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Is Online Delivery Acceptable for Home Theater Use? - Page 3

Poll Results: Is Online Delivery Acceptable for Home Theater Use?

 
  • 11% (38)
    iTunes HD and Vudu HDX are totally acceptable for HT use
  • 7% (25)
    iTunes HD and Vudu HDX are barely acceptable for HT use
  • 10% (36)
    Vudu HDX and Blu-ray are acceptable for HT use, iTunes HD is not
  • 1% (6)
    iTunes HD and Blu-ray are acceptable for HT use, Vudu HDX is not
  • 68% (224)
    Blu-ray is acceptable for HT use, iTunes HD and Vudu HDX are not
329 Total Votes  
post #61 of 171
3/8/13 at 3:14pm
I don't know how there can be any absolutelness on this topic given all the variables.

For those that rent from Netflix DVD discs, they are aware that some play better than others due to how the transfers to DVD were done. Some are "dumps" and some are mastered. The differences between the two are staggering.

I bring up the point about the DVD discs because it is a fast and easy example that pretty much no one who has used the service can deny. The complexities of streaming hi def media is much the same and some compressions are very good and some less than expected or hoped for. The means to play compressed code also can differ depending on your device. My Oppo does a better job of streaming Netflix than my smart plasma TV and so on. On a given night, streaming will work well and on other nights not as well thanks to my lackluster cable provider. On the other hand, I can put a Lord of the Rings Extended blu ray into my Oppo and each and every time it will look magical and beauitful.

We see from the official Blu Ray review forum that some blu ray movie product are better than others for several reasons with respect to sound and image. There is no standardization of minimal quality in this arena and the same goes for streaming services.

For me, hi def looks best on Blu Ray in general. HD movies streamed are akin to better DVDs in general, a well crafted DVD disc upscaled properly looks better than streaming for the most part. The problem with streaming is the compression has to give up some quality. This is not a maybe but an absolute. A 25 gig blu ray counterpart in stream might be just a few gigs or even less. It doesn't take rocket science to realize that color, contrast, artifacts, noise, etc all get a hit with high compression. If one has a mediocre screen or audio system, they may not notice the difference as much and then again, most of us get used to what we have as we don't regularly make side by side comparisons in the real world.
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post #62 of 171
3/8/13 at 3:17pm
growing tired of this agenda that seems to be being pushed here.

I'll believe in high quality 4K streaming/downloads when they exceed BD in quality and when they become more than 4K 'in name only' like a lot of the HD 'in name only' that services are trying to foist off on us now.

imagic give it a rest. you are just chasing away the few enthusiasts that remain here with this 'download/streaming' rules all agenda.


No wonder this place is becoming a ghost town.
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post #63 of 171
3/8/13 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

Then show me a link to a 4K movie distributed on BDXL. I'm familiar with the format, the drive in my HTPC is a BDXL drive.

You said that the media to so 4K does not exist, I'm replying to that

At the same time, there is also no download for 4K, therefore your argument is moot.
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post #64 of 171
3/8/13 at 7:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

With a 100GB download, the key is to pre-order the movie so when release day arrives, it's already downloaded in the background.

With a 100GB download, most of the country will hit their soft or hard data caps after 2.5 movies so this is a non starter for most people anyway. Even if the display technology becomes affordable, bandwidth caps will keep it from happening.
Edited by robnix - 3/8/13 at 8:42pm
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post #65 of 171
3/8/13 at 7:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

I don't own a car, I live in downtown Philly. I pay for immediate access to cabs, rail, Zipcar, bike lanes, and super-fast internet. It costs money to keep a car around, ready to take you to Wal-mart. The cost of driving is more than just gas, that's why hybrids have such a hard time paying for themselves. Then there's the thought of exposing myself to the Wal-Mart experience just to get a movie, when I can get the same thing at home with zero extra cost, time or effort? No thanks. If it's all about impulse buying, online delivery will win. I do bike to Best buy and Wal Mart, BTW, so no extra cost for me.

Walmart? Amazon Prime get that movie to my door on release day with no more effort than a one click preorder..
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post #66 of 171
3/8/13 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by robnix View Post

Walmart? Amazon Prime get that movie to my door on release day with no more effort than a one click preorder..

Blu-ray remains my favorite format for quality. I've got Prime, too. I bike to Best Buy to buy Blu-ray movies on release day; usually they run a sale, I do that instead of ordering from Amazon for the exercise.
Edited by imagic - 3/9/13 at 9:17am
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post #67 of 171
3/8/13 at 11:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Susilo View Post

why bother with this? BigAW will come in and post again and again how "normal" people can't see the difference between BD and streaming media unless you "sit 5 feet away from a 200-inch screen" and "pixel peeping is necessary" rolleyes.gif

This thread is either self-selecting of the most hardcore of the home theater snobs who actually have 200" screens, and like to make up unrealistic tests to show how amazing their projectors and screens are, or people are seriously delusional about the quality of VUDU HDX. And I thought I was being a snob for choosing VUDU HDX and Blu-Ray, and NOT iTunes, since 99% of the population would be fine with iTunes. I just find it to have weird compression artifacts. I consider myself to be extremely demanding when it comes to picture quality, but reality is reality, and VUDU HDX looks exactly the same as Blu-Ray at any normal viewing distance for the size of screen being used.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Susilo View Post

"Just less so"? True, still the maximum datarate of BD is still 500% compared to the best streaming service currently available right now.

Also the Sony 4K download offering will be at least 100GB per movie (based on a 90-minute movies). Considering most 90min bluray movies are in the 20GB range, 100GB per movie in 4K will be as good as if they're putting it onto a physical media.

The 100GB number isn't accurate. 17GB/hr or 38mbps with HEVC is a much more reasonable number. Discs may throw more bits at it just because they can, just like Blu-rays are often way above what they need to be (at around 9mbps with MPEG-4AVC and offline encoding you're pretty much beyond what a human can perceive, although it degrades fast, with 6mbps with online encoding being a total train wreck). With Blu-ray at a maximum of 40mbps, you could put 4K video on blu-ray, you'd just need players that have the hardware to handle HEVC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

I want to re-iterate that Vudu HDX 3D is terrible, I was doing comparisons last night with Dredd 3D and Wreck it Ralph 3D. Let me emphasize that again: Vudu HDX 3D is TERRIBLE. No comparison to Blu-ray, it's like comparing NTSC 480i to 1080p, that's how big the gap is. On top of that, if Vudu HDX 3D experiences a glitch in playback, the effect is very jarring and very unpleasant.

You mean 3D is terrible? 3D in general is a hot mess. I'd rather watch SD than 3D 1080p...
Quote:
Originally Posted by stepyourgameup View Post

I sure am glad that people still purchase movies but I will never understand the logic behind it. After I watch a good movie, even a great movie, I have ZERO interest in ever watching it again.

Yup. Hence why I use VUDU HDX exclusively unless I can borrow the Blu-ray for free.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Peer View Post

Hopefully there will be 4K content ( that somebody actually wants to watch ).

Like a ton of movies that are already scanned at 4k or 8k?
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post #68 of 171
3/9/13 at 5:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

That's one of the issues I wonder about, with iTunes "Life of Pi" has been available online for over two weeks, but the Blu-ray is still four days away from release. So, in the context of the Academy Awards, for three full weeks the "best available format" has been and is exclusively an online-deliverable format. Throughout the year there will be other movies offered through a similar arrangement. Can timing and availability trump ultimate quality?

No. I think many HT enthusiasts would be willing to wait for the best format. I, for one, would.

If I'm looking for a TV show to watch during a week night, I'll stream it. If I'm having friends over to watch the latest Bond release, I'm buying the Blu Ray.
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post #69 of 171
3/9/13 at 8:53am
I guess the answer I need is not there--that would be iTunes and Vudu are acceptable for HT--so I opted for the barely acceptable choice although I think it is better than just barely acceptable.

Blu Ray is currently the only totally acceptable format for HT. There is a difference in picture and sound. I use both streaming services plus Amazon and I am fine with watching a movie that way--I enjoy watching movies and TV shows on Netflix as well. The picture and sound is very good but for movies that I really love and want to to enjoy with the best possible HT experience, Blu Ray is the only current format that totally fits the bill. smile.gif
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post #70 of 171
3/9/13 at 9:17am
Blu Ray is definitely best, but I do like VUDO. HDX is pretty nice pq and audio.
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post #71 of 171
3/9/13 at 12:43pm
I voted Blu Ray as "acceptable", but given the advance of technology, I'd have to add "barely". It's time for 4k, better compression algorithms, an increased colour gamut, and higher framerates.

The quicker the better!
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post #72 of 171
3/9/13 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BiggAW View Post

... just like Blu-rays are often way above what they need to be (at around 9mbps with MPEG-4AVC and offline encoding you're pretty much beyond what a human can perceive...

This statement is rather meaningless without context. The compression efficiency has a great deal to do with what is happening on-screen. If there's very little detail and movement, this might be the case, but in all other instances this statement is absolutely not true.
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post #73 of 171
3/9/13 at 1:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Dave View Post

This statement is rather meaningless without context. The compression efficiency has a great deal to do with what is happening on-screen. If there's very little detail and movement, this might be the case, but in all other instances this statement is absolutely not true.

Without a lot of motion, the number is quite a bit lower. VUDU HDX tops out somewhere in the 9-10mbps range, and it delivers an experience that is visually identical to Blu-ray.

Although it's half the resolution, the gold standard for HDTV is 19mbps MPEG-2.
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post #74 of 171
3/9/13 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Dave View Post

I voted Blu Ray as "acceptable", but given the advance of technology, I'd have to add "barely". It's time for 4k, better compression algorithms, an increased colour gamut, and higher framerates.

The quicker the better!

I get it - more is more.

Then again we see with DVD and Blu Ray more is more and that includes bad transfers.

Since there are no standards as to quality of transfer, 4k would suffer even more than Blu Ray with foibles. If the transfer to 4k is bad, the image will show more "bad."

Why is there such a race for "more" when we can't even get consistent 1080p?

As some who watched the Hobbit noted, there is at times that near soap opera effect produced by the faster frame rate. If you love this look just set your screen to 240 or 120 etc with some of the quality delinquent flat screens. As for audio, should we expect better than the near lossless that HD audio provides with Blu Ray?

It amazes me that so many people want to put bigger engines in their cars with no quality control, no insurance of quality gas and no roads to go 100 miles an hour. This is the same with those that advocate the "more" values of so called resolution of home theater. Please don't consider this as being an attack but please think about what is really the challenge here - consistent quality. 4k guarantees nothing.
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post #75 of 171
3/9/13 at 2:18pm
I also feel I want the best Video and Audio experience for HT use and streaming is just not there yet. I think the audio is just as important at the video and so far streaming methods degrade the audio.Each to their own (and we do stream a lot for regular watching (Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Vudu).
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post #76 of 171
3/9/13 at 2:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phrehdd View Post

I get it - more is more.

Then again we see with DVD and Blu Ray more is more and that includes bad transfers.

Since there are no standards as to quality of transfer, 4k would suffer even more than Blu Ray with foibles. If the transfer to 4k is bad, the image will show more "bad."

Why is there such a race for "more" when we can't even get consistent 1080p?

As some who watched the Hobbit noted, there is at times that near soap opera effect produced by the faster frame rate. If you love this look just set your screen to 240 or 120 etc with some of the quality delinquent flat screens. As for audio, should we expect better than the near lossless that HD audio provides with Blu Ray?

It amazes me that so many people want to put bigger engines in their cars with no quality control, no insurance of quality gas and no roads to go 100 miles an hour. This is the same with those that advocate the "more" values of so called resolution of home theater. Please don't consider this as being an attack but please think about what is really the challenge here - consistent quality. 4k guarantees nothing.

Good Post!
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post #77 of 171
3/9/13 at 3:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phrehdd View Post

I get it - more is more.

Then again we see with DVD and Blu Ray more is more and that includes bad transfers.

Since there are no standards as to quality of transfer, 4k would suffer even more than Blu Ray with foibles. If the transfer to 4k is bad, the image will show more "bad."

Why is there such a race for "more" when we can't even get consistent 1080p?

As some who watched the Hobbit noted, there is at times that near soap opera effect produced by the faster frame rate. If you love this look just set your screen to 240 or 120 etc with some of the quality delinquent flat screens. As for audio, should we expect better than the near lossless that HD audio provides with Blu Ray?

It amazes me that so many people want to put bigger engines in their cars with no quality control, no insurance of quality gas and no roads to go 100 miles an hour. This is the same with those that advocate the "more" values of so called resolution of home theater. Please don't consider this as being an attack but please think about what is really the challenge here - consistent quality. 4k guarantees nothing.

Where did I assert it was important to do this "with no quality control"? I am talking about the roll-out of a replacement standard for Blu-Ray. Given the advances made in technology, the Blu Ray video specification is now the weak link in the chain.

The race is for replacing an old (and outdated) standard with a new one. Blu Ray has been around for a decade, and a great deal has advanced in that time. We now have the ability to record in higher resolutions with an improved colour gamut, and offer a substantially improved compression algorithm. You mentioned yourself the fact that the audio tracks have evolved to a considerable degree, continuing to advance toward as pure to the source as possible. Why would you not wish that for video as well? A bad audio transfer to these new formats is just as possible as a bad video transfer to a new format, but in the vast majority of cases the new audio format offers an improvement over the previous standard(s).

Your assertion that the transfer to 4k will show more "bad" has not been borne out in 4k testing thus far. Even simple 4k upscaling of existing 1080p sources shows demonstrable improvement, and increased resolution was just one of the areas I mentioned. The ability to have more detail with a higher data rate and less destructive compression all allow for improvements.

A new standard will advance the capability of what is possible in home theatres.
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post #78 of 171
3/10/13 at 8:03am
With the new HD h.265 format coming out I belive that streaming is going to step up a bit. Should add more room for higher quality audio. I belive the only way to watch a good movie is on Blu-ray. Do I use streaming sure I do. I watch a lot of TV shows on netflix streaming. Does it look good...Well it looks decent. Looks as good as my hd cable most of the time. Which is great for watching TV shows. I still prefer getting to watch it on blu-ray but it's hard to order all the disk and have time to sit and watch it all. So streaming works out better for TV shows. But MOVIES are for blu-ray. I want it to look as good as it can and sound as good as it can. Streaming has it's place but not for movies in my home Theater.
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post #79 of 171
3/10/13 at 3:33pm
Based on those screenshots it looks like the downloads are getting closer to blu-ray than I realized. I'm finding that my mind is changing from purchasing an all shiny disc collection. Lets face it it's only a matter of time before the quality is going to be nearly the same, and the convienece is already there. Some HD music downloads are getting close so why not movies.
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post #80 of 171
3/10/13 at 5:58pm
Bluray all the way!
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post #81 of 171
3/10/13 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by comfynumb View Post

Based on those screenshots it looks like the downloads are getting closer to blu-ray than I realized. I'm finding that my mind is changing from purchasing an all shiny disc collection. Lets face it it's only a matter of time before the quality is going to be nearly the same, and the convienece is already there. Some HD music downloads are getting close so why not movies.

I've done a few comparisons and there is a surprising amount of variability in quality with the online delivery versions. Skyfall and Argo were directly compared to Blu-ray and I found Blu-ray was better for both movies, not by a huge margin but definitely better. Life of Pi is coming out on Blu-ray tomorrow, which will allow me to complete that comparison. After that, my next comparison will be Wreck-It Ralph, followed by the 3D re-release of Top Gun. Next week brings The Hobbit and Zero Dark Thirty. That's good enough to take the total number of comparisons that include Blu-ray from two to seven in a bit over a week's time.

The first screen shot attached to this article is from Argo, I have added another from Wreck-It Ralph, which I am duplicating here. It's one of the best frames in the whole movie for comparing actual resolution.


Edited by imagic - 3/10/13 at 6:54pm
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post #82 of 171
3/10/13 at 6:56pm
Although VUDU HDX is the only format that's visually equivalent to Blu-Ray, I find that Amazon VOD, even at 720p is much better than iTunes 1080p- it's a little softer, but much more pleasing to watch. iTunes is cold and harsh with the compression artifacts, and the whole 24p thing is nice for movies, but bizarre for TV shows. I find Amazon 720p to probably be second only to VUDU HDX/Blu-Ray, and far ahead of any cable format.
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post #83 of 171
3/10/13 at 7:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BiggAW View Post

Although VUDU HDX is the only format that's visually equivalent to Blu-Ray, I find that Amazon VOD, even at 720p is much better than iTunes 1080p- it's a little softer, but much more pleasing to watch. iTunes is cold and harsh with the compression artifacts, and the whole 24p thing is nice for movies, but bizarre for TV shows. I find Amazon 720p to probably be second only to VUDU HDX/Blu-Ray, and far ahead of any cable format.

I wish Amazon content was part of Ultraviolet, I also wish Amazon would allow HD playback on a PC. I would like to incorporate their HD offering into a future review. I'll install the app on my PS3 and see what I can come up with. Sometimes iTunes really changes the color and tone of a movie, I don't quite understand it.
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post #84 of 171
3/10/13 at 7:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BiggAW View Post

Although VUDU HDX is the only format that's visually equivalent to Blu-Ray, I find that Amazon VOD, even at 720p is much better than iTunes 1080p- it's a little softer, but much more pleasing to watch. iTunes is cold and harsh with the compression artifacts, and the whole 24p thing is nice for movies, but bizarre for TV shows. I find Amazon 720p to probably be second only to VUDU HDX/Blu-Ray, and far ahead of any cable format.

You must be pixel peeping on your 200" screen from 5' away, afterall, you claim that by only doing so people can tell the difference.
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post #85 of 171
3/10/13 at 8:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

I wish Amazon content was part of Ultraviolet, I also wish Amazon would allow HD playback on a PC. I would like to incorporate their HD offering into a future review. I'll install the app on my PS3 and see what I can come up with. Sometimes iTunes really changes the color and tone of a movie, I don't quite understand it.

Yeah, I agree, although apparently then it would require HDCP like iTunes, which is an idiotic requirement for a PC, where a lot of PCs use VGA, which doesn't work, at least for iTunes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Susilo View Post

You must be pixel peeping on your 200" screen from 5' away, afterall, you claim that by only doing so people can tell the difference.

You can tell the difference between iTunes, Amazon, and HDX/Blu-Ray from a normal viewing distance if you have a good sized screen, just not the difference between HDX and Blu-Ray, hence why I treat them as one and the same. Amazon visually is pretty darn close to HDX/Blu-Ray, but if you pay close attention, it is noticeably software (because of using 720p). Most average consumers can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p (and if you're sitting 15 feet from a 42" TV for example, no one can), but discerning users like myself can with a large screen at close distance (I'm 9 feet from a 60" Sharp LCD). That being said, I do prefer Amazon over iTunes, both on picture quality, and because of the Roku's great remote.
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post #86 of 171
3/10/13 at 8:08pm
I don't care about the UV part, as I don't buy anything, I just rent, so it doesn't matter if I'm criss-crossing different services. I'll default to VUDU HDX, but Amazon is my next choice. I've been using iTunes for some shows just because I have some gift cards with them, but I prefer Amazon.
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post #87 of 171
3/10/13 at 8:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BiggAW View Post

Yeah, I agree, although apparently then it would require HDCP like iTunes, which is an idiotic requirement for a PC, where a lot of PCs use VGA, which doesn't work, at least for iTunes.
You can tell the difference between iTunes, Amazon, and HDX/Blu-Ray from a normal viewing distance if you have a good sized screen, just not the difference between HDX and Blu-Ray, hence why I treat them as one and the same. Amazon visually is pretty darn close to HDX/Blu-Ray, but if you pay close attention, it is noticeably software (because of using 720p). Most average consumers can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p (and if you're sitting 15 feet from a 42" TV for example, no one can), but discerning users like myself can with a large screen at close distance (I'm 9 feet from a 60" Sharp LCD). That being said, I do prefer Amazon over iTunes, both on picture quality, and because of the Roku's great remote.

You claim that you can see the difference using 60" from 9' away yet on the other thread you were adamanat that it's impossible for me to see the difference on my 96" from 9' away.

So it seeMs like if it suits you, the law of physics works in your favour and when I claim it, you accused me of (your quote) watching the video on a 200" from 5' away and the rest of the people who can claim the difference are (again, your quote) video snobs.

PS the average customer is not watching 42" from 15' away because the stores (plural) that I consult for, more than 60% of the sales are 60" or higher and less than 20% bought between 32" to 47". The average viewing distance for these clients is 10' from the screen.
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post #88 of 171
3/10/13 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by comfynumb View Post

Based on those screenshots it looks like the downloads are getting closer to blu-ray than I realized. I'm finding that my mind is changing from purchasing an all shiny disc collection. Lets face it it's only a matter of time before the quality is going to be nearly the same, and the convienece is already there. Some HD music downloads are getting close so why not movies.

I think you nailed it on the head and I think yours is a popular opinion. Streaming and downloaded content is the way of the future. It's already happened for the general population with music as soon as digital music files became an acceptable quality replacement for CD's. As soon as digital video becomes an acceptable replacement for physical media, people will make the switch there as well. For many, they have already switched over. A few are entirely opposed to digital and will continue to buy physical media as long as they can do so, you can tell these people apart because they usually have a binder full of CD's on their passenger seat or in their bag! lol. But I believe most fall in the last category. They realize the convenience of digital video and will certainly make the switch at some point (many already doing so where quality is less important), but will hold out until digital video is equal to or greater in quality then their physical media. I am in the last group. I have over 100 blu rays and am excited to eventually rip them onto a hard drive somehow and store them on some device (not exactly sure what yet) that also allows digital media downloading and streaming. While I am excited to make the switch to digital, I will not do so until the quality matches or exceeds what is widely available and affordable on physical media. Personally, there are some videos(like sitcoms and comedies) that I have no problem streaming, but until downloading and streaming matches my physical media in quality, I won't make the complete switch. I really think that's where it's at.

tl;dr?
Will it happen? YES
When will it happen?
When the general population accepts it as a suitable replacement for their physical media.
For some it's already happened.
For a few it will never happen.
For most they have accepted that it will happen, and if they have not already dabbled into some digital content, they realize that it is in the near future
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post #89 of 171
3/11/13 at 3:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CMonMan View Post

I think you nailed it on the head and I think yours is a popular opinion. Streaming and downloaded content is the way of the future. It's already happened for the general population with music as soon as digital music files became an acceptable quality replacement for CD's. As soon as digital video becomes an acceptable replacement for physical media, people will make the switch there as well. For many, they have already switched over. A few are entirely opposed to digital and will continue to buy physical media as long as they can do so, you can tell these people apart because they usually have a binder full of CD's on their passenger seat or in their bag! lol. But I believe most fall in the last category. They realize the convenience of digital video and will certainly make the switch at some point (many already doing so where quality is less important), but will hold out until digital video is equal to or greater in quality then their physical media. I am in the last group. I have over 100 blu rays and am excited to eventually rip them onto a hard drive somehow and store them on some device (not exactly sure what yet) that also allows digital media downloading and streaming. While I am excited to make the switch to digital, I will not do so until the quality matches or exceeds what is widely available and affordable on physical media. Personally, there are some videos(like sitcoms and comedies) that I have no problem streaming, but until downloading and streaming matches my physical media in quality, I won't make the complete switch. I really think that's where it's at.

tl;dr?
Will it happen? YES
When will it happen?
When the general population accepts it as a suitable replacement for their physical media.
For some it's already happened.
For a few it will never happen.
For most they have accepted that it will happen, and if they have not already dabbled into some digital content, they realize that it is in the near future



I'm in the same boat with you. There are some movies/TV shows that I don't care if I own the physical DVD/blu-ray. But there are others that I want the absolute best quality video and sound and right now blu-ray is still the king of the hill. There are some of us that still want the physical media, we like the album art amongst other things. Now my son doesn't care if he owns any discs other than his ps3's, and does not understand or share my passion for getting the sound and video just right. It's all about convenience for the younger crowd, they will gladly give up what I believe is critical for ease of use. He's only 16 and I keep imposing my will on him but it's basically in vain lol. My thoughts are if we were not demanding better quality downloads the downloads of a few years ago could be the norm. Also many refuse to give up their LP collection and they still make them so let's hope there is always an alternative. I guess I see the case for both, physical media and downloads. I've been doing this for a couple of years already with music.
Edited by comfynumb - 3/11/13 at 4:11am
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post #90 of 171
3/11/13 at 3:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

I've done a few comparisons and there is a surprising amount of variability in quality with the online delivery versions. Skyfall and Argo were directly compared to Blu-ray and I found Blu-ray was better for both movies, not by a huge margin but definitely better. Life of Pi is coming out on Blu-ray tomorrow, which will allow me to complete that comparison. After that, my next comparison will be Wreck-It Ralph, followed by the 3D re-release of Top Gun. Next week brings The Hobbit and Zero Dark Thirty. That's good enough to take the total number of comparisons that include Blu-ray from two to seven in a bit over a week's time.

The first screen shot attached to this article is from Argo, I have added another from Wreck-It Ralph, which I am duplicating here. It's one of the best frames in the whole movie for comparing actual resolution.

Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

I've done a few comparisons and there is a surprising amount of variability in quality with the online delivery versions. Skyfall and Argo were directly compared to Blu-ray and I found Blu-ray was better for both movies, not by a huge margin but definitely better. Life of Pi is coming out on Blu-ray tomorrow, which will allow me to complete that comparison. After that, my next comparison will be Wreck-It Ralph, followed by the 3D re-release of Top Gun. Next week brings The Hobbit and Zero Dark Thirty. That's good enough to take the total number of comparisons that include Blu-ray from two to seven in a bit over a week's time.

The first screen shot attached to this article is from Argo, I have added another from Wreck-It Ralph, which I am duplicating here. It's one of the best frames in the whole movie for comparing actual resolution.




I'll be looking forward to your comparisons on Life of Pi. Based on these, it's getting a bit harder to see a difference but out of the download bunch, I'm starting to take notice on how good Vudu looks. Who would have thought Wallyworld would be a good alternative to the media giants? Yes I can see that blu-ray is better. But the downloads look considerably better than they did only a short time ago.
Edited by comfynumb - 3/11/13 at 4:04am
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