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I wonder about:

1. will this scale down as it gets more popular?
2. are people going to run u to data caps by their provider? I know mine has a 250gb limit, but not sure they enforce it.
 
Watching on my LG OLED with dolby vision I can see there's definitely a huge quality difference versus other streaming services. I would go so far as to put it on par with UHD discs played from my Oppo 203. The image quality is outstanding. I'm on FIOS with no bandwidth caps.
Audio is great as well. Netflix tops out at 640kbps on their atmos tracks(from what I've seen). I saw apple tv+ doing 770kbps for audio. Sure it's not lossless used on discs but for a streaming service there's nothing better. The sound mix was done well on the two shows I watched, The Morning Show and See. From a technical standpoint there's nothing better in the streaming market.
 
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I can attest to the fact that our household of two is quickly approaching our 1TB (Comcast Xfinity) data cap as we move to streaming over linear TV. We also both have an iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc. that tend to slurp up a good helping of data when first plugged in in the evening. Not to mention all of our HomeKit/IOT devices, which generally just buzz along but collectively add up in data use.

We’re finally serious about ditching linear TV and coughing up the $50/month for unlimited data. Comcast screwed us over a month ago with incorrect data usage for our service area, and now I really don’t trust their data meter anymore. Unfortunately, they’re the only game in town..
 
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Bitrate means nothing. It's the compression settings that matter more. If anyone's used handbrake with some advanced settings, you'll know that bitrate only matters so much. I can compress a full length 2hr 1080p movie down to about 3.5gb in file size with almost no noticeable difference in picture quality unless you pixel peek overlaying the original and compressed still frames. Granted, the 3.5gb file size is typically with movies where there isn't a lot of noise/grain.

Furthermore, bitrate is absolutely a moot point when the content sucks. Given Apple's inability to produce a solid product even in their own tech market... I have ZERO confidence in Apple knowing how to make a movie or TV series.

Have you watched any of their shows yet?
 
I could have told you this without an official report. I have never seen such crisp and gorgeous visuals in any medium. My high end 4K tv has never looked this good.

and with such excellent original series it’s a match made in heaven.
 
I won't wade into the bitrate snark battle that others are, but I will make a few points:

- Yes, there is a point of diminishing returns where the eye can no longer see the difference unless you happen to have an impractically-large-for-home-use screen size. Therefore, the compression / bitrate balance does play a useful part in "viewable quality"

- Being blessed as I am to have the fastest internet in my apartment (fiber to a converter in my closet) that I have ever had and a no cap plan at 550-850 Mb depending on day and network traffic, I love being able to actually use that bitrate and view it on my 4k 65" screen. It's stunning.

- Having said all of the above, if I were capped and/or had a slower connection, I would still be fine with as low as 720p. That still looks pretty good to me, with 1080p being great.
 
According to Larsen, the Apple TV+ offers 1.5 to 2x the video bitrate of a typical HD Blu-ray disc and around half of a typical UHD Blu-ray disc.

Incorrect. A typical Blu-Ray runs in the 30-40 Mbps range, 40 Max. His 4K statement is fairly accurate.

what is the audio bitrate though

Depends on the show. The morning show runs about 770 kbps.

The linked post says the audio is 384kb/s AC3, which seems really odd when competitors like Netflix are doing 640kb/s DD+ for 5.1 and 768kb/s DD+ for Atmos

The Morning Show has Atmos so I assume it is included in the 770 kbps.
 
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As a gearhead, I’d be interested to know if this bitrate is achievable on WiFi on Apple TV or if Ethernet is required.

Obviously Ethernet is always better, but I always wonder where the technical limits of WiFi streaming are.
 
As a gearhead, I’d be interested to know if this bitrate is achievable on WiFi on Apple TV or if Ethernet is required.

Obviously Ethernet is always better, but I always wonder where the technical limits of WiFi streaming are.

What router are you using?
 
As a gearhead, I’d be interested to know if this bitrate is achievable on WiFi on Apple TV or if Ethernet is required.

Obviously Ethernet is always better, but I always wonder where the technical limits of WiFi streaming are.
Apple TV, when connected well to an AC router can stream 4K UHD discs at full quality (up to 100mbps). Obviously Ethernet is better, but not required. But finding a good router and having it optimally placed doesn't work for everyone.
 
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Bitrate means nothing. It's the compression settings that matter more. If anyone's used handbrake with some advanced settings, you'll know that bitrate only matters so much. I can compress a full length 2hr 1080p movie down to about 3.5gb in file size with almost no noticeable difference in picture quality unless you pixel peek overlaying the original and compressed still frames. Granted, the 3.5gb file size is typically with movies where there isn't a lot of noise/grain.

Doesn't that depend on the scene and the camera being used etc.? Too low bitrate in darker scenes sure can look bad. But I agree with you there should be a limit where one cannot see the difference of the same stream using higher bitrate, the question is there what line goes? Like I said I think it will vary quite a bit depending on the production. Wouldn't newer productions using newer cameras reasonably require a higher bitrate to not notice a difference in picture quality?

Where would you say the line goes where higher bitrate is totally pointless? Sounds strange to me that Apple and the people behind Blu-rays would use way more bitrate than necessary if there's no point at all in doing so.
 
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