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Not just content but their tech. Very many of Netflix's new shows stream at 4K and they've started pushing HDR as well. Where Amazon's 4K HDR streaming is chopp

Not just content but their tech. Very many of Netflix's new shows stream at 4K and they've started pushing HDR as well. Where Amazon's 4K HDR streaming is choppy and inconsistent at times (I think it's actually due to Amazon's mediocre Android app which runs poorly while browsing content), Netflix's 4K HDR streaming is smooth, works wonders and looks amazing. They're really pushing that boundary.

Kiro 10y ago
What is HDR in this context exactly? I thought it was these saturated images but that makes no sense.
- siidooloo 10y ago
  HDR in monitors means (a) very high white point (800 to 1000 nits) and a very low black point. It lets you see more detail in the highs and lows. Its kind of replaced 3d as the new buzzword to sell super high-end monitors.
  - sprafa 10y ago
    Speaking as someone who knows pixels, HDR is the first non buzz thing that's been out for a long time. Try it before making quick judgements
- baddox 10y ago
  HDR is high dynamic range. Basically, TVs that support HDR can show more unique brightness levels between the darkest and the brightest. That means you can have more contrast in an image. I haven't seen an HDR TV in person, but I've heard people say that it's a more significant upgrade than the resolution jump from 1080p to 4k.
  - dawnerd 10y ago
    I have an OLED 4k from last year. It was a massive improvement over my first generation Samsung 4k tv. It's insane how dark blacks can get and likewise how bright the lights are right next to darks. Most people are used to black being a shade of gray. That's starting to be a thing of the past now.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- Avernar 10y ago
  Those saturated images you're thinking of started as HDR but to display them on a non-HDR monitor they had to be converted first. The conversion process uses various tricks like local contrast to make it seem they're still HDR. This can look quite natural when done right. But some people like to crank the settings in the converter to make the images super saturated.
citizenkeen 10y ago
For me, it's the reverse. Netflix is really good at tailoring the feed to your bandwidth. I hate watching Hulu when I'm on the road because crappy motel wifi will destroy Hulu, and even Amazon is... weak. Netflix is like "Oh hey, you're not home anymore, are you? Let's just keep lowering the quality until there's no choppiness. Sorry everything's blurred, but that's the best I can do in Waynesboro."
kirrent 10y ago
My fiancees parents live out in a tiny country town with an awful phone line an internet connection. They can't really make landline calls, they frequently can't load a lot of websites, youtube is usually right out, but somehow they can always watch Netflix.
- empressplay 10y ago
  IIRC Netflix has preferred traffic agreements with a number of backbones and ISPs -- so it's Netflix that's actually killing everything else lol.
thomastjeffery 10y ago
It's great, or I would say if I could see it without shelling out $100 for some hardware that would have literally no other purpose than 4k Netflix. Not to mention, HDR is disabled in the drivers for any consumer video card. I would really enjoy the content, but I refuse to spend my hard-earned cash jumping through arbitrary hoops just because of proprietary software and DRM. Am I really asking for too much here?
- eanzenberg 10y ago
  In terms of hardware, sony has built in 4k and hdr streaming through its androidtv software. I hardwire from its ethernet port.
Buge 10y ago
Yet I can't even get 1080p in Chrome or Firefox.

Kiro 10y ago

What is HDR in this context exactly? I thought it was these saturated images but that makes no sense.

siidooloo 10y ago
HDR in monitors means (a) very high white point (800 to 1000 nits) and a very low black point. It lets you see more detail in the highs and lows. Its kind of replaced 3d as the new buzzword to sell super high-end monitors.
- sprafa 10y ago
  Speaking as someone who knows pixels, HDR is the first non buzz thing that's been out for a long time. Try it before making quick judgements
baddox 10y ago
HDR is high dynamic range. Basically, TVs that support HDR can show more unique brightness levels between the darkest and the brightest. That means you can have more contrast in an image. I haven't seen an HDR TV in person, but I've heard people say that it's a more significant upgrade than the resolution jump from 1080p to 4k.
- dawnerd 10y ago
  I have an OLED 4k from last year. It was a massive improvement over my first generation Samsung 4k tv. It's insane how dark blacks can get and likewise how bright the lights are right next to darks. Most people are used to black being a shade of gray. That's starting to be a thing of the past now.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
Avernar 10y ago
Those saturated images you're thinking of started as HDR but to display them on a non-HDR monitor they had to be converted first. The conversion process uses various tricks like local contrast to make it seem they're still HDR. This can look quite natural when done right. But some people like to crank the settings in the converter to make the images super saturated.

citizenkeen 10y ago

For me, it's the reverse. Netflix is really good at tailoring the feed to your bandwidth. I hate watching Hulu when I'm on the road because crappy motel wifi will destroy Hulu, and even Amazon is... weak. Netflix is like "Oh hey, you're not home anymore, are you? Let's just keep lowering the quality until there's no choppiness. Sorry everything's blurred, but that's the best I can do in Waynesboro."

kirrent 10y ago

My fiancees parents live out in a tiny country town with an awful phone line an internet connection. They can't really make landline calls, they frequently can't load a lot of websites, youtube is usually right out, but somehow they can always watch Netflix.

empressplay 10y ago
IIRC Netflix has preferred traffic agreements with a number of backbones and ISPs -- so it's Netflix that's actually killing everything else lol.

thomastjeffery 10y ago

It's great, or I would say if I could see it without shelling out $100 for some hardware that would have literally no other purpose than 4k Netflix. Not to mention, HDR is disabled in the drivers for any consumer video card. I would really enjoy the content, but I refuse to spend my hard-earned cash jumping through arbitrary hoops just because of proprietary software and DRM. Am I really asking for too much here?

eanzenberg 10y ago
In terms of hardware, sony has built in 4k and hdr streaming through its androidtv software. I hardwire from its ethernet port.

Buge 10y ago

Yet I can't even get 1080p in Chrome or Firefox.