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But if I grab a torrent to the 4K version of the movie, I can play it on my computer. Do people still legitimately wonder why so many people flock to torrents?

But if I grab a torrent to the 4K version of the movie, I can play it on my computer. Do people still legitimately wonder why so many people flock to torrents? Hollywood (and by extension, other large content producers) have the most sincere form of Ostrich Syndrome[0] that I know of. [0] http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20Ostrich%20Syndrome http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20Ostrich...

scott_s 12y ago
Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. They all watch content on their tv, obtained through a legit streaming service or a cable subscription. Personally, I don't feel right grabbing torrents, but I also don't want the hassle. I think that legit digital delivery for music and video has, for the most part, crossed the threshold where it's just easier than the alternatives.
- ceronman 12y ago
  I pay for Netflix every month. Still I use XBMCtorrent to watch most TV series and movies. Many things are not available on Netflix or a similar service. Even if they're available on Netflix, most of the time they don't have subtitles in my native language, seeking is slow, there is not flexibility in the resolution. XBMC just provides me a better user experience.
  - steeve 12y ago
    It is discontinued, you might want to switch to Pulsar instead. (I'm the author or both)
    - ceronman 12y ago
      I didn't know. Thanks for the tip.
- joshstrange 12y ago
  > Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. I know quite a few people who use torrents (or usenet) as their primary source of TV. Combining Plex + Sabnzbd + Sickbeard you get a internet DVR with little to no maintenance once setup (other than adding more capacity as/if needed). They all have a hulu-like (next day) experience, they get it in HD, and there are no ads. Legit delivery for music has crossed the threshold but video has not. You still have to use multiple services to watch everything you want.
  - redblacktree 12y ago
    The setup you're describing is beyond the reach of a great many people. They pay for Netflix instead.
    - anigbrowl 12y ago
      I can't be bothered to go through it, and I do film post & production for a living, so it's not any lack of technical capability.
      - m3mnoch 12y ago
        agreed. torrenting is not worth my time. 1) at this point, i just want it to work. if i don't have to do it, don't enjoy doing it, or don't get paid for doing it, i don't want to waste any time on it. time spent in setup and maintenance of torrent/media servers in the past has permanently put me on the netflix/hulu/amazon/spotify/roku side of the cost-to-benefit equation. i'm even one of those weird people who pay for netflix dvds. 2) there's so much content out there, that if your content is NOT available in the ecosystem, sorry, but my family doesn't bother to consume it. it's an attention economy and your (mr. content producer!) content strategy is putting you below the poverty line.
  - wavefunction 12y ago
    I have to use different services to get all the music I want. iTunes is great for mainstream stuff but that's about it. Amazon's offering is "eclectic"
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- driverdan 12y ago
  > Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. Who do you know? I estimate 80-90% of the people I know who are technical download "pirated" movies via torrents or usenet. Most also use paid services like Netflix and Amazon Prime but the content on those networks sucks.
  - scott_s 12y ago
    A mix of technical and non-technical people. The technical people I know have basically the same attitude as me: it's not worth the hassle during our free time.
  - yuriks 12y ago
    My mother gets all her TV from TPB and she's really not technically skilled at all. When it went down this week she asked me for an alternate place to download from.
  - lttlrck 12y ago
    "pirated"? Is there any doubt?
    - driverdan 12y ago
      I put it in quotes because I don't particularly like the term. Real piracy involves theft, downloading a digital copy of something you wouldn't pay for otherwise is not theft.
- duaneb 12y ago
  Literally every technical person I work with pirates movies, because of poor availability, restrictive DRM, or because they like to have local media in the format of their choosing. All of these people also use netflix, amazon, itunes, etc., but it's hardly a catch all.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
joshstrange 12y ago
I remember before Netflix and Amazon when it was: DVD or Torrent and this image came out: http://craphound.com/images/ifurapirate.jpeg http://craphound.com/images/ifurapirate.jpeg That was about stuffing promo's and ads in before the movie but this feels very similar. You can get a better experience by getting a torrent over streaming legally. I pay for Amazon and Netflix but I will still download content from time to time that I can get on them (for no additional cost) because I can get a better experience: no buffering, no quality yo-yo-ing as network speeds fluctuate, no ads, reliable watched status (Using Plex, this is more an issue with Amazon which keeps track of your position in a video but doesn't have watched/unwatched status so it's sometimes hard to pick up in a series where you left off). Spotify (IMHO) is a great example of a level of service/features (even at a price) beating piracy. I'm still waiting on the "Spotify of TV" (Or movies) and no I don't think it exists out there yet. I would be all over Hulu expect I refuse to pay for a service AND see ads. I would rather pay $20/mo and not see ads then pay the $10/mo and see them. Almost as bad as having to see ads in the first place the ads on Hulu are painfully repetitive at times.
- fidotron 12y ago
  You're right, but it's worth recognising that few people realised what bad businesses Spotify or Pandora actually are. The margins just aren't there, and so for film/tv you're going to see a persistent effort to continue to "add value" which really means adding value for the seller, and not adding value for the consumer.
- nemothekid 12y ago
  >I would be all over Hulu expect I refuse to pay for a service AND see ads. I would rather pay $20/mo and not see ads then pay the $10/mo and see them. Almost as bad as having to see ads in the first place the ads on Hulu are painfully repetitive at times. You are going to have to make a better offer to the studios that are currently charging customers $80/mo AND forcing them to see ads. Hollywood would have to slim down significantly if it was going to go Netflix-model primary on all its content.
  - toomuchtodo 12y ago
anigbrowl 12y ago
It's easy to give away a 4k torrent when you haven't had to pay anything for the right to distribute it or invest in the necessary infrastructure. If there are quality problems or whatever, there's no obligation to fix them. People have much higher expectations when they're paying, even if they're only paying a small amount.
- couchand 12y ago
  People have much higher expectations when they're paying Which is ironic considering how much better of an experience piracy is 9 times out of ten.

scott_s 12y ago

Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. They all watch content on their tv, obtained through a legit streaming service or a cable subscription. Personally, I don't feel right grabbing torrents, but I also don't want the hassle. I think that legit digital delivery for music and video has, for the most part, crossed the threshold where it's just easier than the alternatives.

ceronman 12y ago
I pay for Netflix every month. Still I use XBMCtorrent to watch most TV series and movies. Many things are not available on Netflix or a similar service. Even if they're available on Netflix, most of the time they don't have subtitles in my native language, seeking is slow, there is not flexibility in the resolution. XBMC just provides me a better user experience.
- steeve 12y ago
  It is discontinued, you might want to switch to Pulsar instead. (I'm the author or both)
  - ceronman 12y ago
    I didn't know. Thanks for the tip.
joshstrange 12y ago
> Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. I know quite a few people who use torrents (or usenet) as their primary source of TV. Combining Plex + Sabnzbd + Sickbeard you get a internet DVR with little to no maintenance once setup (other than adding more capacity as/if needed). They all have a hulu-like (next day) experience, they get it in HD, and there are no ads. Legit delivery for music has crossed the threshold but video has not. You still have to use multiple services to watch everything you want.
- redblacktree 12y ago
  The setup you're describing is beyond the reach of a great many people. They pay for Netflix instead.
  - anigbrowl 12y ago
    I can't be bothered to go through it, and I do film post & production for a living, so it's not any lack of technical capability.
    - m3mnoch 12y ago
      agreed. torrenting is not worth my time. 1) at this point, i just want it to work. if i don't have to do it, don't enjoy doing it, or don't get paid for doing it, i don't want to waste any time on it. time spent in setup and maintenance of torrent/media servers in the past has permanently put me on the netflix/hulu/amazon/spotify/roku side of the cost-to-benefit equation. i'm even one of those weird people who pay for netflix dvds. 2) there's so much content out there, that if your content is NOT available in the ecosystem, sorry, but my family doesn't bother to consume it. it's an attention economy and your (mr. content producer!) content strategy is putting you below the poverty line.
- wavefunction 12y ago
  I have to use different services to get all the music I want. iTunes is great for mainstream stuff but that's about it. Amazon's offering is "eclectic"
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
driverdan 12y ago
> Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. Who do you know? I estimate 80-90% of the people I know who are technical download "pirated" movies via torrents or usenet. Most also use paid services like Netflix and Amazon Prime but the content on those networks sucks.
- scott_s 12y ago
  A mix of technical and non-technical people. The technical people I know have basically the same attitude as me: it's not worth the hassle during our free time.
- yuriks 12y ago
  My mother gets all her TV from TPB and she's really not technically skilled at all. When it went down this week she asked me for an alternate place to download from.
- lttlrck 12y ago
  "pirated"? Is there any doubt?
  - driverdan 12y ago
    I put it in quotes because I don't particularly like the term. Real piracy involves theft, downloading a digital copy of something you wouldn't pay for otherwise is not theft.
duaneb 12y ago
Literally every technical person I work with pirates movies, because of poor availability, restrictive DRM, or because they like to have local media in the format of their choosing. All of these people also use netflix, amazon, itunes, etc., but it's hardly a catch all.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

joshstrange 12y ago

I remember before Netflix and Amazon when it was: DVD or Torrent and this image came out: http://craphound.com/images/ifurapirate.jpeg http://craphound.com/images/ifurapirate.jpeg That was about stuffing promo's and ads in before the movie but this feels very similar. You can get a better experience by getting a torrent over streaming legally. I pay for Amazon and Netflix but I will still download content from time to time that I can get on them (for no additional cost) because I can get a better experience: no buffering, no quality yo-yo-ing as network speeds fluctuate, no ads, reliable watched status (Using Plex, this is more an issue with Amazon which keeps track of your position in a video but doesn't have watched/unwatched status so it's sometimes hard to pick up in a series where you left off). Spotify (IMHO) is a great example of a level of service/features (even at a price) beating piracy. I'm still waiting on the "Spotify of TV" (Or movies) and no I don't think it exists out there yet. I would be all over Hulu expect I refuse to pay for a service AND see ads. I would rather pay $20/mo and not see ads then pay the $10/mo and see them. Almost as bad as having to see ads in the first place the ads on Hulu are painfully repetitive at times.

fidotron 12y ago
You're right, but it's worth recognising that few people realised what bad businesses Spotify or Pandora actually are. The margins just aren't there, and so for film/tv you're going to see a persistent effort to continue to "add value" which really means adding value for the seller, and not adding value for the consumer.
nemothekid 12y ago
>I would be all over Hulu expect I refuse to pay for a service AND see ads. I would rather pay $20/mo and not see ads then pay the $10/mo and see them. Almost as bad as having to see ads in the first place the ads on Hulu are painfully repetitive at times. You are going to have to make a better offer to the studios that are currently charging customers $80/mo AND forcing them to see ads. Hollywood would have to slim down significantly if it was going to go Netflix-model primary on all its content.
- toomuchtodo 12y ago

anigbrowl 12y ago

It's easy to give away a 4k torrent when you haven't had to pay anything for the right to distribute it or invest in the necessary infrastructure. If there are quality problems or whatever, there's no obligation to fix them. People have much higher expectations when they're paying, even if they're only paying a small amount.

couchand 12y ago
People have much higher expectations when they're paying Which is ironic considering how much better of an experience piracy is 9 times out of ten.