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Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

macworld.com

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Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#41

Post by nemothekid »

joshstrange wrote: post #14
themartorana wrote: post #5

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...

I remember before Netflix and Amazon when it was: DVD or Torrent and this image came out: 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 additio…

>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.

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#42

Post by cma »

joshstrange wrote: post #14
themartorana wrote: post #5

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...

I remember before Netflix and Amazon when it was: DVD or Torrent and this image came out: 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 additio…

Spotify only allows mobile playing for paid accounts, but PC works unpaid with ads. That wasn't for DRM purposes but had the same effect, introducing the kind of platform segmentation you and the article are complaining about.

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#43

Post by meesterdude »

meesterdude wrote: post #40

I tried to rent an HD movie (the family man (hey, its the holidays)) on amazon but was told my device (27-inch imac) is not "compatible". Super WTF. A torrented version gives me none of that BS. And its free. Piracy is mostly a matter of market. The more DRM BS you try to force upon me, the more I'm going to do to not give you any of my money at all. Even if most people pay for content, any level of piracy is "unacce…

Another example: hulu plus still shows ads. I'd happily pay for hulu but not if it means I still have to watch their ads. Classic corporate double-dip. Fuck that, and fuck hulu.

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#44

Post by mmastrac »

imgabe wrote: post #29

> I and your readers on a PC or Mac could intercept the 4K [content] and therefore transmit it to a country that doesn’t have the rights. Wow, maybe if there's a country full of people so eager to watch your content that they'll steal it you should, I don't know, sell them the rights to watch it? Of course, I'm just a simple nobody. I guess you have to be a fancy movie studio executive to understand how you make more…

The studios and middlemen that bring content to people's doorsteps have created this incredible Gordian knot of contractual obligations and agreements. This industry showed up in the dark ages of connectivity where content was produced for a local market.

If someone else wanted to show this content in their jurisdiction, they'd just create a one-off agreement for it and be on their way. They honestly don't know how to sell to the entire world at the same time.

Piracy is the Alexandrian solution to this. Untying the relationships and legal contracts would take decades, but the threat of piracy forces them to offer solutions today to compete.

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#45

Post by balls187 »

redblacktree wrote: post #21
balls187 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you cancel your subscriptions will you delete your torrented content? What if content is removed from Netflix?

I get what you're saying, but this is the edge case. I applaud GP for doing the right thing in the 95% case.

It's not really an edge case, is it?

Does a netflix subscription give you rights to torrent movies that exist on Netflix?

If so, what happens when they no longer exist.

Does the parent commenter check Netflix first before downloading a torrent?

I'm not passing judgement, but merely pointing out that a netflix subscription doesn't grant you the license to download and store content, in fact, it's likely expressly forbidden in the TOS.

ETA:

Not to sound self righteous, I torrented a copy of TES4: Oblivion for the PC day-1, after buying it from Amazon. It was being shipped, but I wanted to play it immediately.

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#46

Post by slayed0 »

_RPM wrote: post #15

As a torrent user, I do find that paid content is higher quality and more convenient, unless you have a dedicated setup. It is so simple to turn my TV on and watch a move than it is to connect my laptop, download the torrent, which involves firing up my VM, finding the torrent magnet link, and then DL'ing it.

Not all torrents are created equal. There are certain (private) communities within the torrent world which have amazing release groups who are dedicated to producing the highest quality versions possible.

There are also groups who focus purely on release time and quality is at most a secondary concern. What I'm getting at is that using torrents (or rather piracy) allows to obtain content that matches your needs (in this case quality vs release time). You can get music/movies/tv shows etc in higher quality than any commercially available streaming source allows for.

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#47

Post by keeganpoppen »

aosmith wrote: post #34

Because everyone's comcast would choke and die?

it's ok-- amazon is a level3 customer and comcast refuses to upgrade the interconnect between their two networks* (even if level3 foots the bill), so it would choke no worse than it's already choking.

* technically level3 doesn't name them by name, but i wouldn't really consider it reading between the lines...

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#48

Post by logicallee »

A commenter, richcon, on the linked story makes a good point:

" The open source HEVC software decoder requires a four-core Intel Core i7 running at 2.3 Ghz to play 30p 4k video, and I'd guess it'd be running so hot you could fry an egg on it. The Retina iMac only has an i7 chip in the maxed-out upgrade configuration. So maybe it is about the hardware performance.

If Amazon paid for it they could license a commercial software decoder with lower CPU requirements, but that'd cost them a lot of money and still likely run with fans blazing.

Those new embedded TV chips you deem to be weak compared to desktop CPUs have dedicated hardware designed specifically for decoding this new video format, and dedicated chips beat software performance any day. When most desktop PCs ship with hardware 4k HEVC decoders too, then I'd expect Amazon and Netflix to come on board."

(I think he would be fine with my copying it with the same attribution he posted with - it's just a story comment.)

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#49

Post by steeve »

ceronman wrote: post #28
scott_s wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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.

It is discontinued, you might want to switch to Pulsar instead. (I'm the author or both)

Re: Why you can't get 4K Netflix and Amazon

#50

Post by DCKing »

cma wrote: post #42
joshstrange wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember before Netflix and Amazon when it was: DVD or Torrent and this image came out: 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 additio…

Spotify only allows mobile playing for paid accounts, but PC works unpaid with ads. That wasn't for DRM purposes but had the same effect, introducing the kind of platform segmentation you and the article are complaining about.

Spotify has enabled ad-driven free accounts on mobile for almost exactly one year now.
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