Sound quality differences between streaming 5.1 and/or ATMOS and the physical Blu-Ray

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ted_b

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Now that there seems to be a regular supply of new 5.1 and ATMOS mixes available via the streaming services (Apple and Tidal), I was wondering (as I wait for my Lyngdorf pre/pro, among other things) what sort of drop off do listeners experience when going from the Blu-Ray release to the same music via streaming? And what, specifically, seem to be the compromises. IOW, is it still worth buying the physical disc if one wants the ultimate in sound quality (regardless of extras, books, etc), or is it a nit? I ask for both "regular" 5.1 and for ATMOS as well.
Thx
Ted
 
It's like mp3 vs wav files. Very difficult to describe and not everyone can tell the difference. Sometimes people say "night and day" when they mean they can hear a slight change. Certainly it's different based on the fidelity of the recording and mastering. I personally hear compression most in cymbals.
I think Tidal sounds pretty good, but the BD is superior for dynamics.
If you can hear a difference in mp3 vs wav, you will notice a difference in streaming vs disc.
 
Should have known Mike already covered this in a video. Appreciate it Mike! It really depends on your level of acceptance of lack of other content (artwork, essays. Etc.), some perception of lower fidelity, and long term availability. For some people, the lower cost will be the deciding factor. I’m sticking with the physical copy of my favorites, but may pass on a few titles if I know I can stream them.
 
The problem - for me anyway - is it’s hard to do an A-B comparison with my system. By the time I can shift from Apple TV to my harddrive system, it’s hard to make a valid comparison.

But I don’t doubt true 24 bit DTS-HD MA or Dolby TrueHD sounds better than lossy DD+ upconverted to 24/48 PCM.

I would hope at some point bandwidth would be such that there would be no need to send a lossy source over the wire. But unfortunately I’m not convinced Apple is the true Atmos game for the long haul. I suspect their real long-term focus is the fake atmos headphone market and the true Atmos stuff is just a carrot for “audiophiles” to be early adapters.

A tell on this might be the length of time it takes them to devote resources to fixing the AppleTV surround playback bug.
 
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The real problem is when the streaming service goes away, drops your recording from its catalog, becomes incompatible with your internet service, or is declared illegal.

If I have a physical disc, I can't lose it through the decisions of others.

And stop confusing me! I clicked on this link because I saw SQ in the title.
 
The real problem is when the streaming service goes away, drops your recording from its catalog, becomes incompatible with your internet service, or is declared illegal.

If I have a physical disc, I can't lose it through the decisions of others.

And stop confusing me! I clicked on this link because I saw SQ in the title.
What Midi said...in bold. Like the Disney battles with cable TV: Extortion to continue carrying broadcast ABC at ridiculous prices to offset losses from ESPN.
 
The real problem is when the streaming service goes away, drops your recording from its catalog, becomes incompatible with your internet service, or is declared illegal.

If I have a physical disc, I can't lose it through the decisions of others.

And stop confusing me! I clicked on this link because I saw SQ in the title.
I clicked o the thread link for the same reason you did. Usually SQ can be understood in context but a title doesn't give much room to do that.

For @ted_b :

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo_Quadraphonic
 
Dear god! I changed the title, even though Stereo Quad made NO SENSE in the context of my title! I didn't realize we had so few audiophiles on this forum that "sq" remained a mystery. I'm simply looking to understand what aspects of the music are missing when streaming vs physical. It seems it's basically the same as 2 channel (Tidal, Quboz, etc). Stream to demo and maybe use for non-serious listening. Disappointing.
 
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