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Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

torrentfreak.com

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Re: Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

#41

Post by abecedarius »

veb wrote: post #3

Makes sense to me. If you torrent a movie, you have to find it from a decent place (otherwise it could be a completely different movie, shitty release etc) then you may need to find captions for it, if you need them. This kind of thing isn't actually easy for non-technical people. However I think it comes down to the fact: most people want to pay but shit is just so expensive otherwise.

With netflix streaming you generally can't get captions at all -- unless that's changed recently?

(I'm hard of hearing and their streaming is useless to me except for foreign movies, which do get English subtitles.)

Re: Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

#42

Post by emitstop »

I'm not sure that "killing" is the best word to use here. I would say that it is definitely making a dent. I've been using Netflix (and hulu) more and more, and torrents less and less.

Being able to instantly watch is a huge incentive for me. I also like to think that my views help the show stay on the air. Realistically, Hulu and Netflix viewcounts probably don't count much, but better than nothing right?

Re: Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

#44

Post by ANH »

To me, Netflix streaming is like some alien technology from the future. I live in a rural area with terrible broadband (miniscule monthly cap). However, I have an unlimited data plan for my phone and with a composite video cable I can plug my phone into the television and stream movies from the Netflix app. We've never had cable TV, and with Netlix and iTunes there's no point. Even over 3G, we get surprisingly good video quality.

Re: Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

#46

Post by ChuckMcM »

phlux wrote: post #17
ChuckMcM wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Actually, I dont buy this due to the fact that piracy is largly around fresh content, where netflix movie library is fairly old." Do you have a citation for this? All of the places where people put numbers to piracy that I've seen (like the lawsuits against various anonymous folks) seem to span a whole range of content from older stuff to newer stuff.

My citation is that I am a Netflix subscriber -- and I have seen content available on the Tubes which is still in the theatres. I have a tough time finding new, contemporary content in the streaming lib of netflix.

Fair enough, so in context your piracy is all about fresh content :-)

I try to be strictly legit in my digital content. The areas where I skate the line would be when I use the photocopier at the library to make a copy of a paper from a journal which I'm unwilling to pay $50 for a reprint for but I want a copy in my files. That being said, there is money being left on the table. If the reprints were $1 I would definitely buy them, if they were $5 I would still buy the ones I felt were seminal. Just another example of price elasticity in the digital economy.

In my research on this topic most studies posit a more uniform distribution. Some specifically call out first sale doctrine issues like reselling last years version of AutoCAD on ebay. Perhaps our different understandings may be that I'm not thinking specifically of movies.

Re: Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

#47

Post by SwellJoe »

jaysonelliot wrote: post #14

If I could rely on a streaming movie from Netflix to play uninterrupted and without flaws from beginning to end, it would be wonderful. That, and if I could find the movies I want to watch, of course. The reality for me, at least, is that I cannot watch two hours of streaming video from Netflix without the picture freezing or skipping at some point, even if it's just a little bit. I love film, and that's unacceptable…

I watch Netflix using the 3G connection on my phone, sometimes from ridiculous locations. I rarely have issues. I've been really impressed by how reliable it is, actually, and by how effectively it handles unpredictable connections. Amazon Unbox is not as reliable, though it does provide the ability to download it to watch later from hard disk, which is a win over Netflix which has to stream.

But, it sounds like you have higher standards for your movies than I do. I'm surprised a rented DVD provides a better experience, though...the forced previews, the likelihood of scratches leading to skips and freezes and such, make DVDs less valuable to me, even without the pain of having to go get them and return them.

Re: Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

#48

Post by kin »

Netflix is not significantly killing BitTorrent directly. For one, mainstream BT users are afraid of using BT. Non-mainstream BT users are using usenet 'cause it's just so insanely fast. People's favorite trackers are being shut down left and right and then there's the people who're now streaming legally.

As much as I love Netflix, I still DL for any content it doesn't have (HBO and such), currently airing seasons, and new releases. I just can't justify $5 a movie rental or $1 an episode rental.

On a side note one thing I really need is a way to stream the playoffs. I would pay $$ to stream the playoffs in HD, not just season games.

Re: Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in The US

#49

Post by baddox »

kin wrote: post #48

Netflix is not significantly killing BitTorrent directly. For one, mainstream BT users are afraid of using BT. Non-mainstream BT users are using usenet 'cause it's just so insanely fast. People's favorite trackers are being shut down left and right and then there's the people who're now streaming legally. As much as I love Netflix, I still DL for any content it doesn't have (HBO and such), currently airing seasons, a…

There are plenty of non-mainstream BT users that use private trackers. Private trackers are superior to Usenet.
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