Blu-ray vs Streaming Format vs Digital Downloads, the next battle of Format Wars

The format wars did not end in Blu-ray winning as a format of choice to those who loved movies. Blu-ray may have defeated HD-DVD but it has yet to conquer others, like, digital downloads, video on demand, pay per view and even the streaming format. Videophiles in this “information age” have a lot to choose from when it comes to home theater content. You can buy and rent movies online without buying the physical disc itself, you can watch content immediately after downloading your purchased movie.

That is why home theaters today have the streaming devices like the AppleTV. It seems that content is not just moving to blu-ray but also to digital downloads. There are viewers and movie enthusiasts who prefer watching content only once that is why they rent. There are some viewers who buy or purchase movies and put them in their library or collection. This is the reason why some find it practical to buy a streaming device and buy movies online, without having the hassle to go to the store and purchase.

Some would say that digital downloads would never get to the same HD quality that blu-ray has, which I agree, at times the pictures are pixelated on the standard and high definition contents of digital downloads.

AppleTV might just change this perception, that digital downloads are inferior to the blu-ray quality of content. On March 7, 2012, Apple released the 3^rd generation AppleTV. From the 720p capabilities of the 2^nd generation, Apple upgraded this 3^rd generation streamer to 1080p that by some standards today would consider it FullHD.

 The 3rd Generation AppleTV.

Upon testing the AppleTV, I find that the picture quality is similar to that of the blu-ray format. There are no pixels seen by the naked eye and the picture, it is so life-like that the only missing element is 3D. The war between the digital download and the optical format is narrow as both formats have its advantages. This is only done after downloading the movie and saving it to my computer. But if you are going to stream it straight from the internet the picture quality deteriorates.

Digital Downloads... better than DVDs, but Blu-rays are the Best...yet

Point of Reference. An SD Card size compared to AppleTV

Most filmmakers do not switch their work of art to digital video camera. Some of them still use the traditional film and for them, digital video is less superior even to 35mm cameras. Traditional film cameras still produce high quality videos. Hence during the transfer to digital media they are preserved in different forms of media like the blu-ray and the digital download.

For now, blu-ray produces superior picture quality because of its superior capacity. Where does the battle lie today? It is in “mpbs” or megabits per second of playback. The higher the bitrate, the better. Today streaming devices can only produce quality pictures based on mbps. Internet services today would range from 1-12 mbps. At times these services are expensive especially when you exceed a predetermined data threshold. Sometimes services even slow down when you have reached these thresholds and data caps.

How much bitrate playback is needed to produce blu-ray quality videos? Blu-ray disc videos produces up to 36 mbps to produce high definition at 24 frames per second. That is why, when you’re watching Will Smith’s “I Am Legend”, you can see the imperfections on the actors face, the pictures are so detailed and seamless you can’t see any pixels. 

Streaming devices today even those that stream in HD would only produce playback rates of 1 mbps to 10 mbps tops. That kind of streaming is similar to a single and dual layer DVD playback. That is why analysts say that blu-ray will stay on the market for at least the next 15 years, until ISPs can produce 100 mbps on their internet. That is a much longer life span compared to the VHS format.

There are streaming services that produce 720p videos and movies that stream at about 20 mbps,  which still falls short of the 36 or 40 mbps playback of the blu-ray disc.

Now that Apple produces 1080p HD videos, will it be considered a DVD killer? Or even a blu-ray killer? That is a question only time can tell, as new technologies emerge so too on how we buy, rent and view movies.

The Dark Knight Trilogy - Limited Edition Giftset

     Now comes the Dark Knight trilogy. This is not the continuation of Batman and Robin, but instead a whole new interpretation of Batman. This is Christopher Nolan's take of the Batman mythology,  given the story line,  the characters and its box-office success, the Batman Franchise has risen from the ashes of ridicule.

     Yesterday, November 28th. Warner Bros. released Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy on Blu-ray. I was lucky enough to get one. To be released on Dec. 4th in the U.S. this will give them a preview of what you might expect. This is a Region A, Blu-ray disc.

By the way, upon pre-order I got the "Tumbler".

The Boxset

Free Tumbler, and yes it does come in black.

Batman Begins...

     With Batman Begins, the transfer is similar to that of the HD-DVD, the first movie did not utilize the full capacity of the Blu-ray disc, even if the HD-DVD has surrendered in the format wars for high definition video, the format of the Batman Begins did not change, it is still the same transfer that "mirrored" the HD-DVD format as it was released the first time on blu-ray. In this trilogy that format is still the same. The picture itself is presented in 2:40:1 widescreen with 1080p/VC-1 resolution and format.

Because of the low bitrate transfer to the blu-ray disc, the colors and tones of the picture may seem a bit washed out, the resolution is great, the flesh tones and mountain shots may be amazing, but it did not bring out the life like attributes found in a full HD that you may see in today's (2012) resolutions.

The entire film is a mirror copy of the HD-DVD transferred to Blu-ray.

The movie and the special features would all fit in one disc.

The audio is in Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound which works great. The dialogue is amazing and you can definitely hear the rumbles of your subwoofer with Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's masterpiece.

The Dark Knight...

    While Batman Begins presents us with dark themes and dark backstory (as every batman story should). The Dark Knight in its opening scene presents us with a modern Gotham City. In the opening scene in TDK, the IMAX camera was used and therefore expect that the picture will fill your screen, there are no gaps on top and the bottom of the screen. 


Some scenes are shot in a 2:40:1 (16x9) widescreen and 1:78:1 (IMAX), the use of different cameras is the result of Christopher Nolan experimenting with the IMAX camera. The outcome was amazing.

What bus driver? This opening scene is presented in an IMAX sequence. 

In some scenes the regular 35mm camera is also used, especially for close-ups and headshots.

The second movie utilized the full potential of the Blu-ray disc, and when The Dark Knight was released on Blu-ray as a single movie, it received generally positive reviews. 

Also in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, the sound is as amazing as the first movie.

The content is on two separate discs, one, for the movie and the other, for the special features. 

The special features themselves are both in standard definition and high definition videos. They are also in surround sound or multi-channel audio.


The Dark Knight Rises...

    The film opens with Commissioner Gordon giving a speech at the wake of Harvey Dent's death. The scene then moves on eight years after the events in The Dark Knight.

    The third and final film achieved the very goal of Batman being a symbol of justice, a symbol that criminals fear. When Gotham was about to be destroyed, Batman was needed.

    The transfer itself is an improvement, the colors are deeper and the blacks are truer blacks. The picture quality and resolution is a technical achievement in HD, this is because Christopher Nolan utilized the IMAX camera for much of the filming. The result... the details are magnificent and pristine. How I wished the IMAX camera should have been used all throughout the movie.

   The sound and music did not depart from the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, even so, there is no deterioration on the sound. 

With its incredible sound and resolution, expect a total immersion to the film. 

   Overall, this trilogy is a must have for collectors and fans of the franchise.