home theater, cord cutting, video streaming, a/v tech, and more!

[nocera]

I would very much prefer to not have to resort to this, because it's additional work that takes time I'd rather be doing something else. These NTP66s have all forced my hand by separating into a dozen other services, and then adding new tiers onto paid platforms just for 4K/Atmos/whatever. Prime's implementation of 4K/Dolby Vision is already garbage, but now to pay extra for it? That's an insult.

Sounds like you still get HDR/5.1 with the regular prime membership.

And ads too right?

[skullman80]

I don't think we've ever watched a single thing on the amazon prime app. Not that I can remember at least.

[nocera]

I don't think we've ever watched a single thing on the amazon prime app. Not that I can remember at least.

Maisel? Man in the high castle was also solid for a season or 2.

[dodint]

They're too inconsistent in their licensing. There has been more than one time where I started watching an old series (like Taxi) and midway through a season they sold the rights to some 4th tier streaming app and I have to stop. So I only look to them for movies and even then they're going to fall behind Max, Netflix, Showtime, and the MGM+ free subscription I never use.

[skullman80]

I don't think we've ever watched a single thing on the amazon prime app. Not that I can remember at least.

Maisel? Man in the high castle was also solid for a season or 2.

Nope. Maybe a movie or two at some point that was on there at Christmas time? I think I remember hating their interface as well.

[nocera]

I’d recommend Mrs Maisel and Patriot.

[eddy]

I would very much prefer to not have to resort to this, because it's additional work that takes time I'd rather be doing something else. These NTP66s have all forced my hand by separating into a dozen other services, and then adding new tiers onto paid platforms just for 4K/Atmos/whatever. Prime's implementation of 4K/Dolby Vision is already garbage, but now to pay extra for it? That's an insult.

Sounds like you still get HDR/5.1 with the regular prime membership.

And ads too right?

I think it's just an ad at the beginning, right?

[DigitalGypsy66]

We started watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith right when the ads started last week. It was basically a 15 second ad for Amazon at the beginning of the show. That was it. I don't know if they are slowly rolling out more ads, or they deliberately keeping ads off a new buzzy TV series like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but it wasn't obnoxious. At least yet.

[AuthorTony]

I don't watch much Prime. Usually just as background noise on the weekends. I did watch a couple episodes of Bosch last week. There were ads at the beginning and then an ad break around the end of the second act - maybe 4 min long.

If they handle it like Freevee (not sure if I got that right), it will be annoying. I watched Clarice on Freevee and the first half of the season had basically no ads. Then the back half was ads every 8-10 min, and they were long ad breaks, 5-6 min at least. Same ads on repeat. Not a fun viewing experience.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Record Superb Owl ratings, and then 800 people laid off two days later.

[nocera]

I don't watch much Prime. Usually just as background noise on the weekends. I did watch a couple episodes of Bosch last week. There were ads at the beginning and then an ad break around the end of the second act - maybe 4 min long.

If they handle it like Freevee (not sure if I got that right), it will be annoying. I watched Clarice on Freevee and the first half of the season had basically no ads. Then the back half was ads every 8-10 min, and they were long ad breaks, 5-6 min at least. Same ads on repeat. Not a fun viewing experience.

I don't mind Freevee because, well, it's free and I expect ads. I will never pay for a streaming platform with ads.

[dodint]

We started watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith right when the ads started last week. It was basically a 15 second ad for Amazon at the beginning of the show. That was it. I don't know if they are slowly rolling out more ads, or they deliberately keeping ads off a new buzzy TV series like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but it wasn't obnoxious. At least yet.

Prime has always been this way. Although the beginning ad was always skippable, not sure about now.

[AuthorTony]

Interesting article on Zaslav's "deleting films for the tax write off" strategy.
https://www.rogerebert.com/mzs/coyote-vs-acme-canceled

[NTP66]

We watch Primo on Freevee, but that's it. For Prime, it's really just The Boys, Upload (which is gone soon), and the LOTR show.

[tifosi77]

Interesting article on Zaslav's "deleting films for the tax write off" strategy.
https://www.rogerebert.com/mzs/coyote-vs-acme-canceled

He's just........... the worst.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Vizio is getting snapped up by Walmart in a deal worth $2.3 billion, as the U.S.’s biggest retailer looks to expand into connected-TV advertising.

The companies announced Tuesday (Feb. 20) that they have entered into an agreement for Walmart to acquire Vizio, a leading seller of value-priced TV sets and connected TV ads in the U.S. The deal would make Walmart a significant player in connected TV advertising, competing with players including Roku, Amazon, Google/YouTube and Samsung Ads.

The combination promises to accelerate Walmart’s US. advertising business, called Walmart Connect, by bringing together Vizio’s advertising business business with Walmart’s reach and resources. Walmart Connect revenue increased 22% year over year for the quarter ended Jan. 31 (but the company did not report dollar figures). Globally, Walmart’s ad revenue grew by 28% to $3.4 billion for its 2024 fiscal year ended in January. According to Walmart, the deal for Vizio also will let the retailer “connect with and serve its customers in new ways” including through “innovative television and in-home entertainment and media experiences.”

https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/w ... 235916741/

They are not buying them to get into the TV business, but the advertising business.

[nocera]

Vizio... now literally the Walmart of TVs.

[scb147]

My main TV is a Vizio that is 12.5 years old. Are they that crappy now?

[nocera]

My main TV is a Vizio that is 12.5 years old. Are they that crappy now?

They were among the best of the budget tvs. I’m not sure how they are these days.

[tifosi77]

Same here, our TV is a 55" VIZIO we got at Costco in like 2010 or 2011. It still runs like 98% as-new, with just the odd uncommanded power cycle every month or so and a couple of what I thought were dead pixels that I don't seem to notice anymore. ("I'm not dead!")

Still, I'd love to upgrade to a new 4K, and VIZIO and TCL sets are the entirety of the shopping list.

[nocera]

If you’re looking at those due to the price range, I’d look into Hisense too.

[faftorial]

My main TV is a Vizio that is 12.5 years old. Are they that crappy now?

They were among the best of the budget tvs. I’m not sure how they are these days.

Bought a 50" one last year and it's fine for $450. I still miss my plasma.

[tifosi77]

@nocera It's as much a function of lack of critical need/bells+whistles, which in turn generally means low price. Also, if we stick to a low price point on the living room TV I stand a better chance of justifying buying a big honking TV for the patio at the same time. Our current patio TV came with the house...... it works, and all, but it's a really old small (48") plasma display that I'm actually not sure is capable of displaying even a 720 image. If I can keep the $$ below $1,000 for two TV new TVs I think I can talk Mrs Tif into splurging on something like a 75" or bigger for outside.

[NTP66]

It's almost always worth it to pay for a higher quality TV if you're not the type of person who wants to upgrade frequently. I bought a Vizio for my master bedroom about 4 years ago or so, and it's a nice enough set, but that's about as low end as I'll go. I replaced it with a C2 last year.

[nocera]

I don't know much about the budget TVs but I do know that rtings loves them some Hisense. I have a 2008 42 inch Insignia plasma in my bedroom. I can't believe that thing is still chugging along but one day it'll die and I'll probably also look into Vizio or Hisense.