TV & Movie Resolution Formats

[big_teee]

I'm fixing to purchase the movie "Top Gun Maverick".
It is for sale on Amazon Prime.
You purchase the streaming privilege, not on a physical disk.
You own the right to watch it anytime from Amazon Prime.
We are going to have a watch party with my Daughter and family.
It comes in 3 streaming formats.
UHD, HD, & SD.
Since my ISP speed is average, not real fast I probably should go with HD?
Does anyone have experience to share with resolution formats?
T

[The Dude]

My first question would be, "Do you have a UHD TV?".

[big_teee]

how would I verify to see what my Samsung TV is?

[The Dude]

Type the model into a Google search and look up the specs, or maybe just ask Google the question, "Is my Samsung (insert model here) UHD?

[big_teee]

I looked it up from the model number on the back.
That print was small, and I had to get reading glasses and a flashlight.
It is a UN55TU700DF.
It appears to be a 55 inch UHD, according to the Samsung site.
Next issue is I watch Amazon Prime over my Wifi.
Here is my Wifi download speed on my Living Room laptop.

[big_teee]

I just found this.

Ultra HD Streaming Video Data Usage
Also known as 4K (2160p), this resolution uses five times more data than HD video and requires at least 25 Mbps of bandwidth.

So I would be pushing the limits, I probably need to watch it in HD?
I probably couldn't tell the difference anyway!
T

[The Dude]

I've read that 25 Mbps is recommended minimum for UHD. Since you're barely over that, I probably wouldn't risk it. I haven't tried to stream UHD though, so I'm no expert. I also think HD is plenty good enough. If you purchase the movie, must you decide the format at purchase? If so, it seems odd. What if (for example) you wanted to watch on your living room TV in UHD the first viewing and then later wanted to watch HD in the bedroom (for instance). My opinion is that if you buy the movie, you should be able to watch it in whatever format you wish. But then my opinion doesn't count for much.

Edit: You snuck in while I was typing.

[big_teee]

I just watched the free top gun Maverick trailers on Prime.
Pretty sure they are in UHD, very clear and no issues.
So I'm going to purchase the UHD option.
I read where that will convert and work on all tv formats.
I'll keep you posted.
T

[The Dude]

Please do keep us posted. This would be good info to have if I ever decide to purchase a movie.

[big_teee]

I just purchased the movie, "Top Gun Maverick".
I was going to buy it from my laptop, logged into prime.
It said HD was the highest option for my laptop and UHD was unsupported.
So I logged in to prime on my smart tv, and bought it in UHD from there.
I started it, and it works great, I saved it to "My Stuff".
I stopped it, tried playing it on the Laptop, and it works fine, converts to HD.
So I did all this fretting, for naught!
So for $19.99, I bought the movie.
Cheaper than two tickets at the Theater.
We will have a watch party, this weekend with the Family.
Thanks, Dude for helping me logic through it.
T

[big_teee]

We had our watch party for "Top Gun Maverick"
The UHD worked fine, and my download speed was fast enough, no issues.
UHD is very clear.
If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.
I like fighter jet movies, and videos.
So I'm sure I will watch it a lot when I can't find things to watch.
T
**Trailer