4 ms·

YouTube and Netflix stream for me just fine. Are you on 4g/fibre?

Jaruzel 8y ago
Theoretically, UHD (4k) blu-rays can go from 80 mb/s to 120 mb/s depending on the authoring of the disc, compared to Netflix's maximum of 25 mb/s that's a massive difference. However... unless you have a UHD projector, or VERY large TV (60"+) then you are unlikely to see the difference under normal viewing. Where I feel streaming typically fails, is in the audio. They may 'say' it's a 5.1 surround sound mix, but if so, why does it sound _so_ flat compared to the same film on blu-ray ? All I can think is that the audio is compression is also 4x as compressed which to our ears is quite significant.
- yathern 8y ago
  Actually even at 1080p, Netflix streams are visibly worse quality than blu-ray. Particularly in the compression of dark colors. I'll occasionally see color-banding, which you never see in Blu-ray.
  - Jaruzel 8y ago
    Oh don't get me wrong, I'm 100% in the Blu-ray camp; Netflix is for casual viewing, but proper viewing such as big hitter movies are on blu-ray always (I'm yet to get a 4k projector).
- pathartl 8y ago
  It's not the size of the TV, but the quality of the TV. I run a 65" OLED so it's top of the line, but I can clearly see color banding from Netflix on pretty much any TV and it looks terrible. Overall it's just a lower bitrate and compression artifacts on both audio and video make the experience suffer.
fireattack 8y ago
YouTube's stream bitrate is pretty low compared to Blu-ray. It's very obvious (to me at least) at any dynamic scenes.
seedless-sensat 8y ago
No.
adamdsteel 8y ago
A 4k stream on Netflix isn't even close in quality to a 1080p BluRay - the bitrate is lower. IIRC they stream 4k HDR at just 25mbit/s. Even the superior codec can't compensate.
move-on-by 8y ago
Comcast’s gigabyte internet still has a 1TB data cap. So while the bandwidth might be available, you’ll quickly cap out and the overage charges can get as high as $200 a month. the ‘unlimited’ data plan is very expensive as well
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- shmerl 8y ago
  That's ridiculous to offer Gigabit/second Internet with 1 TB data cap. I.e. using that bandwidth, you can consume it in 2.22 hours. So you that's how long they expect you to use Internet in a month? Comcast are smoking something very unhealthy.
  - zamalek 8y ago
    > Comcast are smoking something very unhealthy. This is not news, sadly, and is pretty common for telcom oligopolies around the world. Consumer apathy is a real problem: people know Comcast and have 'no reason' to switch, so Comcast can do what they like and people perceive it as normal.
    - lotsofpulp 8y ago
      How can it be consumer apathy when there is only one supplier of internet for the vast majority of households? Very few people have fiber as an option, and even then, it's probably from Verizon or Comcast or ATT, and still only 1 option. DSL and wireless options are not comparable options. The only solution is for voters to get their act together and demand taxpayer funded network infrastructure and treat it like a utility. It makes no sense for 10 different companies to run fiber to every residence.
    - Johnny555 8y ago
      I don't think it's consumer apathy so much as lack of alternatives. My only choice for internet (other than dial-up) is Comcast. There's a DSL provider in town, but even if I was ok with DSL speeds, they don't serve my neighborhood. When I lived in Silicon Valley, it was barely better, I could chose from Comcast or Sonic Fusion DSL. I tried Sonic for a while, but my distance from the CO limited my speed (and maybe line quality) to around 8mbit/sec.

Theoretically, UHD (4k) blu-rays can go from 80 mb/s to 120 mb/s depending on the authoring of the disc, compared to Netflix's maximum of 25 mb/s that's a massive difference. However... unless you have a UHD projector, or VERY large TV (60"+) then you are unlikely to see the difference under normal viewing. Where I feel streaming typically fails, is in the audio. They may 'say' it's a 5.1 surround sound mix, but if so, why does it sound _so_ flat compared to the same film on blu-ray ? All I can think is that the audio is compression is also 4x as compressed which to our ears is quite significant.

yathern 8y ago
Actually even at 1080p, Netflix streams are visibly worse quality than blu-ray. Particularly in the compression of dark colors. I'll occasionally see color-banding, which you never see in Blu-ray.
- Jaruzel 8y ago
  Oh don't get me wrong, I'm 100% in the Blu-ray camp; Netflix is for casual viewing, but proper viewing such as big hitter movies are on blu-ray always (I'm yet to get a 4k projector).
pathartl 8y ago
It's not the size of the TV, but the quality of the TV. I run a 65" OLED so it's top of the line, but I can clearly see color banding from Netflix on pretty much any TV and it looks terrible. Overall it's just a lower bitrate and compression artifacts on both audio and video make the experience suffer.

fireattack 8y ago

YouTube's stream bitrate is pretty low compared to Blu-ray. It's very obvious (to me at least) at any dynamic scenes.

seedless-sensat 8y ago

No.

adamdsteel 8y ago

A 4k stream on Netflix isn't even close in quality to a 1080p BluRay - the bitrate is lower. IIRC they stream 4k HDR at just 25mbit/s. Even the superior codec can't compensate.

move-on-by 8y ago

Comcast’s gigabyte internet still has a 1TB data cap. So while the bandwidth might be available, you’ll quickly cap out and the overage charges can get as high as $200 a month. the ‘unlimited’ data plan is very expensive as well

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
shmerl 8y ago
That's ridiculous to offer Gigabit/second Internet with 1 TB data cap. I.e. using that bandwidth, you can consume it in 2.22 hours. So you that's how long they expect you to use Internet in a month? Comcast are smoking something very unhealthy.
- zamalek 8y ago
  > Comcast are smoking something very unhealthy. This is not news, sadly, and is pretty common for telcom oligopolies around the world. Consumer apathy is a real problem: people know Comcast and have 'no reason' to switch, so Comcast can do what they like and people perceive it as normal.
  - lotsofpulp 8y ago
    How can it be consumer apathy when there is only one supplier of internet for the vast majority of households? Very few people have fiber as an option, and even then, it's probably from Verizon or Comcast or ATT, and still only 1 option. DSL and wireless options are not comparable options. The only solution is for voters to get their act together and demand taxpayer funded network infrastructure and treat it like a utility. It makes no sense for 10 different companies to run fiber to every residence.
  - Johnny555 8y ago
    I don't think it's consumer apathy so much as lack of alternatives. My only choice for internet (other than dial-up) is Comcast. There's a DSL provider in town, but even if I was ok with DSL speeds, they don't serve my neighborhood. When I lived in Silicon Valley, it was barely better, I could chose from Comcast or Sonic Fusion DSL. I tried Sonic for a while, but my distance from the CO limited my speed (and maybe line quality) to around 8mbit/sec.