10 ms·

THIS. Forcing consumers to sign up to 10 platforms to watch 10 movies will no doubt lead to a shift back to torrents. YouTube is pretty good in this regard, a

THIS. Forcing consumers to sign up to 10 platforms to watch 10 movies will no doubt lead to a shift back to torrents. YouTube is pretty good in this regard, as it allows paying for renting a single movie for a weekend for a reasonable price.

tarr11 5y ago
Amazon allows this too.
dorfsmay 5y ago
Although very limited in its content, at least in Canada. My understanding is that it's because of old exclusivity contracts with cable providers. And indeed, our process is: "Can we rent it? No, fine let's fine a pirated copy". Not going to get cable for one night to watch this one movie. Everybody's losing by hanging on those old outdated systems.
jbay808 5y ago
Blockbusters used to be really good for this. You could even get a movie for a whole week for less than YouTube will rent it to you for 24 hours. Maybe they'll make a comeback?
- adamrezich 5y ago
  what will users insert physical media into, these days?
  - NegativeLatency 5y ago
    USB ports?
  - tomcooks 5y ago
    One use QR codes?
- vlunkr 5y ago
  Well blockbuster itself no longer exists, so don't count on that one.
  - jbay808 5y ago
    Of course I meant their business model, but... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(Bend,_Oregon) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(Bend,_Oregon)
- NortySpock 5y ago
  Redbox automated movie rental machines, perhaps?
- thayne 5y ago
  This. I don't understand why streaming a movie is so much more expensive than renting a physical DVD or VHS from a brick-and-morter store. If I want to watch a new movie, it is generally much cheaper to rent a DVD from redbox than watching it from any of the streaming services that allow you to rent it online.
  - ghaff 5y ago
    You can also still subscribe to the Netflix DVD service, although it's degraded compared to what it used to be. They're obviously not replacing a lot of disks when they wear out.
  - rhino369 5y ago
    It's because of the first sale doctrine. Redbox and family video can buy DVDs and Blu-Rays (at a maximum) at the same price as consumer DVD/Blu-Ray--and rent them out without permission from the copyright holder. That means video rental stores can undercut the VOD prices. Consumers are willing to pay more for VOD because its easier. Having to return the disc is a pain in the ass.
    - thayne 5y ago
      It seems like there should be a similar mechanism for VOD. Although, VidAngel tried to do that and was sued almost to death by big media.
      - rhino369 5y ago
        It's not possible to lend digital media out without making a copy(remotely streaming it still copying), which isn't protected by the first sale doctrine. Redbox isn't making a copy. That's the big difference.
        jbay808 5y ago
        Is it possible to play a DVD without making a copy in the DVD player's RAM? What if I extend an HDMI cable from my DVD player to your TV? My library manages to lend ebooks; they even have wait lists for them.
dhosek 5y ago
Amazon and Apple also have stream rentals. That said, I have Netflix (free with my T-mobile phone service) and HBO (free with my AT&T fiber internet) and Apple+ (free with the recently purchased iPads for the kids) and Hoopla (free from the library) and Kanopy (free from the library) and Disney+ (we actually pay for this one) and I never feel the need to say, I must watch this movie which isn't available on one of the services right now. If anything, I have too many options of what to watch.
- 1cvmask 5y ago
  The tyranny of choice. Have you ever heard of the indie mubi? https://mubi.com/ https://mubi.com/
  - whatgoodisaroad 5y ago
    Mubi really is excellent if you like the kind of art-house content they license. I think if I only kept one streaming service it'd be them.
  - dhosek 5y ago
    Nooooooo! No more choices! Seriously. I've stumbled across various streaming services that look like they have stuff I might like, but I really have more than I need already. And I always forget that because my wife pays for Prime, we have Amazon Prime streaming too.
hellbannedguy 5y ago
In the USA, they came down hard of torrents. My neighbor got busted a few years back by Xfinity, and it was a big deal.
- baby 5y ago
  Really? Got busted a number of time in France and in the US and nothing ever happened and I just kept torrenting.
- jjulius 5y ago
  >... and it was a big deal. It's my understanding that Xfinity sends a few warning notices, just a little slap on the wrist, before they end up terminating your account or something (though a quick cursory Google brings up a Reddit thread where someone claiming to have worked for Cumcrust said they never saw any accounts terminated for that). I know I received one letter like 7 years ago for downloading 'Christmas Vacation' and nothing else ever happened. Speaking from experience, if you use a VPN to torrent then they'll leave you alone. I'd be curious how much - and what - your neighbor was doing to have made it a big deal, and what Xfinity's response/reaction was.
  - leetcrew 5y ago
    maybe times have changed, but before I got a VPN, I used to get copyright notices all the time. I didn't notice for a few years because they went to an @comcast.com email address that I never checked. when I finally looked, I saw pages and pages of sternly written emails. if freely torrenting movies for years isn't enough to get disconnected, I dunno what is.
    - d110af5ccf 5y ago
      That's odd. For a long time the standard response in the US was to severely throttle connection speed for some duration if there were too many notices within a given time period.
- socialist_coder 5y ago
  Best solution IMO is to rent a $10 a month seedbox and use it for torrenting. And/or only use private trackers. Stay away from the public ones.
waynesonfire 5y ago
I wish we had the data on this but I suspect a customer only selects a one or two video platforms and _MAYBE_ juggles a third when a hot show like GoT shows up, which is rare. There is a limited number of attention hours, it doesn't make sense to be on 10 platforms. Regardless, the end game of these streaming services is probably going to be consolidation or partners, if it makes since because the market is too diluted. We're coming off, wha, $60-100 a month cable bills? The streaming providers are still siphoning this value before we start seeing consolidation of the losers with the winners.
- cableshaft 5y ago
  Yep, Netflix and Amazon Prime are a given for us (Netflix a bit less so lately, actually considering taking a break from it for the first time in years), and then we'll add Disney+/Hulu or HBO Now for a month or two a couple times a year. By the way, has anyone checked out the free movies on Youtube? There's some good 80s and 90s classics on there lately. Supposedly it's with ads, but I don't see too many when I watch, certainly less than Hulu.
- ghaff 5y ago
  It's probably more than one or two. Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are two right there. But, you're right, The reality is that most people don't feel like they have to see a particular show. In any case, for the time being, it's pretty easy to dip in and out. I guess I have four at the moment (though two of them are free for various reasons). Depending upon how you allocate the cost of Amazon Prime though, I'm saving a lot compared to when I had cable--albeit at the cost of losing live TV.
  - matwood 5y ago
    I have Netflix, Prime Video is basically free (I have Prime for other reasons), HBO comes with my ATT internet, AppleTV is included with a new device, but will then come with Apple One (which is a good deal if you have a family of users), and Hulu. I pay for Hulu because I'll pay just about anything to never see a commercial. When I do have time to watch something, I don't want to see commercials. If that means paying a bit extra to have another service, so be it.
res0nat0r 5y ago
This is the obvious outcome from customers wanting to drop the all you can eat cable model and pick and choose. If any one "stream everything" service popped up with every providers content, it would cost $200+ a month, and essentially a cable tv subscription all over again just without the cable box, and everyone would complain it's too expensive and go back to piracy.
edgyquant 5y ago
Amazon does this as well, I can rent pretty much any movie or tv show through it.

tarr11 5y ago

Amazon allows this too.

dorfsmay 5y ago

Although very limited in its content, at least in Canada. My understanding is that it's because of old exclusivity contracts with cable providers. And indeed, our process is: "Can we rent it? No, fine let's fine a pirated copy". Not going to get cable for one night to watch this one movie. Everybody's losing by hanging on those old outdated systems.

jbay808 5y ago

Blockbusters used to be really good for this. You could even get a movie for a whole week for less than YouTube will rent it to you for 24 hours. Maybe they'll make a comeback?

adamrezich 5y ago
what will users insert physical media into, these days?
- NegativeLatency 5y ago
  USB ports?
- tomcooks 5y ago
  One use QR codes?
vlunkr 5y ago
Well blockbuster itself no longer exists, so don't count on that one.
- jbay808 5y ago
  Of course I meant their business model, but... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(Bend,_Oregon) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(Bend,_Oregon)
NortySpock 5y ago
Redbox automated movie rental machines, perhaps?
thayne 5y ago
This. I don't understand why streaming a movie is so much more expensive than renting a physical DVD or VHS from a brick-and-morter store. If I want to watch a new movie, it is generally much cheaper to rent a DVD from redbox than watching it from any of the streaming services that allow you to rent it online.
- ghaff 5y ago
  You can also still subscribe to the Netflix DVD service, although it's degraded compared to what it used to be. They're obviously not replacing a lot of disks when they wear out.
- rhino369 5y ago
  It's because of the first sale doctrine. Redbox and family video can buy DVDs and Blu-Rays (at a maximum) at the same price as consumer DVD/Blu-Ray--and rent them out without permission from the copyright holder. That means video rental stores can undercut the VOD prices. Consumers are willing to pay more for VOD because its easier. Having to return the disc is a pain in the ass.
  - thayne 5y ago
    It seems like there should be a similar mechanism for VOD. Although, VidAngel tried to do that and was sued almost to death by big media.
    - rhino369 5y ago
      It's not possible to lend digital media out without making a copy(remotely streaming it still copying), which isn't protected by the first sale doctrine. Redbox isn't making a copy. That's the big difference.
      - jbay808 5y ago
        Is it possible to play a DVD without making a copy in the DVD player's RAM? What if I extend an HDMI cable from my DVD player to your TV? My library manages to lend ebooks; they even have wait lists for them.

dhosek 5y ago

Amazon and Apple also have stream rentals. That said, I have Netflix (free with my T-mobile phone service) and HBO (free with my AT&T fiber internet) and Apple+ (free with the recently purchased iPads for the kids) and Hoopla (free from the library) and Kanopy (free from the library) and Disney+ (we actually pay for this one) and I never feel the need to say, I must watch this movie which isn't available on one of the services right now. If anything, I have too many options of what to watch.

1cvmask 5y ago
The tyranny of choice. Have you ever heard of the indie mubi? https://mubi.com/ https://mubi.com/
- whatgoodisaroad 5y ago
  Mubi really is excellent if you like the kind of art-house content they license. I think if I only kept one streaming service it'd be them.
- dhosek 5y ago
  Nooooooo! No more choices! Seriously. I've stumbled across various streaming services that look like they have stuff I might like, but I really have more than I need already. And I always forget that because my wife pays for Prime, we have Amazon Prime streaming too.

hellbannedguy 5y ago

In the USA, they came down hard of torrents. My neighbor got busted a few years back by Xfinity, and it was a big deal.

baby 5y ago
Really? Got busted a number of time in France and in the US and nothing ever happened and I just kept torrenting.
jjulius 5y ago
>... and it was a big deal. It's my understanding that Xfinity sends a few warning notices, just a little slap on the wrist, before they end up terminating your account or something (though a quick cursory Google brings up a Reddit thread where someone claiming to have worked for Cumcrust said they never saw any accounts terminated for that). I know I received one letter like 7 years ago for downloading 'Christmas Vacation' and nothing else ever happened. Speaking from experience, if you use a VPN to torrent then they'll leave you alone. I'd be curious how much - and what - your neighbor was doing to have made it a big deal, and what Xfinity's response/reaction was.
- leetcrew 5y ago
  maybe times have changed, but before I got a VPN, I used to get copyright notices all the time. I didn't notice for a few years because they went to an @comcast.com email address that I never checked. when I finally looked, I saw pages and pages of sternly written emails. if freely torrenting movies for years isn't enough to get disconnected, I dunno what is.
  - d110af5ccf 5y ago
    That's odd. For a long time the standard response in the US was to severely throttle connection speed for some duration if there were too many notices within a given time period.
socialist_coder 5y ago
Best solution IMO is to rent a $10 a month seedbox and use it for torrenting. And/or only use private trackers. Stay away from the public ones.

waynesonfire 5y ago

I wish we had the data on this but I suspect a customer only selects a one or two video platforms and _MAYBE_ juggles a third when a hot show like GoT shows up, which is rare. There is a limited number of attention hours, it doesn't make sense to be on 10 platforms. Regardless, the end game of these streaming services is probably going to be consolidation or partners, if it makes since because the market is too diluted. We're coming off, wha, $60-100 a month cable bills? The streaming providers are still siphoning this value before we start seeing consolidation of the losers with the winners.

cableshaft 5y ago
Yep, Netflix and Amazon Prime are a given for us (Netflix a bit less so lately, actually considering taking a break from it for the first time in years), and then we'll add Disney+/Hulu or HBO Now for a month or two a couple times a year. By the way, has anyone checked out the free movies on Youtube? There's some good 80s and 90s classics on there lately. Supposedly it's with ads, but I don't see too many when I watch, certainly less than Hulu.
ghaff 5y ago
It's probably more than one or two. Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are two right there. But, you're right, The reality is that most people don't feel like they have to see a particular show. In any case, for the time being, it's pretty easy to dip in and out. I guess I have four at the moment (though two of them are free for various reasons). Depending upon how you allocate the cost of Amazon Prime though, I'm saving a lot compared to when I had cable--albeit at the cost of losing live TV.
- matwood 5y ago
  I have Netflix, Prime Video is basically free (I have Prime for other reasons), HBO comes with my ATT internet, AppleTV is included with a new device, but will then come with Apple One (which is a good deal if you have a family of users), and Hulu. I pay for Hulu because I'll pay just about anything to never see a commercial. When I do have time to watch something, I don't want to see commercials. If that means paying a bit extra to have another service, so be it.

res0nat0r 5y ago

This is the obvious outcome from customers wanting to drop the all you can eat cable model and pick and choose. If any one "stream everything" service popped up with every providers content, it would cost $200+ a month, and essentially a cable tv subscription all over again just without the cable box, and everyone would complain it's too expensive and go back to piracy.

edgyquant 5y ago

Amazon does this as well, I can rent pretty much any movie or tv show through it.