Where to watch 21:9 HDR movies

[IAmAndre]

Hi,

 

I'm kinda frustrated because I can't find a surefire way to tell if a movie is available in 21:9 and HDR-compatible, other than opening each movie on Netflix. I reached out to the customer support and they also don't seem to have any way to provide such information.

 

I'm considering leaving Netflix for any service offering a way to sort movies having these features. I'm also open to switch to Blu-rays.

 

So overall I'd like to know where you guys find HDR and 21:9 movies to watch.

 

Thanks 

 

 

[Shimejii]

Such is your price to pay for being an early adopter of tech like this  Sadly there really isnt much of a good option besides physical stuff as streaming quality and the bitrate needed is quite high, and quite honestly most of these companies dont want to pay for that. 

 

Its gonna be someone's "Project" to sort the Netflix and other apps to be sorted by HDR, and other settings, but a lot of them dont have that much granularity. 

[GuiltySpark_]

As a 21:9 user since 2017, I simply don't. If its filmed in widescreen but the upload is 16:9, I use a chrome extension to crop out the black bars. This works on all the major streaming services. 

 

HDR I just don't care, its such a shitshow on Windows anyway. 

[IAmAndre]

8 hours ago, Shimejii said:

there really isnt much of a good option besides physical stuff

I'm fine with physical stuff. Is there any way to be sure that Blu-rays are available in 21:9 and HDR-compatible?

8 hours ago, Shimejii said:

gonna be someone's "Project" to sort the Netflix and other apps to be sorted by HDR, and other settings, but a lot of them dont have that much granularity. 

I would want to be that someone but they don't even have a public API that I could use so there's no reliable way to tell what movies are available where and what features are supported.

[IAmAndre]

5 hours ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

HDR I just don't care, its such a shitshow on Windows anyway

I actually love HDR. It works great at least on my monitor as long as you disable it after watching the movie or playing the game because it looks awful on anything else.

 

5 hours ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

use a chrome extension to crop out the black bars. This works on all the major streaming services. 

Which extension do you use?

[GuiltySpark_]

1 hour ago, IAmAndre said:

Which extension do you use?

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/zoom-to-fill-ultrawide-vi/adpjimagbfpknkodpofjphpbdlfkeiho 

[Blue4130]

10 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

I'm fine with physical stuff. Is there any way to be sure that Blu-rays are available in 21:9 and HDR-compatible?

 

It's listed on the back of the case. Will say what aspect ratio and any other audii/video features it has. 

[IAmAndre]

37 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

It's listed on the back of the case. Will say what aspect ratio and any other audii/video features it has. 

Actually I was considering buying them online, probably second hand on eBay, so I wanted to know if there was a surefire way to tell if the Blu-ray version of a movie would have those features. Like maybe there are different Blu-ray versions or something?

[dalekphalm]

On 11/19/2022 at 9:55 PM, IAmAndre said:

Hi,

 

I'm kinda frustrated because I can't find a surefire way to tell if a movie is available in 21:9 and HDR-compatible, other than opening each movie on Netflix. I reached out to the customer support and they also don't seem to have any way to provide such information.

 

I'm considering leaving Netflix for any service offering a way to sort movies having these features. I'm also open to switch to Blu-rays.

 

So overall I'd like to know where you guys find HDR and 21:9 movies to watch.

 

Thanks 

 

 

No streaming service is going to easily present that information to you.

 

If you care about quality + HDR, you want to be looking at 4K Blu-Rays, especially ones with Dolby Vision.

 

Just to be clear, everything in the chain needs to support DV - the player (whether a standalone, or an Xbox One/Series, etc), the disc, and the TV itself.

 

4K Blu-Rays are going to absolutely destroy any 4K HDR Streaming Service in terms of quality.

 

Most of the 4K HDR movies I watch are either on 4K Blu-Rays, Disney+ (Which IMO seems to have the best 4K HDR quality for streaming), and Netflix.

[dalekphalm]

On 11/20/2022 at 5:51 PM, IAmAndre said:

Actually I was considering buying them online, probably second hand on eBay, so I wanted to know if there was a surefire way to tell if the Blu-ray version of a movie would have those features. Like maybe there are different Blu-ray versions or something?

You need to look at the case. Most online stores, including eBay, should have pictures of the front and back of the case. You can also look up the Blu-Ray online to see specs.

 

The case should tell you both what HDR it uses (HDR10 vs DV, for example), and also should include the aspect ratio. If the eBay seller is competent, they'll include a picture of the back of the case.

 

Pretty much any 4K Blu-Ray will have HDR - not all of them, but the vast majority of new releases will include HDR. As for aspect ratio, it really depends on the movie itself. There are quite a few different aspect ratios. Not all of them are going to be 21:9 (2.33:1) - you have some that are 1.85:1, some that are 2.35:1, and a few others. I honestly don't care what the aspect ratio is, as long as it's the native aspect ratio for that movie. My TV is an OLED, so the black bars are truly, actually black, so it doesn't bother me too much which ratio is used.

[IAmAndre]

2 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

and Netflix

How can you tell on Netflix if the movie supports HDR?

[dalekphalm]

4 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

How can you tell on Netflix if the movie supports HDR?

I'm pretty sure it tells you. When you look at any movie on Netflix, it gives you the resolution (usually listed as HD or 4K) and whether it supports HDR.

 

You can even search for "HDR" and it'll bring up pretty much everything that has it.

 

Granted, if your playback device doesn't support HDR, it won't show you that information. I checked on my laptop just now, and everything just says "HD" with no HDR mentioned. If I checked the same movie at home with my 4K HDR TV, it would say "4K HDR", assuming that movie was in 4K w/ HDR.

 

Most of the Netflix Exclusives, like Stranger Things, Life in Colour, etc, are 4K HDR.

 

I imagine there are ways to read the video stream itself to tell, as well - not sure.

[IAmAndre]

30 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

I'm pretty sure it tells you. When you look at any movie on Netflix, it gives you the resolution (usually listed as HD or 4K) and whether it supports HDR.

 

You can even search for "HDR" and it'll bring up pretty much everything that has it.

 

Granted, if your playback device doesn't support HDR, it won't show you that information. I checked on my laptop just now, and everything just says "HD" with no HDR mentioned. If I checked the same movie at home with my 4K HDR TV, it would say "4K HDR", assuming that movie was in 4K w/ HDR.

 

Most of the Netflix Exclusives, like Stranger Things, Life in Colour, etc, are 4K HDR.

 

I imagine there are ways to read the video stream itself to tell, as well - not sure.

That's interesting. How my main PC I'm using the Netflix website on Chrome, so I'd assume it can still pick the system settings the same way YouTube does?

[dalekphalm]

33 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

That's interesting. How my main PC I'm using the Netflix website on Chrome, so I'd assume it can still pick the system settings the same way YouTube does?

Netflix on PC is an interesting thing. If your setup isn't just right, with the correct hardware and using the right software, you won't even be able to stream 4K Netflix. And if I recall correctly, Netflix won't allow you to use HDR unless your device is also 4K compatible.

 

FYI, Chrome on PC does not support 4K Netflix at all:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/13444

 

And here's about HDR specifically:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/42384

 

So if you're using your PC to stream Netflix, you need to use Edge or the Windows 10 Netflix App. Chrome is a no-go. Chrome will top out at 1080p SDR.

 

Edited to add, they have a section in that last link about how to find HDR content:

[IAmAndre]

2 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Netflix on PC is an interesting thing. If your setup isn't just right, with the correct hardware and using the right software, you won't even be able to stream 4K Netflix. And if I recall correctly, Netflix won't allow you to use HDR unless your device is also 4K compatible.

 

FYI, Chrome on PC does not support 4K Netflix at all:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/13444

 

And here's about HDR specifically:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/42384

 

So if you're using your PC to stream Netflix, you need to use Edge or the Windows 10 Netflix App. Chrome is a no-go. Chrome will top out at 1080p SDR.

 

Edited to add, they have a section in that last link about how to find HDR content:

That's very helpful . They didn't say explicitely that I needed a 4K monitor though. Mine is 1600p but supports HDR (not sure which version). YouTube shows me the option to play the video in HDR but that's when I enable HDR in the Windows display settings. I hope Netflix works the same way.

[dalekphalm]

On 11/23/2022 at 5:35 PM, IAmAndre said:

That's very helpful . They didn't say explicitely that I needed a 4K monitor though. Mine is 1600p but supports HDR (not sure which version). YouTube shows me the option to play the video in HDR but that's when I enable HDR in the Windows display settings. I hope Netflix works the same way.

You have to remember that YouTube and Netflix have different targets. Netflix is exclusively a broadcast medium (TV shows, movies, etc) - and it follows those standards. Netflix won't have a 1600p or a 1440p resolution. If your monitor doesn't support 4K, I would assume you won't get HDR at all. Not having a non-4K HDR display, I cannot test this.

 

Also note that Netflix only supports Dolby Vision or HDR10 - so if your monitor uses a different HDR spec, it won't work no matter what.

 

Either way, Chrome browser won't work, period. If you're going to get it to work at all, you'll need to use the Netflix App from the Windows Store, or you'll need to use Edge.

 

Have you tried either Edge or the Windows Store App? If you see the HDR logo beside the movie in the details section of the movie, it should work. If you don't see the HDR logo, it's not going to work.

[IAmAndre]

On 11/25/2022 at 3:19 PM, dalekphalm said:

You have to remember that YouTube and Netflix have different targets. Netflix is exclusively a broadcast medium (TV shows, movies, etc) - and it follows those standards. Netflix won't have a 1600p or a 1440p resolution. If your monitor doesn't support 4K, I would assume you won't get HDR at all. Not having a non-4K HDR display, I cannot test this.

 

Also note that Netflix only supports Dolby Vision or HDR10 - so if your monitor uses a different HDR spec, it won't work no matter what.

 

Either way, Chrome browser won't work, period. If you're going to get it to work at all, you'll need to use the Netflix App from the Windows Store, or you'll need to use Edge.

 

Have you tried either Edge or the Windows Store App? If you see the HDR logo beside the movie in the details section of the movie, it should work. If you don't see the HDR logo, it's not going to work.

So I gave Netflix a try yesterday and the results were a mixed bag. The good news is most blockbuster movies can play in 21/9 no problem. However they play in 1440p so I can't get take full advantage of my 1600p, but the problem is doesn't even look like 1080p. It could be that I'm used to watching higher resolution videos on my MacBook Air but I'm not impressed by the overall sharpness.

 

HDR is also supported. I'm getting information by pressing Ctrl Alt Shift D so I guess that's quite reliable. When I disable HDR on Windows, the values are updated so it's safe to assume that at least at the app level, HDR is output. But then again, I don't see much of a difference with HDR disabled and enabled, unlike on YouTube or in games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

 

Do you think there could be a bottleneck somewhere or is it just in my head?

[dalekphalm]

On 11/27/2022 at 1:09 PM, IAmAndre said:

So I gave Netflix a try yesterday and the results were a mixed bag. The good news is most blockbuster movies can play in 21/9 no problem. However they play in 1440p so I can't get take full advantage of my 1600p, but the problem is doesn't even look like 1080p. It could be that I'm used to watching higher resolution videos on my MacBook Air but I'm not impressed by the overall sharpness.

 

HDR is also supported. I'm getting information by pressing Ctrl Alt Shift D so I guess that's quite reliable. When I disable HDR on Windows, the values are updated so it's safe to assume that at least at the app level, HDR is output. But then again, I don't see much of a difference with HDR disabled and enabled, unlike on YouTube or in games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

 

Do you think there could be a bottleneck somewhere or is it just in my head?

It's hard to say unless you compare it against a more typical HDR Netflix Setup (dedicated App via a SmartTV or external Player, no PC in the mix, on an HDR TV, etc).

 

Likely Netflix just doesn't support 1600p as a resolution option. Which plan tier are you paying for?  Premium or Standard? I would assume you've got Premium.

 

Additionally, what HDR format does your monitor support? HDR10, Dolby Vision, or both?