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Fellow European here - I was going to say the same thing: I have practically no options of watching any current shows, a lot of FANTASTIC shows don't even make
by kahawe 15y ago
Fellow European here - I was going to say the same thing: I have practically no options of watching any current shows, a lot of FANTASTIC shows don't even make it over here and most of the German translations are abysmal in terms of being wrong and having horrible voices/voice acting, to say the least.
I don't feel bad for using tvtorrents - as far as I am concerned, I am just watching a TV show that has already been paid for by its target audience and stations in the States anyway and I got a copy; what's the big deal?
And movies: why are there still significantly different "launch dates" for the same movie all over the world? This is 2011.
And while we are at it with movies, my favorite pet peeve are the frakking movie theaters here... you pay outrageous prices just to get a seat, then you pay extra for 3d goggles, then they sit you through 20 minutes of commercials, then they switch on all of the frakking lights AGAIN and ask "Does anyone want to buy some ice cream???"... and of course there are always some assholes who want to buy a $1 popsicle with a $100 bill but first they take their sweet time deciding on what to get... then finally the light goes out... and there are more commercials. The whole experience is just begging to install a nice home theater and since one cannot (legally) watch current movies while they are in theaters.. pirating surely becomes an option.
Movie theaters and current movie distribution are a concept from the stone age when people could not afford to view them at home; they are a fossil in terms of modern technology and possibilities. Most people who go to see a movie could just as easily watch it at home without much less enjoyment or sound or visual quality.
- chopsueyar 15y agoCan you please elaborate on the ice cream vending prior to the show of the movie? An actual human solicits ice cream orders between the previews and the start of the movie?
- kahawe 15y agoThey sell popcorn, candy, drinks and ice cream at quite a few regular counters in the lounge there. And, yes, in the theaters once you sit down, they turn off the lights, show you commercials, then they turn on ALL THE LIGHTS again and (usually) two humans with a basket nonchalantly waltz in with "Will noch jemand'n Eis" in German, "Anyone want some ice cream"? Then of course there are always a couple of inconsiderate a-holes who want some ice cream but did not manage to buy it before... in a big theater room they are spread out nicely so sales-humans walk around with their ice cream and sell their stuff; typically the people buying either have no idea what they want so they go through the whole "what do you have" talk and/or they don't have small bills and pay with 50 or 100 bills and go through the "oh sorry I don't have change for that" talk. And we are talking around US $20 per person per viewing for "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" for example; just for seeing the movie in half-asses 3D. I swear to FSM: Should you ever read about a bloody massacre in a movie theater in Germany it was probably me. :9
- dpark 15y ago> Most people who go to see a movie could just as easily watch it at home without much less enjoyment or sound or visual quality. Whether most people could enjoy the home experience as much is an interesting point of debate, but there's no question that the sound and visual quality are lower in >>99% of homes. Very few people have good surround-sound systems. Even fewer have truly large screens for viewing. I have a 50-inch TV at home, and I love it, but it doesn't compare to a 20-foot screen. I think theaters will remain relevant for some time to come. Until the "ten-foot-experience" at home means a ten-foot screen, people will probably remain interested in seeing movies at the theater.
- silvestrov 15y agoEurope is not a 3rd world country, on the contrary, most people can easily afford huge TVs over here, including surround sound. In fact, huge televisions are often a marker of low-income families. At home, we're never interrupted by stupid people talking or being late, we don't have to wait 20 minutes with ads, the movie can start at the time most convenient to us. So the effective quality is higher.
- dpark 15y agoI'm pretty sure I didn't say Europe was a 3rd world country. Such a statement would be patently untrue, if only because Europe is not a country. I also didn't say that people could not afford surround-sound. I said that most people do not have high-quality surround systems installed. Relatively few people have surround-sound systems, and those who do have fairly low-end ones. As for the "huge TVs", huge to most people is 50-60 inches. Huge for theaters is 90-feet (that's actually just standard Imax size).
- kahawe 15y agoI have a 55 inch Samsung and it was considerably affordable. And even a 42 inch full HD can keep up with a 20 foot screen when you factor in the different distance you will be sitting from it. And 5.1 speakers or sound-bars do not cost a fortune anymore either. Neither do full HD beamers.