1080p Blu-ray isn’t dead

[oneMadRssn]

Understand your point and well taken.

It really depends I guess on preference and how large your TV or Movie screen is as well. I think the average consumer does not yet have a monstrous large screen, though probably many on this forum may have. I do, but DVD and Blu-ray still looks fine...

Basic business is that if it does not sell, then you don't make it or sell it. Well...DVD and Bl-rays are still selling, so that means that people are still buying. They keep making DVD and Blu-rays, even after Apple "tells" everyone it is a waste. Why? Because people still want them.

If you plan on watching a movie just once, then paying $6 for a rental may works since there are no rental stores really anymore in the U.S. Netflix and other services take up that option now. If you plan on watching a movie more than once, then sometimes owning it is more cost efficient then having to rely on subscription and streaming. Space to store is not that bad with disks, depending on how you do it.

Outside the U.S., DVD and Blu-ray technology are still popular. I was surprise to walk into a Tower Records in Japan and I had a flashback to the 1990's in the U.S. Looked "just" like the stores that I use to go to back in 1990's. Some place prefer paper books and physical DVD and Blu-rays still over digital cloud and subscription stuff, especially outside the U.S. Apple and others are trying to break into these markets...but the consumer has different preferences and likes and they really don't want subscription or digital stuff like that.

I know it is hard to believe, (apple) but some places in the world have different tastes and likes than the U.S.

I am a big techie and use everything...but going back to DVD and Blu-rays (because I work in other countries now) made me remember how "easy" it is to use and less of a hassle than the current options. I can go to a DVD & Blu-ray store (again outside of the U.S.) rent a DVD for $1 or $2.50 or $3.00 for Blu-ray depending on how recent. Keep it a week or so to watch. I forgot How I use to like going to the store and looking around physically and find something to watch...or physically read if desired.

Again, maybe preference of course...but I have done both sides of the coin and find DVD and Blu-rays easier overall to just pop-in and hit "play" instead of the all of the costs for cloud, subscription, iTV, iTunes "bla bla" or trying to find a digital movie on external drive. I can just go to my shelf, grab a physical disk that does not take up much space, pop it in..and quality (especially Blu-ray) is good.

I work in the corporate video industry and I find myself pulling out my old MacBook Pro 2010 more so lately that has a DVD player, make a DVD quickly to view and see the results before making digital or other media formats for my clients. Reliable and faster...cost is cheap now to do. I even have again started to use the MacBook Pro 2010 to watch movies. I was amazed at myself. It was "just easier".

That's an interesting perspective to me, because I see it completely differently. I do sometimes get a bit of nostalgia for the old Blockbuster days, but then it snows outside and I remember how much better it is today.

To me, having to go to a physical location and deal with the fragileness of physical media is annoying - get in the car, drive somewhere, choose from with a limited selection or risk having the movie I want out of stock, worry about late fees, drive back or go out of my way the next day to drop the movie off. Then sometimes the disk is scratched or dirty, and it won't play or it has skips or it just stops half-way through the movie. If it turns out the movie isn't as good as I thought - I have to repeat the whole process to go get another movie, or I have to pick two or three movies each time which make it more expensive. If I've been drinking, can't drive anywhere then...

With digital - it's just easier. My butt is in my warm home on the comfortable couch the whole time sipping on a whiskey or beer, click click click, done. No skips, no dirty disks, no driving. If the movie sucks, no problem, there are literally hundreds more to choose from instantly.

That said, I have a very reliable internet connection. Nothing super fast, 300Mbit, but not slow either. My AppeTV is wired over gigabit to my router, which is rock solid. None of that is cheap, and I understand many places in the world don't have access to reliable fast internet, not everyone has a house wired with Cat6 ethernet cables, and not everyone can afford an expensive router. If I didn't have those things, I would probably prefer renting disks too.

 

[archer75]

I buy UHD or rip because I want the better quality but also because I want the HD audio. Also I don't trust streaming. There has been cases with apple where a movie you purchased has vanished due to a dispute with the studio. When you buy something outright they shouldn't be able to pull it. And with net neutrality gone I just don't trust where the internet is going and that i'll be able to access by digital purchases forever.
I'm totally happy with my rips and hosting everything on my drobo.
Yes, I do have a house wired with Cat6, I do have FIOS, I have a solid network so streaming 4k isn't a problem.

 

[Smearbrick]

My father watches standard definition TV on a full HD 42 inch flat panel... and it's zoomed! Talk about the pinnacle of crappy quality. To him there is no difference between my 4k Sony and his SD zoomed picture. Some people see quality, others don't.

In my opinion, streaming is convenient - until my internet goes down. At that point I simply pop in a disc and watch whatever I want. I have a combination of UHD Bluray, 1080p Bluray, and DVDs, and they are all way more convenient than streaming when my internet is down.

Buy what you want. If you want 3D, buy 3D (you may have to get it secondhand, but buy it). If you want to watch VCD or SVCD, convert your discs to VCD and SVCD format and burn them to CD-Rs. Hell... rip your blurays and put them on a Plex server!

I don't have an allegiance to any one specific format. I buy discs and I don't. Most of the discs I have are either old DVDs or Bluray. I've just started purchasing UHD + Bluray + Digital Copy - a great deal when you consider that the digital copies are upgraded to 4k through iTunes (most of them).

Oh... and the person who stated that they aren't making 3D films anymore - Did you watch The Last Jedi. I wore 3D glasses so I'm pretty sure it was in 3D.

 

[GreatDrok]

I will choose Blu Ray 3D over UHD Blu Ray 2D.

Same here even though 3D BD isn't 4K or HDR, if it was 3D in the cinema that's what I get. If there's no 3D then I'm buying UHD although to be honest on my 4K 55" set there's not a massive difference in resolution but the bump to 10 bit colour is very noticeable and welcome. Comparing the BD and UHD BD version of Westworld (even though it isn't native 4K due to 2K intermediates) the BD looks a bit washed out and lacking detail in the blacks.

 

[loby]

That's an interesting perspective to me, because I see it completely differently. I do sometimes get a bit of nostalgia for the old Blockbuster days, but then it snows outside and I remember how much better it is today.

To me, having to go to a physical location and deal with the fragileness of physical media is annoying - get in the car, drive somewhere, choose from with a limited selection or risk having the movie I want out of stock, worry about late fees, drive back or go out of my way the next day to drop the movie off. Then sometimes the disk is scratched or dirty, and it won't play or it has skips or it just stops half-way through the movie. If it turns out the movie isn't as good as I thought - I have to repeat the whole process to go get another movie, or I have to pick two or three movies each time which make it more expensive. If I've been drinking, can't drive anywhere then...

With digital - it's just easier. My butt is in my warm home on the comfortable couch the whole time sipping on a whiskey or beer, click click click, done. No skips, no dirty disks, no driving. If the movie sucks, no problem, there are literally hundreds more to choose from instantly.

That said, I have a very reliable internet connection. Nothing super fast, 300Mbit, but not slow either. My AppeTV is wired over gigabit to my router, which is rock solid. None of that is cheap, and I understand many places in the world don't have access to reliable fast internet, not everyone has a house wired with Cat6 ethernet cables, and not everyone can afford an expensive router. If I didn't have those things, I would probably prefer renting disks too.

Maybe the movie: “WALL-E” has some truth eh?

 

[Macalicious2011]

10 bit colour is very noticeable and welcome.

That's one of the most noticeable bumps in image quality that I appreciate anytime I watch a 4K TV series on Netflix. Resolution increase generates a lot of buzz but the colour bump in combination with 60Hz makes a huge difference.

I watch Dynasty on Netflix. The clarity and colour bump makes it utter total escapism. Watching it in HD wouldn't be the same.

 

[GizmoDVD]

Also I don't trust streaming. There has been cases with apple where a movie you purchased has vanished due to a dispute with the studio. When you buy something outright they shouldn't be able to pull it.

What movies did people purchase that Apple pulled and are no longer available?
[doublepost=1513782908][/doublepost]

3D is not dead. It is the USA TV market that is backwards.

There were several movies shot in 3D in 2017, and there were also many conversions (which take up to a year to process).
There are many 3D movies coming in 2018.

No, it's dead.

No 2017 TV supports it and I don't think any announced 2018 do either. 2016 models were the last. Sure, its possible a crap brand will toss the feature in for laughs and to be "the one", but all majors have dropped it from their lineup. Studios are also cutting back in 3D BD releases in the states with some people importing titles.

It's dead.

 

[archer75]

What movies did people purchase that Apple pulled and are no longer available?

Well I didn't write it down. But there are several posts on these forums from people who have had their movies pulled.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Today I took delivery of Dunkrik in Bluray!

The reason I'm not renting it on Amazon is that Nolan's movies typically have exceptional sound presence and detail. I didn't want to miss out experiencing it in DTS-Master Audio.

This is one of the few movies which I will be willing to compromise on image quality for sound.

What movies did people purchase that Apple pulled and are no longer available?
[doublepost=1513782908][/doublepost]

No, it's dead.

No 2017 TV supports it and I don't think any announced 2018 do either. 2016 models were the last. Sure, its possible a crap brand will toss the feature in for laughs and to be "the one", but all majors have dropped it from their lineup. Studios are also cutting back in 3D BD releases in the states with some people importing titles.

It's dead.

It can't be nice to have been convinced to pay a 30-40% premium for 3D, only for the format to be abandoned so soon.

 

[jlc1978]

I's, as others point out, a matter of preference and in some cases availability. Many older shows are only available on disk. In addition, with disks I am not reliant on Apple (or others) and their idea of what a user interface should look like and having to relearn it when they decide to change it to make it better.

In addition, some disks come with a streaming version as well so I get the best of both worlds; plus I can rip my disks and am not tied to DRM so I can watch my movie when and where I want.

That said, I also enjoy streaming via Netflix et. al.; in the end it's a matter of convenience and availability.

YMMV

 

[archer75]

Today I took delivery of Dunkrik in Bluray!

The reason I'm not renting it on Amazon is that Nolan's movies typically have exceptional sound presence and detail. I didn't want to miss out experiencing it in DTS-Master Audio.

This is one of the few movies which I will be willing to compromise on image quality for sound.

Why not get it in UHD and have both?
I certainly agree with you on the sound part. Too many people underestimate what good audio brings to the experience.

 

[Tech198]

I buy UHD or rip because I want the better quality but also because I want the HD audio. Also I don't trust streaming. There has been cases with apple where a movie you purchased has vanished due to a dispute with the studio. When you buy something outright they shouldn't be able to pull it. And with net neutrality gone I just don't trust where the internet is going and that i'll be able to access by digital purchases forever.
I'm totally happy with my rips and hosting everything on my drobo.
Yes, I do have a house wired with Cat6, I do have FIOS, I have a solid network so streaming 4k isn't a problem.

You are using a service after all.. we forget that.

Purchased discs are better anyway, if u wanna keep watching, or to avoid bandwidth caps. The only reason if having a fast connection is just privacy really by storing local only. the freedom to take movies wherever u go to which country

That said, I also enjoy streaming via Netflix et. al.; in the end it's a matter of convenience and availability.

YMMV

Providing they don't keep increasing the price.

 

[mattopotamus]

Why not get it in UHD and have both?
I certainly agree with you on the sound part. Too many people underestimate what good audio brings to the experience.

If he does not own a UHD TV/Player the blu-ray is cheaper. Audio is far more important than video IMO. Give me 1080P with ATMOS over 4K and 5.1 any day (obviously a very unlikely scenario). Off the top of my head the only 1080P movie with ATMOS I can think of is The Fifth Element.

 

[archer75]

If he does not own a UHD TV/Player the blu-ray is cheaper. Audio is far more important than video IMO. Give me 1080P with ATMOS over 4K and 5.1 any day (obviously a very unlikely scenario). Off the top of my head the only 1080P movie with ATMOS I can think of is The Fifth Element.

Well yeah, he'd need a UHD player of course.
There's lots of 1080p with atmos/DTS:X, I have many. I seem to recalll there being a website that listed stats on discs.

 

[mattopotamus]

Well yeah, he'd need a UHD player of course.
There's lots of 1080p with atmos/DTS:X, I have many. I seem to recalll there being a website that listed stats on discs.

Is it mostly older movies (1 year old). IIRC, most new releases they are restricting it to the UHD version only.

 

[archer75]

Is it mostly older movies (1 year old). IIRC, most new releases they are restricting it to the UHD version only.

Lots of new releases have atmos on the bluray. Not in all cases. But many.

 

[Coffee50]

I think, as others stated, it comes down to preference. Personally, I think there are pros/cons to both sides of the physical vs digital media debate.

I personally prefer digital. I'm somewhat of a minimalist & also spend time on both coast (of the US), so it's convenient to have access to my movies wherever I am. Yes, there might be a step below in quality, but it doesn't really bother me at all.

And while there is the argument that "if your internet goes down, you're out of luck".......one could say the same thing about "if your power goes out....the blu ray player won't work either".

I also understand the fear that some have about movies being pulled, however, depending on how one handles it, it's possible to get a credit toward another digital release.

Plus, I don't expect, whether it's digital or physical, to honestly have this same media forever anyway. When I was a kid, my family had a large VHS collection of those 90's Disney movies, with others. They are gone, along with the CD's, etc. Tech changes & evolves......the way we view media has, so I'm sure it will continue to progress.

Even if I had a large blu ray collection, 10, 15, 20 years down the line, there could be some new physical or digital format that could become the default. So most will end up replacing their physical or digital libraries anyway.

I think it's great that both options (physical & digital) exist. There isn't a one size fits all.

 

[cube]

No 2017 TV supports it and I don't think any announced 2018 do either. 2016 models were the last. Sure, its possible a crap brand will toss the feature in for laughs and to be "the one", but all majors have dropped it from their lineup. Studios are also cutting back in 3D BD releases in the states with some people importing titles.

It's dead.

No, you have a distorted American view.
[doublepost=1514071803][/doublepost]

Not in the UK, Europa, South Korea, China, Asia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway it's not darling! I can't believe your comment.

It is you who has been ignorantly ageist.

 

[bernuli]

But dude, it's last decades technology. IMO Blu Ray really filled the HD gap between 2007 - 2010. I truly can see why Steve Jobs discarded BluRay.
It also breaks my heart with all of the landfills spewing out plastic from old DVD BluRay players and DVD BluRay cases. All of that crap which some humans just 'have to buy'.
I put a disc on for the first time the other night whilst working and it seemed horrible hearing the disc spinning in the room. It just seemed so old fashioned. Plus the blurry cases look really really horrible in a house - they are not books!
It fits in with my environmental credentials that when I stream my iTunes film, it is powered by iCloud using 1005 renewables for which my TV is powered by my own solar panels
For me, going the streaming route from 2012 was the best video decision that I ever made.

Well, if it wasn't for streaming technology, people would not be filling the landfills with DVD type stuff.

I hear what you are saying about disc spin noise. That sort of thing drives me bananas. HOWEVER, recently got the new Sony UBP-X800 and I hear no spinning while watching movies. Also, 4K Guardians of the Galaxy II is absolutely amazing. Old DVD upscaling is not so bad either so the landfills are safe with me. : )

The UBP-X800 also does all kinds of streaming and it does this without a cooling fan...because those drive me nuts. : )

 

[GizmoDVD]

No, you have a distorted American view.
[doublepost=1514071803][/doublepost]
It is you who has been ignorantly ageist.

Can’t distort the fact that no CE is producing 3D sets for the USA.

It’s dead.

 

[Gulfam]

I have a blu ray player and some discs, now it seems like a waste of money..

Only if you collected boring populist movies. If you had bought Arrow Video's limited edition copy of Deep Red last year for under £20 it'd now be worth 3x that amount.

I'm a lover of cult movies and going 100% digital is out of the question as there are so many movies not available on iTunes. Although Arrow Video themselves in the UK offer Deep Red on iTunes sometimes even as cheap as £3.99, it's heavily truncated version found on the disc which has multiple audio tracks and loads of special features.

 

[Martyimac]

For us in the US, CNET says it's so, 3D is dead, https://www.cnet.com/news/shambling-corpse-of-3d-tv-finally-falls-down-dead/

 

[EugW]

I will choose Blu Ray 3D over UHD Blu Ray 2D.

I have a 3D 1080p Blu-ray player and a 3D 1080p projector. I choose 1080p Blu-ray over 3D Blu-ray.

Home 3D is dead. Good riddance.

BTW, I also have a 2D 4K UHD player but I bought it for Atmos (since as mentioned the projector is not 4K).

 

[Tech198]

Well, if it wasn't for streaming technology, people would not be filling the landfills with DVD type stuff.

I hear what you are saying about disc spin noise. That sort of thing drives me bananas. HOWEVER, recently got the new Sony UBP-X800 and I hear no spinning while watching movies. Also, 4K Guardians of the Galaxy II is absolutely amazing. Old DVD upscaling is not so bad either so the landfills are safe with me. : )

The UBP-X800 also does all kinds of streaming and it does this without a cooling fan...because those drive me nuts. : )

But DVD's are recyclable plastics.
https://recyclenation.com/2014/05/recycle-dvds-dvd-cases/

 

[Rigby]

3D may be in a coma in the US, but it's not dead yet, since there are still new 3D Blu-ray releases coming out (e.g. Blade Runner 2049 in January). You can also still buy brand new projectors with 3D. IMO a projector is the only way to watch 3D anyway (it's just not the same on a puny little TV set ).