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zoux posted:I mean I think the guy is allowed to complain, but it might be his platform. I've never noticed it reading on iOS. That shouldn't matter any more. I've used it on both ios and android and unzoomed looked fine, zoomed you could see resolution issues. I just have big enough tablets to not need to zoom.
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Aug 3, 2015 19:16
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Hey I'm just not fond of the fact they clearly have the HD scans of the comics somewhere to be able to offer them on Comixology. MU might be more economically friendly, but at the end of the day it's still a paid for service, so it strikes me as a bit cheeky for them to deliberately do that. I am just using a .99c for 1 month promo, but I was considering subscribing just to have access whenever. But, with the low quality, I can see why subbing and just binging for short periods is something most people tend to do with the service. It just seems weird that zoomed looks great in Comixology but like garbage in the MU app. It's fine if you don't need to zoom in, but at some point you're just making an excuse for something that is a little bit lovely. I'm still enjoying it -- but it's a little bit "come on". It's 2015. Make with the HD scans.
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Aug 3, 2015 19:40
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I don't actually recall having quality issues when zooming in. Are you reading streamed issues, or ones you've downloaded for offline viewing?
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Aug 3, 2015 19:42
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PoshAlligator posted:Hey I'm just not fond of the fact they clearly have the HD scans of the comics somewhere to be able to offer them on Comixology. MU might be more economically friendly, but at the end of the day it's still a paid for service, so it strikes me as a bit cheeky for them to deliberately do that. That's like saying "Who cares if I just ordered a salad and a water, this restaurant has steak available and I want one!" As for zooming in I use an ipad and haven't noticed any problems, but I only use it for spreads if I don't want to turn my ipad
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Aug 3, 2015 20:02
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Opopanax posted:That's like saying "Who cares if I just ordered a salad and a water, this restaurant has steak available and I want one!" It's closer to saying "It's bullshit that this Netflix original series is only available in HD using Amazon Prime" because media and food do not line up, especially when dealing with subscriptions and resolution. Can they do it? Sure. Does it make sense for them to intentionally handicap the offerings of their own subscription service? Intuitively not, and so it's kind of confusing. You'd expect to get high quality Marvel content which Marvel creates and owns when using the Marvel service, not have to use a third party. They clearly have the content because they provide it to the third party. I guess there's probably different market segments that want HD vs want the quantity, but it is not at all clear that you should expect to not get HD from the people who are the source of the HD comics. surc fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Aug 3, 2015 |
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Aug 3, 2015 20:18
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Again, you get what you pay for. Saying that because they have the HD version means that they're somehow obligated to provide it to their Unlimited subscribers is like complaining about the six month delay between when an issue is released and when it shows up on Unlimited. They have the issue ready for digital distribution, why shouldn't everyone get to read it? Well, because some people are paying more. Otherwise, what would be the point of ever buying an individual issue?
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Aug 3, 2015 20:38
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This would never happen, but how much would you pay for a sub service that offers everything on release day?
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Aug 3, 2015 20:47
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Personally...I don't think I would. $10 is that perfect sweet spot for me, and there's no shortage of back issues to keep me busy in between the most recent issues.
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Aug 3, 2015 20:50
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Phylodox posted:Again, you get what you pay for. Saying that because they have the HD version means that they're somehow obligated to provide it to their Unlimited subscribers is like complaining about the six month delay between when an issue is released and when it shows up on Unlimited. They have the issue ready for digital distribution, why shouldn't everyone get to read it? Well, because some people are paying more. Otherwise, what would be the point of ever buying an individual issue? Well it makes me not want to subscribe so ??? e: the quality - the delayed issues makes much more sense at a face level.
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Aug 3, 2015 20:51
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I think I could pay $100/month and still save a lot right now, but that will taper off with Secret Wars ending.
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Aug 3, 2015 20:56
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PoshAlligator posted:Well it makes me not want to subscribe so ??? The number of subscriptions they lose for that reason is probably insignificant compared to the revenue they'd lose if nobody bought new issues at full price any more. Not that comic books are a significant revenue stream for the Marvel/Disney/Lucasfilm megacorporation, anyways.
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Aug 3, 2015 20:59
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PoshAlligator posted:Well it makes me not want to subscribe so ??? Then don't subscribe. What you want is not the service that MU provides, and that's fine.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:00
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Phylodox posted:Again, you get what you pay for. Saying that because they have the HD version means that they're somehow obligated to provide it to their Unlimited subscribers is like complaining about the six month delay between when an issue is released and when it shows up on Unlimited. They have the issue ready for digital distribution, why shouldn't everyone get to read it? Well, because some people are paying more. Otherwise, what would be the point of ever buying an individual issue?  I said it was counter-intuitive for the quality to only be available through a third party. I explained my thinking as to why it was counter-intuitive. I then said that I thought it was dumb to leap on somebody with All-star Batman levels of scorn for being confused about it, because it is counter-intuitive. None of what you say has anything to do with those things. e: Unless there's an implication that it is not counter-intuitive in there, but I don't see it and I can't understand why you would think that. I guess I will engage on the thing you wanted me to talk about. The HD thing is also gonna prevent me from subscribing to MU, which is partially why it seems so dumb to me. Now if they get any of my money, it will only be through a third party where presumably they get a cut, instead of getting 90% of my digital comic spending directly to them. I also generally don't buy individual issues any more, because it's a horribly out of date distribution method that is a huge drag on comics as a medium and needs to go away or be changed massively, instead of being the central way of getting comics in front of people's eyeballs.  E: Senor Candle posted:Then don't subscribe. What you want is not the service that MU provides, and that's fine. surc fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Aug 3, 2015 |
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Aug 3, 2015 21:12
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If you buy more than like 5 comics a month through comixology I can pretty much guarantee that Marvel is getting more money out of you buying single issues than subscribing to MU.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:19
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I don't think they gain anything by not having HD comics, it's not like 6 month old digital issues sell anything when not on sale. They should be going all-in with MU as far as I'm concerned, that kind of service is the future much moreso than Comixology.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:19
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It's as simple as: you want a service they are not offering. Marvel Unlimited offers quantity. Maybe it's a bandwidth or storage issue, maybe it's to incentivize purchasing individual issues. If you want quality, then buy the individual issue. It costs a not insignificant percentage of the subscription fee you won't be paying for Unlimited, anyways.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:23
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Hakkesshu posted:I don't think they gain anything by not having HD comics, it's not like 6 month old digital issues sell anything when not on sale. They should be going all-in with MU as far as I'm concerned, that kind of service is the future much moreso than Comixology. It would either cost more money to subscribe to MU or they would make less money if they switched everything to HD. It's simple, bandwidth isn't free. Marvel is so much farther in than literally any other publisher when it comes to subscription services.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:27
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Senor Candle posted:If you buy more than like 5 comics a month through comixology I can pretty much guarantee that Marvel is getting more money out of you buying single issues than subscribing to MU. I do both 
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Aug 3, 2015 21:28
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Phylodox posted:Maybe it's a bandwidth or storage issue, I'd think it's this. I don't know what the resolution of their files is, but going 720->1080 would double the file size. 1080->4k would quadruple the file size.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:29
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Uthor posted:I'd think it's this. I don't know what the resolution of their files is, but going 720->1080 would double the file size. 1080->4k would quadruple the file size. I made the mistake of downloading a few issues using cellular data when I first got Comixology. They absolutely blew through my 2 gig bandwidth limit. They're pretty big.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:31
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That does explain why my Netflix subscription only lets me watch movies in Standard Definition. Won't somebody please think about their poor bandwidth?
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Aug 3, 2015 21:32
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PoshAlligator posted:That does explain why my Netflix subscription only lets me watch movies in Standard Definition. Yeah it's a factor for sure, but if they want it to be an important service they shouldn't half-rear end it. Not having HD anything in this day and age is unacceptable.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:34
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It would probably be different if there were any kind of similar service pushing them competitively but they are the sole sub comics service on the market. The bigger problem for me is the gaping holes in their catalog before 2000.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:37
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I mean...streaming video is Netflix's main source of revenue. It's their raison d'etre. Marvel Unlimited is pretty much an experimental side venture. They have no competition. They're under no obligation or even any significant pressure right now.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:37
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PoshAlligator posted:That does explain why my Netflix subscription only lets me watch movies in Standard Definition.
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Aug 3, 2015 21:43
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He is right tho, I don't understand why people want to defend marvels laziness.
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Aug 3, 2015 22:08
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CharlestheHammer posted:He is right tho, I don't understand why people want to defend marvels laziness. We've just demonstrated a few reasons why they might not offer HD comics at that price point. Also what you think they'd do it otherwise but they just don't wanna? Accusing a company of laziness is the stupidest possible criticism. Of all the possible reasons why MU might not have something or might not do something it ain't because executives are too lazy to personally upload the files themselves.
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Aug 3, 2015 22:14
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Phylodox posted:I mean...streaming video is Netflix's main source of revenue. It's their raison d'etre. Marvel Unlimited is pretty much an experimental side venture. They have no competition. They're under no obligation or even any significant pressure right now. Them having no competition is only kind of true. Comixology exists, and is owned by Amazon. You know, "Eat up all the marketshare so that people only buy things through us" Amazon. Also, Piracy is a real thing that they are competing against, as is buying pre-owned comics, or borrowing comics, or anything that isn't giving them money for comics. They should be trying to convince people to give them all the money, and instead it seems like they're like "Nah we'll throw this together and see who bites". It's frustrating, because to watch them you'd think they'd never seen the music, and movie and gaming industries go through similar pains. The difference is, comics are not as big-money of an industry and so I'm mildly terrified that their bad decision making will kill the industry dead or result in parent companies (Disney) taking stronger creative control and resulting in terrible poo poo. E: zoux posted:We've just demonstrated a few reasons why they might not offer HD comics at that price point. Also, not to put words in that dudes mouth because who knows, maybe he did mean it that way, but laziness doesn't necessarily mean "about the files they have". I think it's pretty lazy that they haven't designed their system to be a good system in preparation for competition. And maybe lazy isn't the exactly right word, but I don't know what else you'd call them deciding not to do something because it would require too much from them and they can do it later and still probably have it turn out ok. surc fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Aug 3, 2015 |
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Aug 3, 2015 22:19
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Also worth noting is that Netflix does charge more for HD, it's just also tied into the number of "screens" (here meaning simultaneous log-ins), although they do grandfather in old accounts. If you're starting a new account your options are $7.99 for single log-in SD only, $8.99 for two log-ins in HD (when available), or $11.99 for four log-ins in 4K (when available).
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Aug 3, 2015 22:25
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zoux posted:We've just demonstrated a few reasons why they might not offer HD comics at that price point. Marvel unlimited as a whole is a janky mess, mostly do to laziness. It may be stupid but it is also completely correct. Also your lame rationales aren't terribly convincing anyway.
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Aug 3, 2015 22:25
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CharlestheHammer posted:Marvel unlimited as a whole is a janky mess, mostly do to laziness. It may be stupid but it is also completely correct. I'll just say, as usual, you have no idea what you are talking about.
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Aug 3, 2015 22:27
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zoux posted:I'll just say, as usual, you have no idea what you are talking about. A scathing retort coming from you of all people. The king of talking out his rear end. I mean everyone knows that marvel/dc still don't take digital as serious as they should, better then before granted but sill pretty halfassed. CharlestheHammer fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Aug 3, 2015 |
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Aug 3, 2015 22:28
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surc posted:Them having no competition is only kind of true. Comixology exists, and is owned by Amazon. You know, "Eat up all the marketshare so that people only buy things through us" Amazon. If I had to guess, and I am just guessing, I would guess that increasing the cost of loss leader (available data indicates that MU doesn't make Marvel any money, though it may bump trade sales) by increasing band width costs is just a standard business decision. Laziness implies that if only Axel Alonso would get off his rear end and do something then MU would be a perfect product, but he can't be assed to do it. I see laziness used as a reason for internet whining about why "company isn't doing the thing I want" for basically all conceivable media. The irony is that the "critic" is either too lazy to come up with a more realistic reason or too stupid to articulate it. Multibillion dollar international megacorps don't neglect things out of institutional laziness.
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Aug 3, 2015 22:43
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Well yes an app will be better if time is invested in it, are you really disputing this?
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Aug 3, 2015 22:50
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zoux posted:If I had to guess, and I am just guessing, I would guess that increasing the cost of loss leader (available data indicates that MU doesn't make Marvel any money, though it may bump trade sales) by increasing band width costs is just a standard business decision. Laziness implies that if only Axel Alonso would get off his rear end and do something then MU would be a perfect product, but he can't be assed to do it. It makes sense from a business standpoint then (I was unaware it was a loss leader), but I still think it's going to bite them in the long run based on how other digital media has gone, and in the mean time it means I don't get to give them money for a service I want.  Also I think the laziness thing was just anthropomorphising companies like people do everything else. It's more concise then going into the ways in which a thing is short-sighted or that a thing costs less for a company at the expense of the customer, and depending on the audience, might convey a more accurate idea of what you mean than you have the specific words for. I don't disagree that it's laziness on the part of the person making the argument, but I'd argue that like Marvel's laziness, it's not intended as laziness.  E: (Again if I am putting words in that dude's mouth, he should feel free to call me out!) surc fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Aug 3, 2015 |
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Aug 3, 2015 22:51
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CharlestheHammer posted:Well yes an app will be better if time is invested in it, are you really disputing this? If they aren't investing time in it, it isn't because they are too lazy to do so. I don't even know what that would look like in a corporate context. surc posted:It makes sense from a business standpoint then (I was unaware it was a loss leader), but I still think it's going to bite them in the long run based on how other digital media has gone, and in the mean time it means I don't get to give them money for a service I want. Yeah it may or may not be a bad decision in the long run. Other industries tell us that it will, though comics are a bit of a different beast because there's a lot of ritual and tactile sense involved in heading to the LCS and hefting a pile of new books. Look, no one is a bigger proponent of digital comics than me, I've not bought a physical book in years, and in my opinion MU is an insane value for the service. I've read literally thousands of comics at an extremely low price point, and knowing that I can just wait six months to read a book I'm on the fence about buying saves me money. The laziness thing is just a huge personal pet peeve of mine. zoux fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Aug 3, 2015 |
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Aug 3, 2015 22:51
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Marvel Unlimited's current business model also gives them room to improve. If the current subscription service proves viable, then they can roll out HD versions (or offer a premium service with them) at a later date. Being at the forefront of this model means they can take their time feeling out the market. If they had started out with HD copies, then a premium service later on would be almost out of the question.
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Aug 3, 2015 22:59
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I don't think it's lazy not to upgrade to HD files as the costs to bandwidth would be large and ongoing. I don't know what kind of margins they're running at, but I doubt they are high. I do think it's lazy not to get someone to upgrade the app and service at a one time cost that will make the experience better for everyone for a long time.
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Aug 3, 2015 23:30
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unl33t posted:Also worth noting is that Netflix does charge more for HD, it's just also tied into the number of "screens" (here meaning simultaneous log-ins), although they do grandfather in old accounts. If you're starting a new account your options are $7.99 for single log-in SD only, $8.99 for two log-ins in HD (when available), or $11.99 for four log-ins in 4K (when available). Of course, by the same token, you can see that 1080p streaming from netflix is a dollar less than MDU, and the SD another dollar less, and even the SD stream's bandwidth is going to be greater than comics. So, you know, maybe bandwidth costs aren't really a compelling argument here.
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Aug 3, 2015 23:36
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I know these aren't super accurate numbers, but Marvel Unlimited has about 13,000 users on the Google Play store while Netflix has about 2,000,000 (150x). That doesn't include iOS or all the people using Netflix on their Blu-ray players/Rokus/etc. I think Netflix has the benefit of scale on their hands. Maybe Marvel pays more royalties for their comics than Netflix does for their videos. Maybe Netflix users on average watch less videos than MU users read comics.
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Aug 3, 2015 23:47
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