Apple TV+'s 'Severance' to Get Rare Blu-Ray Release Ahead of Season 2

[post_toastie]

Not sure I understand the question . . . I have 4k content on my plex server. My point was that I'm happy to have a physical copy i can own.

Misunderstood your comment as suggesting you couldn’t put 4K on your plex server, but as this wasn’t 4K, you could. Never mind, carry-on

 

[jonnyb098]

Another key is Dolby Vision. After watch so many movies and shows with HDR, I do think it's a bigger impact than mere resolution. I'd rather watch 1080p HDR nowadays rather than 4K SDR (don't make much sense but I've seen a few titles with HDR but not 4K). As for bitrate, I think Apple TV+ has the nicest stream compared to Netflix or Disney. So this Bluray release doesn't make sense at all. I'd rather buy it as separate iTunes purchase.

I do have a decent AV receiver and again, TV+ streams is great with both 4K Vision and Atmos.

Good point about the HDR. But a physical release is actually owning it vs iTunes. You don’t own anything when you buy it in iTunes. You just own streaming rights as long as it’s available. If iTunes went away tomorrow so does the movie you “bought”.

As far as sound, I still find my blu rays sounds noticeably better with my 5.1 surround sound system compared to iTunes streams. It’s just not as immersive.

 

[jonnyb098]

Yeah, people don’t realize that the highly compressed 4K stream is just slightly better than 1080p Blu-ray and way worse sounding.
I think the general public would be in shock if they actually watched a Blu-ray 4K movie with a banger system.

Yep! Even my 20 year old 5.1 system sounds WAY better from a blu ray disc compared to an iTunes stream.

 

[groove-agent]

Wow, I didn't know blu-ray was still a thing. Is it like buying records or something? The original media is better somehow?

 

[zapmymac]

TBH, I think this is Apple helping people find ATV+. I know a number of people who want to watch Severance and Ted Lasso, and thought they needed an actual AppleTV or at least an iOS device. The comically bad naming of the service is limiting adoption of people who want to watch the shows.

I still have extended family members ask similar. Oh, I thought I needed an iPhone for tv and/or Apple TV+ shows…there is a very large swath of people that don’t keep up with tech.

 

[mogga71]

Good shows like this need to be preserved on a physical release

As far as quality, 1080p on disc is barely a step down from typical 4k streaming.....aside from Apple. But even then....the bitrate of 4k streaming on the high end is in the 20MBPS range vs native 1080p on disc being in the 30-40 range.

As far as sound, a disc is gonna blow away the garbage quality of streaming if you have a proper surround system.

Sorry but that simply is not true in my experience. The supposed 'light and day' difference between physical and streamed media is way overplayed. PQ I would say the difference is maybe 5% at tops .... SQ 10% tops. I have the Blade Runner 2049 UHD disk and the Apple Streamed version and there is basically no difference....and thats using a 75 inch Sony TV and Atmos system. I do notice that the sound on the UHD disk is louder .... but not necessarily that much better.

I used to have UHD disks of my fave movies as I too used to follow that 'physical is best' mantra. Whilst I admit that physical is better quality, I now think the actual difference is so small that I don't even bother any more with physical and just go straight for the streaming versions. I was also sick to death of buying first DVDs, then HD Blurays and then the UHD disks of my fave films. At least I know that if a new sound format comes out that takes over from Atmos then my Apple versions will see them updated free of charge at some point.

 

[svish]

Eagerly waiting for Season 2. Surprised to see a blu ray release for Season 1 and that too so long after the season fished airing.

 

[mogga71]

Yeah, people don’t realize that the highly compressed 4K stream is just slightly better than 1080p Blu-ray and way worse sounding.
I think the general public would be in shock if they actually watched a Blu-ray 4K movie with a banger system.

I bet over 90% of the population wouldn't even care and those who did watch the 2 versions wouldn't tell much of a difference anyway.

As a matter of interest, can somebody please name a modern movie whereby the UHD disk is way better than the streamed version?

 

[Supermacguy]

We need a Foundation in 4K physical release!

 

[MacBH928]

On what basis does a company decided if they are going to release a physical copy or not?

 

[MacBH928]

Yeah, people don’t realize that the highly compressed 4K stream is just slightly better than 1080p Blu-ray and way worse sounding.
I think the general public would be in shock if they actually watched a Blu-ray 4K movie with a banger system.

Personally I can't tell if a video is in 1080 or 4K unless projected on a tv the size of a wall, i think...

 

[CookItOff]

As a matter of interest, can somebody please name a modern movie whereby the UHD disk is way better than the streamed version?

Literally every movie that has a UHD Blu-ray version and also a streaming version to compare. Even 1080p Blu-ray is better than 4K streaming. 4k Blu-ray vs 4K streaming? Not even close. Muddy dark scenes with pixelation and banding has just become the norm now.

Why Even 1080p Blu-rays Are Better Than 4K Streaming Video

Quality over quantity.

www.howtogeek.com

 

[jonnyb098]

Sorry but that simply is not true in my experience. The supposed 'light and day' difference between physical and streamed media is way overplayed. PQ I would say the difference is maybe 5% at tops .... SQ 10% tops. I have the Blade Runner 2049 UHD disk and the Apple Streamed version and there is basically no difference....and thats using a 75 inch Sony TV and Atmos system. I do notice that the sound on the UHD disk is louder .... but not necessarily that much better.

I used to have UHD disks of my fave movies as I too used to follow that 'physical is best' mantra. Whilst I admit that physical is better quality, I now think the actual difference is so small that I don't even bother any more with physical and just go straight for the streaming versions. I was also sick to death of buying first DVDs, then HD Blurays and then the UHD disks of my fave films. At least I know that if a new sound format comes out that takes over from Atmos then my Apple versions will see them updated free of charge at some point.

We can agree to disagree. I notice a huge difference in my 5.1 surround sound system when playing discs compared to streaming.

 

[Neberheim]

I’ve pre-ordered it, but I’m returning it if it’s actually 1080p. I want to send the message that people will buy physical copies, but not an inferior version. Probably won’t be received, but join me if you want.

 

[MacBH928]

Literally every movie that has a UHD Blu-ray version and also a streaming version to compare. Even 1080p Blu-ray is better than 4K streaming. 4k Blu-ray vs 4K streaming? Not even close. Muddy dark scenes with pixelation and banding has just become the norm now.

Why Even 1080p Blu-rays Are Better Than 4K Streaming Video

Quality over quantity.

www.howtogeek.com

correct. I was surprised how much better bluray disc looked. Its obvious when you know the bitrate of bluray can reach 128Mbps when the 4K stream is recommended at 20-50Mbps. Also there is a reason the 4K bluray movie is 50-60GB when the itunes version is 15-30GB. There is 50% of the movie details gone! I wonder if AV1 will be any better.

That being said, when it comes to media price+convenience will always win. Thats why VHS won over Betamax, and VHS over LaserDisc.

But even I rather pay $23 for a full month of streaming over buying a single 4K BD movie for $15-20 where I will only watch it ONCE. You can pay $300 for full year of 4K Netflix or 15 Bluray movies 🤷‍♂️

 

[CookItOff]

correct. I was surprised how much better bluray disc looked. Its obvious when you know the bitrate of bluray can reach 128Mbps when the 4K stream is recommended at 20-50Mbps. Also there is a reason the 4K bluray movie is 50-60GB when the itunes version is 15-30GB. There is 50% of the movie details gone! I wonder if AV1 will be any better.

That being said, when it comes to media price+convenience will always win. Thats why VHS won over Betamax, and VHS over LaserDisc.

But even I rather pay $23 for a full month of streaming over buying a single 4K BD movie for $15-20 where I will only watch it ONCE. You can pay $300 for full year of 4K Netflix or 15 Bluray movies 🤷‍♂️

Agreed, the convience of streaming is definitly killer and like you said $15 a month for an entire streaming services catalog verses owning only one movie for that price is pretty sweet. I still try to buy Blu-ray for the films I really want and loved and endure the blocky muddy visuals for the things I either can't buy or really don't care about.