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Is DVD/Blu Ray dead?


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DVD sure aint dead when comes to the masses,

 

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/despite-the-rise-of-netflix-and-itunes-dvds-are-still-selling-surprisingly-strongly-20170329-gv9a5q.html

 

"Despite the rise of Netflix and iTunes, DVDs are still selling surprisingly strongly

It might be the era of Netflix and iTunes but don't write off the DVD just yet.

Even with the rise of streaming services and web sites that rent and sell movies, Australians bought more than $800 million worth of DVD and Blu-ray discs last year.

 

At a time when the the format should be headed for extinction, amid the wholesale closure of DVD rental stores, we bought 44 million discs largely to add to our movie and television show collections.

While overall sales slid for the fifth consecutive year - down 11 per cent last year - there were actually increases for both new release movies (up 4 per cent) and TV series (up 17 per cent). ~"

 

its no wonder then likes of the supermarkets still stock dvds and blu-ray. and knowing how ruthless they are in that retail space...unless its selling and in good volumes they dont even stock things.

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Been on the look out for a few blu - ray box sets and I'm gobsmacked at the Amazon prices. Ordered Sons of Anarchy today for $73 posted. Other series such as Weeds and Dexter were also dirt cheap.

 

I'm wondering if prices are dropping in preparation for UHD or if I'm just late to the party.

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Guest rogerthat

I like how most of us enthusiasts (including myself) are in total denial from an economics perspective. We will drop $10,000 to $100,000 on our HT or 2 channel and then complain about the price of the movies or streaming services. Best not to do any proper economic analysis methinks.

Edited by rogerthat
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11 minutes ago, rogerthat said:

We will drop $10,000 to $100,000 on our HT or 2 channel and then complain about the price of the movies or streaming

I'm probably the opposite, I'll spend big on source material but try and save on equipment even going back to laserdisc days, $500 on the Star Wars trilogy. Ouch.

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23 hours ago, powerav said:

I'm probably the opposite, I'll spend big on source material but try and save on equipment even going back to laserdisc days, $500 on the Star Wars trilogy. Ouch.

 

The original star war trilogy on laserdisc? Awesome. Money well spent.

 

Edited by rogerthat
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  • 2 weeks later...

I believe there are a few reasons why blu-ray physical media is on the wane but also significant issues that will need to be resolved before it disappears altogether. In regard to DVD I firmly believe that it is a dead dog - the quality is simply too poor when viewed on mainstream TVs (which are now almost all hi-def), although I'll grant that DVD looks totally OK when ripped to AVI and viewed on a phone or tablet.

 

The main stumbling block that is impacting upon the proliferation of blu-ray and UHD quality streaming services is the woeful state of Australia’s internet offering. The NBN was supposed to be the answer to everything but political (the current government’s backflip on fttp) and commercial (retailers being stingy with the amount of wholesale bandwidth they are buying from NBN) factors together are resulting in generally less than acceptable download speeds for the average end user.

 

If you have bought a nice new shiny 4K UHD TV and are keen to stream as much UHD content as possible then be damn sure that your internet connection can maintain a stable 25 Mbps during your usual viewing time slots. 8K will require 85 Mbps. Going by the latest press coverage it would seem that the majority of NBN customers are currently paying for somewhat less than 25 Mbps regardless of internet technology type in place or retail plan purchased. Then there is the whole "Contention" thing that, of course, factors into the mix, but I don't want to go there - this post is already too long :-)

 

So where does that leave people like the OP and I who are not interested in buying blu-ray discs to keep forever, and have to travel far and wide to find a video rental store that will no doubt be stocking a limited range of content, blu-ray, 4K or otherwise?  Up **** creek is where it leaves us.

 

I read an article recently that covered the difference between 1080p and 4K UHD - apparently, you can really only tell the difference when viewing from less than a metre away from the screen - the way you compare TVs when shopping at Harvey Norman , JB Hi-Fi etc. At home it’s usually more like 3 metres or more - so go figure ….

 

My humble advice is to hang onto your 1080p TV or, if necessary, upgrade to a higher quality 1080p TV (big, smart, high-quality Name brands are as cheap as chips nowadays) and wait for the eventual outcome in regard to 4K / 8K UHD whilst enjoying more easily accessible standard blu-ray content, streamed or otherwise.

 

P.S. I didn’t cover the topic of Audio Quality but tend to agree with JohnL’s opinion in regard to the poor quality of streamed content compared with that of its Physical Media based equivalent. I work in the Telecommunications / Internet industry and can confidently (but IMHO) predict that the abovementioned Bandwidth related issues will not be resolved anytime soon in this country.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 09/04/2017 at 9:52 AM, PeteD said:

 

P.S. I didn’t cover the topic of Audio Quality but tend to agree with JohnL’s opinion in regard to the poor quality of streamed content compared with that of its Physical Media based equivalent. I work in the Telecommunications / Internet industry and can confidently (but IMHO) predict that the abovementioned Bandwidth related issues will not be resolved anytime soon in this country.

 

Maybe just amend that to 'Will not be resolved within out Children's lifetime'

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On 09/04/2017 at 9:52 AM, PeteD said:

I work in the Telecommunications / Internet industry and can confidently (but IMHO) predict that the above mentioned Bandwidth related issues will not be resolved anytime soon in this country.

 

As much as it was a short sighted idea, a backflip on FTTP doesn't have anything to do with it  ....  but you are right about it being a commercial issue.

 

The cost to get this much bandwidth / volume to a home is more than regular customers are willing to pay .... and so the quality dial has been turned down by most retailers so they can continue to be price leaders.  (ie. contention - either on POI/CVC, or in peering/transit).

 

 

 

As a ISP purchasing services from NBN, you can see that there is indeed, no issue with the NBN, otherwise the NBN will be in breach of their agreement with you, and penalties are invoked  (ISPs don't pay for services which don't work).

 

... and so there is no bandwidth "problem" that needs to be overcome, per se.    Aside from an artificial commercial situation where ISPs cannot (or will not) afford to provide "acceptable" service to their customers.

 

I have 2x services connected to a premise.    One of those services offers me unlimited download volumes each month, and the monthly price is very low.    Most of the time, and especially in the evening I notice congestion of all different types (to me locally, and/or specially to certain parts of the world, or certain heavily trafficked services, etc.    eg. Foxtel Go).    The ISP agreement fine print (like most) make it quite clear (in legalese), that the ISP has barely even committed to offer me connection to the internet at all, let alone one which works well.

 

The other service connected to the same premise costs double the price - for a slower rated speed, and for a limited amount of data per month.     It is fast and snappy 24/7.

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I ended up going cable broadband. Paying a premium for it but fortunately I have two adult sons that contribute to the cost. I have had a steady connection for over a year. My only concern is what's going to happen to the service when they say the NBN comes into the area. I've heard several stories.
Err so I'm one who's hoping it takes it time getting to my area. [emoji33].


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On 09/04/2017 at 9:52 AM, PeteD said:

If you have bought a nice new shiny 4K UHD TV and are keen to stream as much UHD content as possible then be damn sure that your internet connection can maintain a stable 25 Mbps during your usual viewing time slots. 8K will require 85 Mbps. Going by the latest press coverage it would seem that the majority of NBN customers are currently paying for somewhat less than 25 Mbps regardless of internet technology type in place or retail plan purchased. Then there is the whole "Contention" thing that, of course, factors into the mix, but I don't want to go there - this post is already too long :-)

 

good post pete, yep I aint waiting... enjoying discs for what they are.

 

just puts in perspective, net flix HD is 5 Mbps...

 

 blu-ray quality is 36 - 54 Mbps thats combined audio and video. video itself can be in the 40s :) keeping in mind audio is usually HD audio.

 

netflix uhd is 18-25 Mbps

 

UHD blu-ray can be 82 - 128 Mbps

 

gives some clues to the level of compression utilised for streaming services are especially since the compression is not lossless... and also doesnt include hd audio let alone 3D audio ....

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10 hours ago, Kensell21 said:

I ended up going cable broadband. Paying a premium for it but fortunately I have two adult sons that contribute to the cost. I have had a steady connection for over a year. My only concern is what's going to happen to the service when they say the NBN comes into the area. I've heard several stories.
Err so I'm one who's hoping it takes it time getting to my area. emoji33.png.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
 

 

I read that NBN will soon be publishing the amount of bandwidth that the retailers are purchasing - with this information we will be able to weed out the ones who are skimping. Of course, those who are doing the right thing will no doubt have to charge more, so it really will be a case of "you get what you pay for".

 

Remember also that we all get 18 months to decide which retailer to use prior to cutting over from our current services. As a result, during this period the retailers will have to load balance their bandwidth between NBN and the legacy (ADSL) connections - this is a PR nightmare because our first impressions will be less than optimal and most people won't understand or believe that things will (should) improve as more customers move to NBN. I would hope that market forces will eventually prevail because poor performing NBN retailers will simply go broke if there is enough decent competition in place.

Edited by PeteD
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15 minutes ago, PeteD said:

 

I read that NBN will soon be publishing the amount of bandwidth that the retailers are purchasing - with this information we will be able to weed out the ones who are skimping. Of course, those who are doing the right thing will no doubt have to charge more, so it really will be a case of "you get what you pay for".

 

Remember also that we all get 18 months to decide which retailer to use prior to cutting over from our current services. As a result, during this period the retailers will have to load balance their bandwidth between NBN and the legacy (ADSL) connections - this is a PR nightmare because our first impressions will be less than optimal and most people won't understand or believe that things will (should) improve as more customers move to NBN. I would hope that market forces will eventually prevail because poor performing NBN retailers will simply go broke if there is enough decent competition in place.

 

netflix already have the isp speed index

https://ispspeedindex.netflix.com/country/australia/#

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23 minutes ago, PeteD said:

 

That's all about Netflix performance and not really related to what I was talking about which is the amount of bandwidth each NBN retailer is purchasing from NBN Co.

 

true, however it is THE actual truth and what real performance netflix is actually seeing from end users at peak times, and hence a more grounded view of the status quo rather than what claims of bandwidth the isp's might make :) 

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30 minutes ago, :) al said:

 

true, however it is THE actual truth and what real performance netflix is actually seeing from end users at peak times, and hence a more grounded view of the status quo rather than what claims of bandwidth the isp's might make :) 

 
 

 

But it's totally not going to be about what the NBN retailers claim to be providing. The ACCC will be handling this "public information" initiative. Surely Netflix is not the only (or even the main) thing that people care about - but if that's the case then the ISP that is giving the highest priority to Netflix associated internet traffic will be the one to go with. Consider the Business sector, let's say the Real Estate industry. Those guys don't give two hoots about Netflix - they want to be able to download high res images and videos as quickly as possible.

 

But I'll admit that this discussion is mostly related to Streaming performance so good point and info regarding Netflix - thanks.

 

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/04/the-accc-will-finally-police-nbn-broadband-speeds/

 

Edited by PeteD
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@PeteD I hope they do police pete as a bit of a farce...where people on supposed cable are getting drop outs and synching buffering etc. nbn is a bit of a promised dream for many and when it finally arrives we can only hope it is what it is.. and we dont just all raise the bar all around so whatever bandwidth gain we get is soon swallowed up with everyone running netflix streaming uhd gobbling up what remaining bandwidth we might have gained...

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12 hours ago, Kensell21 said:

My only concern is what's going to happen to the service when they say the NBN comes into the area. I've heard several stories.

 

  • Your available speeds will go up
  • You will have a choice from all retailers
  • The price will likely stay approximately the same for a similar speed service  (but you will have the option to purchase either faster or slower services)
  • The way the network is arranged will change - currently you "share the wire" with your neighbors  (so there can possibly be local congestion on the network depending on your neighbors usage patterns), to a scenario where the service delivered to you isn't fundamentally tied to what your neighbors do
  • The service delivered to you will depend on your retailer.     The NBN is faster and more reliable than your existing network.    If you stick to a "premium" provider - and pay the cost, then you should have no worries at all
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1 hour ago, :) al said:

@PeteD I hope they do police pete as a bit of a farce...where people on supposed cable are getting drop outs and synching buffering etc. nbn is a bit of a promised dream for many and when it finally arrives we can only hope it is what it is.. and we dont just all raise the bar all around so whatever bandwidth gain we get is soon swallowed up with everyone running netflix streaming uhd gobbling up what remaining bandwidth we might have gained...

 

Like a few of the posts have reiterated....  the NBN itself does not have any congestion - and will not for the foreseeable future (decade?!).     It is completely about what your retailer does with the traffic.

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15 minutes ago, davewantsmoore said:

It is completely about what your retailer does with the traffic.

 

:sarc:  Would it be reasonable to expect the retailers to publish this data for comparison? Seriously, that would be really useful information to shop around with. 

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9 minutes ago, LHC said:

 

:sarc:  Would it be reasonable to expect the retailers to publish this data for comparison? Seriously, that would be really useful information to shop around with. 

 

house by house ? i dont know how the will be feasible :D 

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Just now, :) al said:

 

house by house ? i dont know how the will be feasible :D 

 

That would be ideal :P. But even simple information like their policy on handling congestion and not over subscribing, backed up with some indicative real-world data would be a good start. 

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1 minute ago, LHC said:

 

That would be ideal :P. But even simple information like their policy on handling congestion and not over subscribing, backed up with some indicative real-world data would be a good start. 

 

am sure they could over burden you with policies... not sure it will mean much though in reality :D 

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