tartbrain wrote: > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozg...@...> wrote: > >> With the local Hollywood Video going out of business and a new Samsung >> networked Bluray player I decided to sign up again for Netflix. As I've >> mentioned before I used Netflix over 10 years ago when DVD first came >> out because few if any of the local stores had DVDs to rent. Then they >> began getting them and I stopped using Netflix. So upon Turq's >> recommendation I put Starz's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" in my Instant >> Watch list. Last night I watched the first half of the first episode. >> Interesting series though nowhere as well produced as HBO's "Rome" but >> quite interesting how they put green screen and CG to work to create the >> episode. Not sure if it's my cup of tea as I found plenty to fill the >> queue otherwise. Of course I've seen enough to see why Turq liked it. ;-) >> >> The first thing I watched in HD on Instant Play >> > > I recently suspended my membership -- lack of time -- but when I was active, > I was disappointed in many of the instant plays. > > First, many were edited to 4:3 format -- losing 2/3's of the actual picture. > i have refused to watch that format for years. (sort like using a 1/2 inch > thick condom.) > > Second, the resolution was mediocre on many (better on some). I have a 25 MB > connection so I assumed they hwouldhave the throttle opend up a bit on their > side -- maybe 6-10 MG which would enable HD streaming. > > Have they changed and upped their "output" speeds? > > Third, selection was primarily old cable fodder -- though still a lot of old > art house films. >
No, they now have a pretty good selection but they like Redbox are getting delayed releases from the studios. Folks on the home theater forums say that Netflix HD offerings have recently increased dramatically. Except for the episodes of Spartacus which look more like they are WMV streams what I've watched has been 720p streams. You only need about 2.5 to 3 mbps for those. Vudu's HDX which 1080p requires about 4.5 mbps but I have 6 mbps DSL and so it works fine. Vudu has the best selection and current films including some of the IFC "also in theaters" stuff. What I also like is a lot of older films which are also available in HD. Vudu's encoding is excellent but the company was founded by HD geeks. Walmart just bought them and I hope leaves them alone. Amazon's service is the one with current TV series from FX and Syfy. Redbox is talking about a $4 a month streaming service. VOD is the future. I can't stand 4:3 on an HD set. I even noticed that 1930's movies seemed to be filmed by cinematographers who were used to shooting photography in a landscape widescreen format as there is often "dead space" on the top and bottom of the 4:3 frame (even with "Citizen Kane"). Widescreen has been around since the beginning of film as that is what the French Lumiere brothers shot in just using the 5x3 post card film stock. It may have been the studios were having the 30's films done that way for European audiences where 5:3 was used. I have a couple Kino DVDs of those early films. Warner developed widescreen in the late 1920s. There was one western shot in 70mm widescreen back then and recently released on DVD (mabye Bluray). The studios introduced it again in the 1950s as an extra to get people to go to theaters after the introduction of TV. For instance I have "This Island Earth" which was filmed in 4:3 but framed for Cinemascope which was what I saw it in originally. >> >> Between Netflix, Vudu, Redbox and Amazon's service I might ditch most of >> my cable bill. Cable companies are so yesterday. >> > > I cancelled my subscription. A lot of stuff I watch is on hulu or you tube -- > at least the "best" parts. > > For some reason NBC doesn't want people to watch Hulu on their sets though one can do it just using a computer with component or HDMI output. I tried PlayOn but my Samsung player said it couldn't play the Hulu stream. Boxee was told by Hulu to remove their support though there is supposedly a work around. I might try that. The weekend my 53" set was out I watched TV and Hulu on my laptop using a networked HD tuner.
