General Discussion Streaming Frustrations, Part 2 (2 Viewers)

[Sam Posten]

The streaming wars are over

In November 2019, Disney debuted Disney+, kicking off the so-called streaming wars and prompting companies across the media world to spend billions of dollars to launch services to take on Netflix.

www.cnn.com

 

[DaveF]

The streaming wars are over

In November 2019, Disney debuted Disney+, kicking off the so-called streaming wars and prompting companies across the media world to spend billions of dollars to launch services to take on Netflix.

www.cnn.com

Some thoughts:

The broad strokes are good. Prices are increasing. There’s less free stock-market money to spend on content. Competition is increasing. Netflix’s early mover advantage is eroding, maybe gone, and Disney’s early crazy-low-price play has paid off, allowing them to move prices up towards normal.

But the headline and their quote-giver overplay the thesis.

The headline, “The Streaming Wars are Over” is obviously simply wrong. But we should always ignore all headlines as they’re generally just wrong, meant to get clicks, not inform. And we know it’s wrong because there are still so many streaming companies competing aggressively and undergoing major internal struggles. The ”streaming wars” will be over when it’s down to an oligopoly of two or three providers competing in the way that VZW and ATT “compete” for internet customers or cable TV customers.

And the framing that just because “win at any cost” is no longer literally true it’s game over, is clearly too reductive. The finances might not allow the “any cost” we‘ve had the past five years but that doesn’t mean that “very high cost” isn’t still available. They’re all still spending huge huge money chasing after their own Game of Thrones and MCU franchise. Or in the case of HBO, just trying to strike fire again with GoT pre/sequel. Or Disney, just continue milking that MCU cow. And Prime doing LOTR with all its money.

And Disney demonstrates that the major players are still very competitive for customers. D+ with MCU and Star Wars — why aren’t they $20/mo? But Disney, even with this price jump, is still one of the cheaper options. They’re like Paramount+, and still cheaper than HBO and Netflix. And they’ve added ad-supported version to bring prices down still for price sensitive or less discriminating customers. Because the know the ”streaming wars” aren’t over. They’ve still got to produce massive MCU and Star Wars TV series and movies and they’re still competing for customers. But are managing costs because they’ve not yet eliminated the competition.

Apple is still at $5/mo or arguably free in a services bundle. Prime is still free, bundled with free-shipping. Because they’re still in a “streaming wars” for customers with everyone else and are competing hard on price as they build their libraries.

Streaming Wars are very much alive. But they’re entering a new phase of some internal overhaul and the unraveling of cable contracts and re-orgs play out more overtly.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I don’t understand why all of this has to be framed as a “war” or why investors and the stock market are so obsessed with chasing unsustainable growth. (Well, I do understand it but I think it’s foolish.)

The goal shouldn’t be having the absolute maximum possible number of subscribers. The goal should be to have a maintainable number of subscribers, guaranteeing steady revenue, and using that revenue to create and support content which keeps those subscribers engaged.

It’s bizarre that we live in a world where these companies have tens of millions (and over a hundred million for some) subscribers and that the focus is always on more, more, more, instead of looking at that as a win and figuring out how to keep it sustainable.

The win at all cost mentality that Wall Street rewards is destructive to this industry because it forces the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I don’t understand why all of this has to be framed as a “war” or why investors and the stock market are so obsessed with chasing unsustainable growth. (Well, I do understand it but I think it’s foolish.)

The goal shouldn’t be having the absolute maximum possible number of subscribers. The goal should be to have a maintainable number of subscribers, guaranteeing steady revenue, and using that revenue to create and support content which keeps those subscribers engaged.

It’s bizarre that we live in a world where these companies have tens of millions (and over a hundred million for some) subscribers and that the focus is always on more, more, more, instead of looking at that as a win and figuring out how to keep it sustainable.

The win at all cost mentality that Wall Street rewards is destructive to this industry because it forces the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

Not all that different from the bizarre “maximum click-thrus” from the early days of the internet…

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[Capt D McMars]

a short history lesson to think about -

Why’d That Movie Disappear? Welcome to Streaming’s Memory Hole Era

If 'American Pickle' doesn't exist on HBO Max now, did it ever? Or: A new generation realizes that an endless stream of film titles can easily vanish into the online ether.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[TonyD]

My streaming frustration right now is about hdr and Dolby Vision/Atmos content playback.

Recently D+ lost DA playback.
Right now on my Appletv tv4k box I can’t get DV on several different services.
No DV on my Firestick 4K or Atv4K from Amazon Prime.

I think prime only has 3 shows with DV but can’t get it right now on Atv4K or Firestick.
I am getting DV on D+ right now.

Just took about 30 minutes adjusting settings on this tv and the Atv4K box and the Firestick 4K to no avail.

 

[Todd Erwin]

My streaming frustration right now is about hdr and Dolby Vision/Atmos content playback.

Recently D+ lost DA playback.
Right now on my Appletv tv4k box I can’t get DV on several different services.
No DV on my Firestick 4K or Atv4K from Amazon Prime.

I think prime only has 3 shows with DV but can’t get it right now on Atv4K or Firestick.
I am getting DV on D+ right now.

Just took about 30 minutes adjusting settings on this tv and the Atv4K box and the Firestick 4K to no avail.

Atmos has returned to Disney+ on both Roku and Apple TV devices. FireTv devices are lacking both Atmos and DD+ 5.1 for Disney+. Disney+ is aware of the ongoing issue with Atmos on their app for FireStick.

For some reason, Dolby Vision has now stopped working on Prime Video across all devices, including FireStick (although I can get Disney+ in Dolby Vision on my FireStick, just not any form of Dolby audio).

I am guessing they (Amazon) are aware of the issue, but all you can do is complain to them.

 

[Todd Erwin]

My streaming frustration right now is about hdr and Dolby Vision/Atmos content playback.

Recently D+ lost DA playback.
Right now on my Appletv tv4k box I can’t get DV on several different services.
No DV on my Firestick 4K or Atv4K from Amazon Prime.

I think prime only has 3 shows with DV but can’t get it right now on Atv4K or Firestick.
I am getting DV on D+ right now.

Just took about 30 minutes adjusting settings on this tv and the Atv4K box and the Firestick 4K to no avail.

And Amazon apparently has no clue that this is not working.

 

[Robert Crawford]

You would think such issues would lessen by now, but they seem to be getting worse instead of better.

 

[TonyD]

I'm a little glad because I thought it was just me and the settings I had.

I wasn’t able to get 4K on Hulu on the Atv4K either.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I wasn’t able to get 4K on Hulu on the Atv4K either.

I get Hulu in 4K HDR on ATV4K without issue. DV, though, has been broken on Hulu for ATV4K for some time now. I do get Hulu in DV on both Roku and FireStick.

 

[TonyD]

I didn’t even know Hulu had DV.

 

[TonyD]

Todd. Can you tell me a couple of shows that have DV on Hulu?

 

[Todd Erwin]

Todd. Can you tell me a couple of shows that have DV on Hulu?

Only Murders in the Building
The Dropout

 

[TonyD]

Hmm.
We watched Murders first two seaons on our Atv4K and it only had hdr10 no DV was offered.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Hmm.
We watched Murders first two seaons on our Atv4K and it only had hdr10 no DV was offered.

And like I said above, DV has been broken on the ATV Hulu app for some time. The show is in DV on the apps for both Roku and FireTV.

 

[TonyD]

Yep.
DV on Firestick.

 

[TonyD]

Welp now I can’t get DV on Peacock.
Tried to watch Halloween Ends which is tagged as DV but on the tv app, the Firestick and ATV4K. No DV

 

[Todd Erwin]

Welp now I can’t get DV on Peacock.
Tried to watch Halloween Ends which is tagged as DV but on the tv app, the Firestick and ATV4K. No DV

From what I have read, only Xfinity (naturally), Roku, and Android devices and televisions support Peacock in Dolby Vision, and also requires a Premium or Premium Plus subscription.