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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

#71

Post by meesterdude »

I wish I could just pay these companies for the right to download whatever I wanted. Bittorrent solves the storage and transmission issue for them and lets me download movies from the 1980's that nobody (apple, amazon, netflix) have in their inventory.

Movies and music are more than simply products, they are part of our culture. Nobody would argue that they shouldn't make money from it, because we want them to succeed and do it again. But what we don't like is getting fucked over, and thats basically their business.

There was some disney show a friend of mine wanted to watch with his kids, which was classically available via amazon prime. But then it became the holidays, and disney pulled it from prime so now he had to pay to watch it. It's the same song and dance with netflix, who is at the mercy of the licensing of media companies who decide how much to charge for the license, and if they want to license it at all to them.

It's an exploration of bullshit and greed.

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

#72

Post by m3mnoch »

anigbrowl wrote: post #30
redblacktree wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The setup you're describing is beyond the reach of a great many people. They pay for Netflix instead.

I can't be bothered to go through it, and I do film post & production for a living, so it's not any lack of technical capability.

agreed. torrenting is not worth my time.

1) at this point, i just want it to work. if i don't have to do it, don't enjoy doing it, or don't get paid for doing it, i don't want to waste any time on it. time spent in setup and maintenance of torrent/media servers in the past has permanently put me on the netflix/hulu/amazon/spotify/roku side of the cost-to-benefit equation. i'm even one of those weird people who pay for netflix dvds.

2) there's so much content out there, that if your content is NOT available in the ecosystem, sorry, but my family doesn't bother to consume it. it's an attention economy and your (mr. content producer!) content strategy is putting you below the poverty line.

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

#74

Post by meesterdude »

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…

that image is wonderful! And its spot on. People just want the content, none of the extra bullshit that they classicly tack on. And denying someone who just bought a dvd the ability to skip over all that nonsense is downright sinister; and they wonder why people want to pirate.

There was a long ad on hulu for some drug that had nothing to do with me. At first I said "swap ad" but then that option magically disappeared the next time I saw it, so I said "no" to the "is this ad relevant to you?" question... about 5 times. Still kept appearing during every. single. commercial. Downright infuriating. But clearly there's some logic behind the scenes where no matter if they swap it, or say its not relevant, or even pay for hulu plus; that ad should play because the company paid a lot of money for it to be played; and it doesn't matter how many times a user has had to sit through it.

And that's the thing. They don't give a shit about you. They don't even try. We're just a product for them.

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

#75

Post by tedunangst »

jotm wrote: post #58
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…

Haha, yes, Amazon, where they offer digital copies of movies that can only be downloaded when your physical copy arrives in the mail. Fooking ridiculous.

? All the times I've done that, Amazon sends me a disc in the mail and then gives me an immediate 48 hour rental. I don't wait for the disc. Unless you're talking about the "UltraViolet" or "Digital Copy" thing, but that's not Aamzon. That's the studio. You get the same thing in a store.

Amazon even has a whole page that explains the difference. http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Copy-DVD/b?ie=UTF8&node=721726...

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

#76

Post by nemothekid »

meesterdude wrote: post #70
nemothekid wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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…

I'd argue "hollywood" and media companies are significantly bloated as is, and slimming down would only be in consumers best interests. They have so much money they don't know what to do with it all. They charge $80/mo (sometimes much more) and show ads because they can get away with it And we let them. There are also other old economics (like paying for channels you'll never watch) at play that are no longer applica…

In terms of content production I think the only economics that have changed significantly have been production technology (CGI, cameras, which has gotten more expensive) and distribution (which is now near free).

That said I don't buy the claim that "they have more money than they know what to do with". Content Production is expensive. Netflix spent $100M in total on House of Cards, and it looks like they are spending $4-5M per episode on their original shows. I'm unsure that without big budgets that small budget productions other than "Let's Plays" and talking heads will ever be successful.

And not only is it expensive, but it is hit driven, your hits have to be able to cover the cost of your other 5-6 failures. You have to have enough cash in bank to weather a lackluster season.

It's doubtful the Netflix model @ $20/mo will be able to cover the million dollar salaries that movie, tv, and voice actors are accustomed to. I'm also unsure they will be able to cover the CGI and production budgets of current big budget films. And currently the internet has yet prove you can support a small production team producing anything more than 3-5 minute content using the internet without a big sponsor. It's also unlikely that you will ever be able to vote with your wallet - bundling ensures that the successful films you watch also pay for the the 3 or 4 failures that came from that studio.

In short my point is its going to take a lot more than cutting a few executive paychecks.

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

#77

Post by santacluster »

jotm wrote: post #59
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…

No, the citizens of Poland MUST watch Avatar 2 six months later than the citizens of the UK. /s Why is this the case in this time and age?

The more insane variant is "not available in your country".

I'm in my country. You're serving me bits just now in order to tell me this. WTF?

It's like sitting down in restaurant, see a wonderful meal being served at the table right next to you, seeing the meal on the fucking menu, but when you order being told "no sir, not at your table".

In what industry do people come back after being treated like that?

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

#78

Post by lttlrck »

driverdan wrote: post #36
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.

> Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. Who do you know? I estimate 80-90% of the people I know who are technical download "pirated" movies via torrents or usenet. Most also use paid services like Netflix and Amazon Prime but the content on those networks sucks.

"pirated"? Is there any doubt?

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

#80

Post by driverdan »

lttlrck wrote: post #78
driverdan wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does. Who do you know? I estimate 80-90% of the people I know who are technical download "pirated" movies via torrents or usenet. Most also use paid services like Netflix and Amazon Prime but the content on those networks sucks.

"pirated"? Is there any doubt?

I put it in quotes because I don't particularly like the term. Real piracy involves theft, downloading a digital copy of something you wouldn't pay for otherwise is not theft.
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