The Decline of the Blu-ray Player

[flatliner]

In the not so distant past, the primary reason for owning a VCR, then DVD player, then BD player was to go to the local Blockbuster and rent a movie. That then morphed into the original Netflix, which mailed discs. Now that Blockbuster is a thing of the past, and Netflix transitioned to streaming, the only remaining reason for the average person to own a BD player is to buy a physical copy of the movie. I don't know about you, but I balk at the idea of spending $25 on a movie I'm only going to watch once.

You can still rent Blu-ray from Netflix.... I’ve done that for years.....

[aith01]

Anyway kiddos, go get a job and we'll talk about prog-rock later.

[rcarlberg]

I don't know about you, but I balk at the idea of spending $25 on a movie I'm only going to watch once.

So do what I do.

Take advantage of the rich yahoos who buy a $25 movie and watch it once. Buy it used on Amazon ($6-7) and if you don't think you'll ever watch it again, sell it again on Amazon. Net cost: postage.

[moecurlythanu]

So, if your BR player dies and you can't get a replacement, you'll have to start listening to CDs on a CD player?

I guess that depends on what you have as backup. Besides my Oppo, I have a CD burner.

[moecurlythanu]

So, what are we supposed to do with our blu ray collections?

I'll take 'em.

[philsunset]

I just bought a 4K Blu ray player for my new TV and Criterion movie collection.

Imo, it doesn't really get much better if you love film.

Absolutely!

[dropforge]

I'll take 'em.

Let's flip! Tails!

[jkelman]

Most millennials don't own anything. Most are lazy, stupid, clueless, broke, gullible, and for the most part, useless. Extremely sad but true.

First, this broad generalization is not at all true (I am far from a millennial at 63, but know enough of them to disagree with your "most" characterization). Second, I guess it doesn't bother you to insult an entire generation, some of whom may actually frequent PE and find this whitewashing extremely insulting - or, even worse, there are some millennials who come to check out PE, only to find it a rather unwelcoming place when they encounter comments like this. If it is true that fewer millennials own, say, a hard media player than the previous generation or two, wouldn't it be better to encourage them by treating them with a little respect?

Are we stuck with moving towards downloads only? I am ok with downloads as long as there is the option for 96k/24b or 192k/24b. I see quite a few 44.1k/16 or 24b downloads. Some of the KC downloads on HDtracks come to mind. I figure if it is 44.1k/16b I would prefer to buy the physical media.

Not all downloads can come in 24/96 or 24/192. Some are only available in CD quality (HDTracks actually has a lot of those, at the reduced prices you'd expect). A lot of live recordings seem to be made in 24/44.1 or 24/48, one reason being the higher the resolution the more computing resources are required, and many bands simply don't travel with the higher powered computer with more hard (or flash) drive space required for higher resolution rates, especially if they are recording the multi-tracks to be mixed later, rather than the (usually) stereo soundboard mix.

So, the only rule I have is: if a recording has been originally mastered as 24/192, for example, then that's what I buy rather than 24/96 if it's offered, as downsampling, even in high res, is noticeably different. And the same in reverse also applies: if it was originally mastered, say, as 24/48, then options that upsample to 24/96 or 24/192 are a ripoff, IMHO, in that they yield little, if any diff. So my overall rule is to try and find out the rates in which new masters were originally made, and if I'm looking for high res, stick with those. Sometimes numbers are just numbers and, having purchased a LOT of high res downloads over the last five years or so, I'm finally figuring out what's what (!). But I am curious to hear what moving to 32-bit might reveal....

I've learned, from experience buying too much high res music (!), that it's always advisable not to get too stuck on the numbers (24/192, after all, doesn't sound twice as good as 24/96, for example). My own ears have come to suggest, over time, that it's the move from 16 to 24-bit that renders the biggest bang for the buck, and that 24/44.1 still sounds significantly better than its 16-bit CD counterpart. I don't know about the mathematics of higher resolutions other than that 24 bits pick up much more information than 16 and so, consequently, have the potential for significantly improved sound ... of course it still comes down, at the end of the day, to the engineer doing the work. I've a few Japanese SACDs that should sound better than my old CDs but don't even come close...because the engineer just wasn't that good. In other words, higher resolution media only provides the potential for better sound; whether it actually is or not is entirely up to the engineer doing the transfer/mastering/(in some cases) mixing.

That all said, there can also be extenuating circumstances for things like downsampling which I normally would avoid. With the Crimson 50th anniversary series of rarities that come with David Singleton's commentary, for example, they're all offered either as 320K MP3 or 24/44.1 FLAC at DGM and, even if the high res version of some tracks have been previously issued in higher res (like the recent sneak peak at ReconstruKction of Light's "FraKctured," which will be available in the box(es) at 24/96), I would guess the choice has been made to release the entire series as 24/44.1, so that there is a consistency across all tracks...just like tracks put on a compilation CD are usually remastered to sound as similar as possible in terms of volume and, sometimes, dynamic range, frequency response and other things.

As for buying physical media over 'just' CD quality? Well, sure, if it's still available and at a reasonable (to you) price, then sure, whatever floats your boat. But there are albums being sold as CD quality downloads that are long out of print in any hard media format, so I'm just happy that it's possible to buy many of them in CD quality rather than Apple's 256K AAC or Amazon's 320K MP3 (neither of which I'll buy unless there is absolutely no choice (which is, thankfully, rare).

The first of two such examples are traditional Scottish group, Ossian. I had one CD by them that I bought in the '80s and loved (Dove Across the Water, for anyone interested), so recently went looking and, discovering how hard it was to get the CDs, was thrilled to find it possible to buy the group's entire discography (about half a dozen) in CD quality from, if I recall correctly, the band's site. Ditto, I wanted to dig into Roy Harper after buying CDs of Stormcock and HQ, and found I could by CD quality downloads of many other albums at a more reasonable price than the hard media CD. So I picked up something like eight titles for around than £50, without having to pay expensive shipping rates and getting them immediately).

So, everyone makes their own choices, of course, but for me I tend to buy new single disc titles in high res if possible, only going to CD if unavailable in high res; and I lean more towards hard media for the large box sets...though I do sometimes also buy high res if available, so I can have the entire box(es) in high res AND get the books, like The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's and White Album remixes, where the hardcover books were especially well done.

If I've any beef, it's this: while there are some labels that always include a PDF of the CD booklet when you buy in high res, but far more that don't. And when you pay the premium that you do for high res, it seems to me a bit of a rip off nit to give you the literature, whether it's a booklet or hundred+ page book, in PDF format.

Sorry for the long response, but your comment made me go there

[mozo-pg]

Let's flip! Tails!

Heads, is it!! I'll take 'em.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

I just bought a 4K Blu ray player for my new TV and Criterion movie collection.

Imo, it doesn't really get much better if you love film.

are the 4K players backward compatible with BR and DVD?

[jkelman]

are the 4K players backward compatible with BR and DVD?

Can't speak for all but my OPPO is (also plays sacd ), and I suspect any 4K player would be...

[Mister Triscuits]

cranky old bastards

You rang?

[Shadow]

Go to Best Buy and buy 3 $60 Blu Ray players, that should last you a lifetime.

[Top Cat]

Go to Best Buy and buy 3 $60 Blu Ray players, that should last you a lifetime.

or 91 days after the warranty runs out.

[Progatron]

I've just come across the first disc that my Sony blu-ray is unable to play. Thus far it's played everything I've thrown at it (SACD, DVD-A, the Anglagard blu-ray with the Euro frame rate, etc.) that my previous Panasonic would not play. But this region 2 DVD from the UK refuses to play. I thought that I had played other region DVDs before, but maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. My PC will play it, but any attempts to figure out how to stream it to my TV/Blu-ray have proven brutally frustrating. I think some of this technology is starting to pass me by a bit, I just can't make sense of the instructions I've found online (using VLC player to stream, or hacking the region code). Here I am with all this technology, and I can't even watch a $12 DVD.

[rcarlberg]

When you first buy a DVD player (as I understand it) you have something like three plays before it locks into a region. Region 2 is DESIGNED not to play in Region 1 players -- although a new deck might play it at first.

Blu-Ray discs, by the way, are region-free.

To solve this problem I bought a Region 2 DVD player. I think it was $49.

[Progatron]

When you first buy a DVD player (as I understand it) you have something like three plays before it locks into a region.

Perhaps I played a region 2 when I first got it, to test it out, and this is the next time I've tried one. Could explain it...

Blu-Ray discs, by the way, are region-free.

Yes, although I still had a problem with my Panasonic that would not play the Anglagard or Big Big Train blu-rays because of the different frame rate - but they play perfectly on this one.

[LASERCD]

Blu-Ray discs, by the way, are region-free.

This is not correct. Blu-ray discs are encoded regions A, B, or C. They can also be encoded region free. I'm not sure I've ever run across a music blu-ray that was region encoded but constantly run into the issue with foreign films and tv series which are encoded region B.

[Plasmatopia]

I've just come across the first disc that my Sony blu-ray is unable to play. Thus far it's played everything I've thrown at it (SACD, DVD-A, the Anglagard blu-ray with the Euro frame rate, etc.) that my previous Panasonic would not play. But this region 2 DVD from the UK refuses to play. I thought that I had played other region DVDs before, but maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. My PC will play it, but any attempts to figure out how to stream it to my TV/Blu-ray have proven brutally frustrating. I think some of this technology is starting to pass me by a bit, I just can't make sense of the instructions I've found online (using VLC player to stream, or hacking the region code). Here I am with all this technology, and I can't even watch a $12 DVD.

You could probably find software online that would allow you to rip the DVD to your computer (and remove the region), then burn it to a disc. It's a pain. I haven't bothered messing around with this stuff for years now, but you're right that it can be confusing. Who knows....by now there may be a nice all-in-one piece of software that makes it easy.

[flatliner]

are the 4K players backward compatible with BR and DVD?

Yes...just like all Blu-ray players will play (and upconvert) DVD, 4K players do the same with Blu-ray and DVD....

[rcarlberg]

This is not correct. Blu-ray discs are encoded regions A, B, or C. They can also be encoded region free.

99% of all Blu-Rays -- at least the ones I've encountered -- have been encoded region free. All HD Blu-Rays are region free, and almost all players will play any region.

http://www.miraizon.com/support/info_regioncoding.html

[LASERCD]

99% of all Blu-Rays -- at least the ones I've encountered -- have been encoded region free. All HD Blu-Rays are region free, and almost all players will play any region.

How do you know?

[Progatron]

You could probably find software online that would allow you to rip the DVD to your computer (and remove the region), then burn it to a disc. It's a pain. I haven't bothered messing around with this stuff for years now, but you're right that it can be confusing. Who knows....by now there may be a nice all-in-one piece of software that makes it easy.

Yes I could do that, but as you said, what a pain. Ultimately it's on me - I should have known my player wouldn't play these. But after having it for a few years now, and it playing anything I threw at it, I was just surprised to see an error message appear (those were frequent on the Panasonic). I guess I naively thought I had a region-free player or something.

But what's more vexing is that I can't even figure out how to stream it from the PC (which again, does play the DVD). I know streaming works here, I've done it with video and audio files with reasonable ease. But I'm having trouble deciphering the instructions on how to do it with VLC player (my other streaming software does not play DVDs). Everywhere I read online claims it's a simple process. It's not for me. I used to be so good at this kind of thing...

[nosebone]

I just bought a region B Blu ray that won't play on my new Sony UBP-X700 Ultra HD Blu-ray player, although it was advertised as region free .

[spellbound]

The first danger is the economic divide. The poor lack the equipment to stream movies, or, having the equipment may lack the bandwidth to stream movies. They rely on whatever media players they owned before the jobs disappeared.

The second danger is this:

I do see a danger in the total reliance of technology, for there may come a day when due to power gridlocks or failure of power will leave them helpless. Everyone is so connected to their phone media it's alarming and scary.

This is the case for me, too:

It's funny, I like blu ray for watching concerts, but many of my older DVD's that I upgraded to blu ray versions, I prefer the original DVD's. I don't have surround sound, so stereo movies are fine with me.

Another thing I find annoying about Blu Ray is the user-unfriendly menus, compared to those on DVDs. I don't see a lot of difference in the picture between the two, but DVD plays through my stereo for better sound. Blu Ray will not play through a stereo unless you buy a bunch of extra cables and equipment I am unwilling to purchase, to convert the Blu Ray sound from optical to RCA cable. It's not that I wouldn't appreciate the full Blu Ray sound on a multi-channel entertainment system. I just know I can't afford that. My stereo predates HDMI. I don't fear technology. But I do fear starvation.

Go to Best Buy and buy 3 $60 Blu Ray players, that should last you a lifetime.

or 91 days after the warranty runs out.

How much longer do you expect Best Buy to be in business? The people running it don't seem to me to be all that bright or in tune with the times. I'm surprised they have hung on this long.