The deception of “buying” digital movies
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The deception of “buying” digital movies
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Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#2The iTunes Store continues to be the only reputable place to buy movies, mainly because they allow downloads (except 4K...but I digress).
In the past, redownloading movies wasn't even permitted. You download it and save it somewhere yourself. You can still do that to avoid any issues in the future, but I suspect the few incidents that have affected the iTunes Store are unlikely to re-occur. Why? For exactly the reason I mentioned at the beginning, originally you couldn't even re-download movies so it stands to reason the initial transition might've had some licensing loopholes.
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#3The biggest deception was convincing the public that knowledge is a thing, so it can be bought, sold and change "owners". Convenient access to movies can be indeed sold, but not the movies themselves.
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#4The iTunes Store continues to be the only reputable place to buy movies, mainly because they allow downloads (except 4K...but I digress). In the past, redownloading movies wasn't even permitted. You download it and save it somewhere yourself. You can still do that to avoid any issues in the future, but I suspect the few incidents that have affected the iTunes Store are unlikely to re-occur. Why? For exactly the reaso…
It's interesting that even storefronts run by the same company don't always have the same reliability. Microsoft fucked over thousands of gamers when they pulled the plug on Games for Windows Live, yet I can still download episodes of Invader Zim I purchased on the Xbox Live Store in 2006.
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#5The biggest deception was convincing the public that knowledge is a thing, so it can be bought, sold and change "owners". Convenient access to movies can be indeed sold, but not the movies themselves.
Perhaps not the movie itself, but the media and its content are things that can be sold.
VHS, DVD, BluRay. If you have the media and a compatible player, you can watch them. You can lend or sell them. That's not very different to a physical book.
Even video-games are a bit like that. It's true that you may lose access to updates the game received after the physical launch but as long as you have the media (BluRays, cartridges, whatever) you can still play them on a compatible console, lend or sell them.
With digital "purchases", you can only do what the platform allows you, for as long as they allow it, for as long as they exist.
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#6whatever happened to downloading a mp4 torrent of the movie and watching it instantly whenever you want?
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#7One under-appreciated limitation on digital movies is geographic restrictions. You buy a bunch of iTunes movies in Canada, then move to the USA, and you no longer have the right to watch them anymore due to licensing.
Another significant issue with digital movies and games is the inability to resell the content once you're done with it. You can sell your DVDs at a yard sale or on eBay but not your iTunes movies. IMO, our competition law should require vendors to allow re-sale of digital goods. Big benefit for consumers.
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#8whatever happened to downloading a mp4 torrent of the movie and watching it instantly whenever you want?
Still alive and kicking. You just need to know where to look.
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#9Would it kill these platforms to, at the very minimum, give you credits for another movie in the case where the movie you "bought" becomes unavailable?
That being said, I've never chosen the "buy" option on a digital streaming movie.
Re: The deception of “buying” digital movies
#10Has anyone tried a legal challenge to the word "buy"? It seems like a straightforward case of misrepresentation.