4 ms·

And in the end the lesson is: People are lazy. They will use the easiest process, even if they have to pay it.

mirimir 8y ago
Maybe so. For me, the criterion is whether I can download it, without any DRM. So I can access whenever I like. Without fear of inactivation. And without having usage tracked.
- canofbars 8y ago
  This is a big one. If bandcamp shuts down my library is safe. if steam shuts down or bans me I have lost everything.
- felipelemos 8y ago
  Here at HN you are probably not alone, but for the majority of the users, they don't even know what DRM is.
  - jjeaff 8y ago
    They may not, but most are aware, and annoyed, when they can't play their iTunes music on a different device or when things they bought go away when that streaming service changes things
TeMPOraL 8y ago
Of course! But that's a double-edged sword. As a user, I'm lazy. I want to watch a movie, not deal with billing bullshit of some company. For them it may be the most important part, for me it's just an incidental task, a speedbump on the road to my goal. As a user with some disposable income, I'm actually willing to pay extra to make this problem less inconvenient. Having to worry which platform to pay this month in advance, who streams what at which point, and whether or not the movie isn't already gone from all of them because of $reasons, is making things more inconvenient. Very quickly, torrenting looks more attractive again - it offers better UX, and you get to keep a file in the end, DRM-free. (And if you're afraid of torrenting while living in a country where only uploading is illegal, there's plenty of bootleg streaming services that offer worse movie quality and throw in occasional cryptominer with their ads, but are still less of a hassle than juggling multiple "legit" streaming services, and give you movies & series that are no longer available on any "legit" one, again because $reasons.)
- jjeaff 8y ago
  Billing inconvenience? Remembering who to pay in advance? You sound like the black and white intro of an infomercial where the actors fumble around with a perfectly good pair of scissors or demonstrate how putting on shoes is so hard. You give your credit card information one time (mine autofills from my password manager.) And then they autobill you each month. Never causes me any hassle.
  - PeterisP 8y ago
    If I want to watch a particular movie or TV series, it's nontrivial to find which service (if any!) offers it and is willing to stream it to your country - your example would apply only if it was possible to subscribe to a single service offered all or most content in the world, but it doesn't work that way for legal services for all kinds of licensing reasons. Even the fact that it was available there last year doesn't imply that it will be available there now, licensing deals change all the time.
Farradfahren 8y ago
And the simplest process and best service always will be- piracy.

Maybe so. For me, the criterion is whether I can download it, without any DRM. So I can access whenever I like. Without fear of inactivation. And without having usage tracked.

canofbars 8y ago
This is a big one. If bandcamp shuts down my library is safe. if steam shuts down or bans me I have lost everything.
felipelemos 8y ago
Here at HN you are probably not alone, but for the majority of the users, they don't even know what DRM is.
- jjeaff 8y ago
  They may not, but most are aware, and annoyed, when they can't play their iTunes music on a different device or when things they bought go away when that streaming service changes things

TeMPOraL 8y ago

Of course! But that's a double-edged sword. As a user, I'm lazy. I want to watch a movie, not deal with billing bullshit of some company. For them it may be the most important part, for me it's just an incidental task, a speedbump on the road to my goal. As a user with some disposable income, I'm actually willing to pay extra to make this problem less inconvenient. Having to worry which platform to pay this month in advance, who streams what at which point, and whether or not the movie isn't already gone from all of them because of $reasons, is making things more inconvenient. Very quickly, torrenting looks more attractive again - it offers better UX, and you get to keep a file in the end, DRM-free. (And if you're afraid of torrenting while living in a country where only uploading is illegal, there's plenty of bootleg streaming services that offer worse movie quality and throw in occasional cryptominer with their ads, but are still less of a hassle than juggling multiple "legit" streaming services, and give you movies & series that are no longer available on any "legit" one, again because $reasons.)

jjeaff 8y ago
Billing inconvenience? Remembering who to pay in advance? You sound like the black and white intro of an infomercial where the actors fumble around with a perfectly good pair of scissors or demonstrate how putting on shoes is so hard. You give your credit card information one time (mine autofills from my password manager.) And then they autobill you each month. Never causes me any hassle.
- PeterisP 8y ago
  If I want to watch a particular movie or TV series, it's nontrivial to find which service (if any!) offers it and is willing to stream it to your country - your example would apply only if it was possible to subscribe to a single service offered all or most content in the world, but it doesn't work that way for legal services for all kinds of licensing reasons. Even the fact that it was available there last year doesn't imply that it will be available there now, licensing deals change all the time.

Farradfahren 8y ago

And the simplest process and best service always will be- piracy.