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Netflix Adds 'Super HD' Option for All Users and Additional Devices, Including 3rd Generation Apple TV

This naming convention is only going to confuse consumers. (maybe thats what they want since it will be hard to sell "hey we'll give you 1080p... like the 1080p before but just better 1080p)

but with the naming, how many people call USB by "high speed USB", "Super USB", etc... no, we all say "USB 1, USB 1.1, USB 2, USB 3, etc...) because they mean something, and are easily recognizeable. Same with Firewire, we say Firewire 400, Firewire 800, etc...

With Image Quality maybe we should have the following:

- LD - Legacy (or Low) Deffinition (Standard Deffinition is no longer an appropriat term as what is "Standard is really in constant flux")

- Have the p for Progressive just be assumed, only add an "i" when it explicitly needs to be specified.

- Drop the "HD" as what is considered "High" is subjective, and will change over time. So maybe use something like "TV" as it will seem familure to sonsumers.

* LD480 (480i)
* LD576 (576i)

* TV480 (480p)
* TV720 (720p)

* TV1K (1080p)
* TV4k (2160p)
* TV8k (4320p)
* TVxK (where x=the new deffinition #)

These difinitions will mean more to people, especially going forward. Companies really should stop with the insane naming. (will I'm complaining about names, how about Intel's Xeon line..anyways)
 
MacDav said:
You can leave out the word "almost". Still most people would have a hard time telling the difference between 720P and 1080P unless they have perfect 20/20 vision and know what to look for. Most people can't tell the difference between .wav/.aif and .mp3 and most people really don't care. ;)
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I don't know, there's something about consumer devices that brings out the OCD in people. A friend of mine spent was convinced the stand with his new HDTV was slightly lop-sided, so had to get out a measuring tape to confirm - you'd think if he couldn't tell without a measuring tape it's ok.

That said - anyone want to swap an ATV3 for my ATV2? You can jailbreak the ATV2! :)
 
I see this as a ploy to force ISPs to allow the caching servers within their borders, with the goal of improving bandwidth and reducing interconnect fees for everyone involved.
 
seamer said:
I see this as a ploy to force ISPs to allow the caching servers within their borders, with the goal of improving bandwidth and reducing interconnect fees for everyone involved.
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netflix has been hosted on CDN's for years now

there is no way any ISP can stream all that video for customers through the internet. and netflix doesn't have their own data center.

and there is no reason to stream it over the internet vs a CDN
 
redscull said:
It's almost certainly still lower quality than BluRay. Which means it's still not maximizing 1080p, much less 4K...
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Yes, you can still easily see the difference between BluRay and SuperHD when you have a high-detail background with the camera panning/following something in the foreground. On uniformly slow moving images, the quality looks the same.

donutbagel said:
Actual Complaint: Dump stupid Silverlight already. If it's not needed for iOS, PCs shouldn't need it either. It's just H.264 video, no need to make a fuss about it and make us use sketchy plugins.
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Agreed about Silverlight. Fortunately I don't need it, with an ATV3. ;-)

dlweninger said:
I have been Watching Super HD since spring on my ATV 3
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ck2875 said:
Ditto. I had no idea it was a beta run. The quality for it has been decent in my experience, though does fluctuate.
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Yes, I have been lucky, too, I guess.

LethalWolfe said:
Less compression. Netflix says the Super HD image quality is on par with Blu-ray.
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Most of the time, yes. Occasionally, no. Depends on motion and how many different rates of motion there are in the scene. Still, overall, it is a significant step forward.

MacDav said:
You can leave out the word "almost". Still most people would have a hard time telling the difference between 720P and 1080P unless they have perfect 20/20 vision and know what to look for. Most people can't tell the difference between .wav/.aif and .mp3 and most people really don't care. ;)
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I have found a lot of people will say that until they get used to seeing almost everything in HD. Once they are used to HD, they tend to notice. I say that as someone who was raised on real film movies, and never could stand to watch many movies on regular DVD, let alone VHS.
 
I'm in the UK, on our version of Netflix we've had superHD badge on ATV on certain movies and tv shows for over 6 months now, they look great.
 
I've had Super HD available via my PS3 for a while now from my ISP (RCN.) It looks fantastic on my TV. It's awesome that the aTV now supports it.
 
benji888 said:
OMG

So, now that they have finally have true HD they are calling it "Super" HD??? :confused::rolleyes::p

Let's confuse the consumer even more: HD, Ultra HD (4K), and now "Super" HD? ugh. :rolleyes:

So, I guess HD means it could be 720p or 1080i or 1080p, but, "Super" HD is 1080p? What the f?

Netflix: just give user settings for HD: 720p or 1080p. Keep it simple, don't do this complicated stupid stuff. :p
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While I agree with you that the naming convention is stupid, at the same time just saying "1080p" doesn't tell you the whole story - one also needs to know how much the signal is compressed. I haven't seen a clear and simple way of communicating that for HD signals yet. I was trying to explain the difference in compression between Blu-Ray, OTA HD and cable company HD to my sister (who works in film and tv), and we were having trouble finding common language.
 
whooleytoo said:
I don't know, there's something about consumer devices that brings out the OCD in people. A friend of mine spent was convinced the stand with his new HDTV was slightly lop-sided, so had to get out a measuring tape to confirm - you'd think if he couldn't tell without a measuring tape it's ok.

That said - anyone want to swap an ATV3 for my ATV2? You can jailbreak the ATV2! :)
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FYI... I think the ATV2 is 720P max. ATV3 is 1080P. At least it's Apples compressed version of 1080P, less quality than BluRay.
 
How about Netflix just focus on giving users some better content first.
 
So now Netflix get a new name for HD!
Super HD is just 1080 as a regular HD?!

Soon the call it super duper HD.
 
HD303 said:
How about Netflix just focus on giving users some better Streaming content first.
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IMO, netflix streaming content is great. But I like TV shows more than movies. There are plenty of amazing tv shows on netflix.
 
MacGeek1987 said:
This will be great for those with the 27 inch iMacs :D
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But will it be good for Mad Max? (pun, sorrowfully, intended)

All jokes aside, it would be good to know if this is a good idea for older classics that someone may want to watch and rewatch. Does it only really make sense for things that are mastered recently. Or will we never have to worry about it... super HD only when it's actually measurably different.

Rental I usually go for what's cheap and streams quick... but would love it if Apple had a loyalty program to let rental upgrade to purchases, SD upgrade to HD, etc. If new masters come online (Tina Turner's Lawyers approve Beyond Thunderdome rerelease), this makes even more sense.
 
milo said:
And I'm waiting for profiles at all on the Roku.



4k will probably be "4k".
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This is why I prefer cheap computers (Mac mini) over Roku or even the AppleTV. All I have to do to get new Netflix features is press refresh in my browser window. You just have more freedom in general.

The app-based approach used on AppleTV and Roku is pointless, as the only advantage over a browser window is performance. You don't need much CPU/GPU performance to stream 1080p these days. It certainly isn't worth the loss in flexibility. Browsers are the best way to deliver streaming content. Perhaps a hybrid approach would be ideal.
 
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HD303 said:
How about Netflix just focus on giving users some better Streaming content first.
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James Balog's Chasing Ice is in SuperHD. That should give you a good idea of what SuperHD looks like.

willcapellaro said:
All jokes aside, it would be good to know if this is a good idea for older classics that someone may want to watch and rewatch. Does it only really make sense for things that are mastered recently. Or will we never have to worry about it... super HD only when it's actually measurably different.
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I can't say how many, but, some classic films are available in SuperHD streaming. It is a great idea. Good quality movies definitely benefit.
 
Recently Watched?!

Am I missing where a Recently Watched is?!

I use that most switching between devices.

I hope it's there and I'm just not seeing it.

If not, please kindly add that back, Netflix.
 
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