Wheel of Artifacts

I wanted to point out an interesting (if frustrating) situation with the 4K stream of Amazon’s new flagship show, Wheel of Time. Simply put, there’s something terribly broken with its 4K/ HDR stream that causes the show to look hideous. It’s all the more shocking when I compare Wheel of Time to other 4K shows streamed from Amazon using the same device and setup. I’m already disappointed to see video quality drop as we shift from discs to 4K streaming, although even a videophile such as myself will admit that it can still look pretty good.

Andre Vrignaud / via email

AG responds: I checked out the first episode of Amazon’s Wheel of Time to check if I could see the same issues you describe. The streamer used was an Apple TV 4K and the display a Sony VPL-VW325ES SXRD projector. While I can understand how a show with many fast action sequences that unfold in the dark can create pixelization, banding, or other artifacts (I’m reminded here of the concluding episode of

Game of Thrones on HBO Max, which was a visual disaster when I and many others streamed it), I can’t say I noted any picture quality problems with Wheel of Time. Quite the opposite: images were solid, and there were no Hdr-related artifacts. Perhaps Amazon has an issue with the consistency of its streaming quality? Hard to say with absolute certainty, but for 4K streaming, I’d recommend using the fastest possible internet connection, and to also make sure your router and Wi- Fi setup have sufficient bandwidth. (I use a Netgear Orbi system and swear by it.)