I used to watch low-quality videos those years just because I had no data to waste at the time, or I just couldn't afford to go for a higher quality video, and I'd settle for the options of either 360p, 480p, and hardly would you see me going higher than that except someone just gifted me data and I just needed to waste it. Even at night when we'd subscribed for free night data with just a small amount back then, I still would go for the low resolution as I would calculate how many videos that would give me rather than going for the higher quality and ending up with just one video.
Most of the time, I get movies from friends, siblings, coursemates, and even strangers I'd meet on the way and would be like, "Hi, do you have any movie on your phone there?" and that's how I would stay at a corner, collecting as many movies I want from someone I don't know, and I'd wait a longer time just for it to finish transferring, all because it was through Bluetooth. Do you know how annoying that can be? It’s exhausting, really.
What is my concern with high quality when I just needed something to keep me busy? In fact, I enjoyed watching any movie, not minding the quality, and I was so used to it for years.
The worst part of it is when you'd sit or stand, even in the hot sun, receiving movies via Bluetooth, and once it reaches 90%, you will just see a message pop up, "Download failed due to insufficient storage." This can be more painful than being disappointed when you are promised money but don't get it. At that moment, even when your stomach is grumbling, you wouldn't mind because of the frustration on your face and the heartbreak.
All of these were because of low-quality movies, thinking that was where life ended, and I couldn't see beyond until everything changed for me. It all started when someone sent one video to my phone. Everything was clean and clear, very sharp, and I could see all the imagery, never those blurry videos I thought had gotten the medal for me. That was the last time I ever received any movie of low quality, and I also had to start downloading movies from YouTube, choosing the 1080p higher resolution option because I wanted to feed my eyes with something interesting.
At some point, I started seeing those watching movies with poor quality as being poor and not able to afford data — all because I could afford it and I never settled for less again. Like, how did I even enjoy watching those blurry movies then? I would struggle to even read the subtitles, and the characters weren't clear, but this was something I enjoyed until I couldn't go for them anymore.
This is why I enjoy downloading movies from Netflix because of their great quality. At times, when I would stretch my search on other websites, including YouTube, I would go for higher quality and wouldn't mind the data it would consume. I don't mind streaming movies online via Netflix or YouTube again. I love the great quality of any movie I'm watching as it makes me feel more engaged, and I do not need to strain my eyes reading through the subtitles.
When it comes to pictures, I love it in HD mode, too. I used to feel annoyed with WhatsApp when the quality of the pictures and videos I upload are reduced, making it look ugly for me. This is the reason I emphasise people sending pictures through documents so it can maintain their quality, and I actually have a way to post my pictures on my status without the quality being reduced through HD, after getting a tip on how to from YouTube.
Before now, I struggled to capture good pictures of great quality until I finally got a Samsung phone, which has been doing justice to it, plus my gifted iPhone XS.
I'm not a good photographer, though, but with the number of pictures taken, I make sure they come out nice and yes, these gadgets keep giving me that feeling of owning good phones. I like videos or pictures that are of great quality, and when it comes to watching a movie, if it comes very poor and blurry, just count me out abeg. No time for that again.
All images are mine