Yup, with the price hikes and the low quality of streaming content that becomes the best option (I'm not getting a blue ray collection).
Netflix is raising prices again
- Thread starter Arc
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This is the truth. I got one earlier this year, and felt like I was being a bit extra for it. I felt my streams looked decently good on average, had the full HDR and everything, and I was unnecessarily tech chasing, but it seemed like a fun avenue to go down.
4K UHD discs look phenomenal. The kind of enthusiast on a board like this will easily see the difference.
I’ve gone from the mindset of I’ll collect my favorites and the big movies on disc, and still stream, to just being done with streaming. I love actually using the 4K TV I paid for. I love having the movie in its highest quality as it was meant to be seen. I love having ownership and a collection.
The only things I can put against it is that sometimes you will come across a disc that’s not as impressive. Maybe they got lazy with it, or it’s like the prequel Star Wars movies, where the oddities in being such early digitally filmed movies restrict what can be done a bit. Even then though, you have the ultimate quality version of that movie, the way it was meant to be seen.
That and this is an incredibly niche market. It practically does not have a physical brick and mortar presence. That might be scary to some people, but content is everywhere, spanning the decades and every new release, and it all looks fantastic. I’m constantly ordering new and classic discs online, and it’s become a bit of a hobby obsession for me.
My two cents as someone who went from a complete casual on the subject, to an an enthusiast this year.
Dude absolutely
I went from an old 1080p tv to this big 77" LG C2 OLED. With that, the player, and my surround sound - i legit feel like i got a damn movie theater in my house
Shame the XSX and PS5 cant do Dolby Vision on discs. Was worried i was buying into snake oil but my Panasonic UB820 has been a damn dream. Even upscales old blurays and dvds very nicely
Netflix, even when you pay for the 4K options has become worse and worse, most movies are not even 4K at this point (they have Denis Villeneuve's new Dune and it's the HD version, if it has dolby atmos sound they don't specify it. Most movies are like that.
I just lowered my tier (gotta keep it for the kids) a few days ago because of this, it has become a constant problem, and I'm sure that they lowered the bit rate (or I just decided it was not worth it anymore).
What a pile of hot garbage.
I don't know if this is enough to make me buy physical media again tho.
Feels like i should really look into a NAS or Plex server at this point
Lord knows i have enough gizmos and gadgets at home to benefit from it
Lord knows i have enough gizmos and gadgets at home to benefit from it
I can't justify spending 1000s on a TV anymore. I paid around $4000 for a Samsung TV 10 years ago. It was just before 4k was mainstream, but this was top of the range at the time. Beautiful image quality for the time. It died after 5 years. Warranty was only 3 years.Dude absolutely
I went from an old 1080p tv to this big 77" LG C2 OLED. With that, the player, and my surround sound - i legit feel like i got a damn movie theater in my house
Fuck that. Now the most I'll spend is maybe $1500 for a Hisense 4k TV. Looks fucking great and if it dies I'll just buy another one.
Idk i dropped 3k on my 77" LG C2
Im hoping it lasts me for the long haul. Such a beautiful panel
Apparently the Hisense tvs are pretty nice. Thats a newer brand im not super aware of
OP
OP
Yeah, when I first made the jump to 4K, I went to Netflix. What a disappointment. Had the top tier and everything. HDR didn’t work, 4K is as you describe, and nothing tells you anything. It sounds like nothing has changed.
Netflix is basically surfing on what it was over ten years ago, and mainstream recognition.
It’s pretty incredible the deals you can get just paying attention to a site like rtings. You can absolutely find a budget TV that still delivers absolute quality. Hisense is one of those brands. Also around Black Friday or so, big online sales in general, you can get some crazy deals.
It’s a market that is 100% relying on normies, like, sadly, formerly me, lol, to go the store with no info, too much money, on the wrong day, and aim towards one of the biggest brands and prices.
Not saying money doesn’t equal quality, but you don’t necessarily need that everything in your TV be the absolute best component possible unless you’re a certain type of enthusiast enthusiast.
Edit: I missed you already had the TV
Open box or refurb TVs with extra warranty plans are the way to go
I bought a Sony A80K for 50% off MSRP by getting a refurb with a 4 year warranty on top. I know people don't like "used" electronics but with modern TVs shit can break for no reason 1-2 years later or you get burn in or the motherboard fries so you need the warranty anyway. Also if you're in the US check out Microcenter, sometimes they have incredible deals.
Hisense and TCL are good bets but boy you're definitely playing the QC roulette with those TVs. If you get a good one they're great value though, my PC monitor is a TCL and it was like $200 cheaper than an ASUS or MSI panel with similar features
After my bravia failed just 2 months out of warranty, with a software update that fried "modem" and fucked with the smart apps, I vowed never to buy one of their shitty TVs again. The TV was 14 months old (warranties are 1 year in Ireland, because fuck consumers).
Got a cheap 500 quid LG, 4k, decent image, and that has lasted almost 4 years so far.
I got a 55” qled TCL series 650 TV on discount for the living room for next to nothing (this is not where we have the console). Anyway, a cheap second TV has no right to look this good.
my advice to go for open box/refurb is applicable to samsung/lg/whatever brand not just sony lol. also get an nvidia shield for apps.
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Lol, no, there’s something so awesome about having a passion for niche things that you really feel intensely, and almost never get to share, and suddenly you’re surrounded with people talking about that thing.
Some of the best moments of the internet
Some of the best moments of the internet
@Arc i really should start watching The Flash again... i cant even remember where i was before i fell off.
Still have the first 3 seasons on bluray, probably would look great on my new setup
Still have the first 3 seasons on bluray, probably would look great on my new setup
OP
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Just bail out when you hit partway through season six, lol. You have a small bit of great left in the first act, and then Crisis on Infinite Earths. Quit after that. Lol. It gets worse than anyone could ever imagine.@Arc i really should start watching The Flash again... i cant even remember where i was before i fell off.
Still have the first 3 seasons on bluray, probably would look great on my new setup
Although there’s two great episodes in the final season that feel like a perfect close to everything and will leave you in a puddle of tears for ages, lol. 9 and 10.
I have the sofa, just waiting on the dolby atmos to be setup (hopefully tomorrow)... and I'll jump into some action packed movies for good measure.@Arc i really should start watching The Flash again... i cant even remember where i was before i fell off.
Still have the first 3 seasons on bluray, probably would look great on my new setup
