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"or the legitimate version is less convenient to obtain or use" I can remember getting a DVD from Netflix, getting sick of all the unskipable previews, and dow

"or the legitimate version is less convenient to obtain or use" I can remember getting a DVD from Netflix, getting sick of all the unskipable previews, and downloading a pirate version before they had even finished. It's so true. When it's easier to pirate, the publishers need to sit down and rethink their whole existence.

johnchristopher 5y ago
Just like movie theaters left the movie business at some points and entered the popcorn business there might be a reason why Netflix couldn't do without those un-skipables previews. Maybe numbers showed that enough previews triggered more rentals ? Which are now absent from naked downloaded DVDs ? In that time frame (where Netflix was still sending truckloads of DVDs across the country) I don't see how downloading the pirated version of a DVD would be faster than using DVD shrink on the Netflix DVD though.
- metalliqaz 5y ago
  It was definitely faster. I distinctly remember downloading a ~700MB Divx AVI from Easynews while the DVD was in progress. I don't remember what year but a rough guess was maybe 2010.
  - johnchristopher 5y ago
    Ah, if by pirated DVDs you mean a 700MB Divx then yes I can see how it could be faster. There would need to be a lot of previews on the DVD and a lot of peers for the Divx and a beefy connection (so a recent movie I suppose) though.
    - a1369209993 5y ago
      If your torrent program supports it[0], you can tell it to download the first chunk (quarter, file, etc) at higher priority than the rest, then watch that while it downloads the second chunk at high priority, and so on (basically streaming, except done right rather than as a way to defraud the user out of their downloads). 0: This is more commonly/obviously supported for torrents containing multiple files, eg a TV show where you can get episode-1.mp4, then episode-2.mp4, etc.

johnchristopher 5y ago

Just like movie theaters left the movie business at some points and entered the popcorn business there might be a reason why Netflix couldn't do without those un-skipables previews. Maybe numbers showed that enough previews triggered more rentals ? Which are now absent from naked downloaded DVDs ? In that time frame (where Netflix was still sending truckloads of DVDs across the country) I don't see how downloading the pirated version of a DVD would be faster than using DVD shrink on the Netflix DVD though.

metalliqaz 5y ago
It was definitely faster. I distinctly remember downloading a ~700MB Divx AVI from Easynews while the DVD was in progress. I don't remember what year but a rough guess was maybe 2010.
- johnchristopher 5y ago
  Ah, if by pirated DVDs you mean a 700MB Divx then yes I can see how it could be faster. There would need to be a lot of previews on the DVD and a lot of peers for the Divx and a beefy connection (so a recent movie I suppose) though.
  - a1369209993 5y ago
    If your torrent program supports it[0], you can tell it to download the first chunk (quarter, file, etc) at higher priority than the rest, then watch that while it downloads the second chunk at high priority, and so on (basically streaming, except done right rather than as a way to defraud the user out of their downloads). 0: This is more commonly/obviously supported for torrents containing multiple files, eg a TV show where you can get episode-1.mp4, then episode-2.mp4, etc.