Blu-ray vs. DVD/VOD (2009) - Page 17

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

Does anyone compare CBS's viewer numbers to HBO and claim the ratings prove no one will pay for HBO anymore because far more people watch the freely-broadcast CBS? No, they don't. Because that would be stupid.

Netflix streaming is a free supplement to those who rent physical media. I say again, it's FREE to those subscribers who are renting physical media from Netflix. When Netflix starts to offer a streaming-only package and beaks out those subscription numbers, then we'll talk (of course no one would do this because the content you're limited to sucks for the most part). In the meantime, 10% of the subscribers are opting to pay an additional $2-$3 more per month for Blu-Ray.

Yeah, and after about a week of watching content he'll no longer be able to find anything of interest on the "watch instantly" tab that he hasn't already seen.

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

Lol, wut? Please direct me to the data that shows PAID movie streaming and downloads is outpacing Blu-Ray adoption. HULU and YouTube doesn't count, because it's freakin' free.

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Originally Posted by dfiler

Nobody has been making that argument. We're simply saying that free and paid services compete for viewership.

Originally Posted by dfiler

Netflix doesn't offer a blu-ray only option either.

Originally Posted by dfiler

What the masses are really waiting on are across-the-board licensing deals between those providers and the content owners. Certainly, people who really appreciate HD will stick to blu-ray and HD cable/satellite/ota. But in my opinion, the services, infrastructure, and hardware are already in place for the type of experience that most people desire. They're simply waiting on the licensing deals to make "watch anything anywhere anytime" a reality.

Originally Posted by bitemymac

I don't think any data will convince you, when you are claiming netflix streaming is a free supplement service and it does not count.

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

Well sure. But there are generally two sides to the discussion regarding what home movie viewing will look like in 10 years; those who believe physical discs (Blu-Ray, DVD) will still be the dominant method in which people purchase movies, and those who believe hardly anyone will still buy movies on disc.

There's a huge flaw in using the adoption numbers of free supplemental streaming services as evidence that physical media's days are numbered.

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

Does anyone compare CBS's viewer numbers to HBO and claim the ratings prove no one will pay for HBO anymore because far more people watch the freely-broadcast CBS? No, they don't. Because that would be stupid.


Netflix streaming is a free supplement to those who rent physical media. I say again, it's FREE to those subscribers who are renting physical media from Netflix. When Netflix starts to offer a streaming-only package and beaks out those subscription numbers, then we'll talk (of course no one would do this because the content you're limited to sucks for the most part). In the meantime, 10% of the subscribers are opting to pay an additional $2-$3 more per month for Blu-Ray.



Yeah, and after about a week of watching content he'll no longer be able to find anything of interest on the "watch instantly" tab that he hasn't already seen.

Originally Posted by dfiler

The reasoned argument is about _when_ electronically delivered video will dominate, not whether it is desirable. (It already does if you include cable/satellite/fios) People clearly would enjoy being able to watch anything anywhere anytime. Tired of hearing me harp on that phrase yet? I don't think it can be repeated too many times. It is the future, a mind boggling future, and one that will occur in our lifetimes. The argument is simply about when.

Originally Posted by dfiler

The reasoned argument is about _when_ electronically delivered video will dominate, not whether it is desirable. (It already does if you include cable/satellite/fios) People clearly would enjoy being able to watch anything anywhere anytime. Tired of hearing me harp on that phrase yet? I don't think it can be repeated too many times. It is the future, a mind boggling future, and one that will occur in our lifetimes. The argument is simply about when.

Originally Posted by Frank777

Um, okay. What discs are we going to store this stuff on?

As originally proposed, UHD comes in two levels of resolution: 7680×4320 pixels (i.e., 8K resolution), and 3840×2160 (i.e., 4K resolution). The rising popularity of high resolution digital cinema will expose consumers to high resolution content. Then, early UHDTVs will be made available to provide a digital cinema high resolution viewing experience in the home. Ultimately, broadcasters will start offering UHD content to an addressable market of UHDTVs, between 2017 and 2022.

Originally Posted by dfiler

That doesn't seem like an accurate characterization of the debate. There are a huge number of people who think that the video market will be comprised of many options; that no single video delivery model will reach the monolithic status that VHS and DVD achieved. This leaves plenty of room for physical media to comprise a non-insignificant percentage of the market, even if streaming dominates.

Originally Posted by dfiler

You keep saying that netflix streaming is "free" and "supplemental". yet in order to stream from netflix, you have to pay netflix. It is not "free".

Originally Posted by dfiler

All console gamers will have the option of netflix streaming soon. 360 already does, PS3 will next month, and rumor has it that a Wii will follow within a month or two. It is crazy to think that the tens of millions of console owners won't make use of the convenience of streaming, especially if they're already netflix subscribers.

Originally Posted by dfiler

But most importantly, netflix is only one of the competing options. (See my previous post about Epix HD) Hundreds of millions if not billions are being spent by companies in order to get into the streaming market. These companies aren't just guessing and throwing their money about. They've got highly paid analysts studying consumer behavior and market stats.

The reasoned argument is about _when_ electronically delivered video will dominate, not whether it is desirable. (It already does if you include cable/satellite/fios) People clearly would enjoy being able to watch anything anywhere anytime. Tired of hearing me harp on that phrase yet? I don't think it can be repeated too many times. It is the future, a mind boggling future, and one that will occur in our lifetimes. The argument is simply about when.

Originally Posted by Frank777

Um, okay. What discs are we going to store this stuff on?

Originally Posted by bitemymac

BTW, can PS3 decode DD+?

Originally Posted by dfiler

Netflix PS3 Streaming Disc Review:

Test Environment:
InFocus X10 1080-24p front projector on a a 52" DaLite screen.

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

That's precisely what would need to happen. Some kind of universal database would need to keep track of what movies you have purchased regardless of what digital distributor you purchased them from and all other digital distributors would have to honor the database. This way, you could pay $20 to buy a movie on VUDU in their proprietary HDX DRM format, but you'd then be free to download the same movie on your iPhone in Apple's proprietary DRM and format/size, as well as on your Sony PSP, PS3, etc.

The issue is getting everyone to cooperate on a system like this, from all of the movie studios to all of the digital content providers. It doesn't do any good if only Disney does it.

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

Looks like Disney is bringing my concept to life, and they're calling it Keychest. Looks like there's hope for a disc-free world after all.

Originally Posted by addabox

Very interesting. The same Disney that has such close ties to a certain Mr. Jobs, and who has always been an early participant in whatever online video schemes Apple comes up with.

There was talk of how Apple's Lala acquisition might enable iTunes streaming, using the "scan your hard drive and make server copies of your purchased music available in the cloud" trick, but this sounds like that idea on steroids.

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

Keychest is better in that it allows all of your devices to maintain whatever format and DRM they use now; the only thing kept in the "cloud" is a yes or no as to whether or not you paid for the thing. This is a far more realistic approach, because there will never be a world where every desirable electronic device uses the same video format and DRM. With Keychest, they don't have to; they just have to agree to honor your purchase of a movie on someone else's digital store, and vice-versa.

Originally Posted by Frank777

I'm terribly disappointed that, for the first time in at least five years, nobody bothered to start an annual thread.

I would suggest Blu-Ray vs. iTunes [2010], just for consistency's sake.

Originally Posted by DrJedi

I thought this was about DVD vs BluRay, not a thread about streaming.