however, implies the recent separate bids from Michael Klein-led Churchill Capital and private equity firm TPG aren't leaps and bounds better than $15 billion. That makes sense. Bloomberg Intelligence's John Butler estimated in August that DirecTV would fetch around $20 billion. Any plausible bid is still less than half the $49 billion AT&T paid for the cable provider in 2015, not counting the assumption of DirecTV's $17 billion worth of debt.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/...rectv-already/

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network wins $885M in federal aid for rural broadband

December 7, 2020

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/spacex...ral-broadband/

Wonder how getting rid of the current bonked FCC administration will effect his future? Now that farms have gone corporate and townships usually use a common earth-link satellite TV/internet provider that serves their community, the only rural people customers that are left are not wealthy consumers. Yes this might help to lower costs to those customers but its going to be just like streaming is, creating this starlink satellite service is going to cost significantly more then the revenue it draws in.

[Lee A Stewart]

The nation has made significant progress expanding high-speed Internet access in recent years, but further implementation of major reforms newly adopted by the Federal Communications Commission is required before broadband will be available to the approximately 19 million Americans who still lack access, according to the FCC’s Eighth Broadband Progress Report.

https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research...this%20service.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research...this%20service.

Looking at the map doesn't reflect the type of terrain that would be difficult to provide internet coverage. Like a really close patch to me showed a large area that I know hardly anyone lives in that remote section of hills. You can look at any state and areas you have driven though and know what I am talking about. Do we really need all remote homesteads that are connected? Or is that this tech industry IoE fantasy desiring to make money off of everyone?

[JohnAV]

'News of the World' Delivers $1.1M at Christmas Day Box Office, 'WW84' Grosses MIA - Hollywood Reporter 12/26/2020

Normally, a Hollywood studio would blare the trumpets if one of its movies topped the box office chart on Christmas Day, a busy time for moviegoing once presents are unwrapped.

But this year — amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — Warner Bros. is breaking from industry tradition and shielding grosses for Wonder Woman 1984 from view until Sunday, Dec. 27. (Sony is doing the same with Monster Hunter, which is heading into its second weekend).

WW84, which debuted simultaneously on HBO Max and in U.S. cinemas on Dec. 25, will no doubt win the holiday frame once numbers are revealed.

Save for Warners and Sony, other studios are reporting in the usual fashion via Comscore, the industry receptacle for real-time theater grosses.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network wins $885M in federal aid for rural broadband

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

It is an ever changing landscape (or skyscape). Any bets on the fate of DirecTV? Will AT&T sell all or part of DirecTV.

Well you guys know how I feel about Wireless, it might be okay for rural areas but I think Satellite is Obsolete. AT&T should dump DirecTV, get as much as they can and concentrate on Gigabit Fiber and 5G. It should be easy to see The Future is Fiber Networks Accessing Content on their Servers!

[bhampton]

w

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

The average size for a 2 hour streaming movie is 6GB (HD) and 14GB (UHD). So you could watch 200 movies/month in HD or 85 in UHD. That's a lot of movies.

Given there's currently 6 of us in this house and the network is used for more than just movies, milage will vary.

Generally whoever is paying for the internet will maybe consider what percentages of the data is used for Work, School, Video Games, News, Movies.

If I can practically eliminate movies from my data allowance then maybe I can pay for less data. What's more important than the data caps in this example is the data quality. If everyone but me is working then I don't want us all to have potato vision and garbled audio because I was going to try to watch a movie.

I guess it may be common for people to have their own data service or put user limits on data in house. If the steaming file sizes increased then Premium data rates (bandwidth) are the next thing you would pay more for. ha ha.... so nice to be able to have data here instead of having to pay someone else to borrow it.

The good news here is the physical copies will work after they lock down your data or charge you more for it than you find reasonable.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Guess you missed this:

what does that quote I missed have have to do with anything?

I pointed out your calculations are complete nonsense. Yes 6GB*200 =1.2TB
but if you have a 1.2TB limit and you watch 200 films at 6GB each then you will be well beyond the limit and need to pay extra.

Now if most of their customers households don't watch a lot of films every month, if the people that need more go with Comcasts business plan (like John said) or a competitor that is less restrictive (like you said) that is irrelevant to how much people can watch with that plan and what impact it will have ion their residential userbase.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

what does that quote I missed have have to do with anything?

It is everything. Only 5% of their customers will be in a position to go over the new limit.

And of course you are going to focus on that 5% because it's an argument for the sake of being argumentative. Something you do so well.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well you guys know how I feel about Wireless, it might be okay for rural areas but I think Satellite is Obsolete.

That is because you do not know jack about satellites. Click here for a list of FTA American satellites then click the individual satellite to see the content available. And that is just the ones with free access. When you stop at a remote gas station and fill up and pay with a credit card at the pump how do you think that transaction was completed?

There are many millions of people in the US and many more world wide that would not have access to programming if it were not for satellites. The only must have is a clear view to the Clarke Belt. My Wineguard 1M dish for AMC-21 satellite (old picture, now have a quad LNB, SirusXM antenna removed).

[Show spoiler]

[Anthony P]

[QUOTE=Lee A Stewart;18465491]It is everything. Only 5% of their customers will be in a position to go over the new limit.

And of course you are going to focus on that 5% because it's an argument for the sake of being argumentative. Something you do so well.[/QUOTE

First off all can't that ad hominem attack be about all of us and most posts in this and any thread? Did you need to reply when Wendell brought up the information that Comcast was adding a cap again with your terrible math such that if someone followed your advice they would end up with huge overages?

Second I care about everyone and a nasty surprise even to 5% of their residential customers is still a nasty surprise to thousands of customers. and possibly something to look out for for people on this site.

Thirdly that 5% is under representing reality. Like John said this is nothing new for Comcast (they got rid of the cap to help with the pandemic). Many that have been affected by this in the past are not accounted for in that 5% because they already changed to business accounts or paying the unlimited premium....

[Wendell R. Breland]

The streaming software & hardware CF continues:

Nivida Shield Pro 2019
HBO Max ● Last Christmas movie, audio PCM 2 channel
HBO Max ● Deadwood, S1 E1, audio PCM 2 channel
HBO Max ● Wonder Woman 84 movie, audio Dolby Atmos

Roku Ultra 2019
HBO Max ● Last Christmas movie, audio Dolby Digital+ 5.1 channel
HBO Max ● Deadwood, S1 E1, audio Dolby Digital+ 5.1 channel
HBO Max ● Wonder Woman 84 movie, audio Dolby Atmos

Because the Roku has handshake problems with my 8 bit SDR 4K projector I have ordered a Amazon FireTV Cube to see how it does in my setup.

[JohnAV]

'Wonder Woman 1984' Opens to Pandemic-Best $16.7M at Christmas Box Office, Third Film Confirmed - Hollywood Reporter. 12/27/2020

Wonder Woman 1984 opened to an estimated $16.7 million domestically at the Christmas box office, the best weekend debut since the novel coronavirus began, according to Warner Bros.

Any sign of moviegoing is welcome news for Hollywood even if WW84 scored the lowest number in decades for a yuletide winner. The film unfurled in 2,150 cinemas domestically on Dec. 25.

Streaming numbers weren't provided for WW84. Ditto for Pixar's Soul, which launched exclusively on Disney+ in the U.S. on Dec. 25 opposite WW84. Overseas, Soul is opening in select territories where the streamer isn't available and started off this weekend with $7.6 million from 10 markets, led by China ($5.5 million).

WW84 fell off sharply in its second weekend of play in China.

Even If HBO Max saw triple in comparison to a typical day in the previous month with WW84 being available, once you move past this initial viewing of WW84 will a large number of people that were using some cheap way to access HBO Max remain subscribers? Thats the real question. Disney did really well with Soul comparing reviews between both films.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

Even If HBO Max saw triple in comparison to a typical day in the previous month with WW84 being available, once you move past this initial viewing of WW84 will a large number of people that were using some cheap way to access HBO Max remain subscribers? Thats the real question. Disney did really well with Soul comparing reviews between both films.

WM is more interested in converting their existing 28 million HBO subs over to HBO Max then they are getting new subs from WW84. Having their HBO Max sub count go from 8 million to 36 million will make Wall Street very happy.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

WM is more interested in converting their existing 28 million HBO subs over to HBO Max then they are getting new subs from WW84. Having their HBO Max sub count go from 8 million to 36 million will make Wall Street very happy.

Until some wall street party explains that they really haven't gained subs, only converted them.

BTW Soul even if it didn't get a huge amount of interest in China initially it achieved something that other recent Disney films haven't achieved. From Twitter,

Pixar's Soul starts with 9.2/10 on Douban film site, easily recording the highest level of theatrical titles this year. It's not doing a shining opening day performance with $0.6-0.8M. Industry is watching if those great reactions could help its SAT & SUN.

https://twitter.com/gavinfeng97/stat...921280/photo/1

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

Until some wall street party explains that they really haven't gained subs, only converted them.

Not relevant. When the SVOD Sub Count charts come up, HBO Max will no longer be in last place. HBO is not a streamer, it's a Pay-TV premium channel. HBO Max is an SVOD

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

Even If HBO Max saw triple in comparison to a typical day in the previous month with WW84 being available, once you move past this initial viewing of WW84 will a large number of people that were using some cheap way to access HBO Max remain subscribers?

We took advantage of the cheap 6 months of HBO Max, most likely will not renew our sub.

At one time HBO had > 140 million traditional pay TV subs worldwide, it will be interesting to see if a big number of those switch to HBO Max. We subscribed to HBO for quite a few years because they had some really good series and Boxing After Dark. Doubt seriously Boxing After Dark will ever make it to Max.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

We took advantage of the cheap 6 months of HBO Max, most likely will not renew our sub.

At one time HBO had > 140 million traditional pay TV subs worldwide, it will be interesting to see if a big number of those switch to HBO Max. We subscribed to HBO for quite a few years because they had some really good series and Boxing After Dark. Doubt seriously Boxing After Dark will ever make it to Max.

That was as of 2017.

38 million subscribers:

Number of HBO and HBO Max subscribers U.S. 2020. As of the third quarter of 2020, HBO and HBO Max had a combined 38 million subscribers in the United States, and 57 million globally. Nov 26, 2020

HBO Max is only available in the US currently.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

We took advantage of the cheap 6 months of HBO Max, most likely will not renew our sub.

At one time HBO had > 140 million traditional pay TV subs worldwide, it will be interesting to see if a big number of those switch to HBO Max. We subscribed to HBO for quite a few years because they had some really good series and Boxing After Dark. Doubt seriously Boxing After Dark will ever make it to Max.

I like "His Darkest Memories"if you haven't watch that yet. I have the first season on BD. Second season is ending soon with E16. Ep 15 was BBC Dec 20/ HBO Dec 28.

[cheez avenger]

I'm still playing Cyberpunk 2077 on the PS5 and having a great time at it. The other day Amazon was selling God of War, Last of Us: Remastered, and Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4 versions, obviously) all for $7.99 each. All complete versions with their respective DLC content and maps, etc.

I scooped all 3 of them up. They all arrived today. I'm gonna see if I can wrap up CP2077 before starting on these. I've yet to actually play an official PS5 title yet. Not necessarily aching to until more titles get released. But as a hardware component, the PS5 totally rocks.