Apple TV 4K and ITunes Movies.
Recently picked up an Apple TV 4K and it's a great thing.
Apple Music lossless sound quality very impressive, (better than my Room streaming setup?), best quality pic and sound too for streaming Apps like Netflix, Disney+ YouTube and the like.
Tried a few different ways to access these, built in TV app, Nvidia Shield, PlayStation 5 and the little Apple box betters them all.
No glitches, no picture issues... Feels solid and 'just works'.
Impressed with Apple Music,
Wondered what their Movie service and quality was like?
ITunes store offering some Billy bargains,
20 quid for all 10 Star Trek movies sound good?
Many of them remastered in 4K Dolby Vision too.
Picked up another few bargains,
4K Dolby Vision versions for under a fiver.
Picture quality wise, Apple's 4K Dolby Vision is a very small ball hair off the Disc of the same movie, played on my modded Oppo 203.
It's the Availability, cheap price and 90% pic n sound quality of Apple's offering compared to buying the Disc that's got me interested.
Original disc is better, but just a wee bit.
Mentioning this for folks that may be curious.
Streaming's came of age I think?
That said,
And similarly (IMO) to vinyl v digital, if you want that extra little bit of quality on the top go for physical media.
But it's diminishing returns stuff,
Watching Flash Gordon in 4K Dolby Vision,
And if you can get quality like this for a fiver..
Putting this out there for folks that might be curious., I've done the comparison.
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
OPPO 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac) - Roon Endpoint, HDMI input used for all things Streaming/ PS5 /AppleTV ... also good for movies apparently?
MUSIC PLAYBACK
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Dac via Oppo HDMI input/i2s output to Dac.
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - yup, even with biwire it sounds better - and it does)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables