I want to buy a couple movies in iTunes on my iMac but I am curious if I should spend the extra money and get the HD versions or stick with the SD? I am leaning more towards the SD since they are cheaper and have a smaller file size. Can you really notice a difference when viewing your content on Apple TV 2/3?
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How do SD movies look when streamed to Apple TV?
- Thread starter SteelBlueTJ
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Well I have a 50" 1080p TV and Apple TV2. I purchased TV episodes of The Office in SD and they look great when streamed to my TV. I honestly can't tell they are SD. I was wondering if purchased movies would be the same.
I agree - even between SD and HD from the iTunes store I can tell a big difference let alone the difference between SD DVD's (or DVD rips) and Full HD Blurays (or Bluray rips) which is so noticeable as to be quite jarring.
back when HD was still relatively new, i couldnt stand when my family would still watch the SD channels, after countless times showing them
It's no so much the resolution, but the bitrate that will make it look "crappy", because of the artifacts. Lower resolution just looks soft.
We have an 82" TV and I have plenty of DVD ripped 480p movies in our library, but I rip them at 3500Kbps. They look fine.
However I recently bought a Southpark episode (for us) and a Yo Gabba Gabba! episode (for the kids) off of iTunes and they were both in SD, and the Yo Gabba Gabba! episode in particular looks bad. Lots of blockiness. We have some episodes that I ripped from DVD's and they do not exhibit this quality.
Smaller TV will look better though.
We have an 82" TV and I have plenty of DVD ripped 480p movies in our library, but I rip them at 3500Kbps. They look fine.
However I recently bought a Southpark episode (for us) and a Yo Gabba Gabba! episode (for the kids) off of iTunes and they were both in SD, and the Yo Gabba Gabba! episode in particular looks bad. Lots of blockiness. We have some episodes that I ripped from DVD's and they do not exhibit this quality.
Smaller TV will look better though.
Some things to consider here:
1. Size of TV.
2. Viewing distance.
3. Eyesight.
If you sit 15' away from a 50" TV, SD will probably look almost as good as HD, unless you have great eyesight.
If you sit 10' away from a 60" TV, HD will look noticeably better than SD, unless you have mediocre eyesight.
1. Size of TV.
2. Viewing distance.
3. Eyesight.
If you sit 15' away from a 50" TV, SD will probably look almost as good as HD, unless you have great eyesight.
If you sit 10' away from a 60" TV, HD will look noticeably better than SD, unless you have mediocre eyesight.
I'd say it depends on the content. There is a definite difference, not as dramatic on your Apple TV 2 at 720p vs the ATV 3 at 1080p. Movies with an emphasis on visuals are definitely a better experience in HD, but a basic rom-com or kid's movie is perfectly enjoyable either way.