Support NeoGAF

[RPS37]

So I’m deep in the new Hogwarts game and I decided to re watch the HP movies.

I look to see where it’s available streaming for free.

Peacock. I’ve got that.
I got partway through the second movie and got sick of the shitty not really even HD quality picture and lack of surround sound.

That’s not the only thing I hate about non-Netflix streaming services.

Lots of the other services don’t work like Netflix and Paramount would completely shit the bed when I’d try to fast forward something I was watching. As opposed to Netflix where it shows a thumbnail with a a general idea of where you’re at in the video.

The last thing I hate about these other streaming services and it’s kind of a small thing but it annoys the hell out of me.

The Continue Watching screen just automatically starts what you are watching and it might mess up and just not actually be the episode you’re on, but you can’t make sure because it just starts without going to a series page.

Anyone else notice this little shit?

 

[BennyBlanco]

Yeah. None of them are perfect and they all have weird little UI quirks. the YES app that I have to use to stream Nets and Yankees games is easily the buggiest piece of shit I’ve ever used.

 

[AJUMP23]

I watched the series on HBOMAX. It was good enough. Not in 4k though.

But yes many services suck. YTTV insists on playing commercials with shows as does Hulu.

 

[Rush2112]

one good thing about disney was the quality of their streams. forget harry potter, who wouldnt want to watch black mermaid in 4k?

 

[Pagusas]

Got to admit, Apple TV has been ace with video and audio quality.

 

[Puscifer]

Yeah. None of them are perfect and they all have weird little UI quirks. the YES app that I have to use to stream Nets and Yankees games is easily the buggiest piece of shit I’ve ever used.

Sometimes I wish orange in the new black and Bojack failed, those really showed Netflix they could offer programming and this shit just progressively got worse since companies are now putting their content on a service in direct competition to them.

 

[Lasha]

Netflix uses clean versions of films to simplify it's distribution of subtitles. Non-english language sections of English movies on Netflix end up lacking substitles that were present in theaters. I didn't realize the audience was meant to understand the Russian in John Wick the first time I saw it. I was even more annoyed when I first saw the sleep on screen subs from the original cut. I end up having to watch English language movies with English subtitles on which is annoying as fuck.

 

[The Cockatrice]

I am subbed to like 4 streaming services and sometimes its just better to download them. Besides my parents I dont even know why I have Netflix and all these when I rather just pop a torrent and download it and watch it easily/offline.

 

[ReBurn]

I look to see where it’s available streaming for free.

What I don't understand is why you expect the highest quality video and sound to be streaming for free. Or fine grained control over dubbing for free. People who care about these things typically turn to something like UHD Blu-Ray. If the best experience is what you're after then that's the way to go. If the goal is to spend absolutely as little as possible then you kind of have to deal with getting what you get.

 

[RPS37]

What I don't understand is why you expect the highest quality video and sound to be streaming for free. Or fine grained control over dubbing for free. People who care about these things typically turn to something like UHD Blu-Ray. If the best experience is what you're after then that's the way to go. If the goal is to spend absolutely as little as possible then you kind of have to deal with getting what you get.

When I said free, I meant free to me.

I’m paying for Peacock.

 

[Billbofet]

If you want to feel better about any other streaming service, try out Starz. Holy hell it is garbage. Not only is the quality shit, the content is even worse.
I have been most impressed with HBO Max, Disney+ and Apple TV. I also think Vudu is quite solid for the digital movies I own.

 

[AlteredForms]

I've only ever tried Amazon prime and it works well on the whole. Though the UI is extremely basic, you would expect something more stylish from a company worth billions lol.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Netflix uses clean versions of films to simplify it's distribution of subtitles. Non-english language sections of English movies on Netflix end up lacking substitles that were present in theaters. I didn't realize the audience was meant to understand the Russian in John Wick the first time I saw it. I was even more annoyed when I first saw the sleep on screen subs from the original cut. I end up having to watch English language movies with English subtitles on which is annoying as fuck.

I'm surprised there are even clean versions of John Wick, the subtitles in that are super stylized and not like normal "bottom of the screen" ones.

 

[FullMetalx117]

And this is the real reason why Netflix is king and far above the rest - they're a tech company at heart and value UI, algorithms for suggestions, making it easy to watching something, anything. All the while pushing the best presentation (resolution/audio) the person's internet can handle.

It kind of sucks also if you value high quality content. The Netflix UI, no matter the quality of content, has the ability to make a show popular. Just having a show on the front page that 200 million+ subscribers will have to scroll through will make it popular. Garbage shows like Outer Banks or Too Hot to Handle will have more minutes watched than The Last of Us or House of Dragon.

 

[Fbh]

Have you tried using Disney+ on a Ps4?

Feels like the console is only barely able to run it, menus feels sluggish and laggy, massive load times, ugly subtitles with big black backgrounds, waits for all the credits to be done before starting up the next episode, resets your language preferences every time you close the app, etc.

It's ridiculously bad

 

[Lasha]

I'm surprised there are even clean versions of John Wick, the subtitles in that are super stylized and not like normal "bottom of the screen" ones.

Many movies with those style of subtitles in English lack them when the movie is in another language. TV shows too. I didn't know that the character who speaks Japanese in American Dad is understandable to the audience until I saw the show while in America. The way streaming services handle subtitles sucks and completely alters works in many cases.

 

[Putonahappyface]

The best way to watch the Harry Potter films!

 

[Jaybe]

I appreciated that Disney+ has a few films available in IMAX ratio. Still cancelled it though.

 

[RPS37]

The best way to watch the Harry Potter films!

I ended up watching on regular blu ray. So much better with surround.
Video quality was just a bit better.
*runs to Amazon to check out the UHD

 

[Putonahappyface]

*runs to Amazon to check out the UHD

It still won't compare visually to 4k UHD physical media.

 

[Fraludio]

So I’m deep in the new Hogwarts game and I decided to re watch the HP movies.

I look to see where it’s available streaming for free.

Peacock. I’ve got that.
I got partway through the second movie and got sick of the shitty not really even HD quality picture and lack of surround sound.

That’s not the only thing I hate about non-Netflix streaming services.

Lots of the other services don’t work like Netflix and Paramount would completely shit the bed when I’d try to fast forward something I was watching. As opposed to Netflix where it shows a thumbnail with a a general idea of where you’re at in the video.

The last thing I hate about these other streaming services and it’s kind of a small thing but it annoys the hell out of me.

The Continue Watching screen just automatically starts what you are watching and it might mess up and just not actually be the episode you’re on, but you can’t make sure because it just starts without going to a series page.

Anyone else notice this little shit?

Plex. plex is always the answer.

 

[EverydayBeast]

The world was convinced that streaming was the way and there’s a lot of them now.

 

[RPS37]

I ended up watching on regular blu ray. So much better with surround.
Video quality was just a bit better.
*runs to Amazon to check out the UHD

600 bones later, I’m watching the UHD Blu Ray set.

I think I can tell the difference.

 

[Quasicat]

Plex. plex is always the answer.

Yep! I use PlayOn to get the content and run my own Plex server. Add a lifetime Plexpass to the mix and the kids get their own accounts. I subscribe to the other streaming services once a year to add to Plex.

 

[Laieon]

The best way to watch the Harry Potter films!

Yeah, varying quality between streaming services, having to research what streaming service movie X is on, and too many streaming services in general making the whole thing just feel like mid 2000s cable made me start rebuilding my physical collection. I'd much rather watch a 4k blu ray on my UB820 than deal with streaming.

 

[Pagusas]

is there a good way to rip 4k blurays? I want the quality, but would rather load them directly to my NAS and have them on demand.

 

[diffusionx]

if only there was a service that, like, bundled all this different coontent together and put them in one service with a single interface and consistent quality, where you only had to pay once and knew that was the source of whatever entertainment you wanted to watch. That would be great.

 

[Susurrus]

Got to admit, Apple TV has been ace with video and audio quality.

Not being in the Apple environment, it took a free subscription (got a year from TMobile, and another 6 months stacked from PS5) to try it. I was actually impressed. Apple TV's quality is great and there are a lot of good shows. Plus the fact they have Japanese subtitles for much of their content, including things that aren't Apple originals makes it easier to watch with my Japanese wife.

But holy shit that interface. Where the fuck is My List? Am I completely missing something? You can add something to Watch Next, but it only saves a few and then they fall off, and anything you buy (including on other Movies Anywhere services) automatically go on there, popping off what is at the end, and then I forget what is on there. Fix your shit Apple.