New Intel chips join AMD's Ryzen in being unable* to play encrypted 4K Blu-ray discs (*without questionable workarounds)

[leadeater]

27 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Its also covered here:

Of course, this could have changed with newer firmwares.

Still for me reinforces what I said, while there is a minor difference, very minor, you get a lot more with a PlayStation than just a player. The Xbox was worse than I expected though but I've never owned one and probably never will.

 

Playing/using Youtube on my Oppo 105D is horrific, I cannot express how bad it is due to how slow it is. Simply pressing the arrow keys to change the on-screen selection is woefully slow. Netflix isn't quite as bad on it however. Btw it's just Mozilla/FireFox browser under the hood for both Apps.

 

Software wise and how they function isn't vastly different between a console and a player anymore, other than consoles run much more heavy weight OS. The players are still software on both that utilize hardware acceleration, GPU decode engines on the console side.

 

Also yes the PS5 does actually support Atmos and HDR for UHD playback. 

 

But there are two good reasons not to get a PlayStation to play movies

• Getting a dedicated player that is significantly cheaper
• A person that is not comfortable using one, usability score is a lot higher on a dedicated player

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, leadeater said:

But there are two good reasons not to get a PlayStation to play movies

• Getting a dedicated player that is significantly cheaper
• A person that is not comfortable using one, usability score is a lot higher on a dedicated player

You forgot the third, a player uses WAY less electricity during playback.
Also a player using a remote is a LOT easier to use than a game controller that you need to keep turning back on when it falls asleep, or plug in because the battery ran out.  Its a real chore to quickly pause on a console unless you have HDMI-CEC enabled, which I don't as I find it causes more problems than it solves.

But its a no-brainer if you plan to game and aren't a picture quality snob like I am.

[leadeater]

40 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Also a player using a remote is a LOT easier to use than a game controller that you need to keep turning back on when it falls asleep, or plug in because the battery ran out.  Its a real chore to quickly pause on a console unless you have HDMI-CEC enabled, which I don't as I find it causes more problems than it solves.

Sony has so far always released a media remote for each console, that is relevant

 

Consoles with media remote:

• PS3
• PS4
• PS5

Don't really see this as an issue.

 

40 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

You forgot the third, a player uses WAY less electricity during playback

True

 

40 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

But its a no-brainer if you plan to game and aren't a picture quality snob like I am.

Or you want to use other Apps like Plex etc, have a browser. Also no your own video disproves your picture quality point for the PS5, the difference was extremely minor. What TV you own makes vastly more difference, what sound system makes vastly more difference for overall enjoyment. I get seeking out the ultimate possible but realistically the only thing that video proved to me was that the Xbox was a legitimate worse choice and experience while the PS5 was not.

[Alex Atkin UK]

17 minutes ago, leadeater said:

Or you want to use other Apps like Plex etc, have a browser. Also no your own video disproves your picture quality point for the PS5, the difference was extremely minor. What TV you own makes vastly more difference, what sound system makes vastly more difference for overall enjoyment. I get seeking out the ultimate possible but realistically the only thing that video proved to me was that the Xbox was a legitimate worse choice and experience while the PS5 was not.

Plex has very limited codec support on consoles, I had to get a ShieldTV for all my media to work.

The PS5 does not officially have a browser, it requires hacks to trick your way into it.

I agree the PS5 is "good enough" for most people for Bluray playback, he is coming at it as a TV calibrator so focused on the colour reproduction angle too where 99.9% people wouldn't care.  I wouldn't spend that much to get my TV calibrated either.

[leadeater]

Just now, Alex Atkin UK said:

Plex has very limited codec support on consoles, I had to get a ShieldTV for all my media to work.

All media I put on my Plex server is able to be played native for any device I have,

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 minute ago, leadeater said:

All media I put on my Plex server is able to be played native for any device I have,

You've been very lucky.  I went through a lot of devices before hitting on the ShieldTV which finally works.

[leadeater]

7 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

You've been very lucky.  I went through a lot of devices before hitting on the ShieldTV which finally works.

It's not really luck, the process is automated where any content I want to put in goes in to a landing folder and then the formats, codecs and media information is check then if required transcoded so that it can be direct played. Also everything gets nicely sorted as part of that. ShieldTV is an awesome device though. Still a little annoyed my Apple TV is essentially useless now days and I refuse to buy a new one or anything else equivalent.

 

Also yea I know transcoding whitewashes the image but this is for content that just doesn't matter.

[Alex Atkin UK]

4 minutes ago, leadeater said:

It's not really luck, the process is automated where any content I want to put in goes in to a landing folder and then the formats, codecs and media information is check then if required transcoded so that is can be direct played. Also everything gets nicely sorted as part of that. ShieldTV is an awesome device though. Still a little annoyed my Apple TV is essentially useless now days and I refuse to buy a new one or anything else equivalent.

Not sure if you mean transcoding or remuxing, as transcoding is NOT direct play.  I seem to recall Plex calls both operations the same thing when in fact the are not.

But the point stands, if you've not hit any problems direct playing all your content you HAVE been lucky, because I couldn't.  I've not tried on the newest consoles because no point now I have ShieldTV.

[leadeater]

4 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Not sure if you mean transcoding or remuxing, as transcoding is NOT direct play.

Fine, re-encoded. Transcoded to a new file of the format that can be direct played. I didn't think it was that confusing but hey w/e.

 

Edit:

This is not a Plex feature, this is my own scripting.

[LAwLz]

13 minutes ago, leadeater said:

Also yea I know transcoding whitewashes the image but this is for content that just doesn't matter.

It also reduces the quality significantly, wastes resources and introduces delays when starting the playback or do things like fast forward/skip a chapter.

Transcoding should be the last resort, not the default behaviour which it might be if Alex is correct that format support is severely limited.

 

Signed

Kodi master race

 

 

Anyway, how did a thread about blu-ray playback on Windows turn into what "streaming" media player and device is the best for TVs?

[Imbadatnames]

Xbox Series S plays 4K blu-rays 

[leadeater]

3 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

It also reduces the quality significantly, and wastes resources.

Transcoding should be the last resort, not the default behaviour which it might be if Alex is correct that format support is severely limited.

Seems it really wasn't clear, it's done once so it doesn't have be every time, the file generated can be natively played. Why would I go through the effort of creating a dedicated landing folder and describe a process that does "something" if it doesn't do "something"?

 

I was literally explaining why it wasn't a problem for me and how I achieve being able to direct play everything in my Plex library,

[Mihle]

Luckily, this is not required for MakeMKV anyway

[The Torrent]

Why do people even use cyberlink over good old vlc?

[Deadpool2onBlu-Ray]

On 1/15/2022 at 5:49 AM, Jeppes said:

But disc is only way to get quality. Streams are still garbage and the idiots in charge limit that 4k stream that produces 1080p blu-ray quality to 4K tv:s only. Its almost like they are in the pocket of tv manufacturers pushing new tv:s for no reason. "New 8k tv, enjoy that 1080i cable tv stream"

This is so true. Streaming is absolutely garbage quality even compared to regular 1080p blu ray

[WereCat]

TBH I have never actually even touched a BR disc. This is something that I couldn't care less about considering the hassle. 

 

I am baffled that DRM like this is still in place. 

[jagdtigger]

47 minutes ago, WereCat said:

I am baffled that DRM like this is still in place. 

What else did you expect? These dinosaurs live in the past and think that they can control who gets what, when, where, and how. And the customer has no say in the matter. Or so they think, IRL ppl just got around their BS and piracy was born. And it wont die as long as the industry arent adapting to the needs of customers instead of forcing their grossly outdated tyrannical methods.....

[leadeater]

5 hours ago, jagdtigger said:

What else did you expect? These dinosaurs live in the past and think that they can control who gets what, when, where, and how. And the customer has no say in the matter. Or so they think, IRL ppl just got around their BS and piracy was born. And it wont die as long as the industry arent adapting to the needs of customers instead of forcing their grossly outdated tyrannical methods.....

Problem is Streaming services are all of this but worse. Form cross licensing agreements so you only need 1 service, the one you want for whatever reason, and EVERYONE still gets money... nahh screw that that's convenient for the consumer.

[RejZoR]

4 hours ago, leadeater said:

Problem is Streaming services are all of this but worse. Form cross licensing agreements so you only need 1 service, the one you want for whatever reason, and EVERYONE still gets money... nahh screw that that's convenient for the consumer.

And then those same corporate suits have surprised Pikachu face when people resort to piracy and they just can't shut up about piracy as reason for their profit loses. Well, they can piss right off. It's you who made using content as legit users so god damn inconvenient, not pirates. But they always keep on barking at the wrong tree.

 

Has anyone ever seen GOG mention piracy because they refuse to use stupid DRM? No, because they used different approach and wanted to make games more accesible and more convenient, not the other way around. Sure, people pirate GOG games. But there is more potential buyers because they don't inconvenience you with DRM nonsense.

 

And piracy is also good indication of actual popularity of something. If it's so shit people don't even pirate it, then you're really bad at your job...

[Commodus]

16 hours ago, Ryan829 said:

This is so true. Streaming is absolutely garbage quality even compared to regular 1080p blu ray

That's not necessarily true. Apple TV+ and Disney+ are known to have higher quality than rival streaming services.

 

That and I suspect there's a certain amount of self-deception going on with the "Blu-ray or nothing" camp. Blu-ray can look better, but there are so many "it depends" elements that it's not as clear-cut as you might think. It depends on the service you're comparing against; it depends on the scenes; it depends on viewing distances from the TV; it depends on the TV itself (you may be less likely to see artifacts in dark scenes on an OLED set). You get the idea. In practice, I suspect many people might not even notice, let alone notice enough to care.

 

Besides, there are many good reasons against using Blu-ray. It hurts the environment, chews up space, eventually wears out... and yes, it's inconvenient. Streaming has its problems (inconsistent libraries, a stack of monthly fees, internet requirement), but to me it makes more sense than buying a pile of physical discs for movies I may only ever watch a few times, and having to sift through that every time I feel like watching a movie. Hell, I'd rather buy the movies through a digital service.

[jagdtigger]

55 minutes ago, Commodus said:

but to me it makes more sense than buying a pile of physical discs for movies I may only ever watch a few times, and having to sift through that every time I feel like watching a movie

You might think but id say streaming has a huge drawback, volatility. You might have access to a certain series/movie right now, but in the future they could move it to a different service or just nuke it from legal sources because <insert some stupid reason>.... Discs on the other hand wont disappear from your house and ripping them isnt illegal so there goes the inconvenience factor.

[Commodus]

4 minutes ago, jagdtigger said:

You might think but id say streaming has a huge drawback, volatility. You might have access to a certain series/movie right now, but in the future they could move it to a different service or just nuke it from legal sources because <insert some stupid reason>.... Discs on the other hand wont disappear from your house and ripping them isnt illegal so there goes the inconvenience factor.

Mentioned as much! It's a concern, but it doesn't necessarily offset the other issues.

 

And ripping isn't a practical solution for many. Imagine telling your non-techie friends and family how to rip movies. "It's so convenient! All you need to do is buy a Blu-ray drive for your PC, install some software, rip the discs, make them available on a network share and buy a media device or HTPC that can recognize that share. So much better than just firing up Netflix and picking a movie."

 

[Heliian]

8mm, mag tape, beta max, VHS, laser disc, DVD, blu-ray.  All essentially dead, not to mention the other attempted formats.

 

Spinning laser media is going the way of the dodo whether you like it or not.  Companies aren't going to bother with obsolete features so if you're part of the enthusiast minority I would recommend getting your affairs in order.  

[WhitetailAni]

[Zodiark1593]

1 hour ago, Heliian said:

8mm, mag tape, beta max, VHS, laser disc, DVD, blu-ray.  All essentially dead, not to mention the other attempted formats.

 

Spinning laser media is going the way of the dodo whether you like it or not.  Companies aren't going to bother with obsolete features so if you're part of the enthusiast minority I would recommend getting your affairs in order.  

You're absolutely right. Mask ROMs are totally the wave of the future for physical media.

 

Streaming media isn't great for shows you often go back to, as licensing can mean shows often change hands, or are sometimes removed entirely. And there's still plenty of people in the US with few options for internet that have no choice but to use physical media. I often buy physical media of anime and sitcom series to ensure access, or in some cases, of series that can be found literally no-place else. I just rip them after to make them more convenient to watch.