HDX Movies?!

[NA9D]

Re: HDX Movies?!

I could at least see what you are saying with everything in that post but this part. It isn't subtle at all. If I choose HD and I have a 4 Mb/S connection I can begin watching it immediately. If I pick HDX I have to wait 4 hours. That's hardly a subtle difference.

Well, in defense of Hodge, he is in a place with no instant access. I remember what that was like before I got my Comcast service. It was a pain to wait for movies as it was. Having to wait 8 hours vs. 4 hours isn't that big a deal since you always have to plan your movies in advance.

But with instant vs. 4 hour access, the difference is huge. Hodgey doesn't see that...

[elwaylite]

Re: HDX Movies?!

When it comes to new releases, I dont really see where a wait matters.

When you rent from Netflix, you pick and wait. When a new release comes out you want to buy, you anticipate it then travel out and buy it. On top of that, most people just dont get a wild hair and watch new releases.

When a new HDX movie comes out, you pick when youd like to watch the movie and start your download accordingly.

This is not a big deal. Ill take quality over speed any day.

[redwein]

Re: HDX Movies?!

When it comes to new releases, I dont really see where a wait matters.

When you rent from Netflix, you pick and wait. When a new release comes out you want to buy, you anticipate it then travel out and buy it. On top of that, most people just dont get a wild hair and watch new releases.

When a new HDX movie comes out, you pick when youd like to watch the movie and start your download accordingly.

This is not a big deal. Ill take quality over speed any day.

Well I'm the opposite. I'll take speed over quality "most" days. The number of movies that I watch has gone way up (at least an order of magnitude) now that I have Vudu and instant play capability. The reality is that I don't decide very far in advance to watch a movie. I find time that I want to watch a movie and then want to pick the movie that I am most in the mood to see at that time. What I think I might want to watch at 3:00 in the afternoon is very likely not to be what I want to watch when I sit down to watch a movie at 8:00. So waiting, for some, is a big deal.

That was the point of many posts on this thread. Some people value the speed more than the differential in PQ between HD and HDX and some people value the PQ. That's why some of us have said that pricing them the same makes sense. Everybody feels like they are getting the "best" based on their own priorities.

[elwaylite]

Re: HDX Movies?!

I just dont agree in sacrificing pq for speed. Ive got a $2500 tv thats ISF calibrated, why should I care about 4 hours and $1.

I think our society tends to water down things too much, when in reality we should move the other way. Its all about saving a buck or getting something done faster, even if you throw quality out the window.

I honestly think someone that cant pick a movie at 3pm to watch at 8pm is in the minority, sorry. Most of us have been doing it that way for many years.

[redwein]

Re: HDX Movies?!

I just dont agree in sacrificing pq for speed. Ive got a $2500 tv thats ISF calibrated, why should I care about 4 hours and $1.

I think our society tends to water down things too much, when in reality we should move the other way. Its all about saving a buck or getting something done faster, even if you throw quality out the window.

I honestly think someone that cant pick a movie at 3pm to watch at 8pm is in the minority, sorry. Most of us have been doing it that way for many years.

If you have read this whole thread you will see that both camps are represented. It is typically a mistake to assume that just because you feel strongly about something, that represents the majority or consensus opinion. If you have followed Vudu for any length of time you will notice how important instant play capability has been from a marketing perspective and how it was something they spent a lot of time and effort making work extremely well so I don't think it's fair to say that it isn't important to the Vudu customer base.

As for your "disagreement", I guess it's a good thing we don't need to seek permission or agreement from others to have our own opinions.

[NA9D]

Re: HDX Movies?!

I just dont agree in sacrificing pq for speed. Ive got a $2500 tv thats ISF calibrated, why should I care about 4 hours and $1.

I think our society tends to water down things too much, when in reality we should move the other way. Its all about saving a buck or getting something done faster, even if you throw quality out the window.

I honestly think someone that cant pick a movie at 3pm to watch at 8pm is in the minority, sorry. Most of us have been doing it that way for many years.

I think that's the beauty of the Vudu system. I care about getting the movie now except in specific cases.

Most aren't worth the extra quality. For example, I watched Drugstore Cowboy in HDX tonight as part of an experiment I am doing (no, not with drugs). That movie wasn't worth the extra quality of HDX. In fact, SD quality would probably be fine on that film. So, we all have different hot buttons when it comes to quality over convenience.

[redwein]

Re: HDX Movies?!

I honestly think someone that cant pick a movie at 3pm to watch at 8pm is in the minority, sorry. Most of us have been doing it that way for many years.

People have been doing it that way for years because they had no choice. People used to wait in line at banks once a week to get cash before the advent of ATMs.

[elwaylite]

Re: HDX Movies?!

For vudu to remain alive and competitive, they need to focus on PQ and AQ. If that requires a short wait, whats the big deal?

Directv and Dish are both getting ready to offer 1080p/24 downloads which take 4-6 hours and look very good. Bluray is doing well. Do you think subpar HD PQ from Vudu and Appletv along with crappy sd from the Roku player will allow them to survive? No.

I think by requiring Vudu to hamstring themselves so you can be impatient will lead to their demise.

Im finally buying in soon, and its ONLY because of the HDX step. I hope they put most of their effort into HDX.

Im not trying to squash your opinion, its more of a debate on the merits of each direction.

[elwaylite]

Re: HDX Movies?!

People have been doing it that way for years because they had no choice. People used to wait in line at banks once a week to get cash before the advent of ATMs.

Yes, but using an atm as opposed to a teller causes no loss in quality.

Do you lose 5 bucks when you use an ATM over a teller? Uh no.

[elwaylite]

Re: HDX Movies?!

I think that's the beauty of the Vudu system. I care about getting the movie now except in specific cases.

Most aren't worth the extra quality. For example, I watched Drugstore Cowboy in HDX tonight as part of an experiment I am doing (no, not with drugs). That movie wasn't worth the extra quality of HDX. In fact, SD quality would probably be fine on that film. So, we all have different hot buttons when it comes to quality over convenience.

I agree, not all all movies are worth it. BUT, if Im going to sit down and watch a movie in my HT, I want the best PQ/AQ possible, regardless of how bad I hate the movie at the end.

I think the instant watch works great of catalogs, I just prefer to see new movies in HDX. If Vudu chooses to not go this route and support the roku crowd, then Ill sell the box.

After using bluray for the last 16 mo's, and experiencing the HD audio formats, why should I choose to lower my viewing standards? Why would Vudu think that would keep them successful?

Dont get me wrong, in a perfect world for me, the Vudu HDX format is available for all new releases and I drop all other forms of movie watching. We'll see how it progresses.

[NA9D]

Re: HDX Movies?!

People have been doing it that way for years because they had no choice. People used to wait in line at banks once a week to get cash before the advent of ATMs.

What's a bank?

[redwein]

Re: HDX Movies?!

For vudu to remain alive and competitive, they need to focus on PQ and AQ. If that requires a short wait, whats the big deal?

Directv and Dish are both getting ready to offer 1080p/24 downloads which take 4-6 hours and look very good. Bluray is doing well. Do you think subpar HD PQ from Vudu and Appletv along with crappy sd from the Roku player will allow them to survive? No.

I think by requiring Vudu to hamstring themselves so you can be impatient will lead to their demise.

Im finally buying in soon, and its ONLY because of the HDX step. I hope they put most of their effort into HDX.

Im not trying to squash your opinion, its more of a debate on the merits of each direction.

I don't think I ever said Vudu should hamstring themselves. In fact I am quite happy that they provide the choice. Exactly how is that the fact that I, and many others, find tremendous value in the convenience that Vudu HD w/instant playback provides when compared with HDX is leading to their demise. That just seems silly. I believe it is their plan to do both and it would be a big mistake to drop instant play to provide an HDX only solution, which seems to be what you are proposing.

BTW, I am not trying to say that you are wrong to want what you want either. I am just trying to understand (if I understand you correctly) why you would have Vudu move more forcefully in your direction at the expense of what others clearly want.

[elwaylite]

Re: HDX Movies?!

What's a bank?

An entity that issues unintelligent home loan agreements!

[NA9D]

Re: HDX Movies?!

I agree, not all all movies are worth it. BUT, if Im going to sit down and watch a movie in my HT, I want the best PQ/AQ possible, regardless of how bad I hate the movie at the end.

I think the instant watch works great of catalogs, I just prefer to see new movies in HDX. If Vudu chooses to not go this route and support the roku crowd, then Ill sell the box.

After using bluray for the last 16 mo's, and experiencing the HD audio formats, why should I choose to lower my viewing standards? Why would Vudu think that would keep them successful?

Dont get me wrong, in a perfect world for me, the Vudu HDX format is available for all new releases and I drop all other forms of movie watching. We'll see how it progresses.

I agree that what Vudu needs is to get HDX available instantly. However, most people don't have that kind of internet speed. Keep in mind as well, that most people don't have home theaters. They have a normal TV not even connected to an AV system. So for them, the PQ isn't worth it.

It all depends on the movie and my mood. Sometimes my wife and I will decide to watch a particular film on a whim when we hadn't planned it. I then appreciate I can watch it in HD w/o waiting.

As for the HD audio formats, there are several reasons why they aren't available. The biggest reason is the Broadcom chip that is the brains of the Vudu doesn't support them. The second reason is bandwidth. Those HD audio formats take up large bandwidth that could otherwise be devoted to video.

Search the forums for a number of discussions on that stuff.

[NA9D]

Re: HDX Movies?!

An entity that issues unintelligent home loan agreements!

Isn't that the government?