I Just Want to Watch Gladiator in 4k
This morning, I was browsing Spotify and when I decided to listen to the Gladiator score. It's been well over a decade since I saw Gladiator, and it got me thinking: tonight, my wife is coaching winter guard, so I'll have the apartment to myself. I should watch Gladiator!
Being that I'm subscribed to Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, Paramount, Max, and Disney+, I assumed I'd have no problem finding Gladiator, and I was right. It's streaming on Paramount+. But... I was disappointed when I didn't see 4k listed next to the movie.
I mean, the 4k release of Gladiator came out in 2018, almost four years ago. Why is this not streaming in 4k? I paid for the annual Paramount+ subscription with Showtime, so you'd think I could watch a movie that probably benefits from 4k in 4k with my subscription? No, of course it's not that easy.
Part of me tried to convince myself to just let it go. I mean, it's still in HD, it's more than serviceable to stream, but to me it came down to the principal. Like so many others right now, I'm sick of this constant cash grab and the offering of a lesser product for increasing prices. So, it was just one more reason to let my Paramount+ subscription lapse in April when it expires.
Actually, I'm letting go of most of these services over the next month or two. My twelve months of discounted Peacock with Spectrum ends in a few weeks, so I've cancelled that. Since Amazon is adding ads, I cancelled Prime as well. Paramount+ just doesn't offer enough value for the money, and both Max and Disney+ come free with my Spectrum account. So, I'll be paying for Netflix for the time being and I'll find other ways to watch the films I want to watch that don't require the constant juggling of subscriptions or intrusive advertisements. Heck, I spend more time watching things on Tubi than I do most of the subscription services I pay for.
It's a shame, I remember a few years ago when all the services were announced how much excitement and anticipation there was. It was clear, even back then, that the market was not sustainable, so I'm not really shocked to see it crash. I mean, DC Universe was mismanaged from the beginning, and everyone has pretty much forgotten it even existed. I have a feeling that’s the way we're going to feel about a lot of these services five years from now.