Popcorn Time in Your Browser • Hacker News Board

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#21

Post by Ollinson » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:02 AM UTC

DigitalSea wrote: post #7

You know the traditional business model of Hollywood is well and truly broken when an open source application like Popcorn Time comes along and does everything right. What Popcorn Time has done by making accessing content on demand easier than ever before is nothing short of impressive. They're the Netflix of piracy and I think Hollywood can learn a lot from Popcorn Time (but as history has proven, they won't).

The problem with streaming film services is distribution rights not software.

Even netflix, the poster child of film streaming, struggles with this same problem.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#22

Post by oneeyedpigeon » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:06 AM UTC

cliveowen wrote: post #18

amazon_not wrote: post #14

Does not appear to work, at least not on an iPad. Media player either does not start playback or issues a timeout.

Not working on Chrome on Mac OS X 10.9.5, either.

Works on that combo for me. In what way is it "not working"?

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#23

Post by ThomPete » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:06 AM UTC

Ollinson wrote: post #21

DigitalSea wrote: post #7

You know the traditional business model of Hollywood is well and truly broken when an open source application like Popcorn Time comes along and does everything right. What Popcorn Time has done by making accessing content on demand easier than ever before is nothing short of impressive. They're the Netflix of piracy and I think Hollywood can learn a lot from Popcorn Time (but as history has proven, they won't).

The problem with streaming film services is distribution rights not software. Even netflix, the poster child of film streaming, struggles with this same problem.

But that is only a problem that the movie industry itself keeps alive because it refuses to move past the idea of creating false scarcity.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#24

Post by thomasfl » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:07 AM UTC

Narkov wrote: post #12

DigitalSea wrote: post #7

You know the traditional business model of Hollywood is well and truly broken when an open source application like Popcorn Time comes along and does everything right. What Popcorn Time has done by making accessing content on demand easier than ever before is nothing short of impressive. They're the Netflix of piracy and I think Hollywood can learn a lot from Popcorn Time (but as history has proven, they won't).

Everything right? Except of course monitize it. Giving stuff away is pretty easy to do. Making a business out of it is much harder.

At least they have shown that it's possible to distribute movies on a massive scale with a minimum of infrastructure. When distribution cost is close to free, it could open up a lot of possibilities that could potentially benefit customers and film makers.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#25

Post by soft_dev_person » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:09 AM UTC

k-mcgrady wrote: post #15

VeejayRampay wrote: post #3

Popcorn Time has succeeded in streamlining the delivery of content, providing a smooth and fast experience for sorting through a list of movie and start watching instantly. I really wonder why the movie studios cannot take a cue from this and build something that people actually want to use.

It's much easier to streamline something when you don't have to follow any of the rules. The movie industry has to think of distribution agreements, localising content and maximising profit - just like any other business. When you have nothing to lose you can do what you want. I guess they've gotten close to this with Netflix. There are still geo-restrictions there and not all content is available but for most people…

> People have the option of not paying so a lot of them won't.

But a lot of them will. They will pay for ease of access, legal access, and a good user experience.

If the industry had focused its energy on those willing to pay instead of those not willing to pay, maybe the UX Popcorn Time provides today would have been available as a legal subscription based service.

Just look at Spotify. Yes, a lot of people still don't pay for the music they consume, but a lot of people do. Pirating of music has certainly seen a decline, even if we may never get rid of it completely.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#26

Post by efdee » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:09 AM UTC

nothrabannosir wrote: post #8

VeejayRampay wrote: post #3

Popcorn Time has succeeded in streamlining the delivery of content, providing a smooth and fast experience for sorting through a list of movie and start watching instantly. I really wonder why the movie studios cannot take a cue from this and build something that people actually want to use.

I never used either, so I'm genuinely curious: what does Netflix lack, from that list?

I very much enjoyed Netflix while staying with family in the US. In Belgium, however, the available content is so limited that it's just not worth it. Not even Friends, Simpsons, X-Files, nothing.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#27

Post by adam74 » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:11 AM UTC

VeejayRampay wrote: post #3

Popcorn Time has succeeded in streamlining the delivery of content, providing a smooth and fast experience for sorting through a list of movie and start watching instantly. I really wonder why the movie studios cannot take a cue from this and build something that people actually want to use.

I really don't think this is a better experience than Netflix or pay-per-view on my tv. The only thing that is better is that I don't have to pay for it. The movies actually take a lot longer to load on this.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#28

Post by FeepingCreature » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:11 AM UTC

k-mcgrady wrote: post #15

VeejayRampay wrote: post #3

Popcorn Time has succeeded in streamlining the delivery of content, providing a smooth and fast experience for sorting through a list of movie and start watching instantly. I really wonder why the movie studios cannot take a cue from this and build something that people actually want to use.

It's much easier to streamline something when you don't have to follow any of the rules. The movie industry has to think of distribution agreements, localising content and maximising profit - just like any other business. When you have nothing to lose you can do what you want. I guess they've gotten close to this with Netflix. There are still geo-restrictions there and not all content is available but for most people…

Note that it's easy to get a false dichotomy here, to think it's just between "paying" and "not paying" - if forced, people also have the simple option to "not watch".

I think what's needed is something like Steam or GOG, but for Movies. Preferably with un-DRM downloads because fuck if I'm watching movies in Flash. (Same goes for Silverlight - mplayer or fuck you. Torrents let me watch with mplayer. On finicky graphics drivers who occasionally fail at vsync, choice of player matters.)

Why is it that in 2015, I can't go to a site, give them money, and get a high-quality mkv download - but I can go to a site, not give anyone money, and get that download anyways? Movie industry, why do you not want my money? Hell, set up an "indemnity service"! Select a movie, pay them, and they promise to not sue you. Zero distribution infrastructure required.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#29

Post by smhg » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:12 AM UTC

Narkov wrote: post #12

DigitalSea wrote: post #7

You know the traditional business model of Hollywood is well and truly broken when an open source application like Popcorn Time comes along and does everything right. What Popcorn Time has done by making accessing content on demand easier than ever before is nothing short of impressive. They're the Netflix of piracy and I think Hollywood can learn a lot from Popcorn Time (but as history has proven, they won't).

Everything right? Except of course monitize it. Giving stuff away is pretty easy to do. Making a business out of it is much harder.

Do you mean monetization and making a business are the main goals?

I thought they were means? Means to accomplish progress in human society.

Re: Popcorn Time in Your Browser

#30

Post by celticninja » Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:14 AM UTC

k-mcgrady wrote: post #15

VeejayRampay wrote: post #3

Popcorn Time has succeeded in streamlining the delivery of content, providing a smooth and fast experience for sorting through a list of movie and start watching instantly. I really wonder why the movie studios cannot take a cue from this and build something that people actually want to use.

It's much easier to streamline something when you don't have to follow any of the rules. The movie industry has to think of distribution agreements, localising content and maximising profit - just like any other business. When you have nothing to lose you can do what you want. I guess they've gotten close to this with Netflix. There are still geo-restrictions there and not all content is available but for most people…

The movie companies enforce the rules and could easily change them however they are stuck in their old world distribution model which is no longer relevant in a digital society.