Digital Stream: Television News

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.darkhorizons.com/harley-quinn-spin-off-series-planned/

Animated series Harley Quinn is getting a spin-off titled Noonan's. The new show follows Kite Man who buys the bar that is frequented by infamous supervillains.

https://www.darkhorizons.com/halo-series-gets-another-trailer/

A new trailer for Halo, early reviews are coming in very mixed which isn't much of a shock to me given Halo doesn't exactly have a good storyline

[Neon Ignition]

I say this now but once 8K starts moving I'm not sure I'd bother upgrading the discs I own. 4K disc media has been slow to sell as it is so for 8K I feel there's a risk it would be defined as much by what isn't released as what is. Plus, 4K is a world above 720p yet TV typically still happily outputs at this low level so I don't feel like the consumer interest is there to support the steady progression to 8K/16K etc outside of PC, gaming etc

[wakka]

I think, broadly speaking, consumer interest in AV products is driven by cost and convenience, in that order. Picture and sound quality are way down the pecking order.

UHD will only ever be niche, because streaming is both cheaper and more convenient than discs. And the picture quality and sound quality difference is quite narrow. You need pretty good equipment to notice it.

For that reason I'm doubtful there will be a physical format beyond UHD. I think Blus and UHDs will continue to be produced for a long time, because I think fortunately there are enough labels doing great work and enough enthusiasts buying that work to keep the industry going. But I don't see major electronics manufacturers again forming a committee and going to the expense of developing and licensing a new physical format. It just doesn't feel like it's on the cards, to be honest.

Nor do I think we really need it, since as I understand it the detail recoverable from 35mm film maxes out at ~4K resolution, and 99.9% of all the films ever made were shot on 35mm film.

But with all that said - I have absolutely no doubt that they will keep developing new levels of resolution, HDR and colour depth, etc, which will be particularly applicable to new films shot on new 8K, 16K etc equipment (or developed on a computer e.g. Marvel or Pixar CGI). I just think that those will be delivered by streaming, not on disc.

[Atticus]

^^^ I hope that’s the case [MENTION=5490]wakka[/MENTION] as I already feel like I only rent titles until the upgraded format arrives (compounded recently by the number of Arrow blu box sets I had that I sold in anticipation of the incoming 4k versions). 4K UHD feels like it has legs to serve film fans and collectors for many years.

[wakka]

I feel the same way!

[randombs]

I wonder if they’ll upscale 35mm films to 8K or whatever.

[QualityChimp]

Those Netflix Marvel shows have all launched on D+ now.

Might have a crack at them as I only managed Daredevil S1, thinking they'd be on Netflix forever.

[QualityChimp]

Curious.

If you were to recommend only one streaming service to someone who doesn't have any, which would you recommend and why?

Secondly, if you had to drop down to only one streaming service, what would you choose - either for content, or possibly because you feel you've rinsed another one?

[Dogg Thang]

That's an interesting question and I'm not sure where I land. My viewing is pretty spread across the services. While Netflix is probably the one that frustrates me the most because it's a regular thing that I go looking for something I know they had and then it's gone, I think I'd probably end up keeping that only because it has a very wide range of content. Lots of variety. Prime does too but I find it buried in godawful rubbish and Netflix generally seems to get better movies earlier than Prime.

Disney+ is a better proposition now than it used to be now that it has the Star section but I still don't tend to watch all that much on it. Aside from that I currently have AppleTV+, which has a few gems on it but not even close enough to be in the running, and Shudder, which is obviously very niche.

What about you?

[wakka]

I would probably recommend Netflix, but I'd probably keep Prime. Prime has a selection of films that tends a bit more towards the obscure. Netflix's licensed films are usually really popular stuff, which makes it easy to recommend, but also means I've often seen what they get on there about a million times.

Netflix's user experience is about a million times better than Prime's, though. Their software is really bad and I don't like using it.

Disney isn't remotely in the running for me. I get a month now and again just to watch old episodes of The Simpsons, which I love it for, but there's practically nothing else on there for me. I have never subscribed to AppleTV+ for the same reason.

Honestly, all in, I'm kind of a weirdo and I don't really watch much on them in the 'free' libraries. Every time I want to watch a film it's something I either need to pay for via Prime/Apple or buy/rent the Blu of. It's vanishingly rare that what I want to watch at a given moment seems to align with what's in the included libraries! I don't really watch TV series at all (again, weirdo over here).

My partner is a number one Netflix superfan though, so there's no chance of me getting rid of that, and I need Prime for the shipping, so neither are going anywhere in my house

[QualityChimp]

What about you?

Thanks. I purposely flit between the different services because I have them all except Apple+ and Shudder!

On a Friday, I pop into NowTV for the big cinema releases (I watch some of the Arts stuff like the Director anthology, Classic Albums and live concerts).

I've enjoyed all the Disney+ shows like the Marvel and Star Wars ones and I have a few in the bank to go, especially now the Netflix ones are on there too. The kids love D+ with shows like Gravity Falls. I can't get them to gel with the classics like Gummy Bears, though.

Amazon has some solid stuff and bizarrely gets overlooked, but with big releases like Copshop or Palm Springs and new series like Reacher, Bosch or The Boys. The thing I really like that Prime covers that the others don't is it feels like a 1980's video rental shop with titles like The Beyond, Dreamscape, Xtro or Nemesis.
Having it as a bonus to Amazon Prime is also a boon.

I think I'd probably choose Netflix, though. It feels like my go-to service with loads of series to watch like The Office etc., but also a big appeal to me is the access to international films like Lost Bullet, The Platform, Squid Game or #Alive.

They really all do have their own strengths and weaknesses!

[QualityChimp]

Embedded Tweet

[Asura]

If you were to recommend only one streaming service to someone who doesn't have any, which would you recommend and why?

Disney+, and I don't even need to think about it. The sheer breadth of content on that service is pretty staggering, for all ages, and there's more being added all the time. And that comes from someone who subbed to Netflix the first day they opened in the UK; their heyday has long since passed. They're going to lose all Star Trek soon and that's when I'll unsub and just pick them up when they have something specific I want to watch.

They're padded out with so much dross. Amazon have the same problem, too. I actually navigate Netflix more via the googleTV front-end now, because it shows movies via RottenTomatoes ratings, and not Netflix's own rating where the crappest of crap gets a 74%.

Finally, Netflix has something I can't disable - it auto-plays stuff. It makes sounds happen when I'm just navigating the interface. I don't know who implemented that but I want to give them a slap, audibly, loudly, and suddenly while they're doing something else. That annoys me enough to almost want to unsub on its own.

Secondly, if you had to drop down to only one streaming service, what would you choose - either for content, or possibly because you feel you've rinsed another one?

I'm weird with this because mine would be Crunchyroll; though that's just because it has the most stuff on it that I want to watch but haven't gotten around to yet.

[QualityChimp]

Disney+, and I don't even need to think about it. The sheer breadth of content on that service is pretty staggering, for all ages, and there's more being added all the time. And that comes from someone who subbed to Netflix the first day they opened in the UK; their heyday has long since passed. They're going to lose all Star Trek soon and that's when I'll unsub and just pick them up when they have something specific I want to watch.

They're padded out with so much dross. Amazon have the same problem, too. I actually navigate Netflix more via the googleTV front-end now, because it shows movies via RottenTomatoes ratings, and not Netflix's own rating where the crappest of crap gets a 74%.

It's interesting that Netflix have been in debt for years, but had a decent monopoly for a while. You wonder if the erosion of their content and the greater competition will finish them off.

I'm weird with this because mine would be Crunchyroll; though that's just because it has the most stuff on it that I want to watch but haven't gotten around to yet.

I split the question because I thought the same - there are some services we have rinsed and others we haven't.
Wasn't expecting that though, interesting! I'd probably just rewatch the 90s Manga films as I find modern anime has so much padding!

Finally, Netflix has something I can't disable - it auto-plays stuff. It makes sounds happen when I'm just navigating the interface. I don't know who implemented that but I want to give them a slap, audibly, loudly, and suddenly while they're doing something else. That annoys me enough to almost want to unsub on its own.

Does this work?

How to turn off Netflix autoplay trailers
Sign in to Netflix from a web browser.
Select Manage Profiles from the menu.
Select the profile you'd like to update.
Check or uncheck the option to Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices, and Autoplay next episode in a series on all devices.

[Asura]

I split the question because I thought the same - there are some services we have rinsed and others we haven't.
Wasn't expecting that though, interesting! I'd probably just rewatch the 90s Manga films as I find modern anime has so much padding!

Really? Honestly I find modern anime to be much closer to all-killer-no-filler than that of ~15 years ago. Most seasonal shows these days only get seasons of 12 episodes, which usually means they need to get going pretty quick and stay at a pretty brisk pace.

If you get a chance, I recommend a show called A Place Further than the Universe. Really heartwarming drama about a bunch of high-schoolers who go on a trip to Antarctica (it makes sense in context).

How to turn off Netflix autoplay trailers
Sign in to Netflix from a web browser.
Select Manage Profiles from the menu.
Select the profile you'd like to update.
Check or uncheck the option to Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices, and Autoplay next episode in a series on all devices.

Oh thank heavens. That's a new option; I remember when they added the feature, and googling just found tons of people asking the same question. I tried again weeks later, same result, so I just assumed Netflix believed that whatever metric they were using to judge it showed people used the service more with it on.