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Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

movies.io

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Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#181

Post by aphyr »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #128
Zirro wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the film-industry should be inspired by this. If they offered something which is as easy to use and as good-looking as this, piracy will certainly decrease. Just put a "Pay here"-button before giving the user their download-link. Skip the DRM and the restrictions for different parts of the world and they'd have a killer-platform for selling their products. I am not saying that piracy isn't "unethical", but th…

If Hollywood made this exact same product but with pay buttons, why would I as a user choose it over movies.io.

I'd pay 5-10 bucks for a high-quality mp4 or mkv, even if the site's interface was terrible. Right now I rent movies, about once a year. I find myself wanting to buy them online once or twice a month.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#182

Post by nddrylliog »

tbeseda wrote: post #133
nddrylliog wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love to teach! Here's a small run-down: Previously, .torrent files were the preferred method to distribute torrents. They contain meta-data such as the size of the torrent, its name, whether it's a single file or a folder, the file structure, and more importantly, a list of trackers (think of them as "matchmakers" for people who participate in the torrent) and SHA-1 hashes of all blocks of the torrents. However, re…

Magnet links are great for trackers dodging liability, but the risk to the user is still the same, correct? The RIAA and MPAA can still monitor connected peers. I think Mike might be making more of a reference to non-private trackers. I wish I had your great interface for trusted communities I'm a member of...

Definitely. We're thinking of open-sourcing it, but we want to clean it up first.

Just a Github button away...

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#183

Post by joejohnson »

nddrylliog wrote: post #19
phoboslab wrote: post #13

It certainly looks nice, but it's not really accurate. E.g. the page for Moon links to Twilight torrents: http://movies.io/m/9t

Our algorithm tries to things: to flag the bad torrents so they're not displayed, and to not penalize the rare torrents you get for old/unpopular movies. Moon has bad results because the title is only one word, and Twilight's sorry excuse for a movie happens to be the same year. We'll definitely look to improve that, thanks for the feedback.

When you click on the Genre labels (like on the Moon page, for example), they don't take you anywhere. Is this feature in the works? I was expecting to be taken to a page listing all Thrillers or Dramas. The Genre titles look like links, too.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#184

Post by mibbitier »

jellicle wrote: post #169
TylerE wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very simple. As a creative person, who produces creative work, I desire a world in which it is possible for me to make a living doing that. To put it in terms HN might be more comfortable with - how would you feel, if you operated a subscription website, if someone came along, and swiped your code and content, and put it up for free. Would you support that?

And yet somehow the human race produced creative work before the existence of copyright laws.

We used to go to theatres, and see live performances of plays. It's hard to copy that.

A digital movie, however, can be copied a thousand times in a few seconds for next to no cost, and will be an exact copy.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#185

Post by nddrylliog »

joejohnson wrote: post #183
nddrylliog wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Our algorithm tries to things: to flag the bad torrents so they're not displayed, and to not penalize the rare torrents you get for old/unpopular movies. Moon has bad results because the title is only one word, and Twilight's sorry excuse for a movie happens to be the same year. We'll definitely look to improve that, thanks for the feedback.

When you click on the Genre labels (like on the Moon page, for example), they don't take you anywhere. Is this feature in the works? I was expecting to be taken to a page listing all Thrillers or Dramas. The Genre titles look like links, too.

Definitely in the works.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#186

Post by laughinghan »

edw519 wrote: post #79

I don't know which I feel saddest about: 1. Whether or not this is actually illegal, it is clearly unethical and not in the spirit of good clean business and technology practices we should all be aspire to. 2. That it quickly made it to #1 on Hacker News. 3. That I seem to be one of the few who cares while most others nit on details.

I'll bite.

Why do you think this "clearly unethical"? I don't think it's clear at all.

Everyone I know pirates movies, TV shows, and music. Everyone I know also jaywalks. I also know people who use drugs illegally, as well as participate in or facilitate underage drinking, and I don't have a problem with any of it. Are these unethical? Someone clearly thought so. Do I care?

You know what the truth is, for me, and everyone I know, at least? The truth is, we don't care about "other" people's opinions on ethics (where "other" people=people on the internet, in the government, in anti-piracy ads, etc). The fact is, it's socially acceptable, among my social circles, to pirate, to use drugs, and to {participate in,facilitate} underage drinking. So I have no qualms with people I know doing so, nor if I were to do so myself.

You don't pirate, ever? Because it's "clearly unethical"? Do everyone in your social circles hold similar opinions? Do you jaywalk? Have you ever used drugs, or facilitated illegal drinking?

Those aren't rhetorical questions, I'm genuinely curious.

I guess my point is, I don't think ethics matter. I don't think about whether what I do is ethical. I don't hurt people, and I don't steal (physical things), because I have empathy. I guess you could say I have ethics in that if you asked me why I don't, I'd say "it's wrong", but I'd never say something is "clearly unethical" and try to argue why. I'd say it's wrong because it's hurtful, and I don't like being hurt.

Is this just me?

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#187

Post by guynamedloren »

calloc wrote: post #174
guynamedloren wrote: post #127

YES! Thank you! I have been thinking about building this forever, but have never actually implemented it due to the fuzzy legal issues (read: it's totally illegal) and imminent shut down. Love the interface. Love the simplicity. Love the graphics. Love the lack of [unnecessary] technical details and inclusion of details about the actual movie (rating, genre, summary, cover photo, etc). Only thing I can think of to im…

There is nothing illegal about this. It provides magnet links, so it is not even linking to the files themselves, they aren't hosting infringing content...

I wish you were right, but I don't think Johnny Law agrees with you.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#188

Post by staunch »

nddrylliog wrote: post #179
staunch wrote: post #175

☑ Massive market opportunity ☑ Tons of room for product innovation ☑ Potential for significant revenue ☐ Ability to do business without being sued out of existence.

And that's why it's not a business. Just a temporary solution for movie lovers until content owners get their stuff straight. In the meantime, it's still a great product building experience for us, even if we make $0 out of it.

The problem is that you might not get to walk away scot-free from this even when you want to.

One thing I can gaurantee will help you: make no attempt whatsoever to profit from this. Don't put up any ads. Don't have any affiliate links. Profiting from a (potential) crime or infringement makes it 100x more dangerous.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#189

Post by Cushman »

jrockway wrote: post #178
rmc wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because its possible to get a thing for free doesn't mean no-one will pay for it. Just look at bottled water.

Where do you get bottles for free?

1. Purchase tasty beverage.

2. Drink beverage.

3. Free bottle!

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#190

Post by chc »

jrockway wrote: post #178
rmc wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because its possible to get a thing for free doesn't mean no-one will pay for it. Just look at bottled water.

Where do you get bottles for free?

Set up a bin anywhere people go that says "recycle" and you'll get plenty.
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