Do you still buy physical media?

[FriendlyMackle]

All very nice and great if disc works for you BUT here in Europe MOST titles are not available on 4K BluRay - if a lot of cases, they are not even released on BluRay disc.
We do not have MoviesAnywhere here either PLUS we do not usually get a free digital copy of a film if we were to buy a disc.
And finally, the sound quality of the films that I have bought this quarter or rented have in the majority been absolutely sparking - and that's coming from me, a guy who has spent 10 years or so working in studios, radio, production.
Also, I have the LG B7 OLED and 4K iTunes Dolby Vision films looked absolutely outstanding. I truly believe that the person who looks for artefacts from compression on a film either needs more exciting hobbies or really needs to socialise more with friends just to put things into perspective. You see geeks talking about things like this, they are never happy, they find fault with everything and sadly are often too busy critiquing the film rather than enjoying it. They are also the same people who hated CD when it was first launched proclaiming it cold, thin in its sound. You can see how a pattern is emerging.
Also don't forget, we've had it so good. Yes, maybe there was a golden era for HiFi but from what I remember, this was also a time of AM radio, hissy FM with tons of compression, Dolby B muffling
trebles, cassette tapes running fast or slow, music centres and cheap BSR turntables So it wasn't al great along with poorly pressed vinyl!
Don't forget that you wonderful 4K BluRay comes from the studio as a 12TB RAW file so by the time that it's 'compressed' to 60GB, it's had in reality as much compression factors added to it as the iTunes file which will be ProRes422HQ before going through Apple's properly best in the business compression!

Personally, we all knew that the disc was dead in 2010 when the iPad was launched! We all said it at the time and quickly moved forward to embrace the exciting future!

In my opinion and experience, we've never had it so good!

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I'm with you 100% on this bro! There's no way that i'd want discs in my house - they look tatty and messy! I want books, art and surfboards in my home not a load of horrible discs!
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I'm sure that you'll absolutely love Apple TV. I've been using ATV since late 2010 and me for, it gets better and better. It's got everything now - Auto Frame Rate switching, 4K Dolby Vision, 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos, beautiful UI. iTunes store works great and film offer prices are very decent. Plus Apple Music looks great on ATV.

Out of interest, I was given AirPods last Christmas and they work absolutely beautifully with the Apple TV 4K. Everything is in sync - no lip sync issues etc. They are so light and quite a nice experience watching a film late at night in the dark on the big screen whilst using the AirPods.

I'm sure that you will not be disappointed in any way.

PS The new Queen film Bohemium Rhapsody looks incredible! I've pre-ordered it on iTunes. Lets hope that it has a Dolby Atmos audio to go with 4K HDR

Thanks for the tip re AirPods and ATV! That's good to know, as I had wondered re audio delay. Interestingly, I've had good experiences with my iMac streaming video and using several different Bluetooth headphones & buds — with video matching up with audio. I think the iMac/MacOs manages the syncing. I don't watch much video on my phone or iPad, so I haven't really tested how well iOS handles bluetooth audio sync with video. Yes, I do think the ATV will be my replacement device for my Roku when I upgrade my TV.

—And, yes, Bohemian Rhapsody has gotten great reviews (I planned to see it regardless of reviews, as so often critics are just too keen to destroy and denigrate good film, music, and books!)...I look forward to seeing it when it is streaming. Rami Malek is very talented and I'm sure he'll do justice to Freddy Mercury. Thanks for the advice and information re all of the above!

—Also, as you mentioned, we really are in a time of exceptional audio and video quality readily accessible and affordable to most ('the masses,' in which I include myself). I do remember eight-track tapes and cassettes and the sometimes poor quality as the tape stretched, wore out, broke..! And actual radio broadcast over airwaves, which is great in an emergency, but definitely inferior in sound quality to digital streaming music!

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You don't lose any quality if you stream direct play which has no compression. Special clients are required however..





Although this is not a concert film, I have been waiting for years for the 1980 campy Flash Gordon film with a Queen soundtrack to be available on Blu-Ray. It is now available on Amazon.us.

LOL...I loved that movie! I saw it as soon as it opened at my local cinema. It was fantastic and of course, there's the amazing soundtrack by Queen! There's a great video online (somewhere) regarding how Queen became involved in the film and produced the soundtrack. I saw it a long time ago, and it was really fun. Perhaps it was an extra on an earlier DVD release. Now Flash Gordon is definitely a film I would purchase (digital).

 

[HDFan]

On the 4K BluRay front, for those who love it, it's nice to see that 'professional' quality players are entering the market as opposed to the cheap, plasticky offerings from SONY, LG and SAMSUNG. Pioneer have just entered the European market with two models priced at £1000 and £2100 along with Panasonic's offering at £850.

In addition to the Panasonic DMP-UB900, there is also the Cambridge Audio CXUHD which is based on the Oppo Digital platform (now sadly discontinued).

 

[KevinAPearson]

I also have changed the way I consume media.
I started with videos (yes I'm 52!) and physical books but having to move around every 5/6 years with my job, it got tiresome packing all those video and books each time. I started with the books first; I've now bought some books several times in different formats (settling on Amazon Kindle) as well as films on Video, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray. I then did the rounds on ultraviolet movies and finally iTunes.
I have a 4K Apple TV which I use to watch the movies on now.
I have an iPhone XS Max which, like all my previous phones, I say I will watch movies on but don't actually get around to it. I would only use the iPhone to watch movies on if I was travelling again.
The two things Apple could do to make my life easier are:
1. Fix iTunes on PC - I've never got a movie to play smoothly!
2. Convert their catalogue to HEVC to save my disk space.
I look forward to the day when we have global internet with fast WiFi speeds so you never have to worry about streaming. Imagine having access to everything instantly on your iPhone without finding a WiFi hot spot. At the moment I have to plan ahead and download anything I want to watch in advance or use all my iPhone's memory to store music and movies "just in case" I need to fill some time in.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

I also have changed the way I consume media.
I started with videos (yes I'm 52!) and physical books but having to move around every 5/6 years with my job, it got tiresome packing all those video and books each time. I started with the books first; I've now bought some books several times in different formats (settling on Amazon Kindle) as well as films on Video, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray. I then did the rounds on ultraviolet movies and finally iTunes.
I have a 4K Apple TV which I use to watch the movies on now.
I have an iPhone XS Max which, like all my previous phones, I say I will watch movies on but don't actually get around to it. I would only use the iPhone to watch movies on if I was travelling again.
The two things Apple could do to make my life easier are:
1. Fix iTunes on PC - I've never got a movie to play smoothly!
2. Convert their catalogue to HEVC to save my disk space.
I look forward to the day when we have global internet with fast WiFi speeds so you never have to worry about streaming. Imagine having access to everything instantly on your iPhone without finding a WiFi hot spot. At the moment I have to plan ahead and download anything I want to watch in advance or use all my iPhone's memory to store music and movies "just in case" I need to fill some time in.

Hi Kevin,
Great post!
Maybe your PC is playing funny with the frame rates? It even happen to me with my MacBooks - films are in 24fps and of course the MacBook is 30fps or is it 60fps?
I'm so shocked that Apple havn't implemented ProMotion in at least MacBook Pro and iMac considering it's there on the iPad Pro. Sadly, iPad's don't excite me and i've never wanted one. For me, they are an in-between thing in-between an iPhone and a Mac. I don't need that.
I'm sad that you gave up on real books though as that along with art are what fills my house
You should find that films play really nice on your iPhone X Max. I have the X and it's a really lovely experience on long haul flights and train rides. Especially late at night when you want the journey to end and you still have at least 2 hours to go
Do you have slow broadband where you are? I'm lucky in that we have 400mbps fibre here - in fact it's 429mbps at this moment. Again, my 4G EE is 60mbps at present. Great for streaming
Crazy how just 10 years ago, broadband was 2mbps on average in the UK and now we have 400mbps and 1000mbps in some cities like York!

 

[hatsbrokeoff]

I don't think I ever really remember buying a DVD/Blu-Ray in the almost 10+ years of being connected to iTunes and everything Apple based. I never really bought/rented show seasons or movies off of iTunes; but I somehow have somewhat of a library from all the free content that has been released every now and then on the TV/Movies section.

I share a Netflix account with my family so I mostly use that for random tv shows and stand-up comedies for background ambience--and if I don't have a season of a series, I just find the 24/7 live streams on Youtube of cartoons/shows.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Do you have slow broadband where you are? I'm lucky in that we have 400mbps fibre here - in fact it's 429mbps at this moment.

As impressive at 4000mbps sounds, it's overkill and a waste of money. Up until summer this year I had 35mbps BT Fibre to home. Last Christmas we were 5 adults in the house with the following devices connected to the WiFi:

5 phones
3 iPads
Laptop
ATV4K

The connection would never buffer, lag or stutter even when my GF's parents were watching the Crown in 4k while others were browsing or watching youtube videos on their devices. Now I have 67mbps Fibre to home and there is really no difference compared with 35mbps.

Even 4K netflix uses maximum 12mbps at peak. When it's time to renew I will downgrade to 35mbps and spend my spare £10-15/month on something else.

I'm with you 100% on this bro! There's no way that i'd want discs in my house - they look tatty and messy! I want books, art and surfboards in my home not a load of horrible discs!

Do you find it hard work to load "tatty and messy" food into the oven or bread into a toaster too?

To me discs are less hassle and cheaper than going to cinema, and thus the optimal quality is worth it. Since I bought my TV and sound system I've probably only been to cinema 3-4 times and that's only been for something like the Avengers.

Other than that I prefer watching at home in the best quality possible.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

As impressive at 4000mbps sounds, it's overkill and a waste of money. Up until summer this year I had 35mbps BT Fibre to home. Last Christmas we were 5 adults in the house with the following devices connected to the WiFi:

5 phones
3 iPads
Laptop
ATV4K

The connection would never buffer, lag or stutter even when my GF's parents were watching the Crown in 4k while others were browsing or watching youtube videos on their devices. Now I have 67mbps Fibre to home and there is really no difference compared with 35mbps.

Even 4K netflix uses maximum 12mbps at peak. When it's time to renew I will downgrade to 35mbps and spend my spare £10-15/month on something else.



Do you find it hard work to load "tatty and messy" food into the oven or bread into a toaster too?

To me discs are less hassle and cheaper than going to cinema, and thus the optimal quality is worth it. Since I bought my TV and sound system I've probably only been to cinema 3-4 times and that's only been for something like the Avengers.

Other than that I prefer watching at home in the best quality possible.

Not sure that I agree with you on the 35mbps, it's awfully close to the minimum for iTunes 4K Dolby Vision streaming. 400mbps is certainly not a waste for me - when i'm not travelling, I work from home for 4 months of the year, i'm constantly downloading video and off course uploading 4K 60fps to sites. Also, I download 1080p iTunes film for my iPhone etc and having a full film download in less than 3 minutes is very very nice

Also, I never eat 'tatty' food I'm a natural bodybuilder - everything is organic and very nicely designed (Italian, Spanish, French or Thai) - I'm a true foodie

 

[redshifted]

I'm still buying CDs - when there's an album worth of music. I use iTunes or some other source for one-off songs.
I prefer to own access to my music vs. renting it and and not having to depend on an internet connection to listen to music I've paid to access.
I would still be buying Blue Rays if there was a movie I really wanted to see more than once - as it costs less for a couple going to the movies. Movies haven't seemed that compelling to me for a while now.

 

[iMi]

All digital here. iTunes movies, Hulu, Netflix, etc. We have about 200 movies on iTunes. That would take up a whole shelf and the fact that Apple upgrades them to 4K as they become available is an awesome bonus. This is something you could not do with physical media.

Xbox games are now all digital here, too. Again, at least 190+ games in the library. I would need another full cabinet full of disks to accommodate it. The biggest reason? Convenience and access. I can play any game, anytime without having to get up from the couch. Plus, I have multiple Xboxes, so I can play the same game on each without having to move the disk around.

Some people say physical media is more secure, but I don't buy it. A disk could break, scratch, get lost. Digital is tied to an online account. It's always there.

 

[George Dawes]

I bought a Sony x700 uhd blue ray player and I have to say it is the most horrible badly made poorly designed piece of utter junk it’s been my misfortune to use in ages. The interface reminds me of a zx spectrum and the remote is so awful it’s almost amusing.. almost.. no wonder uhd Blue Ray has been a total flop. The discs take ages to access , the pq isn’t exactly a massive leap over streaming and the whole user experience was very very depressing.

Going back to the beauty , simplicity and elegance of the appletv was a revelation

 

[priitv8]

I bought a Sony x700 uhd blue ray player and I have to say it is the most horrible badly made poorly designed piece of utter junk it’s been my misfortune to use in ages. The interface reminds me of a zx spectrum and the remote is so awful it’s almost amusing.. almost.. no wonder uhd Blue Ray has been a total flop. The discs take ages to access , the pq isn’t exactly a massive leap over streaming and the whole user experience was very very depressing.

Going back to the beauty , simplicity and elegance of the appletv was a revelation

Sorry to hear your frustration.

I reckon, sound is not part of your movie experience.
And you must be sitting away from your screen.

I am saying this, because comparing BR2049 on UHD disc and iTunes, both PQ and SQ are leaning significantly towards the BD.

It all comes down to bitrate, after all.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Not sure that I agree with you on the 35mbps, it's awfully close to the minimum for iTunes 4K Dolby Vision streaming.

Both Netflix and iTunes recommend 25Mbit/sec for 4K streaming. When I had 35Mbit/sec we used both services while watching content on other devices and downloading PS4 updates without any buffering, downgrade in screen quality or slugging forwarding/scrubbing. Sometimes I watch 4K content while my GF who works from home and has constant video chats with patients. She has never shouted from upstairs "Is internet slow for you or are you steaming a movie?".

The advantage is that I have BT fibre to home and hit the speed I'm paying for, while some unfortunate people pay for 70-100mbit/sec but get throttled in the evenings or don't hit the speed they are paying for.

My TP-Link AV1200 should also be credited for the speed and stability of handling simultaneous streaming and connections from 9 devices during peak.

Sorry to hear your frustration.

I reckon, sound is not part of your movie experience.
And you must be sitting away from your screen.

I am saying this, because comparing BR2049 on UHD disc and iTunes, both PQ and SQ are leaning significantly towards the BD.

It all comes down to bitrate, after all.

Unfortunately I have only experienced UHDs in stores but look forward to experiencing it at home when I have bought a player or Xbox One X. However, recently I have been watching 1080P bluray and am surprised how well the image quality is holding up against 4K streaming. Granted HDR and 60fps is missing and 4K Netflix isn't a good comparison.

My birthday is early next year. I might ask my other half for a used UHD player as a gift.

 

[George Dawes]

Be careful what discs you get for it , there’s plebty of websites that will help you with that

I found a few uhd discs that weren’t dramatically better than blue ray let alone 4K a tv.

As for sound I agree discs are superior but I’m more into convenience than outright quality

 

[priitv8]

As for sound I agree discs are superior but I’m more into convenience than outright quality

Yeah, we all prefer different things.

I found a few uhd discs that weren’t dramatically better than blue ray let alone 4K a tv.

That is because quite a number of 4K releases are a simple upscale of a 2K digital master.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

For me, with iTunes the most beautiful idea is being able to sign into any Apple device anywhere in the world and instantly all of your films appear and music. We travel to a friend's every Friday evening for the weekend - I sign it to his Apple TV and Thursday nights film rental appears and always us to watch it late on a Saturday evening when we all return from an evening of frequenting the restaurants. It's such a super, flexible, bang up to date approach. Same last year on our ski holiday. One evening we were truly partied out and wanted a murder in the dark horror film evening. The ski lodge had Apple TV's in every room. In signed into the one in the lounge, rented a film via iTunes on my iPhone and there it was, on the ski lodge Apple TV over in France. That's truly wonderful - magical almost. We all had a great time screaming with the film before a late dip outside in the hot tub whilst the snow fell from the sky. Experiences like that which you never forget are with you for life

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes, I still buy CDs, and DVDs. (And books, for that matter).

And would prefer to by them in a bricks-and-mortar store, (rather than online, convenience notwithstanding) if the possibility existed.

 

[Tech198]

I just tossed out all my physical discs last week, after imaging them all.. Movies/Software etc.. into .iso and .m4v form. Sine I can mount virtual discs over network to boot or install, its really no big issue to keep them lying round gathering dust. Just keep associated serial info. when making iso images

Keep original images on NAS, and have backup copies.. is the only way ...(for me)

Yay..I'm Free from plastic !! (...except my credit cards.)

 

[JoeInMilwaukee]

I just tossed out all my physical discs last week, after imaging them all.. Movies/Software etc.. into .iso and .m4v form.

Did you actually throw them in the garbage? Here in the U.S. I would have sold them to some place such as Half Price Books (they purchase books, CDs, DVDs, phonograph records, etc.). I didn't get much money when I sold them my phonograph records (and turntable) a couple of years ago, but it's better than putting the items into a landfill!

 

[AJS-Mac]

Although I am mostly digital, I still sometimes buy BluRay discs when it makes financial sense and when they also include a digital copy.

For instance, during the recent Black Friday sales, physical copies of films were available from US retailers at less than 50% of the digital cost. I bought a number of recently released films that included a BluRay disc, a DVD and a digital code in a single package for $5. All films are currently priced between $10 and $20 on the iTunes Store. I will never use the DVD copy and probably not the BluRay copy either, but I will likely keep them.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

I'm very grateful to the guy on this forum who recommended 'Cheapcharts' for iTunes films pricing.
Today I bought the most beautiful film called 'Wonder' in 4K Dolby Vision with iTunes Extras for £3.99!!!!!!!!!!
It's an incredible piece of cinema that is filled with kindness, empathy, integrity and honesty.
Beautifully recorded with sparkling audio too.
It's always lovely to know that iTunes streaming uses 100% renewables as we watch the film on our TV, Mac, iPhone powered by our houses solar panels. That's a great feeling. (it's upsetting to think that somewhere in the world, there are landfills full of plastic VHS/Betamax/V2000/VHS-C, Video8 tapes that are truly non recyclable - there must be millions of those plastic things :'( :'( :'(

 

[Donfor39]

Enjoyed Alien Covenent last night- value@1.99 uk pounds.
Rather enjoyable, with iTunes extra's including Prometheus commentary.
Sky soundbox done a nice compact home cinema effect with audio.
Quality 4k pic-nice addition until I discover another blu ray disc to store.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Enjoyed Alien Covenent last night- value@1.99 uk pounds.
Rather enjoyable, with iTunes extra's including Prometheus commentary.
Sky soundbox done a nice compact home cinema effect with audio.
Quality 4k pic-nice addition until I discover another blu ray disc to store.

Dude, instead of ripping all of these discs, try a LG OLED TV - 4K iTunes films played with Dolby Vision look insane on it!!!

 

[McG2k1]

I still buy 4k media if it’s something I want to always have my hands on AND I think it’s a title that will showcase the format.

 

[Donfor39]

Dude, instead of ripping all of these discs, try a LG OLED TV - 4K iTunes films played with Dolby Vision look insane on it!!!

Behave yourself
1.99 is cost of quoted movie from I tunes at least this movie was purchased as was promitheuos and others.
My blue ray rips total one movie which wasn't available at that time.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Behave yourself
1.99 is cost of quoted movie from I tunes at least this movie was purchased as was promitheuos and others.
My blue ray rips total one movie which wasn't available at that time.

Haha yes but you gotta agree, those OLED prices have really come down in price - the C8 is £1499 whereas when it launched in May, it was priced at a very 'over inflated' price of £2999. The B8 is currently £1299.

You'd be very impressed with 4K Dolby Vision on OLED It's the viewing angles that is the most impressive plus HD looks beautiful on it - thanks to the beautiful upscaler of the Apple TV 4K and OLED.