criterionforum.org

mfunk9786 wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:04 pm Remember when Criterion was on Hulu? Man, those were the days.

Hard to forget when the library on Criterion Channel is virtually identical to what appeared on Hulu back in the day, give or take a few lost rights or new acquisitions.

Wow -- long time, no post

Thrilled about the launch of the channel, but I can't deny that I'm bummed about the dropped frames on my Apple TV 4th gen (especially because the image quality is otherwise nearly flawless, and the overall app experience is smooth). I'm willing to switch, but the Roku I tested last night (admittedly an older model) displayed an abominable image -- noise, compression, motion blur, color funk, you name it. I'm curious if anyone tested another platform against their Apple TV and found that the image quality was comparable.

I reported to them the problem of “stuttering frames”/“dropped frames” occurring on AppleTV that shows up both in their old VHX app and new Criterion Channel app. They said they hadn’t had any other reports.

Time for y’all to get busy filing bug reports. ;^)

Definitely submitted a bug report as well, but haven’t gotten a response yet.

Just finished watching Seance on a Wet Afternoon as my first choice on the channel on a TCL Roku TV. Viewing went off mostly without a hitch until roughly an hour through when the image stopped, but the audio continued. It did this for about 15 seconds before the app closed, after that I couldn't get the TV to respond at all and had to restart it. After getting it back, I was able to finish the film just fine. Is there a specific term for this problem, or should I send a bug report detailing what I have here?

Enjoyed the film very much despite the small fuss. Good transfer, but its a shame the film is so beat up. Sorry if it's not the place to ask, but does anyone know why Richard Attenborough has a prosthetic nose here?

Just to add to the chorus, I am in fact experiencing the same dropped frames/stuttering issue everyone else is reporting on my Apple TV (4th gen, not 4K), just as I did on FilmStruck and the VHX app. Not surprised at all, to be honest. I've had virtually no free time recently due to major "real life" upheaval, but I'll try to find some time to file a bug report. Big thanks to everyone else who's already done so.

mfunk9786 wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 4:43 pm Thanks fdm! If there's a reliable workaround that would be great. I'm discouraged, though, because this is the first film we tried to watch and this happened. The ending of Mikey and Nicky is ultra impactful, too, so it was a shame that we had to finish it out on a cell phone after much frustration with the television.

Well it worked pretty well for me with the Roku 3 most of the time (when FS wasn't acting up too badly)... Seems like I'll have to eventually sit down and watch something all the way through to see whether it works with CC should the need arise.

I got through Strike (still my favorite Eisenstein) with no problems last night, but it was with a brand new out-of-the-box Roku Express. Looked excellent overall... no lagging or bitrate-catchup problems. Still, that was just a first experiment; I've been needing to rewatch Mulholland Dr. so I'll try that shortly and see how it goes.

Also watched the beginning of Watership Down and wow, I inexplicably haven't picked up that blu-ray yet but I got emotional seeing that film -- which I got to know on a tattered rental VHS -- treated with such respect!

So about this dropped frames thing on Apple TVs - is it obvious, or subtle? Because I've now watched two parts of Scenes From a Marriage, and So Dark the Night, and I haven't noticed any issues. That said, I'm not particularly sensitive to some of these things.

I hesitate to describe it in too much detail if you haven't noticed! It's most obvious to me during panning shots, but, honestly, it's subtle enough that I'm not considering canceling or anything. Access to supplements is worth it alone. I just really do hope Criterion (or VHX, or Apple) can address it sooner rather than later.

DeprongMori wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:09 am I reported to them the problem of “stuttering frames”/“dropped frames” occurring on AppleTV that shows up both in their old VHX app and new Criterion Channel app. They said they hadn’t had any other reports.

Time for y’all to get busy filing bug reports. ;^)

I apologize if this is a silly question... but would you mind posting a link of where we can go to file a bug report?

Thanks!

willoneill wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:45 pm So about this dropped frames thing on Apple TVs - is it obvious, or subtle? Because I've now watched two parts of Scenes From a Marriage, and So Dark the Night, and I haven't noticed any issues. That said, I'm not particularly sensitive to some of these things.

For me it's obvious because it happens so frequently, like clockwork. It takes me out of whatever is playing every time, which means it's not even worth trying to watch something right now. I'm guessing a lot of factors play into how obvious it is for different setups and people's sensitivity to it, because I can't imagine someone not being bothered by the way it looks on mine.

I also reported it to them (twice actually — once through the website https://www.criterionchannel.com/contact/support , once through an email - [email protected])

I’m getting the “this device does not support secure video playback.“ error. Near as I can tell this has something to do with the HDMI hdcp 2.2 standard. My TV is an older Vizio standard HD, not 4K tv. I can’t find anything online listing it’s compliance with hdcp 2.2 I’m using and AmazonFire Stick, again the non 4K type.

Is it safe to assume that the only way the Criterion Channel is going to work is if you have at minimum, equipment made in the past 2-3 years, and probably 4K compatible?

ellsworthedits wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 2:31 pm I apologize if this is a silly question... but would you mind posting a link of where we can go to file a bug report?

The website lacks any links to a contact email, phone number, or chat. I didn’t see a way to report it from the AppleTV itself. However, the app on iPhone and iPad has a “Contact Support” option under Settings, which generates an email report template to [email protected]

I used that template and substituted my AppleTV model and version info for the iPhone app info in the auto-generated message, and provided a full description of the problem. I’d suggest we use similar keywords like “dropped frames” or “stuttering frames” so the various reports can be easily seen as indicating the same problem.

SiriusBlack wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:40 pm I’m getting the “this device does not support secure video playback.“ error. Near as I can tell this has something to do with the HDMI hdcp 2.2 standard. My TV is an older Vizio standard HD, not 4K tv. I can’t find anything online listing it’s compliance with hdcp 2.2 I’m using and AmazonFire Stick, again the non 4K type.

Is it safe to assume that the only way the Criterion Channel is going to work is if you have at minimum, equipment made in the past 2-3 years, and probably 4K compatible?

I don't think 2-3 years is the maximum age by any means. I finally got it working hooking my laptop up to a projector and receiver each released in 2013 (which is when 2.2 was actually released, from what I can tell), and none of my equipment is 4k ready.

Is anyone with a 4K Apple TV using the Apple-recommended Belkin HDMI cable? I'm not, so I'm just wondering if it's possible that somehow using that cable would fix the stuttering/dropped frames issue.

I just found an online users guide for the tv model and it lists HDMI compliance as 1.4. I think that might be my problem. 😔 The tv is from 2012-13 I believe. I’m guessing upgrading to a newer Roku isn’t going to solve the problem.

senseabove wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:09 pm

SiriusBlack wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:40 pm I’m getting the “this device does not support secure video playback.“ error. Near as I can tell this has something to do with the HDMI hdcp 2.2 standard. My TV is an older Vizio standard HD, not 4K tv. I can’t find anything online listing it’s compliance with hdcp 2.2 I’m using and AmazonFire Stick, again the non 4K type.

Is it safe to assume that the only way the Criterion Channel is going to work is if you have at minimum, equipment made in the past 2-3 years, and probably 4K compatible?

I don't think 2-3 years is the maximum age by any means. I finally got it working hooking my laptop up to a projector and receiver each released in 2013 (which is when 2.2 was actually released, from what I can tell), and none of my equipment is 4k ready.

backwater wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:21 pm Is anyone with a 4K Apple TV using the Apple-recommended Belkin HDMI cable? I'm not, so I'm just wondering if it's possible that somehow using that cable would fix the stuttering/dropped frames issue.

Back when I was experiencing dropped frames with FilmStruck, I thought the cable might be the culprit.

I purchased the Apple-recommended Belkin cable... which helped with streaming 4K content... but still getting dropped frames with (then) FilmStruck and (now) Criterion Channel.

I don't think the dropped frames are an issue the user can fix; I believe this is an issue on their end. FWIW.

Guido wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:36 am Wow -- long time, no post :)

Thrilled about the launch of the channel, but I can't deny that I'm bummed about the dropped frames on my Apple TV 4th gen (especially because the image quality is otherwise nearly flawless, and the overall app experience is smooth). I'm willing to switch, but the Roku I tested last night (admittedly an older model) displayed an abominable image -- noise, compression, motion blur, color funk, you name it. I'm curious if anyone tested another platform against their Apple TV and found that the image quality was comparable.

For me, it is definitely an AppleTV issue.

I was experiencing dropped frames last night (as I did with FilmStruck) on my AppleTV 4K. I paused my movie, and downloaded the Criterion Channel app for my Sony 4K TV (via Google Play) and continued watching my movie. And it looked great; no dropped frames at all.

SiriusBlack wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:21 pm I just found an online users guide for the tv model and it lists HDMI compliance as 1.4. I think that might be my problem. The tv is from 2012-13 I believe. I’m guessing upgrading to a newer Roku isn’t going to solve the problem.

Just to make it extra confusing, HDMI and HDCP are not the same thing. HDMI 1.4 should be fine.

senseabove wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:48 pm

SiriusBlack wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:21 pm I just found an online users guide for the tv model and it lists HDMI compliance as 1.4. I think that might be my problem. 😔 The tv is from 2012-13 I believe. I’m guessing upgrading to a newer Roku isn’t going to solve the problem.

Just to make it extra confusing, HDMI and HDCP are not the same thing. HDMI 1.4 should be fine.

Hmmmm ok, maybe I’ll try a new Roku on the off chance it does work. I’ve beenwanting an upgrade but a new TV isn’t in the cards right now. Cross my fingers!

I did email the help desk at criterion using the special charter subscriber email address they provided. I’ll update if they give any new information.

ellsworthedits wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:37 pm

backwater wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:21 pm Is anyone with a 4K Apple TV using the Apple-recommended Belkin HDMI cable? I'm not, so I'm just wondering if it's possible that somehow using that cable would fix the stuttering/dropped frames issue.

Back when I was experiencing dropped frames with FilmStruck, I thought the cable might be the culprit.

I purchased the Apple-recommended Belkin cable... which helped with streaming 4K content... but still getting dropped frames with (then) FilmStruck and (now) Criterion Channel.

I don't think the dropped frames are an issue the user can fix; I believe this is an issue on their end. FWIW.

Thanks for the reply. You're saving me the $35 or whatever it is to try that.

SiriusBlack wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:58 pm

senseabove wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:48 pm

SiriusBlack wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:21 pm I just found an online users guide for the tv model and it lists HDMI compliance as 1.4. I think that might be my problem. The tv is from 2012-13 I believe. I’m guessing upgrading to a newer Roku isn’t going to solve the problem.

Just to make it extra confusing, HDMI and HDCP are not the same thing. HDMI 1.4 should be fine.

Hmmmm ok, maybe I’ll try a new Roku on the off chance it does work. I’ve beenwanting an upgrade but a new TV isn’t in the cards right now. Cross my fingers!

I did email the help desk at criterion using the special charter subscriber email address they provided. I’ll update if they give any new information.

Where did you get the charter email address? I haven't been able to find it.

SiriusBlack wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:40 pm I’m getting the “this device does not support secure video playback.“ error. Near as I can tell this has something to do with the HDMI hdcp 2.2 standard. My TV is an older Vizio standard HD, not 4K tv. I can’t find anything online listing it’s compliance with hdcp 2.2 I’m using and AmazonFire Stick, again the non 4K type.

Is it safe to assume that the only way the Criterion Channel is going to work is if you have at minimum, equipment made in the past 2-3 years, and probably 4K compatible?

Just tried it briefly with the not terribly fancy Vizeo standard HD tv (from 2013) and a (4K) Roku device and it works.

And also just tried out the Roku 3 and it's working with the plasma (both from 2013 also), so no limitations for that configuration, although it might be wise to delete some apps before doing anything significant with it...