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The golden age of streaming TV is over

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Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#71

Post by iJohnDoe »

michaelt wrote: post #21

To really understand the golden age of streaming TV, you have to know about the Netflix/Starz deal [1] In ~2008 Netflix delivered DVDs by post, and the only people getting their video online were pirates and anime fans. So when Netflix approached Starz to license streaming rights nobody else wanted them, and Netflix got a great price for loads of content like recent Hollywood movies. Allowing them to offer a huge cat…

We are long holdouts on Netflix’s DVD service. We kept the subscription since it first came out in the 90s. It was the only way to get the latest releases easily, and some movies were only available on DVD and not streamed anywhere.

Then Netflix had to make a deal with with the studios to delay new releases on DVDs for 30 days on their rental service. So, when we were desperate to watch any new release on a Friday night, we would just go to Redbox and rent it. That made it pointless to keep the Netflix DVD service and we canceled the subscription.

Then I think Redbox was also forced to delay new releases. I’m fuzzy on timing, but I think the Redbox restriction came much later. So, no new releases on Redbox DVD either.

Now, we just rent or purchase any movie we want to watch on Prime. We’ll do a quick search if the movie is available on the other platforms and then just pay for it on Prime. $19.99 is our limit for a brand new movie. I’ll even instinctively start to just pay for a movie before I remember to check the other streaming services.

I still get the Redbox emails about new releases hitting the boxes and I always think, “We watched that a month ago.” I worry if Redbox will survive.

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#73

Post by tomjen3 »

iJohnDoe wrote: post #71
michaelt wrote: post #21

To really understand the golden age of streaming TV, you have to know about the Netflix/Starz deal [1] In ~2008 Netflix delivered DVDs by post, and the only people getting their video online were pirates and anime fans. So when Netflix approached Starz to license streaming rights nobody else wanted them, and Netflix got a great price for loads of content like recent Hollywood movies. Allowing them to offer a huge cat…

We are long holdouts on Netflix’s DVD service. We kept the subscription since it first came out in the 90s. It was the only way to get the latest releases easily, and some movies were only available on DVD and not streamed anywhere. Then Netflix had to make a deal with with the studios to delay new releases on DVDs for 30 days on their rental service. So, when we were desperate to watch any new release on a Friday ni…

That is interesting. I was totally fine with watching even very old content on Netflix (I watched Buffy 3 times or so before they removed it), I wonder how many people, like you, mostly go for the latest release?

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#74

Post by mcphage »

ReptileMan wrote: post #17
abigail95 wrote: post #8

I look forward to paying for value myself, instead of taking it from future subscribers. The more money the streaming companies charge, the more they can spend on bigger productions. Imagine the level of content you could produce if every subscriber paid $50?

>Imagine the level of content you could produce if every subscriber paid $50? Rings of Power and Wheel of Time is the level of content you can produce if you have unlimited budgets.

Oof! I actually like Rings of Power—but whatever they spend their budget on, it's not clear in the final product.

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#75

Post by synu »

maccard wrote: post #52
synu wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This may not work for everyone, but I’m quite happy again with dvds so I can watch what I want when I like.

> Assuming you're talking about blu ray rather than dvd here too because my TV supports 4k HDR, and the last dvd player I owned was 480p. My DVD player requires a separate input on the TV, controller, and wall socket. The player needs to be physically accessible too, and you need to store physical discs. Changing DVDs is significantly more involved than changing a movie on Netflix, and finding something that you know…

I have a blue ray dvd player and the quality seems.. fine. I don’t really know. It’s quiet as well, and I always put my dvds away where they go.

And anyway, it’s not really competing with Netflix since I sort of gave up on Netflix because it didn’t reliably carry most of my favorite movies and tv shows. It’s a choice between loading a dvd or not being able to watch it, not between loading a dvd vs clicking on Netflix. I’m in Europe so the selection is even worse.

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#76

Post by FreakLegion »

bentley wrote: post #62
thunky wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I don't understand is how Netflix is still able to give access to Hollywood movies (new releases), but only by DVD. 10 years later, why can't Netflix or a competitor work out a deal to do the same thing but streaming instead of DVD? For example, a plan that let's you stream one new release per week.

Easy—thanks to the first sale doctrine, Netflix doesn’t need any deal to rent out DVDs. They can just buy the DVDs off the shelf and rent them out. If renting out physical media were considered a right of the copyright holder under US law, you can bet that Netflix wouldn’t have been able to come to a deal on that either.

Years ago there were a few companies[1] that tried a clever workaround for streaming broadcast TV. The scheme ultimately didn't hold up in the US, but I've always wondered what keeps Netflix from doing something similar with their physical discs. Controlled digital lending[2] isn't exactly settled terrain, but given their resources and increasingly precarious position you'd think Netflix would press the issue.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aereo#Service and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FilmOn#Legal_issues

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_digital_lending

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#77

Post by AntoniusBlock »

danaris wrote: post #44
AntoniusBlock wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But then you'd be stuck with 480p quality media.

Oh no—the horror! Not 480p ! I know some people swear they can never go back to anything less after watching one 4K show, but I, for one, have no problem watching lower-quality media when there's no convenient way to get a high-quality version. Some of us lived through the RealPlayer era.

When there's no other way, I'd agree with you. I personally can't watch low quality videos because it strains my already very poor eyesight (even with prescription glasses on). HD videos have a kind of soothing affect on my eyes.

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#78

Post by falcolas »

bentley wrote: post #67
falcolas wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These companies don't deserve our sympathies. No, but then neither do we deserve to watch their shows. Just as they have no inherit right to our money, we have no inherit right to their product.

In a sense, I agree with you. But in another sense, I think it’s important to remember that copyright is a restriction on people’s behavior that does not naturally exist, but has been created by law. It’s easier to see the moral case for this if we think about cases other than the simple “pirating” of a show. For example, preservation. Doctor Who is a popular show that predates the practice of saving the original tap…

> But in another sense, I think it’s important to remember that copyright is a restriction on people’s behavior that does not naturally exist, but has been created by law.

So is physical property ownership. Someone not walking up to your car and taking it from you at the end of a shotgun is a restriction placed on everyone by law. The only natural right you have to your car is whether you can keep it from everyone else by sheer force.

And yes, just like piracy, people can still break the law and take your car regardless. But you at least have the force of the state on your side.

Possession grants no "natural" rights by itself.

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#79

Post by joe463369 »

johndunne wrote: post #51
mejutoco wrote: post #31

Anyone knows of a service in Europe similar to what Netflix was doing originally, sending DVDs per post? It would be nice to have access to a big catalogue without pirating, and I don't mind waiting 2/3 days.

Cinema paradiso is still around. Or musicmagpie, which I find to be more streamlined than eBay, but still the same concept; second hand purchase and then sell when you're done. Paradiso lets you have a limited number at one time, auto sending when you've shipped current media back.

I highly recommend Cinema Paradiso.

Re: The golden age of streaming TV is over

#80

Post by joe463369 »

bentley wrote: post #67
falcolas wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These companies don't deserve our sympathies. No, but then neither do we deserve to watch their shows. Just as they have no inherit right to our money, we have no inherit right to their product.

In a sense, I agree with you. But in another sense, I think it’s important to remember that copyright is a restriction on people’s behavior that does not naturally exist, but has been created by law. It’s easier to see the moral case for this if we think about cases other than the simple “pirating” of a show. For example, preservation. Doctor Who is a popular show that predates the practice of saving the original tap…

These are interesting points, and worth making. But it's quite clear that the most pirated films/Tv programmes are the ones that have recently been released and are freely available if you're willing to pay.
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