{"id":2347,"date":"2017-03-03T08:35:57","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T00:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-thx-www-0.pantheonsite.io\/?p=917"},"modified":"2020-05-31T01:11:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-31T01:11:01","slug":"streaming-movies-mobile-device-need-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thx.com\/blog\/streaming-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Streaming Movies On Your Mobile Device? We Need to Talk."},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"\n\nIs it ever ok to stream movies on a mobile device? We can hear you A\/V enthusiasts screaming your emphatic answer at your screens now: \u201cNo! Never! Give me my home theater or give me nothing!\u201d\n\nWe hear you, and we get it. But we also understand that there are times you\u2019ll want to watch a movie or TV show, and you\u2019ll have no other option than to stream it on a mobile device to get your fix.\n\nSo if you\u2019re riding the train home from work and you just have to see the new episode of The Walking Dead<\/em>, by all means, fire up a streaming app on your smartphone. But you should know that your experience is going to suffer greatly. And here\u2019s why:\n

The compression game<\/h3>\nFirst, a quick recap from our previous blog on streaming: content companies like Netflix and Hulu use a process called adaptive bitrate streaming (ABS) to offer up a number of different versions of a video file across a spectrum of compression qualities. Your device will request the highest quality file it\u2019s capable of displaying, based on the device\u2019s technical specs and the strength of your internet connection.\n\n\"\"<\/a>\n\nIf you\u2019re streaming across a fast connection to a high-resolution device (like a 4K TV,) you may well get a good-looking file. Though we feel like we have to note, if your internet connection slows during your stream, you\u2019ll automatically be switched to a lower quality compression and could likely wind up watching your content in SD.\n\nUnfortunately, there are currently no guidelines for what compression files should be across different platforms. Streaming Media Alliance is working on standardizing the file type requirements so that the image sizes meet certain standards, but for now, it\u2019s a bit of a crapshoot.\n\nRegardless, if you\u2019re streaming across a 3G or 4G cellular connection to your smartphone, you can kiss your hopes of high-resolution HD content goodbye. Let\u2019s dive a little deeper to discover why that\u2019s the case\u2014and why it matters.\n

A low ceiling<\/h3>\nWith 3G and 4G connections, the highest bandwidth service achievable is 1.8 megabytes\/sec. This speed makes 1080p playback impossible, no matter what the salesperson at your cellular provider store told you. The highest possible resolution at this speed is 720p.\n\n\"\"<\/a>\nAnd keep in mind, that\u2019s the ceiling. 720p is the absolute best you can do. Frequently, the resolution will be much worse.\n\nBut why does this matter? As long as you can hear the dialogue and see most of the action, isn\u2019t the experience acceptable? We don\u2019t think so, for a number of reasons.\n

Missing pieces<\/h3>\nAt low resolution, you\u2019re missing many of the fine details the creator of the content wanted you to see. It\u2019s like squinting when looking at a Picasso\u2014sure, you\u2019ll get a general sense of the painting, but you\u2019re not seeing the full picture. You\u2019re not getting the effect the artist intended.\n\nLower resolution can also ruin your suspension of disbelief. High-resolution images appear more realistic, sucking you into the film\u2019s story and adding to the illusion that what you\u2019re seeing is really happening. Low-resolution content looks fuzzy and fake, continually reminding you that you\u2019re viewing a fictional production. That awareness makes for a lesser film experience.\n\n\"\"<\/a>\n\nScreen size is a problem as well. Watching a small screen for long periods results in visual fatigue. Your eyes have to constantly scan the picture for detail, rather than just being able to take it all in at once.\n\nAnd let\u2019s not forget audio. Listening to a film or TV show through a mobile device causes you to miss out on important sound effects, and musical cues that add to the story. You wouldn\u2019t listen to a Guns N\u2019 Roses song with Slash\u2019s guitar track removed. So why would you watch a movie with an incomplete soundtrack?\n

Mobile streaming\u2014only a last resort<\/h3>\nOne of our technical advisors, Eric Gemmer, said it best:\n\n\u201cI recently watched Mr. Turner, which relies heavily on the details of the landscape to help set the stage and tone of the film. You have to see all the features in the landscape to fully understand and appreciate the story. These details would be lost if streaming the movie on mobile.<\/em>\n\nThere\u2019s a time and place for watching videos on a phone, but choosing to stream a movie on a mobile device if you have the option of watching it on a larger display can really affect your experience of the story.\u201d<\/em>\n

THX: Improving streaming for everyone<\/h3>\nAt THX, we\u2019re currently working on ways to make the streaming experience better. Look out for more info on that in future blogs. But for now, do yourself a favor: watch your streaming content on a THX Certified TV with THX Certified speakers. You\u2019ll come much closer to getting the full effect the creator intended\u2014something you currently just can\u2019t achieve on a mobile device.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is it ever ok to stream movies on a mobile device? We can hear you A\/V enthusiasts screaming your emphatic answer at your screens now: \u201cNo! Never! Give me my home theater or give me nothing!\u201d We hear you, and we get it. But we also understand that there are times you\u2019ll want to watch […]","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTHX - Streaming Movies On Your Mobile Device? We Need to Talk.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it ever ok to stream movies on your mobile device? We can hear you A\/V enthusiasts screaming your emphatic answer at your screens now...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thx.com\/blog\/streaming-movies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THX - Streaming Movies On Your Mobile Device? 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