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Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

reuters.com

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Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#771

Post by hellbannedguy »

llampx wrote: post #336
kangaroozach wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have not yet approached the pre-streaming willingness to pay (WTP). People used to pay $150 to $200 plus onDemand for the whole package with their cable provider. Today you can have YouTubeTV, HBO, Netflix, Prime, AppleTV+, Disney+, and Spotify for less than that. So perhaps the average will hover around $100 with many paying closer to $200 a month. We are creeping back up to those numbers because people will pay.

I have a hard time believing that that was the average monthly cost of a cable subscription. Mine was never more than $30-40 when I needed cable for the internet.

I heard Comcast (Xfinity) business model is forget about the threat of Cordcutters, and just keep raising prices, hoping the consumer doesn't notice the costs.

I head this from a Xfinity employee.

My mom showed me her bill and it was $240 month, for basics channels, internet, hbo, and one other lousy feature she doesn't use.

I trying to get it down, but their contracts have early termination fees in the contract.

They offer reasonable packed rates only to new customers. They know most people won't take back their equipment, and go a few days without service, in order to save $100 plus a month. I don't know how they legally get away with their business practices.

She has bern a faithful customer since 1972.

She is in Marin County, USA.

If anyone knows of a different company please give me some advice.

(I looked into AT&T, but they have almost the same business model as Comcast.)

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#772

Post by dudul »

gentleman11 wrote: post #369
kangaroozach wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have not yet approached the pre-streaming willingness to pay (WTP). People used to pay $150 to $200 plus onDemand for the whole package with their cable provider. Today you can have YouTubeTV, HBO, Netflix, Prime, AppleTV+, Disney+, and Spotify for less than that. So perhaps the average will hover around $100 with many paying closer to $200 a month. We are creeping back up to those numbers because people will pay.

Instead of having cable, I used to rent or buy movies. It’s no fun to rent now and the terms and duration suck and it’s hard to get a physical copy now so you’re tied to some service for life if you “buy”

You can still buy physical copies. BR are actually super cheap now that nobody buys them. I'd rather pay to truly own my movies.

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#773

Post by anoncow »

Red_Leaves_Flyy wrote: post #283
anoncow wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Musk playing with BTC is any indication, Mars would've been an interesting socio-political experiment if we had the terraforming technology.

Monarchies ruled by billionaires sounds horrid.

Agreed. Hope when the time comes human societies have the spine to stand up for good.

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#774

Post by ekianjo »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #612
caeril wrote: post #512

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No it isn't. It's a workaround. Sure, but it's a trivially easy workaround. Our focus of attention on matters of regulation ought to be in those areas where working around the problem is not nearly as dead simple as a torrent client, a NAS, and a Plex server.

It's really not. I'm a computer geek, and I'm LONG past the point where setting up safe VMs and signing up to half a dozen services like newsgroup server and directories and search engines and what nots, download software with impossible names like sabnzbd (I'm waiting up for somebody to scream how nobody uses sabnzbd anymore, it's been replaced by jidwiaj and iqerqip, which are super easy, and that just proves my po…

> I'm a computer geek, and I'm LONG past the point where setting up safe VMs and signing up to half a dozen services like newsgroup server and directories and search engines and what nots, download software with impossible names like sabnzbd

Then as a computer geek you don't seem to be aware about the modern tools to do that.

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#775

Post by ekianjo »

d0gbread wrote: post #656
saltyfamiliar wrote: post #651

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I truly cannot relate. All one needs is a VPN, a torrent client, a browser and an internet connection. Most tv's nowadays are smart enough to either connect to a simple Windows share or at least be able to play movie files. My SO and I watch a new movie almost every single night with a very simple setup and rarely encounter problems. It reads to me like you've over engineered movie night and are now complaining about…

Three comments so far that highlight the exact point the parent was making, a true lack of empathy. VPN alone is enough complexity for most... it's hard to find one that doesn't have comments calling it potentially insecure, questioning the owner, nevermind keeping tabs on if it sells to another owner.

> VPN alone is enough complexity for most...

Where is it complex? Most VPN providers these days provide a one-click solution to connect your devices to a VPN.

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#776

Post by lostgame »

andy_ppp wrote: post #473
dylan604 wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I still think DRM should be banned and paying for content should be super cheap - say per movie $1 for HD file download and $2 for a 4k version Sounds like you need to go and produce some content and distribute it this way to show the world the way to englightenment. Please come back and post a Show HN on how well it worked out for you.

I do have sympathy with this view (that content creators can do as they like, of course!), but I’m just saying I want to be able to buy films (maybe > 5 years old), for very cheap, legally, in a format I own, that I can watch when I like on any device I choose. I think a lot of people would like this possibility too and would spend lots of money that they wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s difficult to prove either way of…

I think the problem is that you're pitching the value too low.

It's like...$1 for a DRM-free song right now, and tbh that's not unfair.

Even if I could buy movies DRM-free right now for $10, older movies for $5, that'd be fair; I think. :)

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#777

Post by bogwog »

Dumblydorr wrote: post #322

Does anyone else think Amazon will acquire video game producers next? When I look at digital content, this seems the one area they're not already in, as they have TV, movies, books, but no games.

They have a game studio, game technology (including an engine) under the AWS brand, and have a Stadia-style cloud gaming service called Amazon Luna.

* Amazon Lumberyard (the game engine) is a difficult to work with mess that their own devs apparently hate

* Amazon Luna has a tiny library of games, and actually requires two subscriptions to play them all (Luna+ and Ubisoft+)

* The most successful piece of entertainment Amazon Game Studios has produced is this fascinating article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-01-29/amazon-ga...

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#778

Post by dunnevens »

grahamburger wrote: post #767
tomc1985 wrote: post #740

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, you could do that... or get an invite to a private torrent site and go wild with a cheap seedbox Like, what even is all that other stuff?

He's talking about all the stuff to set up to actually watch the stuff you pirate. Like, on a TV, from your couch, using a remote, without fussing with an HDMI cable to your laptop every time. Or setting up your kids / SO to watch on a tablet, phone, etc. Just getting the files without getting caught is only like a quarter of the battle.

Even that seems like it's much simpler now. The desktop player I use has Chromecast support. Haven't connected a PC to the TV in ages. I don't have an Apple TV, but I would imagine Airplay support isn't difficult to find either.

And it doesn't even require a desktop / laptop. It's possible to use your seedbox to torrent, then download it to your phone, and then cast it from your phone.

The one thing I do have to futz with are subtitles. It's usually easy, but fails every now and then.

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#779

Post by fastball »

015a wrote: post #750
NikolaNovak wrote: post #612

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's really not. I'm a computer geek, and I'm LONG past the point where setting up safe VMs and signing up to half a dozen services like newsgroup server and directories and search engines and what nots, download software with impossible names like sabnzbd (I'm waiting up for somebody to scream how nobody uses sabnzbd anymore, it's been replaced by jidwiaj and iqerqip, which are super easy, and that just proves my po…

1. Go to {insert-seedbox-website-because-there-are-so-many-like-seriously}.com (I'd share my favorite, but you know, don't want to break any rules, suffice to say there's a great search engine named "Google" that will point you in the right direction) 2. Pay $5-$10/month for a seedbox that pre-hosts rTorrent. Zero configuration. It will give you a web address, you visit it, and boom, torrent client. Wait, should I pa…

Or...

1. Download Popcorn Time.

2. Watch pirated content.

Re: Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B

#780

Post by fastball »

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #753
tmp231 wrote: post #691

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less government regulation doesn’t mean violating contract law.

What contract did piratebay creators violate? They never signed any contract, and neither did anyone downloading.

Presumably the ripper has some form of contract with whichever entity they sourced the content from, and piracy undoubtedly violates that contract / ToS.
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