It might not feel like it, but Disney+ launched all the way back in 2019. Many services have come and gone in that time, but Disney’s app has stuck around and continued to grow. It was backed by the then-cultural juggernaut that was Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both of those properties have waned a bit in popularity, but the MCU appears to be on the upswing again thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
When it first launched, Disney+ cost just $7 a month, so it was practically a no-brainer for a lot of people. With all of the MCU’s TV output being funneled into the app, it was the only choice in town for people who wanted to keep up with everything. I was one of those people, but my interest crawled to a halt as the output was too high for me to keep up with everything. As weird as it sounds, I think there was just too much Marvel and Star Wars content coming out for me to stay up to date with it all.
The elephant in the room, however, is the price. Disney+ doesn’t have much going in original content outside of Marvel and Star Wars, so it begs the question of if you’re not interested in those, what are you paying for? The answer for me is nothing, and with the recent news that Disney+ is going up to a whopping $21.49 a month for ad-free, it’s just not worth it anymore. In fact, I would argue that it hasn’t been worth it for a long time.
Quiz
4K Streaming vs. DVD
Trivia Challenge
Think higher resolution always means better picture? — think again, and test your knowledge of the tech behind your screen.
StreamingDVDsCompressionResolutionVideo Tech
What video compression format is most commonly used by major 4K streaming services like Netflix and Disney+?
Correct! H.265, also known as HEVC, is the dominant codec for 4K streaming because it compresses video more efficiently than older formats. However, even HEVC has to make significant sacrifices in quality to fit 4K content into manageable bitrates for internet delivery.
Not quite. The answer is H.265 (HEVC). While H.264 is still widely used for HD streaming, 4K content requires the superior compression efficiency of H.265 to keep file sizes practical — though that compression still comes at a visual cost.
What is the maximum bitrate of a standard DVD’s video stream?
Correct! A standard DVD tops out at around 9.8 Mbps for its video stream. While that sounds modest compared to 4K resolutions, the key is that this bitrate is delivering 480p content — meaning far less data is being squeezed, and compression artefacts are far less visible.
Not quite. A standard DVD’s maximum video bitrate is approximately 9.8 Mbps. That figure might seem low, but because it’s only encoding 480p resolution, the compression is far less aggressive and the picture can look surprisingly clean and film-like.
Approximately what bitrate does Netflix typically use to stream 4K HDR content?
Correct! Netflix streams 4K HDR at roughly 15–25 Mbps, which sounds decent but is actually quite compressed for content at that resolution. A 4K Blu-ray disc, by comparison, can deliver bitrates of 80–100 Mbps, which is why physical media still wins on raw picture quality.
Not quite. Netflix typically streams 4K HDR at around 15–25 Mbps. This is dramatically lower than a 4K Blu-ray disc’s potential 80–100 Mbps, meaning the streaming version must discard a significant amount of visual information to fit through your internet connection.
What visual artefact is most commonly caused by heavy video compression in 4K streaming?
Correct! Banding — where smooth colour gradients appear as stepped blocks — and blocking artefacts are the telltale signs of aggressive compression. You’ll often notice banding in dark skies or shadowy scenes in 4K streams, something far less common on physical media.
Not quite. The answer is banding and blocking artefacts. These appear when a codec discards too much colour and detail data to save space. Smooth gradients like dark skies can show visible ‘steps’ of colour, and fast motion can break into blocky patches — both common in heavily compressed 4K streams.
What is the native resolution of a standard DVD?
Correct! DVDs store video at 720×480 pixels for NTSC regions (like the US) or 720×576 for PAL regions (like Europe). Despite this relatively low resolution, the efficient use of bitrate and lack of heavy compression can make DVDs appear remarkably sharp and film-like on a modest screen.
Not quite. The answer is 720×480 for NTSC or 720×576 for PAL. These resolutions are a fraction of 4K’s 3840×2160, yet a well-mastered DVD can still look impressive because the compression is far less severe relative to the amount of picture detail being encoded.
In what year was the DVD format officially launched for consumers in the United States?
Correct! DVDs launched in the US in 1997, following an earlier debut in Japan in late 1996. The format was a massive leap over VHS, offering cleaner picture, chapter selection, and surround sound — and it dominated home video for over a decade before streaming began to take hold.
Not quite. The DVD launched in the United States in 1997. It had debuted in Japan a year earlier in 1996, and its combination of better picture, digital audio, and durability over VHS quickly made it the dominant home video format well into the 2000s.
What does ‘HDR’ stand for in the context of modern 4K streaming and display technology?
Correct! HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and it refers to a wider range of brightness levels and colours that a display can show. When properly implemented, HDR can make a bigger perceptual difference than the jump to 4K resolution alone — but poor streaming compression can undermine its impact.
Not quite. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It allows displays to show brighter highlights and deeper shadows simultaneously, with a wider colour gamut. Ironically, the heavy compression used in 4K streaming can introduce artefacts that make HDR content look worse than well-mastered SDR video on disc.
What is the term for the process where a video codec selectively discards information deemed less visible to the human eye in order to reduce file size?
Correct! Lossy compression is the technique at the heart of all major streaming video codecs. By discarding data the human eye supposedly won’t notice — fine textures, subtle colour differences — codecs dramatically reduce file sizes. But at low bitrates, those shortcuts become very noticeable indeed.
Not quite. The answer is lossy compression. Unlike lossless encoding, which preserves every bit of data, lossy compression permanently discards information to shrink file sizes. At the low bitrates used by streaming services, this can strip away fine detail, crush shadow gradients, and introduce the artefacts that make 4K streams look worse than a DVD.
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
Disney+ is in a no-man’s land
Who is this for?
Disney+’s price increase makes it among the most expensive streaming services around, and it feels like it gives the least amount of value. There isn’t a constant flow of original shows, and what is there doesn’t seem to last very long. Daredevil: Born Again is ending after Season 3, and there’s still a long wait for Ahsoka Season 2. It’s starting to feel like it’s more of a service that you subscribe to for a month at a time to binge what you want and then unsubscribe. I don’t see the point in sticking around for months at a time for a service with so little content outside of those things.
One of the big appeals is the backlog of Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel movies. There’s a lot out there, and it’s nice to have it all in one spot. It even has some nice features like IMAX Enhanced support, but that doesn’t move the needle for me. I have a huge physical media library, so having access to the Disney catalog isn’t as appealing since I own a lot of Star Wars and Marvel movies physically already. I can see the value for somebody who doesn’t, but there are certainly limits to how many times you can watch Moana before losing your mind.
You can lower the price by picking up a bundle that comes with HBO Max and Hulu, but then you better make sure you use those services to get your money’s worth. It’s obviously going to come down to personal preference, but I just don’t see why you’d pay for Disney+ in this day and age. With every streaming service fighting for my money, I have to pick and choose my battles. The reality is that too many streamers are charging $20 or more for an ad-free experience, so I can’t stick with them all. I don’t watch a ton of TV these days, so it’s easier for me to leave streamers behind. If there’s a movie or show I’m interested in, I just subscribe for a month, watch it, and then unsubscribe. That’s my plan for Peacock’s Crystal Lake show, and it’s how I save a lot of money in the long run.
I don’t know if it’ll get better
The vision isn’t clear
Disney+ is such a fascinating streaming service because it doesn’t have the appeal of things consistently being in the pipeline like Netflix does, nor does it have the constant stream of award-winning shows that Apple TV+ has. I see it mostly as a way to get access to Disney’s backlog and little more than that. I always know the latest MCU movie will be on there at some point, but I feel like it has to become much more than that for it to justify costing more than $20 a month. It doesn’t have the reputation of canceling things too early because there’s just not a lot for them to cancel. Shows like Percy Jackson are a good start, but I need to see more than that for it to be viewed more than a Marvel and Star Wars vehicle.
Ultimately, it’s not my job to justify Disney+, but it’s the other way around. I need a reason to stay subscribed, and I don’t currently have one. It wasn’t as big of a deal when it was under $10 a month, but over $20 is something that I can’t ignore. I don’t watch nearly enough on the service to justify this. I’m sure I’ll be back at some point when there’s something I want to watch, but the days of being subscribed over the course of the whole year are over.
