DLPrumourtracker

Quick Disney+ review

The long awaited Disney+ streaming services is live! That saying it is available in the Netherlands only. As for that there are differences between the announced content. At D23 there was word various Fox titles, such as a personal favorite The Simpsons, would be part of the deal. Well, not overseas. The category is not shown in the menu. That may indicate there may be more differences between content in various countries. But hey, it has been launched! As Homer J. Simpson would say; Woohoo! But he isn’t here. D’oh!

First I checked the website and the Google Play Store. It was noted at D23 only Android devices would be supported for smart TV’s, but surprisingly LG WebOS has an app as well. So I do not need to run to the store to buy a Chromecast or Apple TV after all. I have checked with friends, but there is no Samsung app thus far.

Subscribing is very easy. You can subscribe on either the website or in app. It appeared to me that the year subscription would only show on the site, and not on my Android app. There must be a € 0.01 payment, and afterwards you can directly scroll through all content. There is enough to keep you awake for a while. Just not the exclusives, but I presume they will wait until Disney+ has been launched formally on 12 November. Until then the subscription is free of charge. Afterwards there is a possibility for paying monthly fees of € 6.99 or € 69.99 for a full year*.

There is possibility for multiple profiles. It starts up with a regular profile showing all content. It is presented by buttons showing the major brands; Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. In the US Fox will be added as well. Below there are movies and series grouped by subject. Just like Netflix, Prime and other streaming services. The scrolling works smooth and pictures are loading fast on my mobile phone as well as my 4K OLED.

I have created a kids profile, and after choosing on of the many profile pictures the profile was visible. The structure is similar to the regular profile, but there are titles suitable for children only. There is choice of Mickey Mouse & Friends, Princesses, Superheroes (Marvel and Star Wars, Disney Junior, Action & Adventure And Animals.  

The content is mainly presented in HD. The 4k Ultra HD is very limited. I’ve found the following titles in Ultra HD HDR10 quality:

	Captain America – The first Avenger
	Captain America – A Winter’s Soldier
	Captain America – Civil War
	Avenger’s Age of Ultron
	Avenger’s Infinity War
	Black Panther
	Star Wars The Last Jedi
	Solo – A Star Wars Story
	Rogue One – A Star Wars Story
	Aladdin (90’s classic)
	Ralph Wrecks The Internet
	Princess Diaries
	Princess Diaries 2
	Mary Poppins Returns
	Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time
	Free Solo
	Christopher Robin
	Disney’s The Nutcracker And The Four Realm

There might be more, but for example no Pixar, original Star Wars Saga or other Marvel movie titles showed up in Ultra HD quality. That’s a pity as Disney is releasing many of those titles in batches on Ultra HD Blu Ray as we speak. The picture quality looks great. Of course it can’t match Ultra HD Blu Ray. Especially not if you look at the reference quality of Star Wars The Last Jedi, which was presented with Dolby Vision on Blu Ray. That looked utterly stunning with so much details, great contrast and a superior wide color palette. I use it frequently to demonstrate. The streams can’t touch that level of course due to the lack of bandwidth. However, the look good. The picture looks sharp with nice details as well as balanced colors. It suits from what you can expect from a streaming service nowadays.

You have options to alter audio, subtitles and subtitle visuals. All titles are spoken in the English language, but many already have options for Spanish, French (Canadian and France), Italian and for cartoons Dutch as well. Sorry, we do not like dubs in the Netherlands. We use subtitles, which you can – and I really like this feature – set up to your liking. You can change colors, subtitle background and font.

In the regular profile movies and series automatically start in the English language. In the kids profile titles will start in Dutch. It makes it easier for kids to pick their titles and start looking without a parent constantly changing the audio options.

Sound is delivered in Dolby Digital and if available Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately there is no option to test Dolby Atmos. The Dolby Digital sounds good, but I really would like to see streaming services step up their game and use HD sound.

Overall the service looks, hears and works great. Many will enjoy all content offered by the service. I look forward to enjoy all these classics and documentaries like Frank & Olly and The Boys (Sherman Brothers). And this is only at start. Later on there will be exclusives like The Mandalorian, Untitled Obi One Kenobi series and the Leslie Iwerks’ The Imagineering Story. Oh boy, this looks so good. The fear of all content being spread by every studio launching its own streaming service is easily forgotten for the moment. I am going to use Disney+ a lot. I forgive them not including Songs of the South and Make Mine Music for now. At least Dumbo is untouched despite early rumours on it being altered.

There is a wide range of movies and series from classic animation and live action movies, shorts and series to documentaries. It's far from complete, but it is good to see the various content and showing its potential. Can't wait for Disney to add more and I certainly hope they will open their vault like the they did with the Disney Treasure series. 

I apologize if this review makes you too enthusiastic for Disney+ and it is not available for you yet.

Note: I will upload picture to this article later. 

*Prices in USD are $ 6.99 per month or $ 69.99 per year.