Question Streaming audio these days

D

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My Background

To cut a long story short my system is still disassembled and I have for ages been streaming via my desktop and just using a set of earphones for sound. Of course the intention is always to get the proper av system going again and I do have some rather nice equipment to use ! Oppo 105 and five Exposure power amps, some lovely Spendors all round, the option to use my Audiolab av unit or direct from the Oppo. Tv is a nice Panny plasma 1080p for the forseable.


The Issue At Hand

I only learned the other day that Lovefilm is no more from October of last year, despite being subscribed to it ! ( My attentions were off stuff like this ! ). I think this is a great pity because there is clearly a quality difference between what you get off a Bluray and what you get squeezed through a streaming service. Sure, I have seen comparisons of Netflix's 4k with BD 1080p and of course the 4K in itself brings something, but comparing HD with HD, I am sure there are problems you notice with the picture in streaming that you don't get off a BD disc. I can't technically specify them but it just seems obvious to me. I always draw an analogy with cameras, noting there is far more to pq than just the headline pixel count, which you can get high for little money but with low overall quality.

The sheer range of material was far better with Lovefilm than with any streaming service, or all such services combined. Thatw as a great advantage over streaming. The only thing was waiting was involved.

By the way, another reason I like discs is the better chance of having good subtitles, which I tend to use because of a hearing problem.

Perhaps the greatest difference was/is with the sound files. This is the main focus of my thread here.
Its mainly why I maintained a Lovefilm subscription. I do own quite a lot of discs too, but Lovefilm rental was needed for the sheer variety and because not everything is worth buying or watching more than once ! When you have good sound equipment, obviously you want to have the proper sound files and if you get naff dumbed down ones then all the more you are going to notice.


So My Question Becomes ........

With my proper system not having been running for so long, I am out of touch. What is the current state of play with sound file provison via streaming services, both Netflix and Amazon ? Its one thing to cite Netflix's best i.e. the shows in 4K which probably have decent sound packed as well, but I mean in general. Have they for example, gone back, looked at older material and retrospectively replaced naff sound files with proper ones ? And by the way, I assumed just there that their best 4K productions will have the good sound files, but actually would they, considering the struggle it must be to get 4k visuals packed down a stream. My experience with some Amazon streams especially, even just using earphones out of my desktop, has been one of noticeably bad sound. Its highly variable of course but there are some shocking ones, e.g. I found season 2 of Man in the High Castle an audio disaster. I read something about Netflix getting into things like Dobly Atmos. But that doesn't impress me at all, because hardly anyone will have the speaker set up to get the 'benefit' of it and I wish they would instead concentrate on getting good, hifi quality sound files for a basic surround sound configuration that most people ( who bother with surround sound at all ! ) will have i.e. 7.1 or even 5.1 ( I do 5.0 albeit on very high quality gear ). Yes, quality over quantity please.

But I don't really know what the current state of play is, having been out of it so long. Can people help please ?

Remaining Disc Rental Services

Is Cinema Paradisio worthwhile ? The website is still up but is it actually running as a service ?
I would imagine with Lovefilm gone and none else I can think of being in competition, maybe Cinema Paradisio is all the more safe in continuing as 'last man standing' in disc rental services. Members' comments would be appreciated.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have been subscribed to Cinema Paradisio since the demise of Lovefilm - more expensive but service is at least as good and seems reliable. Better availability of titles for new releases - Amazon always held stuff back on Lovefilm. Also, 4K UHD rentals too for those who want it - not me as I can’t see the benefit of 4k on a 48” tv at a normal viewing distance.
 

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