4 ms·

I think pirates are winning.

by zibzab 5y ago

bobsmooth 5y ago
With Everything, I can access any episode of whatever tv show I want instantly in full resolution. With Emby it takes a few extra seconds. I don't see how streaming can compete with local files.
threevox 5y ago
Only viable solution
Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
Yup. That's me to an extent. I subscribe to Netflix, HBO, and Disney. If what I want to watch isn't on either of those three, it's getting pirated.
- handrous 5y ago
  I sometimes pirate things that are on services I'm paying for just because I don't want to have to remember which one has the thing I want to watch, every time I go to watch it, or switch between apps if watching multiple shows, or whatever.
  - jasomill 5y ago
    The only thing that really tempts me to piracy are shows only available for streaming via iOS apps that disable picture-in-picture viewing during commercial breaks. This particular behavior should really be banned by App Store guidelines, as it generates no revenue for Apple, and I can't imagine a single provider willing to forgo ad revenue from iOS users as a whole over such a rule. Show commercials, if you must, but trying to force me to pay attention to commercials via technological means is where I draw the line. Instead of actually bothering to pirate the show, however, I generally just do something else. I'm honestly curious why (AFAIK) major content producers haven't looked beyond existing revenue streams and experimented with freemium (or at least "low-costium") models, along the lines of Microsoft studios releasing current AAA titles through Game Pass — which, while not free, is arguably inexpensive — but charging extra for optional in-game purchases and DLC. In other words, make base versions of shows available for free or at a low cost, then charge a few bucks per season for premium features like early access to episodes, 4K/HDR, and bonus content. For major franchises, at least, I imagine there are at least enough fans willing to pay, say, $10-20 per season for such features to make such a venture worthwhile.
input_sh 5y ago
If it isn't in two streaming services I'm paying for, you're damn right I'm pirating it. Not like I have any other choice anyway when some stuff is just geolocked from me (Disney+, some HBO stuff, etc).
brewdad 5y ago
I'm happy to not deal with the world of pirating much these days. Only things I really pirate are some BBC/UK shows that likely won't ever make it to the US and the GD Pac-12 Network because they can't get their act together and get their network on any streaming service worth subscribing to.
- ghaff 5y ago
  There are also very few shows that I absolutely have to watch. There's far more good content out there than I have time to watch so if something is hard to get at, I'm generally fine with moving on to the next thing. I don't watch a lot of video.
anothernewdude 5y ago
I only subscribe to Netflix, and these days I don't even bother to check if things are on there first. If its a show I actually want to watch, why not go where it's guaranteed to be?
commandlinefan 5y ago
Are they though? They make less money than streaming services... I do believe they actually lose money hosting these piracy sites.
- timbit42 5y ago
  Hosting torrents is very inexpensive.
toun 5y ago
Ignoring cost, there's two things preventing me from watching content legally in acceptable quality: DRMs and connection speed. The day streaming providers allow downloading high quality, DRM free video files to watch for later, I'll happily pay 3 bucks per movie. As it stands, I can't play anything >720p because of DRMs. If you're willing to prevent paying customers from watching what they're paying for, just for the sake of reassuring your shareholders that you're combatting piracy (though failing miserably), then I have no remorse torrenting your content.
- judge2020 5y ago
  > As it stands, I can't play anything >720p because of DRMs. Should be able to play 4k via the official Netflix app on Windows, assuming you have the relevant chain of DRM protection (ie. TPM might be required, along with HDCP cables and monitors). > (though failing miserably), I'd argue that they're winning, actually - torrenting these days requires some upfront costs (hard drives and a media server) and an initial time investment (dedicate $xx hours to learning and managing a media server + media library software). It's much easier to punch in your credit card to the 3 streaming services you want to use that month. This is on top of the fact that most media giants contract out a service to automatically send DMCA takedown requests to the ISP of every torrent peer. If you're in the U.S. doing this, you're most likely going to get a letter from your ISP asking you to stop torrenting illegal content. Xfinity in particular has a 3 (or 6?) strike system for DMCAs, after which they'll terminate your service. Any torrenting effectively must be accompanied by a VPN that is torrent-friendly and ignores DMCAs.
  - input_sh 5y ago
    > (hard drives and a media server) Eh? I'm pretty sure at least 80% of pirates just delete the movie/show from their PC/laptop when they're done watching it, maybe casting it to a TV in the process.
    - LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
      Loading, looking, lösching. It's all so forgettable. Like toilet paper.
Notorious_BLT 5y ago
Exactly this. For a couple of years, I was onboard with streaming. It was convenient and frictionless. But now I find myself having to search google to find out which service a movie/show is on, only to find its on none of the ones I have. I pay for Hulu, share my inlaws Netflix account, and I have Amazon Prime. If whatever I want isn't readily available on one of those, I immediately just pirate it and put it on my Plex server (and my backup drive), where I'll always have access to it. Gabe Newell put forward his thoughts on piracy and the success of Steam as a digital content platform about a decade ago now, saying “The easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work. ... It's by giving those people a service that's better than what they're receiving from the pirates.” And for a couple of years, I think streaming services achieved that. Netflix and Hulu really did seem to capture the market in paid services because they were so convenient. But as the market fractures into smaller and smaller services, I think a lot of people are going to turn back to piracy.
- philliphaydon 5y ago
  Now epic is ruining gaming platforms. Was fine with origin, steam, Battle.net. Now I don’t want to buy anything cos worried epic will go bribe the game to remove it from other platforms. In favor of its own turd service.
Arrath 5y ago
It feels more like a hybrid model these days, with a mix of pirating and, well, sharing, but some companies might want to call it pirating at this point. I pay for netflix, and share it with friends, and they reciprocate with HBO, Hulu, and Disney+. It's a solid setup, and whatever I can't find on any of the above, I turn to the old standby.

I think pirates are winning.

by zibzab 5y ago

I think pirates are winning.

With Everything, I can access any episode of whatever tv show I want instantly in full resolution. With Emby it takes a few extra seconds. I don't see how streaming can compete with local files.

threevox 5y ago

Only viable solution

Sohcahtoa82 5y ago

Yup. That's me to an extent. I subscribe to Netflix, HBO, and Disney. If what I want to watch isn't on either of those three, it's getting pirated.

handrous 5y ago
I sometimes pirate things that are on services I'm paying for just because I don't want to have to remember which one has the thing I want to watch, every time I go to watch it, or switch between apps if watching multiple shows, or whatever.
- jasomill 5y ago
  The only thing that really tempts me to piracy are shows only available for streaming via iOS apps that disable picture-in-picture viewing during commercial breaks. This particular behavior should really be banned by App Store guidelines, as it generates no revenue for Apple, and I can't imagine a single provider willing to forgo ad revenue from iOS users as a whole over such a rule. Show commercials, if you must, but trying to force me to pay attention to commercials via technological means is where I draw the line. Instead of actually bothering to pirate the show, however, I generally just do something else. I'm honestly curious why (AFAIK) major content producers haven't looked beyond existing revenue streams and experimented with freemium (or at least "low-costium") models, along the lines of Microsoft studios releasing current AAA titles through Game Pass — which, while not free, is arguably inexpensive — but charging extra for optional in-game purchases and DLC. In other words, make base versions of shows available for free or at a low cost, then charge a few bucks per season for premium features like early access to episodes, 4K/HDR, and bonus content. For major franchises, at least, I imagine there are at least enough fans willing to pay, say, $10-20 per season for such features to make such a venture worthwhile.

input_sh 5y ago

If it isn't in two streaming services I'm paying for, you're damn right I'm pirating it. Not like I have any other choice anyway when some stuff is just geolocked from me (Disney+, some HBO stuff, etc).

brewdad 5y ago

I'm happy to not deal with the world of pirating much these days. Only things I really pirate are some BBC/UK shows that likely won't ever make it to the US and the GD Pac-12 Network because they can't get their act together and get their network on any streaming service worth subscribing to.

ghaff 5y ago
There are also very few shows that I absolutely have to watch. There's far more good content out there than I have time to watch so if something is hard to get at, I'm generally fine with moving on to the next thing. I don't watch a lot of video.

anothernewdude 5y ago

I only subscribe to Netflix, and these days I don't even bother to check if things are on there first. If its a show I actually want to watch, why not go where it's guaranteed to be?

commandlinefan 5y ago

Are they though? They make less money than streaming services... I do believe they actually lose money hosting these piracy sites.

timbit42 5y ago
Hosting torrents is very inexpensive.

toun 5y ago

Ignoring cost, there's two things preventing me from watching content legally in acceptable quality: DRMs and connection speed. The day streaming providers allow downloading high quality, DRM free video files to watch for later, I'll happily pay 3 bucks per movie. As it stands, I can't play anything >720p because of DRMs. If you're willing to prevent paying customers from watching what they're paying for, just for the sake of reassuring your shareholders that you're combatting piracy (though failing miserably), then I have no remorse torrenting your content.

judge2020 5y ago
> As it stands, I can't play anything >720p because of DRMs. Should be able to play 4k via the official Netflix app on Windows, assuming you have the relevant chain of DRM protection (ie. TPM might be required, along with HDCP cables and monitors). > (though failing miserably), I'd argue that they're winning, actually - torrenting these days requires some upfront costs (hard drives and a media server) and an initial time investment (dedicate $xx hours to learning and managing a media server + media library software). It's much easier to punch in your credit card to the 3 streaming services you want to use that month. This is on top of the fact that most media giants contract out a service to automatically send DMCA takedown requests to the ISP of every torrent peer. If you're in the U.S. doing this, you're most likely going to get a letter from your ISP asking you to stop torrenting illegal content. Xfinity in particular has a 3 (or 6?) strike system for DMCAs, after which they'll terminate your service. Any torrenting effectively must be accompanied by a VPN that is torrent-friendly and ignores DMCAs.
- input_sh 5y ago
  > (hard drives and a media server) Eh? I'm pretty sure at least 80% of pirates just delete the movie/show from their PC/laptop when they're done watching it, maybe casting it to a TV in the process.
  - LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
    Loading, looking, lösching. It's all so forgettable. Like toilet paper.

Notorious_BLT 5y ago

Exactly this. For a couple of years, I was onboard with streaming. It was convenient and frictionless. But now I find myself having to search google to find out which service a movie/show is on, only to find its on none of the ones I have. I pay for Hulu, share my inlaws Netflix account, and I have Amazon Prime. If whatever I want isn't readily available on one of those, I immediately just pirate it and put it on my Plex server (and my backup drive), where I'll always have access to it. Gabe Newell put forward his thoughts on piracy and the success of Steam as a digital content platform about a decade ago now, saying “The easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work. ... It's by giving those people a service that's better than what they're receiving from the pirates.” And for a couple of years, I think streaming services achieved that. Netflix and Hulu really did seem to capture the market in paid services because they were so convenient. But as the market fractures into smaller and smaller services, I think a lot of people are going to turn back to piracy.

philliphaydon 5y ago
Now epic is ruining gaming platforms. Was fine with origin, steam, Battle.net. Now I don’t want to buy anything cos worried epic will go bribe the game to remove it from other platforms. In favor of its own turd service.

Arrath 5y ago

It feels more like a hybrid model these days, with a mix of pirating and, well, sharing, but some companies might want to call it pirating at this point. I pay for netflix, and share it with friends, and they reciprocate with HBO, Hulu, and Disney+. It's a solid setup, and whatever I can't find on any of the above, I turn to the old standby.