Press Release Announcing the launch of MOVIES ANYWHERE (2 Viewers)

[Scott Merryfield]

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.

Exactly. The consumer shouldn't have to check each and every service to see which quality or aspect ratio (if you can even find that info) a title is offered in, nor should people have to refer to an online spreadsheet maintained by an individual person to determine where best to redeem a digital code. It shouldn't be this hard.

Imagine if UHD discs you bought at Best Buy would only play at 4K in Sony and Opp players, while UHD discs bought at Wall-Mart played in 4K on LG and Panasonic players only, and discs purchased via Amazon played in some other combo of player brands. That's essentially what we have with Movies Anywhere.

 

[Sam Posten]

Boy, I know I’ve heard those arguments somewhere before but I can’t remember where

It seems like Apple is a first class citizen with 4k scnas but no Atmos and Vudu is a first class only when they carry the UHD and the studio gives UHD access on code redemption. It's a weird situation.

Atmos on ATV beta in 7 days is my biggest hope. For me then the ATV becomes the one box to rule them all. Doesn't work for everyone tho...

 

[Tino]

It has surpassed Vudu as my #1 choice for streaming. Thanks mostly to the great iTunes extras.

I would rank them
iTunes
Vudu
Amazon
Fandango
And whatever is left.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

It has surpassed Vudu as my #1 choice for streaming. Thanks mostly to the great iTunes extras.

I would rank them
iTunes
Vudu
Amazon
Fandango
And whatever is left.

Based on how I use the services, I would rank them:

iTunes: Good sale prices on UHD films
Amazon: I rent more here due to Prime "anytime shipping" giving me $1 credits towards digital purchases/rentals
Vudu: used to be #1, but acquiring an ATV4K opened up iTunes to me and Amazon's rental credits move them above Vudu
Hulu: get this service for free through Sprint and will watch the occasional movie there, although use it more for TV shows
Google: have rented 1-2 films through them during $1 specials

I've never used Fandango, although I do have an account that was setup to get one or two free movies being offered through them.

 

[Randy Korstick]

For me:
Fandango Now -Due to the best prices in the classic Disney Live Action Films.
Amazon
Vudu
Can't rank iTunes since they make it extremely difficult and next to impossible for anyone without an apple computer or apple devices to use it.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Can't rank iTunes since they make it extremely difficult and next to impossible for anyone without an apple computer or apple devices to use it.

I am not really part of the Apple ecosystem, either. I acquired an Apple TV 4K a few weeks ago, but otherwise the only other Apple product I currently own is an iPad (which I need to take to the Apple Store because it keeps randomly rebooting). I buy films either through the ATV4K or from iTunes loaded on my Windows 10 PC -- I've kept my music collection organized with iTunes for Windows since I bought my first iPod with a 40GB hard drive many years ago. I recently accidentally ran my iPod Nano through the washing machine and clothes dryer, so I'm without an iPod for the first time in a very long time. Since Apple no longer makes iPods, I will have to use my Android phone as a portable music player from now on. My wife still has her iPod Nano, though.

Even without a Mac or iPhone, I still find the ATV4K is a more solid streaming device than the four different Roku boxes we own. Roku's 4K models have given me a lot of problems, which is why I added the ATV4K. It runs all the streaming apps I need except for the Comcast Xfinity app which acts as a replacement for extra cable convertors, and Google Play (which I rarely use).

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

I am not really part of the Apple ecosystem, either. I acquired an Apple TV 4K a few weeks ago, but otherwise the only other Apple product I currently own is an iPad (which I need to take to the Apple Store because it keeps randomly rebooting). I buy films either through the ATV4K or from iTunes loaded on my Windows 10 PC -- I've kept my music collection organized with iTunes for Windows since I bought my first iPod with a 40GB hard drive many years ago. I recently accidentally ran my iPod Nano through the washing machine and clothes dryer, so I'm without an iPod for the first time in a very long time. Since Apple no longer makes iPods, I will have to use my Android phone as a portable music player from now on. My wife still has her iPod Nano, though.

Even without a Mac or iPhone, I still find the ATV4K is a more solid streaming device than the four different Roku boxes we own. Roku's 4K models have given me a lot of problems, which is why I added the ATV4K. It runs all the streaming apps I need except for the Comcast Xfinity app which acts as a replacement for extra cable convertors, and Google Play (which I rarely use).

Outside of Vudu, which other ATV available apps
Stream of in 4k?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Outside of Vudu, which other ATV available apps
Stream of in 4k?

I'm not sure of the complete list, but the 4K apps I use are iTunes, Amazon and Vudu. I think YouTube may be 4K, too, but I really don't use that app on a streaming box.

 

[Randy Korstick]

I am not really part of the Apple ecosystem, either. I acquired an Apple TV 4K a few weeks ago, but otherwise the only other Apple product I currently own is an iPad (which I need to take to the Apple Store because it keeps randomly rebooting). I buy films either through the ATV4K or from iTunes loaded on my Windows 10 PC -- I've kept my music collection organized with iTunes for Windows since I bought my first iPod with a 40GB hard drive many years ago. I recently accidentally ran my iPod Nano through the washing machine and clothes dryer, so I'm without an iPod for the first time in a very long time. Since Apple no longer makes iPods, I will have to use my Android phone as a portable music player from now on. My wife still has her iPod Nano, though.

Even without a Mac or iPhone, I still find the ATV4K is a more solid streaming device than the four different Roku boxes we own. Roku's 4K models have given me a lot of problems, which is why I added the ATV4K. It runs all the streaming apps I need except for the Comcast Xfinity app which acts as a replacement for extra cable convertors, and Google Play (which I rarely use).

I used to stream through my Sony Blu Ray on AT & T using existing phone lines and got frequent and frustrating lag. I switched to spectrum and they upgraded the phone lines to fiber optic lines. I then upgraded to a Roku and I have had flawless streaming on everything. But no access to iTunes through Roku or my Android phone. I wouldn't even consider getting a Appletv or Ipad just to get iTunes as everything I have works great. Apple is sending me a clear message that they don't want my business and I'm fine with that since I'm very happy with what I have and don't need any more services.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I used to stream through my Sony Blu Ray on AT & T using existing phone lines and got frequent and frustrating lag. I switched to spectrum and they upgraded the phone lines to fiber optic lines. I then upgraded to a Roku and I have had flawless streaming on everything. But no access to iTunes through Roku or my Android phone. I wouldn't even consider getting a Appletv or Ipad just to get iTunes as everything I have works great. Apple is sending me a clear message that they don't want my business and I'm fine with that since I'm very happy with what I have and don't need any more services.

If my Roku Ultra 4K streamer hadn't given me so many problems over the past year, I may not have acquired the ATV4K, either. However, I used some Amazon credits to get the Apple product with no out of pocket expense, and iTunes does have some very good deals on UHD films at times, so I'm happy with my choice. It gives me another avenue to buy or rent 4k films besides Vudu or Amazon.

 

[Mark-P]

Has anyone purchased The Sons of Katie Elder on iTunes? I know that since it's a Paramount title which isn't part of MA, this is somewhat off-topic, but some of the comments on the page claim that the movie is pan-and-scan. I'd like confirmation that it is 2.35:1 before I buy.

This morning I did some "Disc to Digital" on Vudu as it's cheaper to do that than to buy the digital copies on Vudu or iTunes. DVD to HDX is $5.00 while doing so for a Blu-ray is $2.00 compared to buying HD Digital copies on Vudu or iTunes for as much as $17.99, with most of them running $9.99 to $12.99-14.99

Bronco Billy
Halloween II
Bird
Back to Bataan
Twister
Gunga Din
The Frogmen
The Sons of Katie Elder
Some Kind of Wonderful
The Carpetbaggers

All of them except the Paramount titles showed up on iTunes too. All titles are on UV while except for the Paramount titles on MA.

By the way, certain titles are only available in SD on Vudu while being HD on iTunes so I experimented with one of those titles "The Wings of Eagles". After doing the "Disc to Digital", it was SD on Vudu and remain SD on iTunes, so no upgrade with my $2.00 experiment.

Robert, since you bought it on Vudu, can you at least confirm it is 2.35:1 there?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Has anyone purchased The Sons of Katie Elder on iTunes? I know that since it's a Paramount title which isn't part of MA, this is somewhat off-topic, but some of the comments on the page claim that the movie is pan-and-scan. I'd like confirmation that it is 2.35:1 before I buy.


Robert, since you bought it on Vudu, can you at least confirm it is 2.35:1 there?

Yes, The Sons of Katie Elder is in 2.35:1 ratio on Vudu.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Atmos on ATV beta in 7 days is my biggest hope. For me then the ATV becomes the one box to rule them all. Doesn't work for everyone tho...

Sam,

Are there rumors that Apple is getting closer to offering Atmos on ATV4K?

 

[Mark-P]

Yes, The Sons of Katie Elder is in 2.35:1 ratio on Vudu.

Even though iTunes is my preferred platform, I think to be on the safe side I should go with Vudu disc-to-digital in this case since you’ve confirmed that it is correct, and at least 2 recent reviews at iTunes say it is cropped there.

 

[Cranston37+]

Are there rumors that Apple is getting closer to offering Atmos on ATV4K?

Monday is Apple’s big event, so if it’s coming soon we’ll probably know then...

 

[Sam Posten]

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/watch-apple-wwdc18-keynote-live-june-4/

No rumors at all. Just my personal hope that it is a tentpole feature

 

[Cranston37+]

Sam,

Are there rumors that Apple is getting closer to offering Atmos on ATV4K?

They just announced Atmos!

 

[Robert Crawford]

They just announced Atmos!

Any date for implementation?

 

[Cranston37+]

Any date for implementation?

Fall, along with all the other OS’s announced today. Upgrades are free.

As Apple pointed out, Apple TV 4K is the only streaming box officially certified for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

I would now love for them to make an Atmos soundbar much like their HomePod...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Most of this has been posted elsewhere on the forum, but for those that don't venture the hardware areas here you go as it pertains to Apple TV.

https://www.mediaplaynews.com/apple...-for-apple-tv-4k-announces-deal-with-charter/