Disney Movies Anywhere vs Blu-Ray

A curious thing happened with the latest Disney Blu-rays. The Jungle Book, Frozen and Planes all included a digital copy of the film. The digital copy used to come at a $15 premium. No more. Now you get the DVD/Blu-ray combo and a digital copy packaged together for around $20 (through national sellers like Target and Amazon).

The BD comes loaded with extras that were not included on a streaming purchase of the film. At least not until the Disney Movies Anywhere app came out for iOS. When you register a digital copy or purchase the film through iTunes you'll now get all the extras from the BD. As long as you view the film through the Disney app.

It's refreshing that the bonus content is now included with the streaming purchase or included with the BD digital copy. But unless you have Apple TV you'll have to find a way to convert your iPhone or iPad signal into HDMI to watch the streaming on your TV. If you buy the identically priced BD then you'll have both options without hunting down cables. And to my eye the BD still offers higher quality HD than the stream.

The digital stream should still be priced below the physical BD because it costs so much less to package and sell it. Otherwise, it's less green to buy the BD but the BD offers higher value. And I really don't get why Disney has locked the app down to iOS. To be a true game changer it needs to be available on all major platforms like Android and Roku.  

The HD Battle

So I've been comparing my HD feeds from cable, Blu-Ray, streaming and my HD antenna in my home theater.

For live events, nothing beats the HD antenna. It's much better than the HD feed I used to get from cable. This is because the signal isn't compressed like it is over cable.  So if the choice is between cable or antenna, antenna wins. For movies, streaming or BD is a better choice.

I'm streaming HD using a Roku. I have it hooked into my LAN and it still glitches or jumps on occasion. It's better than cable for movies and doesn't have the ads from using an antenna. The surround works well. But it uses more bandwidth and when turned on can cause the picture to jump.

My Blu-ray has the clearest picture and best sound quality. The UI isn't as easy as the Roku and when the disc is spinning it does create a bit of sound vibration.

Each format has its strengths and weaknesses. Except for cable which seems so 20th century at this point. If it's a live event like a sporting event, use the HD antenna. If it's a TV show use the Roku. For cinematic experience, the Blu-ray is the best.