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

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Everyone has their own Budgets and Priorities, and I keep saying it's All Digital! Accessing this Content is the Key, from a Disc or straight from the Server. IMO we are headed for a Fiber Network to access Digital Content on these Servers!

We are a great ways from fiber networks everywhere, and likely headed already to alternatives. Your previous telecom will likely abandon that tactic and do what Verizon and T-Mobile is doing hyping midband 5G boxes for home internet. So much for that pipe dream.

[bhampton]

All of my media is indeed digital.

It's just not all created equal.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Everyone has their own Budgets and Priorities, and I keep saying it's All Digital!

Yes, and water is water, next time you are at the Pacific have a big drink from it and tell us how you fared.

In regard to the Protégé thought I would post some of the differences between what you viewed and what is available via disc.

The Protégé as viewed from Amazon Prime: Video bit rate was 9 Mbps (audio was DD+ at 192 Kbps). This title was HD only, no UHD from Prime - Audio was DD+ 5.1, no Atmos like on disc.

The following is via BDInfo (average rate calculated by me).

The Protégé UHD BD size 69.01 GB, 109 minutes
Average bit rate = 84.42 Mbps

Disc Title: The Protégé - Ultra HD Blu-ray™
Disc Label: THE_PROTEGE
Disc Size: 86,337,778,323 bytes
BDInfo: 0.7.5.5

The Protégé BD size 34.16 GB, 109 minutes
Average bit rate = 41.79 Mbps

Disc Title: The Protégé - Blu-ray™
Disc Label: THE_PROTEGE
Disc Size: 48,640,221,417 bytes
BDInfo: 0.7.5.5

A handheld phone picture of the Amazon Prime diagnostics screen (the one with A/V data, there are others). Accessed via a Nvidia Shield Pro (2019). Also checked via AppleTV 4K using Developer HUD and it showed about the same numbers.

[Show spoiler]

[Wendell R. Breland]

Some may be interested in this post.

[meremortal]

I've pretty much been all digital over the last month. I've purchased physical during that time, though. My newest obsession has been combing through the 'leaving soon' sections of streaming sites and it's kind of the same thrill as hunting for out of print or rare blus. And what is even better about it is I'm immediately watching these movies whereas with physical media I'll generally park them since the time urgency is not there with physical media that you own. Streaming can provide a much different experience than collecting and I'm starting to realize I need to do more of it.

[unberechenbar]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Watched The Portege on Amazon Prime last night in 4K. Great Action Movie with Michael Keaton, Maggie Q, and Samuel Jackson. Don't need Disc for Fantastic Quality Content!

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

I assume you meant to say The Protégé, watched via Netflix disc by mail, liked it and purchased the UHD BD version.

Late to the discussion but I have The Protégé on UHD and I liked it a lot too. The PQ was amazing and I think it's one of the best-looking releases of last year.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

We are a great ways from fiber networks everywhere, and likely headed already to alternatives. Your previous telecom will likely abandon that tactic and do what Verizon and T-Mobile is doing hyping midband 5G boxes for home internet. So much for that pipe dream.

I don't know what his post had to do with my reply to bhampton, I feel it is too early for me to upgrade my projector but it is hard to hear how good his sounds without stirring up feelings of upgradeitis.

but it is not even a matter of fiber or something else.

I can't imagine a time in the future where ISPs won't offer tiered services. It is nice to say "fiber to the door" (or what ever else you want) but at the ned of the day for most people it is what is the cheapest package where I can still access the internet. And unless we are talkning about an exclusive expensive digital/streaming service the rest will be driven by highest common denominator aka what people with crappiest connections can access.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by meremortal

I've pretty much been all digital over the last month. I've purchased physical during that time, though. My newest obsession has been combing through the 'leaving soon' sections of streaming sites and it's kind of the same thrill as hunting for out of print or rare blus. And what is even better about it is I'm immediately watching these movies whereas with physical media I'll generally park them since the time urgency is not there with physical media that you own.

shows how different we are. I love tat I can park my films until I feel like enjoying them(that is why I have a decent amount of unwatched). I am not looking for something to dictate my life, that is why I have a spouse and kids (joke).

back when I was a student and VHS was still king I had a "lunch time" job right besides a rental place. I tried renting when I was there (school, work, rent, school, home, see film) but I hated that I had choose mid day if that evening I would freal like a film and then trapped in that decision. Back then that place was a 1 day rental sio the next day if I felt like seeing it ofr not I had to bring it back or pay to rent it again..

[crutzulee]

Originally Posted by unberechenbar

Late to the discussion but I have The Protégé on UHD and I liked it a lot too. The PQ was amazing and I think it's one of the best-looking releases of last year.

Thanks for the recommendation. As I struggle to get a handle on calibrating my new (to me) toy -JVC X570R- I'm looking for more full movies to feed it to test my work...
HDR and ATMOS - This will fit the bill nicely.

My family is getting a little worried about how often I can rewatch certain scenes from BLADE RUNNER 2049 and DUNE..LOL..

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

We are a great ways from fiber networks everywhere, and likely headed already to alternatives. Your previous telecom will likely abandon that tactic and do what Verizon and T-Mobile is doing hyping midband 5G boxes for home internet. So much for that pipe dream.

Well you called it, I do have a Telco background and my belief is "Wire where you can and Wireless where you can't." That being said 5G is a great technology and it will be used mostly for Mobile Devices, and home for people that can get a good signal. To really enjoy all the Content that is available to your HT, you'll need a lot of Solid Bandwidth.....Fiber!

https://www.telecompetitor.com/att-f...ion-locations/

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by meremortal

I've pretty much been all digital over the last month. I've purchased physical during that time, though. My newest obsession has been combing through the 'leaving soon' sections of streaming sites and it's kind of the same thrill as hunting for out of print or rare blus. And what is even better about it is I'm immediately watching these movies whereas with physical media I'll generally park them since the time urgency is not there with physical media that you own. Streaming can provide a much different experience than collecting and I'm starting to realize I need to do more of it.

That's exactly why I don't like digital. I hate it when anything is available for a limited time.

[meremortal]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

That's exactly why I don't like digital. I hate it when anything is available for a limited time.

I totally get that. And I think I'm one of those people who probably works better when I have deadlines. Owning stuff and the lack of urgency is just a different approach that may not work for everyone. It probably goes back to a few things like the video store days and watching newer titles that were overnight rentals, "live" over the air tv, and so forth. I've just been terribly lazy to get around to purchases. Plus, I hate decision fatigue. There's kind of a liberating feeling to streaming lately, perhaps because I own too much physical media and am tired of the backlog and the clutter.

[JohnAV]

Box Office: ‘Batman’ Enjoys $66M Weekend, Blows Past $238M in U.S. - Hollywood Reporter 3/13

The Robert Pattinson superhero pic easily stayed number one at the box office. Elsewhere, the live-event screening of BTS's concert in Seoul set records.

Holy Batman.

Robert Pattinson’s The Batman is a bona fide hit at the box office, where it topped its second weekend with $66 million from 4,417 theaters for a 10-day domestic total of $238.5 million.

Outside of Spider-Man: No Way Home — which has earned nearly $800 million domestically — that’s already the best showing of the pandemic era at the North American box office.

Batman fell around 50 percent, a relatively slim decline for a big event pic. It didn’t hurt that there were no new wide studio releases over the weekend. Originally, Pixar and Disney were set to open Turning Red on March 11, but in early January announced that the animated film would bypass theaters and go straight to Disney+ in those countries with access to the streamer.

Overseas this weekend, Turning Red opened in 12 material markets where Disney+ isn’t offered. The movie grossed $3.8 million, led by Saudi Arabia.

The Batman topped the chart internationally with another $66.6 million from 76 markets for a foreign tally of $224.7 million and $463.2 million globally. And that’s without China, where it opens later this week. Imax is racking up huge numbers, or a global total of $38.7 million.

The superhero pic, costing $200 million to produce before marketing, is a major (and needed win) for Warner Bros. and DC. And the timing is fortuitous, as Warners is on the brink of having a new owner, Discovery.)

Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman’s performance is all the more impressive considering it runs nearly three hours and is on the darker side. The PG-13 film centers on Bruce Wayne’s earlier days of fighting crime and features a rogues’ gallery of Batman antagonists. Paul Dano plays the Riddler, a serial killer pursued by Batman, while Zoë Kravitz plays Catwoman and Colin Farrell appears as the Penguin.

The Batman has been well received by critics and earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences, as well as strong PostTrack exit scores.

Sony’s Uncharted stayed high up on the chart in its fourth weekend, earning $9.3 million from 3,725 locations for a domestic tally of $113.4 million. And it grossed another $11.2 million overseas from 64 markets to clear the $300 mark and finish Sunday with a worldwide cume of $301.3 million.

Although there were no new nationwide releases, two live-event showings of Korean boy band BTS’ Saturday concert in Seoul did big business. BTS Permission to Dance on Stage: Seoul earned $6.9 million in North America to become the top-grossing live cinema event of all time, where Trafalgar Releasing booked the concert in 800 theaters.

And globally, its box tally is a stunning $32.6 million (that number could grow once final numbers are tallied).

The concert film, which was tape delayed in the U.S. and other markets, even beat The Batman in 55 theaters in North America and was a clear No. 2 in the rest of its locations. Top markets included Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver and Salt Lake City.

Live-event cinema is on the rise — Imax is a major player on this front — as exhibitors and distributors look for ways to lure moviegoers. Also, theaters can chart more for such events, with tickets for BTS costing as high as $35. (The Metropolitan Opera has been beaming Saturday performances of some operas into cinemas for years in what’s become a highly successful program.)

EntTelligence reports that the average ticket price for Permission to Dance was $35.14. The cost of the Metropolitan Opera’s live broadcast of Ariadne Auf Naxos was $25.45.

MGM and United Artists’ feel-good movie Dog, starring Channing Tatum, came in No. 4, falling just 13 percent to $5.3 million from 3,407 theaters for a domestic total of $47.8 million.

Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home — released in mid-December — rounded out the top 5 with $4.1 million from 2,450 to finish the weekend with a domestic cume of $792.3 million. It’s virtually guaranteed to eventually become only the third film in history to cross the $800 million threshold domestically behind Avengers: Endgame ($858.4 million) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.7 million).

Spidey’s worldwide haul is $1.87 billion, the sixth-best showing of all time, not adjusted for inflation.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Well you called it, I do have a Telco background and my belief is "Wire where you can and Wireless where you can't." That being said 5G is a great technology and it will be used mostly for Mobile Devices, and home for people that can get a good signal. To really enjoy all the Content that is available to your HT, you'll need a lot of Solid Bandwidth.....Fiber!

https://www.telecompetitor.com/att-f...ion-locations/

7 million locations you know that is BS.

Look at the violet representations in the following maps it will show current status just how these three are doing. You need to zoom in to see how far apart their deployments are locally versus the other two telecoms.

Go look at what AT&T offers looking at nperf map.

Compare that to Verizon with this nperf map.

Compare to T-Moble (inc Sprint)nperf map.

Verizon is saying they are aggressively enabling up to 175 Million customers to 5G as a comparison. Around Silicon Valley they are very active, AT&T is still sending techs out to troubleshoot twisted copper, so pathetic. They are a company that likes to claim they have fiber available, but only if you live in the right street in some city.

[unberechenbar]

Speaking of fiber, Frontier recently installed fiber around where I live. They dug up a section of the street in front of each house and put something in the ground, then covered it back up. They left a brochure saying it would cost $70 per month with a 3-year price guarantee.

[cheez avenger]

I went to my local video shop today and I rented three 4K disc titles that I've never seen before. I rented:

Alligator 4K disc
The Lover 4K disc
Phenomena 4K disc


I watched Alligator tonight and it looked fantastic! The screenplay was also written by John Sayles. Always dig a John Sayles script.

I watched The Batman last night in Dolby Cinema and it was great. The 4K disc should be stellar. I had to watch Se7en today on BD, too.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

I watched Alligator tonight and it looked fantastic! The screenplay was also written by John Sayles. Always dig a John Sayles script.

I blind bought Alligator which was kind of risky but I liked it. Certainly my type of movie.

I watched Phenomena on Kanopy and liked it but would only grab it at a good price not the $43 price I have seen so far. I'm glad it's an option though for someone who likes it that much.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

7 million locations you know that is BS.

Look at the violet representations in the following maps it will show current status just how these three are doing. You need to zoom in to see how far apart their deployments are locally versus the other two telecoms.

Go look at what AT&T offers looking at nperf map.

Compare that to Verizon with this nperf map.

Compare to T-Moble (inc Sprint)nperf map.

Verizon is saying they are aggressively enabling up to 175 Million customers to 5G as a comparison. Around Silicon Valley they are very active, AT&T is still sending techs out to troubleshoot twisted copper, so pathetic. They are a company that likes to claim they have fiber available, but only if you live in the right street in some city.

Both will have their place for many years yet.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

Box Office: ‘Batman’ Enjoys $66M Weekend, Blows Past $238M in U.S. - Hollywood Reporter 3/13

The Robert Pattinson superhero pic easily stayed number one at the box office. Elsewhere, the live-event screening of BTS's concert in Seoul set records.

Very good to read. Can’t wait for a sequel.

[Steedeel]

Interesting that CD sales have risen for the first time in two decades in the USA.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/14/2...ion-of-america