While DVD and Blu-ray will remain a huge profit center for years to come, studio executives are finally confronting an uncomfortable reality: little silver discs — for reasons of convenience, price and consumer burnout — may never recover their sales power. To grow, studios need to figure out digital distribution.
While DVD and Blu-ray will remain a huge profit center for years to come, studio executives are finally confronting an uncomfortable reality: little silver discs ? for reasons of convenience, price and consumer burnout ? may never recover their sales power. To grow, studios need to figure out digital distribution.
They are going to have a hard road trying to fix the distribution issues associated with digital downloads, especially in countries with very low download limits. Downloading a (apple wishes) HD moves from iTunes (if they were available in my country) would cost be 25% of my monthly allowance, so adding $15 to the cost of the movie, that is not convenient to me.
While DVD and Blu-ray will remain a huge profit center for years to come, studio executives are finally confronting an uncomfortable reality: little silver discs ? for reasons of convenience, price and consumer burnout ? may never recover their sales power. To grow, studios need to figure out digital distribution.
The problem is complex, I think they need to address more than just device portability. But that's a bit of a problem too, having bought a certain movie on iTunes, I don't know if Microsoft, Sony or Amazon would want that movie ported over to their systems without a cut of the action. It's probably in everyone's best interest if they cooperated, but it's a lot like the prisoner's dilemma.
The studios can be just as much control freaks as some technology companies, even more so in some ways. A lot of what is offered on iTunes video & movies is US only, the studios need to stop piecemealing rights into regions and countries, and offer easier ways to acquire global electronic distribution rights.
While DVD and Blu-ray will remain a huge profit center for years to come, studio executives are finally confronting an uncomfortable reality: little silver discs ? for reasons of convenience, price and consumer burnout ? may never recover their sales power. To grow, studios need to figure out digital distribution.
That is true, the problem is that nobody wants to figure it out. The studios want you to rebuy everything so they make more money (they don't care what form you buy your media on, they're getting paid.) and the device makers all want to set themselves for a monopoly. Add to that video compression technology still isn't all that great and nobody wants to work together on a better standard. In other words, its the exact opposite of the situation that lead to the rise of digital music.
I agree the way iTunes is currently set up makes the future of downloading more complex. But I think things will shift. There will be less need to have movie collections. People will become satisfied with video on demand. The problem for the studios is how to make video on demand as profitable as DVD.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
The problem is complex, I think they need to address more than just device portability. But that's a bit of a problem too, having bought a certain movie on iTunes, I don't know if Microsoft, Sony or Amazon would want that movie ported over to their systems without a cut of the action. It's probably in everyone's best interest if they cooperated, but it's a lot like the prisoner's dilemma.
The studios can be just as much control freaks as some technology companies, even more so in some ways. A lot of what is offered on iTunes video & movies is US only, the studios need to stop piecemealing rights into regions and countries, and offer easier ways to acquire global electronic distribution rights.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Streaming/downloading movies is also a compromise with advantages. You can sit at your couch and instantly watch any movie available with little effort. You don't have to buy a specialized stand alone player, you don't have to leave home and buy a disc. For many people this is a valuable compromise for quality.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenRoethig
That is true, the problem is that nobody wants to figure it out. The studios want you to rebuy everything so they make more money (they don't care what form you buy your media on, they're getting paid.) and the device makers all want to set themselves for a monopoly. Add to that video compression technology still isn't all that great and nobody wants to work together on a better standard. In other words, its the exact opposite of the situation that lead to the rise of digital music.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Streaming/downloading movies is also a compromise with advantages. You can sit at your couch and instantly watch any movie available with little effort. You don't have to buy a specialized stand alone player, you don't have to leave home and buy a disc. For many people this is a valuable compromise for quality.
Digital downloads is also to get people to buy everything all over again. If you look at the iTunes store, there are movies on sale. And if you want to watch the download on your TV, you need to buy a stand-alone device. I do Netflix and Amazon so I don't have to go to the store. And leaving home isn't a bad thing since I have to do that for my other shopping anyway. And if I were to compromise on picture quality, I don't have to spend anything at all with my DVD players (and my old movies still play, woo-hoo).
Downloading movies may be great for those people with super fast internet but it is pretty painful for people like me that have 1.5 Mbps DSL. And no, I really don't want to pay more for internet just so I can download movies.
I bought the stand-alone device for my TV (AppleTV) thinking downloads would be good but it really has not been a good experience for me. The disc has been a much better experience for me.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
Really? Because I thought it was to offer a superior product for those who appreciate it? Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible with DVDs, so why would I have to repurchase all of my DVDs in Blu-Ray format? If I wanted to move to a streaming-only setup however I would legally have to repurchase every film I own in an electronic, DMR'd format. Which would be quite difficult considering Apple's iTunes only offers 71 movies for HD purchase at this time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TenoBell
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Of course Blu-Ray wouldn't hold up on a 50 foot screen, but what does that have to do with home viewing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TenoBell
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TenoBell
Streaming/downloading movies is also a compromise with advantages. You can sit at your couch and instantly watch any movie available with little effort. You don't have to buy a specialized stand alone player, you don't have to leave home and buy a disc. For many people this is a valuable compromise for quality.
You have to purchase a device for streaming, as well. It doesn't just come out of thin air. And until streaming offers a plethora of film for purchase in HD — not just 71 (the number currently available on iTunes) — the whole "convenience" argument is void. Movies aren't only available for a short time on Blu-Ray before disappearing, nor does one have to wait months after the DVD release before they can obtain one. Additionally, if I rent 2 Blu-Ray discs at a time through NetFlix and watch/return them as quickly as they come I could conceivably watch 20 Blu-Rays a month for $17; the same number of films from a streaming service would cost $80 to rent in HD, be a fraction of the quality, and that's assuming I could even find 20 HD movies worth renting from the limited selection. Streaming is a sound theory, but the content, short window releases and pricing makes it a highly unrealistic option.
The best option on the market right now is a Blu-Ray player with streaming capabilities thrown in for free, most notably the LG 390 with both netflix and VUDU streaming and wi-fi built in. That way one can rely on streaming on the oft-occasion that the movie you want is actually available in HD (particularly VUDU's vastly-superior HDX format), and all of the other times you can play an honest to goodness HD optical disc.
What I love about the new iMac is how absolutely perfect the colors are. Even my recent purchase, a 24" LED ACD looks yellow sitting next to it... a bit annoying in a way but makes me even happier about my new iMac purchase.
Making iPhone apps on this setup it absolutely a dream...
What I love about the new iMac is how absolutely perfect the colors are. Even my recent purchase, a 24" LED ACD looks yellow sitting next to it... a bit annoying in a way but makes me even happier about my new iMac purchase.
The LED MBPs had a yellow tint but running through the system prefs > displays > color > calibrate should allow you to match the displays.
As I said earlier, Blu-Ray is 100% backwards compatible with DVDs and CDs. You don't need your old drive or player anymore.
Yes but until Managed Copy comes out there's no way to backup a Blu-ray disc so while it offers more in audio and video resolution it does not allow you to backup your copy and play from a digital file yet.
Yes but until Managed Copy comes out there's no way to backup a Blu-ray disc so while it offers more in audio and video resolution it does not allow you to backup your copy and play from a digital file yet.
Technically you are wrong, when I grab a blu-ray movie (well a DVD as well) and put it in my blu-ray player it is playing it from a digital file.
Alas, underneath the glossy glassy cover is a glossy screen. This has been confirmed by myself as well as countless others who have documented their experiments on the web.
Also, glare protectors don't work very well. For the average user they may be fine, but they are not in any way an appropriate or adequate solution for a professional designer.
I am very open to solutions, and still to this day continue to search for alternatives to a matte screen. I would love to buy an iMac, I just can't until either Apple offers a matte screen option or a 3rd party manufacturer offers some kind of matte solution that is adequate for a graphic designer.
That's right, as I've been trying to tell people here, the panel is glossy, just as it is in the MBP glossy models. Some people are insisting that they are matte, but they are not.
Yes but until Managed Copy comes out there's no way to backup a Blu-ray disc so while it offers more in audio and video resolution it does not allow you to backup your copy and play from a digital file yet.
There's no way to back up a DVD except by doing it illegally either, so what's the point?
No, glossy. They can't make the LCD plastic as glossy as the glass. It would be too delicate to handle.
What are the tools for measuring glossiness? Clearly the glass panel is LESS glossy than the LCD display, so what is the glossiness level if one image showing a reflection while off is glossy and another object showing no reflection while off is also glossy, because they certainly aren?t the same level of glossiness. Having this all-or-nothing attitude toward the level of glossiness while the display is off, without even a mention of reflections while the backlight is on or the quality of the backlight used is not a scientific approach by any means.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Of course. But BR looks fantastic on a 15 ft screen, it's the best home video format so far.
Quote:
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Leave where again? I don't leave home for my Blu-Rays. I use Netflix for most of them. Amazon for a few that I want to buy. Maybe not as convenient as streaming, but since I don't use a small screen, I think it's worthwhile.
Just because it's streaming doesn't mean a specialized stand-alone device isn't helpful. On a TV, a stand-alone device is usually better for the job than using a computer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenRoethig
As I said earlier, Blu-Ray is 100% backwards compatible with DVDs and CDs. You don't need your old drive or player anymore.
I went back a few steps, before this clarification, it doesn't look like you were clear that you were talking about tossing out the discs or the players.
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross
No, glossy. They can't make the LCD plastic as glossy as the glass. It would be too delicate to handle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
What are the tools for measuring glossiness? Clearly the glass panel is LESS glossy than the LCD display, so what is the glossiness level if one image showing a reflection while off is glossy and another object showing no reflection while off is also glossy, because they certainly aren’t the same level of glossiness. Having this all-or-nothing attitude toward the level of glossiness while the display is off, without even a mention of reflections while the backlight is on or the quality of the backlight used is not a scientific approach by any means.
Plastic generally has a lower index of refraction, so just by that, you can't make it as glossy as glass, less light is reflected. Plastic is generally softer, easier to scuff, so maybe that's what was meant?
Comments
Quest for Life After DVDs
While DVD and Blu-ray will remain a huge profit center for years to come, studio executives are finally confronting an uncomfortable reality: little silver discs ? for reasons of convenience, price and consumer burnout ? may never recover their sales power. To grow, studios need to figure out digital distribution.
Quest for Life After DVDs
They are going to have a hard road trying to fix the distribution issues associated with digital downloads, especially in countries with very low download limits. Downloading a (apple wishes) HD moves from iTunes (if they were available in my country) would cost be 25% of my monthly allowance, so adding $15 to the cost of the movie, that is not convenient to me.
While DVD and Blu-ray will remain a huge profit center for years to come, studio executives are finally confronting an uncomfortable reality: little silver discs ? for reasons of convenience, price and consumer burnout ? may never recover their sales power. To grow, studios need to figure out digital distribution.
Quest for Life After DVDs
The problem is complex, I think they need to address more than just device portability. But that's a bit of a problem too, having bought a certain movie on iTunes, I don't know if Microsoft, Sony or Amazon would want that movie ported over to their systems without a cut of the action. It's probably in everyone's best interest if they cooperated, but it's a lot like the prisoner's dilemma.
The studios can be just as much control freaks as some technology companies, even more so in some ways. A lot of what is offered on iTunes video & movies is US only, the studios need to stop piecemealing rights into regions and countries, and offer easier ways to acquire global electronic distribution rights.
While DVD and Blu-ray will remain a huge profit center for years to come, studio executives are finally confronting an uncomfortable reality: little silver discs ? for reasons of convenience, price and consumer burnout ? may never recover their sales power. To grow, studios need to figure out digital distribution.
Quest for Life After DVDs
That is true, the problem is that nobody wants to figure it out. The studios want you to rebuy everything so they make more money (they don't care what form you buy your media on, they're getting paid.) and the device makers all want to set themselves for a monopoly. Add to that video compression technology still isn't all that great and nobody wants to work together on a better standard. In other words, its the exact opposite of the situation that lead to the rise of digital music.
The problem is complex, I think they need to address more than just device portability. But that's a bit of a problem too, having bought a certain movie on iTunes, I don't know if Microsoft, Sony or Amazon would want that movie ported over to their systems without a cut of the action. It's probably in everyone's best interest if they cooperated, but it's a lot like the prisoner's dilemma.
The studios can be just as much control freaks as some technology companies, even more so in some ways. A lot of what is offered on iTunes video & movies is US only, the studios need to stop piecemealing rights into regions and countries, and offer easier ways to acquire global electronic distribution rights.
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Streaming/downloading movies is also a compromise with advantages. You can sit at your couch and instantly watch any movie available with little effort. You don't have to buy a specialized stand alone player, you don't have to leave home and buy a disc. For many people this is a valuable compromise for quality.
That is true, the problem is that nobody wants to figure it out. The studios want you to rebuy everything so they make more money (they don't care what form you buy your media on, they're getting paid.) and the device makers all want to set themselves for a monopoly. Add to that video compression technology still isn't all that great and nobody wants to work together on a better standard. In other words, its the exact opposite of the situation that lead to the rise of digital music.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Streaming/downloading movies is also a compromise with advantages. You can sit at your couch and instantly watch any movie available with little effort. You don't have to buy a specialized stand alone player, you don't have to leave home and buy a disc. For many people this is a valuable compromise for quality.
Digital downloads is also to get people to buy everything all over again. If you look at the iTunes store, there are movies on sale. And if you want to watch the download on your TV, you need to buy a stand-alone device. I do Netflix and Amazon so I don't have to go to the store. And leaving home isn't a bad thing since I have to do that for my other shopping anyway. And if I were to compromise on picture quality, I don't have to spend anything at all with my DVD players (and my old movies still play, woo-hoo).
Downloading movies may be great for those people with super fast internet but it is pretty painful for people like me that have 1.5 Mbps DSL. And no, I really don't want to pay more for internet just so I can download movies.
I bought the stand-alone device for my TV (AppleTV) thinking downloads would be good but it really has not been a good experience for me. The disc has been a much better experience for me.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
Really? Because I thought it was to offer a superior product for those who appreciate it? Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible with DVDs, so why would I have to repurchase all of my DVDs in Blu-Ray format? If I wanted to move to a streaming-only setup however I would legally have to repurchase every film I own in an electronic, DMR'd format. Which would be quite difficult considering Apple's iTunes only offers 71 movies for HD purchase at this time.
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Of course Blu-Ray wouldn't hold up on a 50 foot screen, but what does that have to do with home viewing?
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Streaming/downloading movies is also a compromise with advantages. You can sit at your couch and instantly watch any movie available with little effort. You don't have to buy a specialized stand alone player, you don't have to leave home and buy a disc. For many people this is a valuable compromise for quality.
You have to purchase a device for streaming, as well. It doesn't just come out of thin air. And until streaming offers a plethora of film for purchase in HD — not just 71 (the number currently available on iTunes) — the whole "convenience" argument is void. Movies aren't only available for a short time on Blu-Ray before disappearing, nor does one have to wait months after the DVD release before they can obtain one. Additionally, if I rent 2 Blu-Ray discs at a time through NetFlix and watch/return them as quickly as they come I could conceivably watch 20 Blu-Rays a month for $17; the same number of films from a streaming service would cost $80 to rent in HD, be a fraction of the quality, and that's assuming I could even find 20 HD movies worth renting from the limited selection. Streaming is a sound theory, but the content, short window releases and pricing makes it a highly unrealistic option.
The best option on the market right now is a Blu-Ray player with streaming capabilities thrown in for free, most notably the LG 390 with both netflix and VUDU streaming and wi-fi built in. That way one can rely on streaming on the oft-occasion that the movie you want is actually available in HD (particularly VUDU's vastly-superior HDX format), and all of the other times you can play an honest to goodness HD optical disc.
Making iPhone apps on this setup it absolutely a dream...
What I love about the new iMac is how absolutely perfect the colors are. Even my recent purchase, a 24" LED ACD looks yellow sitting next to it... a bit annoying in a way but makes me even happier about my new iMac purchase.
The LED MBPs had a yellow tint but running through the system prefs > displays > color > calibrate should allow you to match the displays.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
Its fully backwards compatible with DVD (and) with up convert features. You can toss your DVD as soon as you get your Blu-Ray.
Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
If you want to pay 4 times as much as you would going to a red box machine.
Its fully backwards compatible with DVD (and) with up convert features. You can toss your DVD as soon as you get your Blu-Ray.
Bad idea.
DVD is infinitely easier to rip than a Blu-ray disc on Macs.
Bad idea.
DVD is infinitely easier to rip than a Blu-ray disc on Macs.
As I said earlier, Blu-Ray is 100% backwards compatible with DVDs and CDs. You don't need your old drive or player anymore.
As I said earlier, Blu-Ray is 100% backwards compatible with DVDs and CDs. You don't need your old drive or player anymore.
Yes but until Managed Copy comes out there's no way to backup a Blu-ray disc so while it offers more in audio and video resolution it does not allow you to backup your copy and play from a digital file yet.
Yes but until Managed Copy comes out there's no way to backup a Blu-ray disc so while it offers more in audio and video resolution it does not allow you to backup your copy and play from a digital file yet.
Technically you are wrong, when I grab a blu-ray movie (well a DVD as well) and put it in my blu-ray player it is playing it from a digital file.
Alas, underneath the glossy glassy cover is a glossy screen. This has been confirmed by myself as well as countless others who have documented their experiments on the web.
Also, glare protectors don't work very well. For the average user they may be fine, but they are not in any way an appropriate or adequate solution for a professional designer.
I am very open to solutions, and still to this day continue to search for alternatives to a matte screen. I would love to buy an iMac, I just can't until either Apple offers a matte screen option or a 3rd party manufacturer offers some kind of matte solution that is adequate for a graphic designer.
That's right, as I've been trying to tell people here, the panel is glossy, just as it is in the MBP glossy models. Some people are insisting that they are matte, but they are not.
The iFixit images look pretty matte to me. At the very least the LCD panel considerably less glossy than the glass panel, according to the pics below.
No, glossy. They can't make the LCD plastic as glossy as the glass. It would be too delicate to handle.
Yes but until Managed Copy comes out there's no way to backup a Blu-ray disc so while it offers more in audio and video resolution it does not allow you to backup your copy and play from a digital file yet.
There's no way to back up a DVD except by doing it illegally either, so what's the point?
No, glossy. They can't make the LCD plastic as glossy as the glass. It would be too delicate to handle.
What are the tools for measuring glossiness? Clearly the glass panel is LESS glossy than the LCD display, so what is the glossiness level if one image showing a reflection while off is glossy and another object showing no reflection while off is also glossy, because they certainly aren?t the same level of glossiness. Having this all-or-nothing attitude toward the level of glossiness while the display is off, without even a mention of reflections while the backlight is on or the quality of the backlight used is not a scientific approach by any means.
Well yeah that's the idea of Blu-ray is to get people to buy everything all over again.
As far as video quality, its all about which compromise fits you best. Blu-ray is not the pinnacle of digital viewing quality. If you could see 2K digital projection on a 50' screen, against Blu-ray, you would see a clear difference.
Of course. But BR looks fantastic on a 15 ft screen, it's the best home video format so far.
Blu-ray is a compromise that balances quality for cost. There are disadvantages to Blu-ray. You have to purchase a stand alone player. You have to go to a store search for and purchase discs. Today there is no need to buy stand alone players or leave home to buy discs to watch movies.
Leave where again? I don't leave home for my Blu-Rays. I use Netflix for most of them. Amazon for a few that I want to buy. Maybe not as convenient as streaming, but since I don't use a small screen, I think it's worthwhile.
Just because it's streaming doesn't mean a specialized stand-alone device isn't helpful. On a TV, a stand-alone device is usually better for the job than using a computer.
As I said earlier, Blu-Ray is 100% backwards compatible with DVDs and CDs. You don't need your old drive or player anymore.
I went back a few steps, before this clarification, it doesn't look like you were clear that you were talking about tossing out the discs or the players.
No, glossy. They can't make the LCD plastic as glossy as the glass. It would be too delicate to handle.
What are the tools for measuring glossiness? Clearly the glass panel is LESS glossy than the LCD display, so what is the glossiness level if one image showing a reflection while off is glossy and another object showing no reflection while off is also glossy, because they certainly aren’t the same level of glossiness. Having this all-or-nothing attitude toward the level of glossiness while the display is off, without even a mention of reflections while the backlight is on or the quality of the backlight used is not a scientific approach by any means.
Plastic generally has a lower index of refraction, so just by that, you can't make it as glossy as glass, less light is reflected. Plastic is generally softer, easier to scuff, so maybe that's what was meant?