Press Release Announcing the launch of MOVIES ANYWHERE (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

Perhaps they get more monies from home video sales and rentals than they do from movies playing in movie theaters across the nation after 3 months. You would think Disney had some financial analysis done between the two revenue streams.

Oh for sure.

But all of that is short-term gain.

What is less quantifiable is how much they lose from teaching people since it's only going to take 13 weeks or so for something to show up on Blu-ray, because inevitably over time people will start to think, "Oh, it's okay, that's not very long, I can wait" and skip the theater trip altogether. It may not have happened on Black Panther. It may not happen on Infinity War. But it certainly will start to happen sooner or later. And that is the long-rang view Disney isn't taking into account as much as the financial analysis you are talking about, which certainly tells them exactly what you think it does.

 

[Tino]

Good for you.

Just trying to help.

 

[Rodney]

...streaming as come a long ways since I first try streaming back in the day with Amazon Prime. The difference in quality is like night and day. No buffering like it used to be. At times, it's hard to tell the difference between a HD stream versus an actual Blu-ray playback of the same movie. I do watch a lot more movies since retirement, but I've been doing so with DVD, Blu-ray, 4K/UHD and streaming.

Answering something you said to Crawdaddy: the current state of streaming is FAN tastic. Don’t avoid streams because of quality, that’s just silly in 2018.

So, I'm a relatively new convert to streaming, as I still like the ability to have control over my access, and not cede it to others. However, I have been watching more streaming, but I have to say the quality isn't consistent, and I do get audio drops now and then, as well as (rarely, but happens) a drop from HD in the quality. I've also noticed sometimes when a camera pans the pan is jerky, rather than a smooth process. Most of my viewing is Amazon Prime.

I'm assuming from your posts that you are not seeing what I am seeing so I'm wondering what you two use as your platform to stream movies. Is it an Apple TV? Or something else?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Just trying to help.

Sorry, but I wasn't in the mood to read what I should have done after I already did something else.

 

[Robert Crawford]

So, I'm a relatively new convert to streaming, as I still like the ability to have control over my access, and not cede it to others. However, I have been watching more streaming, but I have to say the quality isn't consistent, and I do get audio drops now and then, as well as (rarely, but happens) a drop from HD in the quality. I've also noticed sometimes when a camera pans the pan is jerky, rather than a smooth process. Most of my viewing is Amazon Prime.

I'm assuming from your posts that you are not seeing what I am seeing so I'm wondering what you two use as your platform to stream movies. Is it an Apple TV? Or something else?

Amazon Prime is my least favorite because I think their PQ isn't on the same level as Vudu or iTunes. I use AppleTV4 and Roku Ultra for my streaming needs.

 

[Wayne_j]

I don't think there is much risk of people skipping the theater all together for films as big as Avengers.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don't think there is much risk of people skipping the theater all together for films as big as Avengers.

I do as I rather see such films first on largest screen possible with Dolby Atmos audio.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm having trouble with Black Panther propagating from Movies Anywhere to other services. After I redeemed the code at MA , it was only on MA site for a good 12 hours. It finally showed up in Vudu and Amazon Prime on Friday. It's been more than 48 hours later since I redeemed the code on Thursday and it's still not listed iTunes. Also, it is in 4K on Vudu and Amazon Prime.

Anyhow, I just took care of that Black Panther issue as it's now in my iTunes library.

 

[Tino]

Sorry, but I wasn't in the mood to read what I should have done after I already did something else.

Sorry Crawdaddy. I wasn’t suggesting you do anything. I was Just stating what I did.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

So, I'm a relatively new convert to streaming, as I still like the ability to have control over my access, and not cede it to others. However, I have been watching more streaming, but I have to say the quality isn't consistent, and I do get audio drops now and then, as well as (rarely, but happens) a drop from HD in the quality. I've also noticed sometimes when a camera pans the pan is jerky, rather than a smooth process. Most of my viewing is Amazon Prime.

I'm assuming from your posts that you are not seeing what I am seeing so I'm wondering what you two use as your platform to stream movies. Is it an Apple TV? Or something else?

Usually issues like you are describing are either due to a congested Internet connection on your end or server congestion on the streaming provider's side. I will on rare occasions get congestion on our side. Hulu's had an issue once or twice since we've used them, and NHL.tv has been the most problematic for having server issues.

I have both an Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra. The Apple product has been pretty problem-free since I got it, while the Roku has been fraught with software issues. Roku's quality control for software upgrades is the worst I have ever seen, and I was in IT for over 35 years.

 

[Tino]

Anyhow, I just took care of that Black Panther issue as it's now in my iTunes library.

Robert.

Here Is a link to a site I use to determine where to redeem my 4K codes. I may have gotten it somewhere in this thread. Hope it helps you and others.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZsJkCX4DIv2oeCKQ7zp2ArkR1qKEXCUuCMBbUtHtmh4/htmlview#

 

[Mark-P]

So for Memorial Day I watched the gorgeous Australian Blu-ray of Gallipoli and it made me yearn for more Peter Weir in HD. It’s been a while since I saw The Year of Living Dangerously and as I owned the DVD I figured, what the hell, I’ll just do a Vudu disc-to-digital conversion for five bucks. The bad news is that on iTunes, Vudu, and FandangoNow it is cropped to 1.78:1. It is in the correct 2.35:1 on Amazon and Movies Anywhere. So the services that have the correct aspect ratio are the ones with the crappiest streaming quality! Naturally

 

[Sam Posten]

Report it

 

[Mark-P]

Report it

To whom? Warner? iTunes customer service doesn’t do anything other than issue a refund if you have any complaint at all.

 

[Cranston37+]

To whom? Warner? iTunes customer service doesn’t do anything other than issue a refund if you have any complaint at all.

I’ve reported films to iTunes in the past and they’ve managed to get corrected copies from the studios, although it doesn’t happen overnight...

 

[Mark-P]

I’ve reported films to iTunes in the past and they’ve managed to get corrected copies from the studios, although it doesn’t happen overnight...

I’ve only got a “sorry you weren’t happy, here’s a refund” response whenever I contact them. I think I’m dealing with the wrong people. Rather than the account/billing customer service there has to be a way to get a hold of someone who deals with iTunes content. There is a “request a title” service but that’s akin to a suggestion drop box that nobody ever looks at.

 

[JPCinema]

The worst is the still pan and scan of the first Cinemscope film THE ROBE on iTunes. iTunes charged quite a bit for it too!
Vudu and Amazon have great Cinemascope transfers.
Does iTunes not care?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Man, I've been purchasing a bunch of titles lately from iTunes.

This is where Movies Anywhere really ups my digital streaming purchases. Vudu is my strongly favored platform of choice, so in the past I'd only buy movies if Vudu had them on sale.

But now, if they're from a Movies Anywhere studio, I can buy them at any of the participating digital retailers and still watch them on Vudu.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

This is where Movies Anywhere really ups my digital streaming purchases. Vudu is my strongly favored platform of choice, so in the past I'd only buy movies if Vudu had them on sale.

But now, if they're from a Movies Anywhere studio, I can buy them at any of the participating digital retailers and still watch them on Vudu.

The only "fly in the ointment" in this scenario is if you have a 4K setup, the titles do not always transfer over as UHD to Vudu -- instead many transfer as HDX. I recently bought three UHD titles on iTunes for $10 each -- The Shape of Water, The Post, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri -- and all three show up as HDX on Vudu. I haven't checked which versions I have on Amazon.

This isn't a big deal for me personally, since I have the ability to play 4K material via any of the streaming services at home, and if we are traveling and I do not have access to iTunes playback I won't have a 4K playback system anyway. But it's just part of the biggest issue I have with MA -- redeeming digital codes when you have purchased a UHD disc requires some sort of advanced degree to figure out where to redeem that code to give you the best chance of getting a UHD streaming version with one or more of the services.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The only "fly in the ointment" in this scenario is if you have a 4K setup, the titles do not always transfer over as UHD to Vudu -- instead many transfer as HDX. I recently bought three UHD titles on iTunes for $10 each -- The Shape of Water, The Post, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri -- and all three show up as HDX on Vudu. I haven't checked which versions I have on Amazon.

This isn't a big deal for me personally, since I have the ability to play 4K material via any of the streaming services at home, and if we are traveling and I do not have access to iTunes playback I won't have a 4K playback system anyway. But it's just part of the biggest issue I have with MA -- redeeming digital codes when you have purchased a UHD disc requires some sort of advanced degree to figure out where to redeem that code to give you the best chance of getting a UHD streaming version with one or more of the services.

It's because Vudu has only HDX on those three titles. The lack of uniformity across those services is the one thing holding these applications back. If one has it in 4K then all of them should be offering it in 4K. Also, those last three main studios outside of the Movies Anywhere universe is the other main issue remaining to be resolved. Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount.