Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Early Reviews of Video Games Are Trash

 


Here's my hot take. Early video game reviews, are total trash. If a video game is within it's first year of releasing, it is not fair to judge it at release. Multiple bugs will need to be removed and multiple hot fix patches need to be applied. It is way more fair to judge a video game after six months to one whole year later. That is twelve months from it's launch date.

I get that it is nice to get a preview of a game as soon as it comes out. Even I want to get a general sense of what it is and how it entertains, but as a whole, it should never be judged with finality until it has baked in the oven a little longer. I'm sick and tired of hearing news outlets, and so-called reviewers trash games before they have enough time to get really good. It happens over and over, time and time again. I've seen it countless times over the decades of being a gamer and I've been gaming close to fourty years already.

Why do people overlook this trend? If you are a true gamer as I am, then you need to let go of people's early opinions of a game and just let that game get better. Some reviews might be accurate at even six months after release, if the game development team has worked out the major wrinkles.

Bad opinions and negative reviews early on, can severely damage the long-term success of a video game in it's early stages. It is a proverbial shot in the foot.

In so many cases, video games are rushed by deadlines and greedy, impatient investors who want to push an incomplete mess out to the public, only for the product to be shamed. This inexplicably causes the game's development team to scramble even harder to accomplish the post-release fixes.

Critics don't create the video games. Media and publishers and reporters are the individuals that make-up whatever they want to get more readers. Are they really focusing on the big picture. Are there even enough outlets that can actually wait six months to one year to review a video game? Do these people exist? Yah they do. I am one of them. Real users that make their own opinion, without being influenced by others. If you're in a hurry to be the first at everything (reviewing anything at launch), there's always going to be degree of letdown and disappointment.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Watch 4K Netflix On Your PC Step-by-Step

You might have noticed that watching Netflix on your PC was a bit blurry. You’re not wrong. However, there are options to force Netflix to stream in 4K Ultra HD.

For 4K Televisions with a dedicated set-top box, the process is different and is usually more simplified. However, for PC users, you can follow this guide to get the optimal 4K experience.

While Netflix does offer 4K playback on PC, achieving this level of quality requires a few steps. Ultra HD video demands certain software, hardware, and other requirements, and failing to meet just one could prevent the viewing of sharp 4K highly detailed playback.

Here are some of the common reasons why Netflix may not stream in 4K on your computer:

1.      No 4K monitor, or no 4K TV with 2160p resolution.

2.      No 4K (premium) Netflix subscription.

3.      The original video content is simply not encoded in 4K.

4.      Streaming quality settings are not set to high.

5.      Incompatible software or hardware (see Netflix 4K system requirements)

 

Perceptively, here are the requirements for 4K Netflix on your Windows PC:

1. First off, you’ll need to make sure that your computer monitor or TV supports a resolution of 2160p which is also known as 4K or Ultra HD. You also need to make sure that the HDMI cable supports higher bit rates and the HDMI cable must be HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 as of writing this document in 2022.

2. If you haven’t subscribed to Netflix’s premium plan, you’ll only be able to stream content in either 1080p on a standard subscription or 480p on basic. To unlock 4K and playback on 4 simultaneous devices, you’ll need the premium plan. In Canada the premium Subscription is $20.99 CAD/month.

3. Not all content on Netflix is available in 4K. A list of Ultra HD content on Netflix can be accessed from this following URL (https://hd-report.com/list-of-4k-ultra-hd-movies-tv-shows-on-Netflix/). It is current as of August 22nd, 2022. I am not sure how often this list is updated so you may need to search the web for a more current list.

4. If you haven’t opted for high-quality payback in your settings, Netflix will stream content at a lower resolution.

    Click your Profile icon on the top-right of the screen and then go to “Account”.


    About mid-way down the screen under the “Profile & Parental Controls” click the down arrow beside your name icon.

    Look for the last item in that list called “Playback Settings” and the click the word “change” on the right-side.


    You should now be in the “Playback Settings” page. Look for the very last option. On the very last option, make sure the circular button is selected beside “High” Best video and audio quality…

5. Modern hardware and software requirements. This section has a few more parts. Here are the system requirements for streaming Netflix in 4K on your computer:

(A)    Compatible 60Hz 4K TV or display that supports HDCP2.2. To play 4K video, you’ll need to use a display with a minimum 60Hz refresh rate and HDCP2.2 support. If you don’t know your screen’s specifications, you should check the manufacturer’s website for more information.

(B)    25Mbps or higher internet connection. You’ll also need a reliable internet connection with a minimum speed of 25Mbps to keep up with all of the high-resolution content. If you’re aiming to stream content in 4K, you’ll need an internet account that can accommodate the high data usage. As noted on the Playback Settings screen, Ultra HD uses about 7GB of data per hour.

Here’s how to check what resolution Netflix is using:

Play a video and press either Shift + Control + Option + D (Mac) or Shift + Control + Alt + D (Windows)

Inspect the Playing bitrate line to see the current resolution. If that line shows 3840 x 2160, then Netflix is streaming in 4K.


Press the key combination Shift + Control + Option + D (Mac) or Shift + Control + Alt + D (Windows)to close the bitrate overlay.

(C)    The right software. Microsoft Edge for Windows, Safari for macOS, or the Windows Netflix app. On top of that, only certain browsers support 4K video, which is why you’ll need to use Edge, Safari, or the Windows Netflix app. You will also need HEVC Codec software. HEVC stands for High Efficiency Video Coding. The HEVC Codec can be obtained from this URL (https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/hevc-video-extensions-from-device-manufacturer/9N4WGH0Z6VHQ?hl=en-ca&gl=ca)

* Also note that you may need to be signed into a Microsoft account in order to download the software.

D.(D)   Powerful CPU, such as modern Intel or Apple silicon. Most modern CPUs should be able to handle 4K video. However, if you experience performance issues, check that your CPU, GPU, and all other components are up to the task.

 

E.(E)    Compatible HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 cable. Finally, if you’re connecting your computer to a TV or display via HDMI, you’ll need to ensure that the cable supports 4K video.

 

Once you have everything set up correctly, when you view the descriptions of 4K content, you’ll notice “HDR” or “Ultra HD 4K” beside the descriptions.

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