4 reasons I stopped watching movies on my PC (and you should too)

Although I have a Film degree, I try to avoid being a cinematic purist. I was actually more of one before I got my degree — I wanted every movie to be a minor event, with the lights down low, snacks at the ready, and zero distractions. These days, that’s still my preferred way of watching something, but I’ve had a great time watching movies on an iPad. On a long flight, an 11-inch screen and noise-canceling headphones make the hours disappear.

As a rule, though, there’s one device which I never use for movies, and that’s my laptop. You’d think that would be way better than an iPad, given a larger screen, more storage, and more horsepower. Yet whether I’m at home or traveling, there are a variety of factors that mean I’ll only use my laptop as a last resort.

You can’t get comfortable with a PC

Not usually, anyway

Famously, director David Lynch argued that if you watched a movie on a phone or computer, you were being “cheated” of the true experience. I sympathize with that view, but there are a couple of things working in a phone’s favor: size and weight. You can bring your phone anywhere, and often, get comfortable enough to watch for hours. Heck, while I don’t watch movies on my iPhone, I’ll play YouTube videos when I go to sleep, just tilting the phone into landscape mode as it sits on its charger.

In terms of form factors, PCs occupy a strange middleground. Laptops are larger and heavier than a phone or tablet, which means they can be cumbersome to bring with you, and ironically, less suited to your lap. Desktops are worse, usually forcing you to sit upright in a chair the entire time. Conversely, while I can’t move a 65-inch TV around at will, the benefit of a gigantic screen is that I can position myself any way I like.

Before you say anything, I know it’s not impossible to get cozy with a computer. You might, for example, sit your laptop on the coffee table while you lay on the couch. Some people have reclining chairs in front of their desktops. Those aren’t options for everyone however, and on balance, I’d rather choose maximum portability or maximum immersion than some sort of compromise.

HDR support isn’t that great

The times they are a-changin’

Admittedly, this complaint depends a lot on specs. If you’ve got a decent graphics card and a cutting-edge OLED monitor, you may already be kicking back and watching videos in Dolby Vision. But a surprising number of apps and devices don’t support all the HDR (high dynamic range) standards you’d expect, or in some cases, any HDR at all. The only standard that seems to be de facto on Windows 11 PCs is HDR10. That’s better than nothing, but it uses static metadata, which means that it can’t adapt frame-by-frame, or even scene-by-scene. You’re not getting the best possible highlights and shadow detail.

Also, short of an OLED display, HDR tends to be less dramatic on PC screens than it is on a TV. That’s not shocking, considering that they use smaller panels designed as much for web browsing as watching video, and can’t get as bright. For HDR to have the most impact, highlights need to be dramatic. That’s a tall order when you’re lucky to get an LCD capable of 500 nits — many TVs are well over the 1,000 mark.

I don’t need HDR to enjoy a movie. I was happy enough when things switched from DVD quality to HD. It’s just that when it’s done right, dynamic HDR does elevate color and detail, moreso than something being in 4K. I’m hopeful PC support will become more consistent in the next few years.

The best audio is probably unavailable

Your AirPods might not be enough

Some people invest a lot into their PC’s audio. In my case, I have an Echo Studio for listening to music, and a set of HyperX headphones for gaming and meetings. Streamers, podcasters, and musicians frequently spend on studio-grade gear, at least if they’re working at a professional level.

The thing is, even that equipment can be subpar when it comes to movies. Let’s say you’ve got a pair of top-of-the-line headphones, with excellent clarity, deep bass, Dolby Atmos, and a 2.4GHz or USB-C connection to maximize bitrate and minimize latency. Atmos effects will at best be simulated well, since they’re coming through stereo drivers. The comfort of headphones, meanwhile, can be hit-or-miss. I find that after a couple of hours, even the plushest models tend to make my ears overly hot and sweaty.

You can get around comfort or spatial audio issues with external speakers, naturally, but the odds of you having a high-quality, Atmos-capable soundbar or multi-speaker setup for your PC are low. Unless you’re a producer or a diehard gamer, you’ve probably reserved the best speakers for your living room.

Many people aren’t even fortunate enough to have great clarity or bass, let alone Atmos. They’ve got cheap stereo speakers, or perhaps the same Bluetooth earbuds they use to take calls on their phone. Don’t get me wrong — some wireless earbuds are amazing, and more cushy than over-the-ear headphones to boot. Bluetooth is only a good idea, though, if both your buds and PC support the same fidelity and latency codecs.

There can be too many distractions

When a blessing becomes a curse

Credit: Tarn Nguyen / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

PCs are actually pretty popular these days, despite their cost, and the fact that phones, tablets, and consoles are becoming progressively more powerful. The explanation is simple — a PC can do it all, and typically better, except for the portability part. If you need to spend $1,000 on a work PC anyway, it can make more sense to pump the extra money you’d spend on other products into a single device with superior specs. For gaming, a PC can actually be more economical in the long run, since console makers are often loath to allow deep discounts on games. I’m looking in your direction, Nintendo.

These strengths can actually make a PC terrible for some users. If you’re a gamer, you might be tempted to switch to PUBG or Balatro. Workaholics might be tempted to check Asana or Slack. And no matter who you are, unless you silence them, you might be lured away by email or chat notifications. I struggle with ADHD, so as much as I love movies, I’m more likely to check out on a PC than I am in front of a TV.

You might not consider this a big deal. The point is to have fun, after all, so it’s perfectly valid to jump to whatever you like. To get the most out of a movie, however, I like to keep the tension up and the plot fresh in my memory. That’s tough if there’s a 30-minute Balatro break right before the big chase scene.