9 ms·

And Netflix is blocking VPN's. The original reason was it didn't have licenses for certain regions, but then what of original content? I'm tired of being used

And Netflix is blocking VPN's. The original reason was it didn't have licenses for certain regions, but then what of original content? I'm tired of being used as a pawn in this bullshit game.

jrs95 9y ago
Makes me wonder if continued escalation might push more people back towards Blu-Rays. Personally, I prefer just purchasing content anyways. Then if Netflix or whoever has to pull it, I still have it.
- veridies 9y ago
  I actually just subscribe to Netflix' DVD service. I get films in much higher quality delivered every other day, and I use MakeMKV to copy them onto my computer for when I want to watch them. Films I can't get there, I just pirate. I'm not interested in installing DRM platforms on my computer to be able to watch very heavily compressed videos if they haven't been yanked offline yet.
  - supercanuck 9y ago
    That sounds like a lot of work just to plop my kid in front of Dora on the tablet so I can have an hour of sanity before dinner.
    - gm-conspiracy 9y ago
      I've often heard that parenting requires a great deal of responsibility.
    - scottLobster 9y ago
      A lot of initial work maybe. I rip all of my movies with MakeMKV to a Plex Media Server running on an old 2009 desktop. The setup can take a while, mostly picking through extras on the disk and naming them properly. But the interface is just as slick as Netflix and they have an app for practically every device. And if you don't care about the extras ripping the movies is essentially just pushing a button on MakeMKV. If you're looking for a weekend project and have a movie/TV collection I'd highly recommend it. The base software is free and it runs on linux (and Windows/OSX).
  - givinguflac 9y ago
    Honestly, that just seems like a waste of time to me. Regardless of "much" higher quality, at best you're getting 480p from a DVD. I'll take acceptable quality 1080p over great quality 480p every day of the week. What's more, you're still pirating, so why not just download full quality BD rips if you're going to bother?
    - swsieber 9y ago
      You can get BD through Netflix's DVD program.
    - fulafel 9y ago
      Nitpick: SD DVD is be 576p at best.
      - Dylan16807 9y ago
        PAL-only, and without a corresponding increase in horizontal resolution. 480p is a lot more accurate, though it's in some ways more like 400p.
        fulafel 9y ago
        Nitpicking intensifies: There is no PAL/NTSC in DVD as they are analog TV color encoding systems, DVD has just resolutions and frame (field) rates. So you can practically have 576p dvds in any region.
        Dylan16807 9y ago
        At 25Hz. (plus interlacing) Edit: Or that might be wrong and the framerate can be changed separately.
    - Rebelgecko 9y ago
      Jeeze, I wish Netflix would stream in DVD quality for me. Their DRM hates my setup for whatever reason, so I'm stuck at a 1 or 2 mbps stream.
    - 9y ago
  - kbenson 9y ago
    > I actually just subscribe to Netflix' DVD service. I get films in much higher quality delivered every other day That probably doesn't help with things that aren't on DVD/Blu-Ray, such as some of their original content. I don't think you can get Stranger Things in that format yet. > I'm not interested in installing DRM platforms on my computer I believe the majority of people don't watch Netflix on their computer, but instead on set-top devices connected to their TV's That may also include hybrid solutions like Chromecast, where something may be installed on a local computer (likely a phone) as well, but those generally already have DRM platforms installed...
    - veridies 9y ago
      Often true, though I know a lot of people who don't own a TV and just watch Netflix on their laptops, even when watching with a large group. I personally have a dedicated Chromebox running LibreELEC with Kodi plugged into my projector, though I also sometimes television on my laptop when I don't want to set everything up.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Unfortunately, their back catalog is getting worse and worse. If it weren't for ripping what they do still have for later watching I probably would. But I've started thinking of just dropping their DVD service and putting the money toward purchases, paid streaming, and Redbox.
- wil421 9y ago
  If I wanted to buy the BluRays of all the series I've watched on Netflix it would be way too costly. Buying the release day cost for a new seasons BluRay is even more expensive than the 14.99 or whatever I spend for HD Netflix. I rarely rewatch seasons after more than 5 years so streaming is usually the best/cost effective option.
  - phinnaeus 9y ago
    Plus the physical space cost of storing discs. Even if you remove them from their cases, which is definitely sub-optimal, they take up a decent amount of storage space.
    - criddell 9y ago
      Exactly. Buying digital copies on iTunes makes a lot more sense to me just for that reason.
      - ocdtrekkie 9y ago
        Digital copies on iTunes are priced somewhere near "highway robbery". Because of the lack of retail-style transactions, there's no price competition on digital copies. What's funny, it's usually cheaper to buy the Blu-ray/DVD/digital copy combo packs... even if you just want the digital copy. Recently I picked up a couple Blu-rays with digital copies for $3 at Fry's. Vudu had one of them on a huuuuuuuge sale this weekend, digital copy only, for $5. The iTunes price is $14.99. Again, I got that $15 iTunes price... for $3 as physical copy with a digital code. And if I wanted, I could sell the disc at a resale shop and get back a buck or two. Buying video on demand online right now makes no financial sense whatsoever.
        criddell 9y ago
        > Buying video on demand online right now makes no financial sense whatsoever. That's only if you place little or no value on convenience. I don't spend much money on video, so the occasional $10 or $20 purchase is bearable. I don't want a physical copy and I certainly don't want to go to Fry's. For me, iTunes / Google Play / Amazon Video all make more sense. I've actually thought about cancelling cable and buying everything on demand because I think I would save some money. We're paying more than $1000 / year for TV. That would pay for a lot of TV at $2-$3 per episode. We've never made the jump though because of live sports and the stupid blackout rules.
Spivak 9y ago
Because it's not worth the effort to allow VPNs, but only allow content that's available globally since they can't figure out where the traffic really originates? Honestly, if you're at the point where you're circumventing region locking to access Netflix, you should just pirate it. You're violating copyright either way.
- twinkletwinkle 9y ago
  I think the commenter you replied to is saying "region locks" are as unfair / unnecessary as Verizon's business practices.
- veridies 9y ago
  > Honestly, if you're at the point where you're circumventing region locking to access Netflix, you should just pirate it. You're violating copyright either way. Many people think it's an ethical requirement to pay artists for their work. So even if they're okay (arguably) violating the law, they might not be okay with just taking the art without paying at all.
  - psadauskas 9y ago
    Then keep paying Netflix to stay in the lighter gray side of morality, and still torrent the shows of theirs you want to watch but can't.
    - problems 9y ago
      Does Netflix pay out if you don't watch the content? It also may make it more likely that Netflix will drop the content if it's not getting good enough numbers.
      - e40 9y ago
        I often wondered this. I don't believe it does. My guess is that royalties are paid on a per-use basis. Anyone know?
Bjartr 9y ago
Just because they created the content doesn't mean they have ownership of all IP involved. Music especially can be a PITA, see the videogame Alan Wake being unsellable because the licensing for the music used in the game ran out.
- cobythedog 9y ago
  That's very true. I can't stream one of my favorite shows, Northern Exposure, because of the music licensing. They even had to change some music in order to release the DVDs. http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/ http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/
  - thanksgiving 9y ago
    I immediately thought of Married... with Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children > Its theme song is "Love and Marriage" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, performed by Frank Sinatra from the 1955 television production Our Town. ... > The Sony DVD box sets from season 3 onward do not feature the original "Love and Marriage" theme song in the opening sequence. This was done because Sony was unable to obtain the licensing rights to the song for later sets. Despite this, the end credits on the DVDs for season 3 still include a credit for "Love and Marriage."
    - rhizome 9y ago
      "WKRP In Cincinnati" is the archetype for this problem.
      - tracker1 9y ago
        "The Wonder Years" is another one...
      - CWuestefeld 9y ago
        And yet another demonstration of how recordings of questionable provenance are superior in many ways to the properly authorized ones.
pasbesoin 9y ago
I'm moving towards pulling the plug in terms of my money -- my subscription -- going to pay for such behavior. I've come to believe it's being used more against me (locking things down, walled gardens, artificial limits to access, culture, knowledge, and creation -- building on what's come before), than it is being used to my benefit (e.g. here, entertainment -- which with the ever increasingly balkanized for-pay libraries, is becoming more limited and more expensive). So, like stopping paying AT&T to essentially lobby against better connectivity in my neighborhood, it's time for my financial support -- playing "by the rules" -- to these big IP rent-seekers, to stop. P.S. I'm the guy who actually buys CD's after a show. Will cough up bucks for funding. I'm not opposed to paying for what I get, in reasonable -- even generous -- measure. However, I no longer feel that's what's going on, here.
f4rker 9y ago
>"I'm tired of being used as a pawn in this bullshit game." Boohoo life in 2017 is so hard.
ams6110 9y ago
> I'm tired of being used as a pawn in this bullshit game. So cancel your Netflix.
- uncled1023 9y ago
  How would canceling Netflix affect Verizon?
gumby 9y ago
> And Netflix is blocking VPN's. The original reason was it didn't have licenses for certain regions, but then what of original content? This is a good point, but note that a bunch of the special "Netflix" content is actually licensed from another country. Also some of "their" content is stuff funded in concert with others, who will have retained certain restrictions (bogusly called "rights" in legalese) So the total amount of material Netflix owns free and clear probably isn't big enough for them to bother with special-casing. If it were it would be in their interest to do so as a way of putting pressure on others.
jedberg 9y ago
It's a technology issue. The VPN blocking is done at a different layer than the content. It doesn't know what you're watching, so it can't allow VPN for some content and not others.

And Netflix is blocking VPN's. The original reason was it didn't have licenses for certain regions, but then what of original content? I'm tired of being used as a pawn in this bullshit game.

jrs95 9y ago

Makes me wonder if continued escalation might push more people back towards Blu-Rays. Personally, I prefer just purchasing content anyways. Then if Netflix or whoever has to pull it, I still have it.

veridies 9y ago
I actually just subscribe to Netflix' DVD service. I get films in much higher quality delivered every other day, and I use MakeMKV to copy them onto my computer for when I want to watch them. Films I can't get there, I just pirate. I'm not interested in installing DRM platforms on my computer to be able to watch very heavily compressed videos if they haven't been yanked offline yet.
- supercanuck 9y ago
  That sounds like a lot of work just to plop my kid in front of Dora on the tablet so I can have an hour of sanity before dinner.
  - gm-conspiracy 9y ago
    I've often heard that parenting requires a great deal of responsibility.
  - scottLobster 9y ago
    A lot of initial work maybe. I rip all of my movies with MakeMKV to a Plex Media Server running on an old 2009 desktop. The setup can take a while, mostly picking through extras on the disk and naming them properly. But the interface is just as slick as Netflix and they have an app for practically every device. And if you don't care about the extras ripping the movies is essentially just pushing a button on MakeMKV. If you're looking for a weekend project and have a movie/TV collection I'd highly recommend it. The base software is free and it runs on linux (and Windows/OSX).
- givinguflac 9y ago
  Honestly, that just seems like a waste of time to me. Regardless of "much" higher quality, at best you're getting 480p from a DVD. I'll take acceptable quality 1080p over great quality 480p every day of the week. What's more, you're still pirating, so why not just download full quality BD rips if you're going to bother?
  - swsieber 9y ago
    You can get BD through Netflix's DVD program.
  - fulafel 9y ago
    Nitpick: SD DVD is be 576p at best.
    - Dylan16807 9y ago
      PAL-only, and without a corresponding increase in horizontal resolution. 480p is a lot more accurate, though it's in some ways more like 400p.
      - fulafel 9y ago
        Nitpicking intensifies: There is no PAL/NTSC in DVD as they are analog TV color encoding systems, DVD has just resolutions and frame (field) rates. So you can practically have 576p dvds in any region.
        Dylan16807 9y ago
        At 25Hz. (plus interlacing) Edit: Or that might be wrong and the framerate can be changed separately.
  - Rebelgecko 9y ago
    Jeeze, I wish Netflix would stream in DVD quality for me. Their DRM hates my setup for whatever reason, so I'm stuck at a 1 or 2 mbps stream.
  - 9y ago
- kbenson 9y ago
  > I actually just subscribe to Netflix' DVD service. I get films in much higher quality delivered every other day That probably doesn't help with things that aren't on DVD/Blu-Ray, such as some of their original content. I don't think you can get Stranger Things in that format yet. > I'm not interested in installing DRM platforms on my computer I believe the majority of people don't watch Netflix on their computer, but instead on set-top devices connected to their TV's That may also include hybrid solutions like Chromecast, where something may be installed on a local computer (likely a phone) as well, but those generally already have DRM platforms installed...
  - veridies 9y ago
    Often true, though I know a lot of people who don't own a TV and just watch Netflix on their laptops, even when watching with a large group. I personally have a dedicated Chromebox running LibreELEC with Kodi plugged into my projector, though I also sometimes television on my laptop when I don't want to set everything up.
- ghaff 9y ago
  Unfortunately, their back catalog is getting worse and worse. If it weren't for ripping what they do still have for later watching I probably would. But I've started thinking of just dropping their DVD service and putting the money toward purchases, paid streaming, and Redbox.
wil421 9y ago
If I wanted to buy the BluRays of all the series I've watched on Netflix it would be way too costly. Buying the release day cost for a new seasons BluRay is even more expensive than the 14.99 or whatever I spend for HD Netflix. I rarely rewatch seasons after more than 5 years so streaming is usually the best/cost effective option.
- phinnaeus 9y ago
  Plus the physical space cost of storing discs. Even if you remove them from their cases, which is definitely sub-optimal, they take up a decent amount of storage space.
  - criddell 9y ago
    Exactly. Buying digital copies on iTunes makes a lot more sense to me just for that reason.
    - ocdtrekkie 9y ago
      Digital copies on iTunes are priced somewhere near "highway robbery". Because of the lack of retail-style transactions, there's no price competition on digital copies. What's funny, it's usually cheaper to buy the Blu-ray/DVD/digital copy combo packs... even if you just want the digital copy. Recently I picked up a couple Blu-rays with digital copies for $3 at Fry's. Vudu had one of them on a huuuuuuuge sale this weekend, digital copy only, for $5. The iTunes price is $14.99. Again, I got that $15 iTunes price... for $3 as physical copy with a digital code. And if I wanted, I could sell the disc at a resale shop and get back a buck or two. Buying video on demand online right now makes no financial sense whatsoever.
      - criddell 9y ago
        > Buying video on demand online right now makes no financial sense whatsoever. That's only if you place little or no value on convenience. I don't spend much money on video, so the occasional $10 or $20 purchase is bearable. I don't want a physical copy and I certainly don't want to go to Fry's. For me, iTunes / Google Play / Amazon Video all make more sense. I've actually thought about cancelling cable and buying everything on demand because I think I would save some money. We're paying more than $1000 / year for TV. That would pay for a lot of TV at $2-$3 per episode. We've never made the jump though because of live sports and the stupid blackout rules.

Spivak 9y ago

Because it's not worth the effort to allow VPNs, but only allow content that's available globally since they can't figure out where the traffic really originates? Honestly, if you're at the point where you're circumventing region locking to access Netflix, you should just pirate it. You're violating copyright either way.

twinkletwinkle 9y ago
I think the commenter you replied to is saying "region locks" are as unfair / unnecessary as Verizon's business practices.
veridies 9y ago
> Honestly, if you're at the point where you're circumventing region locking to access Netflix, you should just pirate it. You're violating copyright either way. Many people think it's an ethical requirement to pay artists for their work. So even if they're okay (arguably) violating the law, they might not be okay with just taking the art without paying at all.
- psadauskas 9y ago
  Then keep paying Netflix to stay in the lighter gray side of morality, and still torrent the shows of theirs you want to watch but can't.
  - problems 9y ago
    Does Netflix pay out if you don't watch the content? It also may make it more likely that Netflix will drop the content if it's not getting good enough numbers.
    - e40 9y ago
      I often wondered this. I don't believe it does. My guess is that royalties are paid on a per-use basis. Anyone know?

Bjartr 9y ago

Just because they created the content doesn't mean they have ownership of all IP involved. Music especially can be a PITA, see the videogame Alan Wake being unsellable because the licensing for the music used in the game ran out.

cobythedog 9y ago
That's very true. I can't stream one of my favorite shows, Northern Exposure, because of the music licensing. They even had to change some music in order to release the DVDs. http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/ http://actsofvolition.com/2005/03/musiclicensing/
- thanksgiving 9y ago
  I immediately thought of Married... with Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married..._with_Children > Its theme song is "Love and Marriage" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, performed by Frank Sinatra from the 1955 television production Our Town. ... > The Sony DVD box sets from season 3 onward do not feature the original "Love and Marriage" theme song in the opening sequence. This was done because Sony was unable to obtain the licensing rights to the song for later sets. Despite this, the end credits on the DVDs for season 3 still include a credit for "Love and Marriage."
  - rhizome 9y ago
    "WKRP In Cincinnati" is the archetype for this problem.
    - tracker1 9y ago
      "The Wonder Years" is another one...
    - CWuestefeld 9y ago
      And yet another demonstration of how recordings of questionable provenance are superior in many ways to the properly authorized ones.

pasbesoin 9y ago

I'm moving towards pulling the plug in terms of my money -- my subscription -- going to pay for such behavior. I've come to believe it's being used more against me (locking things down, walled gardens, artificial limits to access, culture, knowledge, and creation -- building on what's come before), than it is being used to my benefit (e.g. here, entertainment -- which with the ever increasingly balkanized for-pay libraries, is becoming more limited and more expensive). So, like stopping paying AT&T to essentially lobby against better connectivity in my neighborhood, it's time for my financial support -- playing "by the rules" -- to these big IP rent-seekers, to stop. P.S. I'm the guy who actually buys CD's after a show. Will cough up bucks for funding. I'm not opposed to paying for what I get, in reasonable -- even generous -- measure. However, I no longer feel that's what's going on, here.

f4rker 9y ago

>"I'm tired of being used as a pawn in this bullshit game." Boohoo life in 2017 is so hard.

ams6110 9y ago

> I'm tired of being used as a pawn in this bullshit game. So cancel your Netflix.

uncled1023 9y ago
How would canceling Netflix affect Verizon?

gumby 9y ago

> And Netflix is blocking VPN's. The original reason was it didn't have licenses for certain regions, but then what of original content? This is a good point, but note that a bunch of the special "Netflix" content is actually licensed from another country. Also some of "their" content is stuff funded in concert with others, who will have retained certain restrictions (bogusly called "rights" in legalese) So the total amount of material Netflix owns free and clear probably isn't big enough for them to bother with special-casing. If it were it would be in their interest to do so as a way of putting pressure on others.

jedberg 9y ago

It's a technology issue. The VPN blocking is done at a different layer than the content. It doesn't know what you're watching, so it can't allow VPN for some content and not others.