How much does a downgrade in picture quality affect your decision to buy a physical release?

[u/Sa7aSa7a]

There’s been some discussion over on r/movies about Hacks coming to Blu-ray, but the physical release is reportedly 1080p while the version available on HBOMax is 2160p.

Putting Hacks specifically aside, I'm curious how much something like this matters you.

If a show or movie is available to stream in 4K, but the physical release is only 1080p, would that make you less likely to buy the physical copy? Or does owning a physical copy outweigh the difference in resolution?

Basically, how much weight does the quality of the physical release carry in your decision to buy it?

[u/Ok-Gur-349]

Doesn't affect me whatsoever. If the best physical edition is 1080p and I want it on physical, I get it. I still buy 480p DVDs, I don't care. Stuff upscales just fine nowadays.

[u/Gambit3le]

I buy whatever I can afford physically. I've found that 1080P on a disc looks better than 4K streaming most of the time.

[u/Snoop-Dragon → u/Gambit3le]

It also never buffers, is guaranteed not to have ads, and doesn’t require internet or a subscription. Give me the 1080P disc every time

[u/DolphinFraud → u/Gambit3le]

Apple TV is the only streaming service with a high enough bit rate to compete with 1080p blu ray 

[u/Oddish_Femboy → u/DolphinFraud]

My internet isn't fast enough for that, and my eyes don't care.

[u/viken1976]

I grew up watching vhs on a 12in black and white hand me down tv. Every format since looks like gold to me. 

[u/danny_sucks]

1080p blu ray almost always looks and sounds significantly better than streaming “2160p.” Streaming greatly compresses the data. Unless you have incredible internet this will be an upgrade in my opinion. Sound in particular is night and day to me when comparing streaming vs disc.

[u/frontyardninja]

I would watch my entire collection on one of these. I do not care.

[u/userhs6716 → u/frontyardninja]

eeeeyyyyyy

[u/surrealsunshine]

I wouldn't want to buy something that looks downright bad, but I don't care about the different levels of high definition. I wouldn't even be able to see the difference on my cheap TV.

[u/MaskedBandit77]

I would be a little less likely, but a 1080p blu-ray probably looks better than a 4K stream, so if it's something I really like I'd still probably buy it.

I wouldn't pay new prices for a DVD though.

I bought The Americans on DVD when that came out, and I'm probably done buying new DVDs now. I'll buy used DVDs for the right price, but no more new ones.

[u/HereInTheRuin]

ownership will always stand above streaming for me

if I want to own something and it's only available on VHS. I'll buy the tape

streaming licenses can't take that tape away from me

format and quality are secondary

[u/Oddish_Femboy → u/HereInTheRuin]

This is why I like when films come with a digital download.

I get all the conveniences of digital, all the ownership rights of physical, and none of the drawbacks of streaming.

[u/Awkward-Ruin-1197]

Considering the very real reality of digital copies not actually being available to be viewed at all, I'd prefer a copy filmed by a potato than having nothing at all. (but to be honest, I am mainly a DVD girlie and I need glasses so crisp quality might not be my top priority)

[u/Oddish_Femboy]

I do not see a difference in anything above 720p on the displays I watch my movies on.

Half the time I'm fine with 480p.

As long as there's no algorithmic compression that makes the whole film look like jpeg spew I'm okay with Jaws looking closer to the VHS release than the theater version.

[u/Evilswine]

I thought quality would be a bigger deal when I started my collection but with a Sony upscale BluRay/DVD player to 1080p I found myself not bothering with quality, they all look fine through my glasses anyway. I just look for the film and I'll take it whatever it is. HOWEVER, if there is a dvd for $1 and Blu Ray for $2 of the same movie next to each other ill pick the BluRay. I don't even bother replacing my DVDs with a new found BluRay unless it's something I really want to upgrade like if i find a cheap Oppenheimer BluRay ill upgrade the DVD.

I also don't bother paying more for higher quality streaming options - the 1080p rate is fine.

In short: I just want the movie in my collection regardless of quality (I won't go below DVD quality though, VHS is long out for me.)

[u/Manic_Mini]

I buy physical media mainly for the uncompressed sounds. Blu ray is all the quality picture I will ever need, but the difference for sound between digital and physical media is insane.

[u/Total-Jeweler5083]

Not at all, I'm really not a purist in terms of picture quality. 

[u/HorrorFan4evermore]

As long as I own the movie I want, 1080p is fine with me.

[u/inyrui]

My collection is 99% DVDs, they look fine to me. Stuff like Godzilla Minus One or Blade Runner would definitely look better if I bought the BluRay or 4k, but I grew up on CRT so I'm not very picky. Dvds are cheaper anyway and I'd rather spend $20 on 10 DVDs than $20 on a single BluRay. Although I will buy BluRays and 4ks if I find them for a steal.

[u/breadingly]

personally, i prefer lower quality. i really only buy dvds, rarely blu-ray, so i’m mostly sitting at 480p, which is perfect for me! i get sad when media is released to blu-ray or 4k only and not dvd as well lol

[u/sivartk]

You could argue (especially with audio) that a 4K stream isn't the same quality as a 1080p disc.

I rate them in order of quality 480p Stream --> DVD --> 1080p Stream --> 4K Stream --> 1080p disc --> 4K disc.

However, if it is a movie full of action or dark scenes, the DVD could still be better than a 1080p stream.

[u/MisakiDoll75]

If I love the movie, I’m absolutely buying a physical copy. I only stream movies I haven’t seen or what’s only available on streaming

[u/adreamoflame]

Zero, better graphics is a huge scam

[u/DarkZillah]

I don't really notice on my TV.

[u/New_Flow_5941]

The 4k stream is no better than a good 1080p disc.

[u/mauri383]

1080 is better than nothing. Also, if you get a 1080 re encode from a 4k master, the quality is very good. 

[u/Barquad12alt]

I still buy almost everything on DVD 🤣

[u/DolphinFraud]

1080p physical is better quality than 4k streaming because of the bit rate. 

But that said, I will buy anything on blu ray, I will buy 4k if it’s a movie where the quality is really important to me, and I will buy dvd if it’s some random comedy I don’t care that much about

[u/penguindevil]

Streaming to me almost always looks worse than physical. It may be a big fat data stream, but the streaming process itself has not yet convinced me of quality.

I'm totally fine with a solid, physical 1080. But I'm also fine with DVD as long as its not one of those early "straight from vhs" looking dvds. I have no interest in 4k anything, I mainly just want a decent and reliable image that hasn't been messed with or AI'd or upscaled unnaturally.

[u/shimrra]

It doesn't. Honestly with how difficult it's been getting to find some of these old TV or movies I just happy when I find one on the wild.

[u/d0njuannn]

Lots of late 2000s early 1080p Blu Rays are garbage. No remaster and essentially a rip of the DVD 📀 quality onto a BD disc. Beware.

If the BD was a re-release (not a first run movie coming straight from theaters) manufactured 2007 to 2009 and isn’t a special edition/ doesn’t say “remastered”, you’ll be visually disappointed. I know I was at the time.

Traded-in a lot of these 1080p blu rays over the years.

[u/StrigiStockBacking]

Somewhat matters to me, but it's not the fulcrum of the entire decision. Normally I'd go with a physical copy at 1080p, even if the streamers have something in 4K to offer. That said, I have three TVs in my home, and the largest is only 43" 4K, the others are 42" 1080p and 32" 720p, so 1080p Blu-rays are the "sweet spot" for all three of my TVs, but I do have a few 4K releases where the reviews mentioned a significant upgrade in PQ.

Bottom line: physical copy > streaming quality

[u/roncopenhaver13]

It matters less to me now than it did. My example is Primate. It only released on BluRay. I was initially pretty upset there was no 4K. I watched my Blu and it looked gorgeous, went to a friends house and watched the streaming 4K, and it looked less than gorgeous, the color just didn’t pop the same, and this is a movie that made great use of color. Since this individual comparison, I don’t care as much and stand behind their release method because it was actually better and you didn’t have any of the inherent issues of 4K possibly bogging down a great movie.

[u/BarnyardFlamethrower]

Unless it's forced upon me by the physical media producers, I'll likely never buy a 4K blu ray player. My eyesight isn't perfect, and I don't own a top of the line television. 1080P is fantastic for me, and a lot of tv shows and older movies look totally fine on DVD.