TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different • Hacker News Board

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#141

Post by SoftTalker » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:33 AM UTC

LarryMullins wrote: post #54

hakfoo wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd expect that there's a fair amount of local-release content that might not have surviving recordings. Individual episodes of things like local newscasts, public affairs shows, those weird weekend "lifestyle" shows where all the guests are local advertisers basically paying for a 10-minute ad spot. There might be a representative episode floating around, but does anyone necessarily have the December 16, 2007 episod…

You're probably right about that. But HBO shows? Those are surely all archived by the file sharers the article pretends don't exist.

You have to be pretty determined and somewhat tech-savvy to find them. For most people, if it doesn't show up in the HBO/Netflix/Amazon/iTunes list, it doesn't exist. There are a lot of shows that were on Netflix years ago that I'd like to see again, but they are gone. However I'm not motivated enough to go figure out how to download them from some pirate site.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#142

Post by zxcvbn4038 » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:36 AM UTC

Nostalgia - I missed so much stuff forever as a kid because I had to eat dinner right that damn second, for some reason it was not possible to eat dinner five minutes later, at the commercial, while watching something that there would never be an opportunity to watch again. It took my parents forty years to loosen up on their dinner time schedule - these days they are perfectly happy to watch TV during dinner, next to their grandchildren.

Though it is still an occasional pain when a show like Firefly or Stargate Universe gets canceled before it’s time. Whatever happened to “Er ist wieder da”? It seemed to disappear everywhere overnight.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#143

Post by tyingq » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:37 AM UTC

Matthias247 wrote: post #138

tyingq wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It happened to me with both providers I mentioned. With Frontier, it's when they bought Verizon FIOS, and I lost several movies. On Amazon Prime Video, I lost 2 seasons of a British detective show.

have you really bought it, in terms of paying extra money besides the prime costs just for the show? Or just subscribed to prime? Since you put "bought" in quotes I guess it could mean both. And I think LeoPanthera was referring to that things that are payed extra for shouldn't vanish - which would also have been my understanding. So far everything payed extra for is still there - but it's a sample size of 2 mainstre…

I mean specifically paid to "buy" that movie and/or TV show. As opposed to either renting it, or it coming with the service subscription. I put "buy" in quotes because in hindsight, that's clearly not what happened.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#144

Post by manicennui » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:43 AM UTC

rthomas6 wrote: post #32

dave78 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A decent portion of the article was devoted to the physical disc option and how it's increasingly uncommon for that to even be offered as a choice.

Like I said, if the company isn't selling the movie/show anymore, well, what choice do you have?

Not watching it?

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#145

Post by hobbitstan » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:44 AM UTC

Many years ago I read a story, that I took as potential fiction, about a very rich man in Eastern Europe who hired warez scene kids to digitize all the movies, TV shows, and music they could. There were financial incentives involved and the files could be shared freely, as long as he had copies.

The idea that, somewhere out there, is a man sitting on petabytes of digital media, like a James Bond villain, makes me smile.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#146

Post by Others » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:44 AM UTC

tyingq wrote: post #129

LeoPanthera wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does this actually happen? It was my understanding that they disappear from the store, but if you already bought it, you still have access to it.

It happened to me with both providers I mentioned. With Frontier, it's when they bought Verizon FIOS, and I lost several movies. On Amazon Prime Video, I lost 2 seasons of a British detective show.

This should never happen on Prime Video. Major breach of customer trust.

If it’s happened to you please call customer service and complain. If they can’t fix it or refund you, please get in touch with me and I will try and get it fixed for you

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#147

Post by Thorrez » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:44 AM UTC

miohtama wrote: post #136

dylan604 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If you don't have access to the file itself, you don't own it. This isn't the full story either though. You can be in possession of a file that has a DRM encryption applied. If the service revokes you keys, that encrypted file in your possession is worthless. So, do you really own that file?

Note that Blu-ray works like this. Keys can be revoked.

They can make old players stop playing old blu-ray discs? Has that ever happened? I thought they just did key changes that would stop old players from playing new blu-ray discs.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#148

Post by devmunchies » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:48 AM UTC

davewritescode wrote: post #62

lowbloodsugar wrote: post #34

And this is why I unsubscribed. You can’t sell me Westworld, and then, after I’ve subscribed, take Westworld away so you can license it to some other revenue stream. I’m not paying for some percentage of HBO.

Westworld was cancelled without an ending as were some of the other shows on this list like Vinyl which was cancelled after 1 season. Personally I liked both shows at times but I kind of get why you'd not want to steer viewers to dead end shows.

I would love for cancelled shows to have the writers create a script or synopsis of where they wanted to take the show so I could get closure.

One show I was in to a while ago was Amazon's Mozart in the Jungle and it was canceled when a new studio head came in. It ended on a cliff hanger.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#149

Post by wmf » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:53 AM UTC

letmeinhere wrote: post #14

Apparently some of these series are going to be re-licensed to ad-supported networks. [1] I don't think this undermines the premise of this article, that the current crop of streaming execs are moving TV backward to a more ephemeral medium. It's gonna be essential for independent archivists to preserve assets that are being discarded. [1] https://www.polygon.com/23513277/westworld-hbo-where-to-stre...

At least HBO releases their shows on disc. Other services that only offer streaming are more concerning.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#150

Post by godelski » Mon, Dec 19, 2022, 5:54 AM UTC

tyingq wrote: post #103

The practice of Amazon Prime, Frontier, and other on-demand services just up and removing movies (or tv shows) you "bought" is weirder to me. I assume it's because they lost rights in some negotiation, but the movies just disappear. No notice, no refund.

I don't think this is necessarily true. Amazon owns the rights to Star Gate and right now SG1 has a warning that it is about to be removed. Rather odd to do when they own the franchise.