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Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

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Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#112
post #10

I for one thank our piracy overlords who endlessly work to make every form of content (optionally) freely available in high quality. I pay for plenty of subscription services that finally figured out how to make content as easy and accessible as piracy but there will forever exist legitimate gaps where “just pay for it” is simply insufficient (geo being #1, silly copyright owners #2, etc etc). The other article menti…

I’ll admit I don’t understand how people can ethically pirate content. I dislike a lot of business models but I just don’t feel right calling them “silly” and looking for ways to take things I know I don’t have the right to take.

This is admittedly a small percentage corner case but there are people who are legitimately unable to access the content even if they want to and are willing/prepared to pay depending on their geographic location.

I pay for Prime and Netflix but I still often torrent shows from those services because of the stupid widevine drm level restrictions on quality/resolution. I guess you could say that’s not piracy then but I’m sure I’ve got things downloaded that are no longer on their catalogues so it’s hard to know.

When Netflix had 70% of the media content you’d want I was very happy to be a paying customer but now I’m mostly a begrudgingly paying customer as the cost goes up the the library shrinks. Everyone wants their piece of the pie right now and I don’t doubt they’re going to consolidate to some extent after the winners and losers are decided but it sucks ass that the ecosystem has become so fragmented.

Also having the raw files makes it easier for me to sync up watching with my fiancé who is currently abroad. She pays for Netflix in the UK but even when both libraries have the same content the UK version often has different intro credits which makes syncing difficult.

I guess the overall crux of my issue with the business model is that I can pay $15 a month to access X service and get hundreds/thousands of movies and shows or Something like $20 a season for a show which could end up being hundreds of dollars for just one show. The economics really just break down for me since they price owning a digital copy against physical. Ironically physical copies will end up getting discounted at retail because things have to move but the digital copies won’t. Also in many cases even owning a copy digitally doesn’t give you the ability to dictate where you use it/give you a raw file.

I just want things to work the way I need them to, however that manifests and the only way to do that is with the video files themselves and any barrier or artifice between them is a problem.

Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People used to buy DVDs or blu-rays for $10-20. But of all the ones I have, there's probably only a handful that have been watched more than once. That's what the renting system is built off. The fact that most people only watch a film once. I couldn't care less about whether I own a copy of a movie. All I care is that I can watch it when I want to watch it. That's a different issue though, not one of disposable inco…

Christmas is a good example. A couple years ago I threw out all of my DVD's. We watch the same ten or so movies every holiday season. Now we scramble to find them on streaming services and pay $3-5 each to watch. At one point I had them all downloaded on a portable HD (along with others) but it failed, and why back up what you can just re-download?

I don't understand why the major streaming services don't have the good Christmas movies. They all have these new "made for TV" quality awful movies they push really hard.

It's A Wonderful Life

A Christmas Carol

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (old animated version)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (old animated version)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Home Alone

Miracle On 34th Street

Elf

White Christmas

There's tons of GREAT Christmas movies. On any given Christmas season Netflix might have 1-2 of the greats. Same for Amazon Prime.

I'm confused because it seems like an easy win for these streaming services. Is licensing them really so expensive?

Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#114
post #70
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There has never been a better time to be a consumer of home media than today. I wouldn't trade the (legal) access I have to essentially any film or TV show I can imagine wanting to watch for any conceivable bookshelf full of DVDs. The Blockbuster Video and Comcast Premium Channel Package era was no more cost effective, and things just get worse as you go further back in time.

I used to live next to a DVD rental place that was 1€ per day. Often I would return the movie the same night. I used to watch 1-2 movies per month. Nowadays I have Netflix for what, 12€ a month? I still watch maybe one movie a month. So I guess I pay ~10x for not having to step outside?

I sure did watch a lot more stuff when I lived a block away from Scarecrow Video, one of the last great video rental stores. With shelves full of stuff that had been curated, with staff notes here and there calling out the occasional film.

Theoretically the streaming services are more convenient, they're all lurking right there on my PS4, but... I never really touch the things.

Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#115
post #10

I for one thank our piracy overlords who endlessly work to make every form of content (optionally) freely available in high quality. I pay for plenty of subscription services that finally figured out how to make content as easy and accessible as piracy but there will forever exist legitimate gaps where “just pay for it” is simply insufficient (geo being #1, silly copyright owners #2, etc etc). The other article menti…

I’ll admit I don’t understand how people can ethically pirate content. I dislike a lot of business models but I just don’t feel right calling them “silly” and looking for ways to take things I know I don’t have the right to take.

Why do you have to justify it? You might pirate content simply because you can.

If you don't want someone to copy your data without charge then find a better business model.

Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#117
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon and Apple lure you in but many shows it seems need to be rented or bought. How much disposable income do these companies think the average Joe has to spend? the answer seems to be $10 to $20 to rent or "buy" movies. Which you never own a physical copy of. They seem to be out of touch with reality.

There has never been a better time to be a consumer of home media than today. I wouldn't trade the (legal) access I have to essentially any film or TV show I can imagine wanting to watch for any conceivable bookshelf full of DVDs. The Blockbuster Video and Comcast Premium Channel Package era was no more cost effective, and things just get worse as you go further back in time.

Sure, but how many streaming packages do you need to pay for (every month!) to be able to say you have that?

Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#118
post #97

Who has time to program something like this? To be this good at making software but not employed making it? Or is this teams working in their spare time?

what gives you the impression that the author of this software isn't employed?

"not employed making it"

Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#119
post #10

I for one thank our piracy overlords who endlessly work to make every form of content (optionally) freely available in high quality. I pay for plenty of subscription services that finally figured out how to make content as easy and accessible as piracy but there will forever exist legitimate gaps where “just pay for it” is simply insufficient (geo being #1, silly copyright owners #2, etc etc). The other article menti…

Amazon and Apple lure you in but many shows it seems need to be rented or bought. How much disposable income do these companies think the average Joe has to spend? the answer seems to be $10 to $20 to rent or "buy" movies. Which you never own a physical copy of. They seem to be out of touch with reality.

I find I have access to a ton of content for the cost of a couple cds and dvds.

I like it.

Content is mostly ephemeral for me. I don't want to manage a ton of files or physical media.

Re: Tools to Download Netflix / Disney / Apple TV Content

#120

One of the best layman hacks to rip all these services is still using ffmpeg/sse with Xvfb. They can DRM and engineer all they want but nobody can stop me from recording what's playing on my screen :D

Does that work on Wayland or just x11? Doesn't the Widevine plugin prevent basic screen captures of its content?
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