Why do We Need Blu-rays and DVDs in the Age of Streaming

About a decade ago, gift giving of DVDs between friends who love movies was very commonplace. But in recent years, as Internet grew in popularity, the sales of DVDs and later Blu-rays started to drop and video streaming services started to replace the physical media. Buying Blu-ray or DVD discs has become more of an uncommon thing because online video streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime or others provide us with libraries with thousands of movies and TV shows for a monthly price less than the cost of a single movie on Blu-ray disc. If a choice had to be made, most people would probably go for online movie streaming rather than a Blu-ray disc.

Although streaming is the mainstream right now but some of you might not know that physical media still remains superior to streaming in almost every way regarding technical aspect.

Even the best streaming can’t surpass physical media in picture and sound quality

The most basic elements of the home viewing experiences are the picture and sound quality. And the current gold standard in home video is 4K. The standard resolution of 4K is 3840*2160, which is way higher than the old HD standard of 1080P and in theory, it should be able to provide denser and sharper image. But according to the A/V enthusiasts at WhatHiFi.com who compared the 4K content offered by Netflix and Amazon to the traditional 1080P Blu-ray disc, the viewing experience of the streaming 4K was basically the same as 1080P Blu-ray. More surprisingly, the contrast and color of the Blu-rays are significantly better than the 4K streaming. Ultra HD discs, in the meanwhile, shows obvious advantage over the two.

Another advantage that physical media has over streaming is in surround sound technology. Blu-rays are able to contain the Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio standards capable of producing supreme seven-speaker sound. With the right setup, these audio formats are able to make the big movie scenes more dynamic and immersive.

What’s dragging streaming down is compression: the picture and sound quality has to be compromised to be sent efficiently over the internet. Although effects have been put into retaining the quality from compression, quality loss is still inevitable. Darker scenes tend to suffer the most from quality loss. Some specific scenes, like sunsets or rooms lit by firelight, would become chunky and pixelated.

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Apple Gives away Beats Solo3 Headphones for Chinese New Year

In order to welcome the upcoming Chinese New Year, Apple announced customers in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore will receive a pair of Beats Solo3 wireless headphones with the purchase of select Mac and iPhone products as part of a one-day sale. Apple’s 2017 Chinese New Year sale involves a special edition version of headphones from its subsidiary Beats, in this case the Product (RED) variation. The color red symbolizes good luck and prosperity in many Asian cultures, and is a common sight around the new year.

According to Apple’s Chinese website, any iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro (excluding late-2016 models with Touch Bar), MacBook Air, Mac Pro, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus will receive an instant credit for a pair of Beats Solo3 hardware. The offer is valid at Apple brick-and-mortar stores or online from 8 a.m. on Jan. 6.

Apple has in the past initiated similar sales to woo Asian market customers. In 2014 the company announced a one-day “Red Friday” sales event that garnered shoppers moderate discounts on select merchandise. Identical promotions ran in 2013 and 2012.

In addition to the Beats Solo3 giveaway, Apple is showcasing a litany of red themed accessories on its digital storefront, including iPhone cases, audio products, toys and more. The company is also pushing digital wares like Chinese Greetings and Chinese New Year iMessage sticker packs for the seasonal event.

Leawo Software Announces New Year Event Featuring Free Video Converter Along with Up to 70% Discounts

Christmas and New Year are usually the busiest time for companies to kick off various kinds of promotions. Leawo Software is no exception. In celebration of Christmas and New Year, the company launched its Christmas and New Year Promotion Activity with free giveaway and big discounts on December 13, 2016. This once-a-year Christmas and New Year sale activity is divided into 3 periods. The third period is a New Year promotion, which started on January 3, 2017 and will end on January 12, 2017.

During the 10-day New Year promotion, Leawo Software gives out Leawo Video Converter as free New Year gift for all participants. The New Year sale also includes price drops ranging from 40 percent to 70 percent off on all Leawo’s Blu-ray/DVD/video/Apple products. Leawo Software also provides over 10 pieces of partners’ software for free to customers as long as they purchase any Leawo’s product during the period.

“The holiday sales could be an even more important event than holidays themselves. And we’re excited to offer yet the promotion to snag everything you need for New Year,” Leawo’s CEO Steven says. “From January 2, 2017, through January 12, 2017, you could get Leawo Video Converter for free. We also offer all kinds of Leawo’s products with amazing discounts.”

Leawo Video Converter helps users convert video and audio between all popular formats like AVI, MP4, MOV, MP3, AAC, FLAC, etc. Superior to other free video converter programs, the software enables users to convert 2D to 3D and create 3D movies for vivid video enjoyment. This all-in-one video converter software offers powerful editing features to add special effects, watermarks, etc. Setting parameters of output profile is feasible as well within this video converter software. It could convert video and audio files for multiple portable devices, phones, tablets, PCs, websites and more.

To get the video converter software for free, customers will need to visit the official promotion page and register with name and personal email address. Both Windows and Mac versions are available. The company would then send a code of Leawo Video Converter to the registered email address for free.

The New Year promotion also includes price drops ranging from 40 percent to 70 percent off on all Leawo’s Blu-ray/DVD/video/Apple products. Blu-ray/DVD products are 40% off. Utility series are offered with 50% off. Video tools are now 60% off. And package series are even offered with 70% off. After purchasing any Leawo’s product with discounts, people can get all 10+ extra products from Leawo’s partners for free. For more details, people could visit: http://www.leawo.org/promotion/special-offer/.

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Apple is Charging $69 for the replacement of a lost AirPod

According to Apple Insider, now for the replacement of a lost or damaged AirPod or the charing case, Apple will charge you $69 in the U.S.

Usually the whole set of AirPod comes with a one-year warranty which covers problems like audio defect and battery problems. When the warranty expires, standard repairs cost $69 and battery service, which is likely to be needed as the headphones age and wear out, costs $49.

“Audio automatically plays as soon as you put them in your ears and pauses when you take them out,” Apple says. “To adjust the volume, change the song, make a call or even get directions, just double-tap to activate Siri. Driven by the custom Apple W1 chip, AirPods use optical sensors and a motion accelerometer to detect when they’re in your ears. Whether you’re using both AirPods or just one, the W1 chip automatically routes the audio and engages the microphone. And when you’re on a call or talking to Siri, an additional accelerometer works with beamforming microphones to filter out background noise and focus on the sound of your voice.

The AirPods just went on sale on December 13^th and they are in no way cheap. They set you back $159 before tax and they might look a little peculiar for now but this could change if they grow in popularity in the future.

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