HTG official High Definition high octane DVD format war, the aftermath

[jakelots]

Have you ever heard of XBMC (Kodi), if you are into the whole streaming gig you'll love it. If you have a HTPC or an Android PC such as the Matricom G-box you can stream any movie you wish. Turns your theater into a Media Center. My big pet peev about streaming netflix is that it will only download so much cache causing it to do say the dreaded "buffer" in the middle of the screen. Whereas a PC or g-box won't because the cache is stored in larger capacities so you can pause, go do something, come back, and half the movie is already downloaded. It's not technically "Legal" but it works. Just thought i'd bring a new subject to the table.

[Chris D]

am I missing something... or are 75% of the posters on this thread in complete denial...

:rofl:

Both Hi-Def disc formats are dead... 12 months from today and it's completely done (unless you're talking simply about games) but as movie formats they are cooked - toast - fried - over - lost - finished...


and many people predicted this over a year ago... (including me) Dead formats... I've been downloading movies for almost 8 months... ive got over 500 movies on my central hard drive... art work - actors - year - genre - movie company...all easy to be searched...

8O

what's a "format"...!!!!

Another year, let's check in. This assertion was made on Feb 22nd, 2008, on page 21 of this thread.

Digital media continues to grow. 4k Blu-Ray discs scheduled for release later this year. Are discs indeed "dead" yet, like this assertion said was going to happen 7 years ago?

[Ovation]

Judging by how much bigger my BD collection has become since then, I'd say "HELL NO!!!"

[madmac]

I don't mind streaming stuff at all but it requires a lot of internet bandwidth.........unlimited realistically. I don't have that and many people that I know here in Canada don't. Until unlimited internet is the norm, I don't think physical media is going to go away any time soon.

Also, I'm not sure if 1080p streaming is available yet but if it is or will be, that's really gonna' suck a lot of bandwidth and we had better have A LOT of buffering and hard drive space to do it........and of course, unlimited internet!

[Hdale85]

1080p streaming has been around for a long while, we're starting 4k streaming now. I have no issues streaming even 4k.

[Ovation]

I don't mind streaming stuff at all but it requires a lot of internet bandwidth.........unlimited realistically. I don't have that and many people that I know here in Canada don't. Until unlimited internet is the norm, I don't think physical media is going to go away any time soon.

Also, I'm not sure if 1080p streaming is available yet but if it is or will be, that's really gonna' suck a lot of bandwidth and we had better have A LOT of buffering and hard drive space to do it........and of course, unlimited internet!

I pay 10$/mth extra to get unlimited (with all the stuff I stream and download, it's well worth it over the 130GB cap I would otherwise have each month). And you don't need that much hard drive space to stream 1080p (the Apple TV I use to stream Netflix has very little space devote to buffering--what you need is good speed. If you only stream on one device at a time, 15 Mbps is plenty--I have 30, but there are often 3-4 Netflix streams going at the same time in my house, though even when I was at 15, it was usually not a problem).

1080p streaming has been around for a long while, we're starting 4k streaming now. I have no issues streaming even 4k.

I don't have a 4k display, but I'm sure when I get one, it'll work fine.

In my experience (I've compared a DVD, BD, Netflix 1080p, iTunes 1080p from my laptop--not from the cloud, and 1080i cable of the same movie), the ranking goes as follows on my gear (best to worst, though my gear makes DVDs look pretty good): BD, iTunes 1080p from my laptop, 1080p Netflix (just about the same as iTunes), 1080i cable and DVD. BD varies from a little to considerably better than the other 1080 options, but comes out far ahead in audio (better dynamic range). But I have no qualms about Netflix or iTunes on the projector--where it would show up a lot more than on any other display in the house. I would not have said that 3 years ago, though, about either one.

[madmac]

I did not know that we get 1080P Netflix here in Montreal Ovation??. How much data does a 2 hour movie in that format consume?

As for A/B picture comparisons, I would think doing it on a large TV would be better than on a laptop. On a screen of that size, most stuff is going to look good really!

[madmac]

I did not know that we get 1080P Netflix here in Montreal Ovation??. How much data does a 2 hour movie in that format consume?

As for A/B picture comparisons, I would think doing it on a large TV would be better than on a laptop. On a screen of that size, most stuff is going to look good really!

[Ovation]

I did not know that we get 1080P Netflix here in Montreal Ovation??. How much data does a 2 hour movie in that format consume?

As for A/B picture comparisons, I would think doing it on a large TV would be better than on a laptop. On a screen of that size, most stuff is going to look good really!

I haven't checked in a very long time and I know they are constantly tinkering with their video streams to take up less bandwidth with good quality image, but I believe the last I checked was about 1 to 1.5 GB per hour of 1080 P video. As to the comparisons, I made them all on my 64 inch projector screen, not on my laptop. I referred to the laptop as the source of my iTunes video files because streaming them locally via AppleTV from my computer gives me a slightly better image quality than if I stream from the cloud. Of course, when I'm not using my projector, I will stream iTunes files from the cloud because I don't have to turn on my computer and activate iTunes on the computer to stream my video files from the cloud. For the comparison test however, I wanted to maximize the image quality of each format, so I chose to stream from the files stored on my laptop rather than the cloud. When I don't stream from my laptop files it's usually because it's more convenient to use the cloud files. And really even on my large projector screen the difference between streaming iTunes video files on the cloud or from my laptop is minimal. I also consider that as my eyesight diminishes with age (even with the help of glasses) I worry less about such minimal differences. I am far more concerned about the bigger difference between Blu-ray and Netflix or iTunes. With my gear I can tell the difference there. But there may come a time, not too far in the future, where the better video streaming technology will catch up with Blu-ray quality. It's almost there now. The bigger advantage for Blu-ray remains audio. The other advantage is that I have the disk. I download all my iTunes video purchases, most of which are actually the free download that comes with the Blu-ray, but if I were to ever lose my computer files and Apple were to lose the distribution rights for those titles I would not be able to download them again. With a Blu-ray disc I simply pull the case off the shelf, open it up, put the disc in the machine, and it's always available.

As an aside, I've made all my posts to the forum today using the dictation feature on my iPad. I must say, I am most impressed with its accuracy as I have only had to make a very few minor corrections. This is the most promising development as I have a recurring pain in my arm that makes typing difficult for me on occasion, And being able to speak my posts is a great relief. At times the odd capitalization or punctuation error appears that I don't catch. But I think the messages are still quite readable.

[Chris D]

Well, digital and its needed structure is getting better, for me at particular location at least. Right now, I'm paying a BOATLOAD of money every month just for 10M/2M internet with download caps. I've been watching "24" lately. My local Blockbuster didn't have one of the season 2 discs, so I tried out the Amazon video app on my PS4. We are Amazon Prime members, so I was able to stream that discs's four episodes for free, to fill in the gap, which was cool. No media ownership, no saving/storing ability, but it was okay this time as it was a one-time watch for me.

Those episodes streamed in DVD-quality SD with 5.1 audio, and I didn't notice any buffering or audio/video artifacts. Watching those four episodes in SD took up an entire day's internet download cap. So we're still nowhere close to 1080p (or higher, or 3D) video streaming capable with full lossless audio. But it was a good experience this time.

[Ovation]

Well, digital and its needed structure is getting better, for me at particular location at least. Right now, I'm paying a BOATLOAD of money every month just for 10M/2M internet with download caps. I've been watching "24" lately. My local Blockbuster didn't have one of the season 2 discs, so I tried out the Amazon video app on my PS4. We are Amazon Prime members, so I was able to stream that discs's four episodes for free, to fill in the gap, which was cool. No media ownership, no saving/storing ability, but it was okay this time as it was a one-time watch for me.

Those episodes streamed in DVD-quality SD with 5.1 audio, and I didn't notice any buffering or audio/video artifacts. Watching those four episodes in SD took up an entire day's internet download cap. So we're still nowhere close to 1080p (or higher, or 3D) video streaming capable with full lossless audio. But it was a good experience this time.

The cap is your limiting factor (and I'm sure my own habits would be quite different if I lived in an area where I could not afford unlimited high speed internet--my plan until last month was 15D/10U and my ISP just doubled my downloads to 30 with no price difference to me, so 1080p Netflix is not a problem). The urban/rural divide in available services continues, I guess (you are not in an urban area, if I recall--though please correct me if I'm wrong).

I must say my own service has only become affordable for unlimited downloads in the past 2 years. Before that, my ISP only offered unlimited to corporate plans that were WAY too much for me to even contemplate.

[wkhanna]

This is why net neutrality is such a big issue.

Hopefully here in the US, the internet will become regulated as a public utility, to help see that everyone, regardless of economic means will have equal access.

[Ovation]

This is why net neutrality is such a big issue.

Hopefully here in the US, the internet will become regulated as a public utility, to help see that everyone, regardless of economic means will have equal access.

I certainly hope so, though in the current climate, I am rather pessimistic. Especially as it is likely Canada will follow the American lead on the outcome, particularly if the Harper government is re-elected in the fall. In any case, I know politics is not the purview of this board, so I'll end my musings here. The last observation I'll make is, regardless of the final net neutrality outcome, the good news, overall, is the fact that higher speeds and broader bandwidth, at lower costs, should prevail in the long run--tech costs in this sector are constantly dropping.

[Hdale85]

Google has said it'll roll out Google fiber all over the place if it does become a utility. Although net neutrality is about a lot more than people getting access, we also have the issue of cable companies charging premium hosting prices because netflix is competing with their own services.

[aud19]

Especially as it is likely Canada will follow the American lead on the outcome, particularly if the Harper government is re-elected in the fall..

Don't want that

[Chris D]

am I missing something... or are 75% of the posters on this thread in complete denial...

:rofl:

Both Hi-Def disc formats are dead... 12 months from today and it's completely done (unless you're talking simply about games) but as movie formats they are cooked - toast - fried - over - lost - finished...


and many people predicted this over a year ago... (including me) Dead formats... I've been downloading movies for almost 8 months... ive got over 500 movies on my central hard drive... art work - actors - year - genre - movie company...all easy to be searched...

8O

what's a "format"...!!!!

Campers, it's been another year in this fun house. This post was made on February 22nd, 2008, eight years ago, predicting that Blu Ray would be dead in one year.

All-digital certainly is getting big! But to whatever degree, Blu Ray and DVD still exist and being produced, and 4K discs coming soon.

What's a "format" indeed!

[aud19]

I haven't spun an optical disc in probably 5+ years FWIW :lol:

[Ovation]

Had four Blu-rays arrive in the mail earlier this week and I spin an optical disc (movie or music) several times a week (would be "a day" if grad school didn't keep me so busy these days). FWIW. :T

[wkhanna]

speaking of grad school.....how is it going & how much longer till we can address you as Doctor Ovation?

[Ovation]

speaking of grad school.....how is it going & how much longer till we can address you as Doctor Ovation?

It's going fine (though intense). I'm only in year one of the programme, so "Doctor Ovation" won't happen before 2019 or 2020. Until then, you can call me "Master". :alol:

[Chris D]

Awesome, Ovation.

I see that 4k UHD Blu Ray players and movies are released now. I'm away from my house for several months, so I haven't bought any yet, or tried them out to see how they perform, and if it's worth it or not. I sure have enjoyed the other native 4k material I've seen.

[Chris D]

am I missing something... or are 75% of the posters on this thread in complete denial...

:rofl:

Both Hi-Def disc formats are dead... 12 months from today and it's completely done (unless you're talking simply about games) but as movie formats they are cooked - toast - fried - over - lost - finished...


and many people predicted this over a year ago... (including me) Dead formats... I've been downloading movies for almost 8 months... ive got over 500 movies on my central hard drive... art work - actors - year - genre - movie company...all easy to be searched...

8O

what's a "format"...!!!!

Hello, sports fans. It's now been NINE years since this post was made, on Feb 22nd, 2008, on page 21 of this thread.

Digital media has certainly become mainstream now. You can sit on your couch, or even on a street corner, and watch a digital movie over cell data on your phone, from any one of several digital media sources.

For those who live with a lot of infrastructure, some people have gone all-digital, as their needs are satisfied with what digital streaming can offer.

However, have physical disc formats completely died? Or as was predicted nine years ago, are they "cooked - toast - fried - over - lost - finished"?

Me, for mediocre media watching, sure, I'll stream some. Particularly with me now living overseas and having limited access to media. But I tell you what. Even now, even with all the availability and convenience, I STILL prefer reference quality movie watching. And for me, that means NO digital artifacts, NO download caps, NO bandwidth issues, NO buffering, NO compromises to audio or video quality, NO requirements for internet access, NO reliance on my router, whether it has any hiccups, etc, etc.

So, yes, I have bought a 4K blu ray player (XBox One S) and am buying and watching 4K blu ray movies, in full 4K glory and uncompressed Dolby Atmos or DTS:X glorious audio. As good as it gets, and not possible in full performance with digital streaming.

Nope... physical media not dead yet. Will check again next year. Could the original poster have been off by a factor of 10, and meant they will die in ***10*** years, not 1?

[madmac]

Hello, sports fans. It's now been NINE years since this post was made, on Feb 22nd, 2008, on page 21 of this thread.

Digital media has certainly become mainstream now. You can sit on your couch, or even on a street corner, and watch a digital movie over cell data on your phone, from any one of several digital media sources.

For those who live with a lot of infrastructure, some people have gone all-digital, as their needs are satisfied with what digital streaming can offer.

However, have physical disc formats completely died? Or as was predicted nine years ago, are they "cooked - toast - fried - over - lost - finished"?

Me, for mediocre media watching, sure, I'll stream some. Particularly with me now living overseas and having limited access to media. But I tell you what. Even now, even with all the availability and convenience, I STILL prefer reference quality movie watching. And for me, that means NO digital artifacts, NO download caps, NO bandwidth issues, NO buffering, NO compromises to audio or video quality, NO requirements for internet access, NO reliance on my router, whether it has any hiccups, etc, etc.

So, yes, I have bought a 4K blu ray player (XBox One S) and am buying and watching 4K blu ray movies, in full 4K glory and uncompressed Dolby Atmos or DTS:X glorious audio. As good as it gets, and not possible in full performance with digital streaming.

Nope... physical media not dead yet. Will check again next year. Could the original poster have been off by a factor of 10, and meant they will die in ***10*** years, not 1?

Physical media is NOT dead by a long shot. If you want reference picture and audio, it's still the best way to go.

[Alaric]

Hey! A Chris sighting! Hi, Chris!


I just got the complete series Due South on DVD for Christmas, before that I bought Hell Comes To Frogtown and They Live. I can stream Amazon Prime and Netflix, I buy physical media if I really like something. That won't be changing anytime soon. Warcraft will be my next movie purchase on DVD (early next month, in fact). When I want to watch something I want to watch it. I don't want to hunt down who has it available for streaming, pay for it again, or just flat be disappointed because it isn't available. And sometimes I want to watch a movie at someone's house and they don't have internet, or streaming services if they do have an ISP. Physical media is about as dead as I am. As in, don't start throwing dirt in the hole just yet.