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Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

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Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#391

Post by TeMPOraL »

mrlala wrote: post #313
TeMPOraL wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true. But streaming services are also heavily underutilized. My Netflix subscription is used by 5 to 6 people - that's why I actually pay for the highest tier, to minimize the chance that somebody will be locked out because others wanted to watch something else at the same time. Even 5-6 people, I doubt my Netflix account is used for more than 10-15 hours a week in total.

>But streaming services are also heavily underutilized ? >Even 5-6 people, I doubt my Netflix account is used for more than 10-15 hours a week in total. Err, you seem to be under the impression that 2 hours/person/week is the norm for someone with a streaming service.. Narrator: It's not.

Maybe it isn't. But I can't imagine that people with a job, household chores and/or a degree to finish spend significantly more than that when averaged over longer periods of time. Sure, I sometimes did binge-watch a whole TV show in two weeks. But then I didn't open Netflix for another two months, so it averages out.

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#392

Post by bluedino »

dfxm12 wrote: post #365
on_and_off wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It has already happened to me as well. Look, I want a convenient way to watch movies. I would even be ready to pay more than I do right now to Netflix to have a library of ALL the movies I want to watch. 1 library, not 10, especially if they may or may not contain the movie I want to see. My honeymoon period with Netflix and co is over. - I feel that their original content has dried out : there is even more of it, bu…

It's disingenuous to call switching libraries "inconvenient". We're talking about opening a new tab or switching an app. A few finger budges for ~2hr of entertainment. I don't know what to say if you find that so inconvenient, especially compared to the effort it would take to go to a torrent site, find a high quality stream, make sure it has the right special features you're looking for, or what have you, to pirate…

It's a pain to switch on my smart TV. It's also a pain to search every service for a movie.

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#393

Post by bluedino »

merlinsbrain wrote: post #311
on_and_off wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It has already happened to me as well. Look, I want a convenient way to watch movies. I would even be ready to pay more than I do right now to Netflix to have a library of ALL the movies I want to watch. 1 library, not 10, especially if they may or may not contain the movie I want to see. My honeymoon period with Netflix and co is over. - I feel that their original content has dried out : there is even more of it, bu…

If you’re willing to pay, why not rent from the iTunes Store / Amazon Prime? Pick one, they’ve had all the movies / TV shows I wanted to watch, which are not all mainstream. If there’s an exception and there’s something you don’t find it there - well, do you, but I really don’t understand how piracy is the default answer to convenience with people claiming they have the willingness to pay. Someone else commented abou…

Our Family Video store recently closed. They were building new stores, I heard they were growing....

The local ones start selling vape pens and CBD oil and then they closed up shrug

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#394

Post by TeMPOraL »

scarface74 wrote: post #363
coldtea wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's not "easy" on mobile Short videos maybe, but I don't think I know anybody, young or old, who cares of streaming full movies on mobile. Maybe some outliers who watch their series on their commute... The vast majority watch movies when they are at home...

So are you saying that all of the media streaming companies are wasting money creating mobile apps based on the "people you know"? Is the whole industry under the delusion that their apps are needed? Should they focus on just “people you know” or the entire mobile market?

People like the ability to stream from the phone, but the same mobile apps also target tablets, which are very much used as portable TVs.

Still, I don't see your problem. Given how good browsers are on mobile, a pirate streaming site isn't that much worse or less convenient on a phone than Netflix or YouTube app. You select the video you want to watch, tap Play, tap "full screen", and enjoy the show.

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#395

Post by paulie_a »

scarface74 wrote: post #241
ryandrake wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does everything have to be "streamed" these days? Hard drives are cheap. Just have a file and playback locally or on your LAN. No special set up of some server, your router, etc. Given the $/GB curve throughout the years you'll likely never run out of space. Do people really need to do a significant amount of movie watching outside their own LAN/home?

So where are these files going to come from? Buying them from some place like iTunes or Amazon Prime Video - which is more expensive? Going through the trouble of finding a good rip on a torrent site? Ripping them themselves? Do people really need to do a significant amount of movie watching outside their own LAN/home? Asking this question is close to the old Slashdot meme “I haven’t owned a TV in 20 years, do people…

The people that do it typically have worked for media companies and just ripped the files.

Fun fact. Disney, ilm and other studio animators used to pirate the shit out of 3d software in the past. They couldn't afford a 30k license for personal learning and use.

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#396

Post by scarface74 »

partialrecall wrote: post #388
scarface74 wrote: post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And you still have to get the movies to the mobile devices and TVs....

Plug the hard drive into the TV or mobile device. I'm pretty sure mobile devices support USB harddrives these days, but I know for sure "smart TVs" do. If you prefer dumb tvs (as I do) plug an old computer into that. Or if you want to save power, plug a new computer into it. Or get something that supports DLNA (e.g. a playstation or I believe roku's and roku-like devices) and use a DLNA server on your NAS/workstation…

The people on HN that care more about saving $8 than the headache of both finding pirated media, lugging around an external hard drive, making sure that the movie is a supported format or converting it to a supported format.

HN users seem to be way out of touch with the average user.

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#398

Post by holy_city »

elif wrote: post #367
dfxm12 wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's disingenuous to call switching libraries "inconvenient". We're talking about opening a new tab or switching an app. A few finger budges for ~2hr of entertainment. I don't know what to say if you find that so inconvenient, especially compared to the effort it would take to go to a torrent site, find a high quality stream, make sure it has the right special features you're looking for, or what have you, to pirate…

The inconvenient part is I have to labor for income to pay for all these services. That's really a bummer because I prefer to not labor. Additionally, I am in 6 countries for 9 months of this year. It is inconvenient that YouTube TV tells me the $35 I am paying them buys me absolutely nothing, despite the app saying "some content and local channels" will not be available, Netflix forces me to stop halfway through a s…

It's my understanding that the issues with international content distribution have to do with regulatory differences across borders, not the streaming services themselves.

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#399

Post by magicalhippo »

robertoandred wrote: post #219
esond wrote: post #113

There's something to be said for the cord-cutting software ecosystem supporting more-than-casual piracy experiencing huge improvements. If you have the hardware, you can host your own media using Plex as a server, and Sonarr to manage your library and automate acquisition of new TV episodes. Plex is one of the best pieces of software I've ever used. It Just Works™. You need a decent internet pipeline to support remot…

Everything's free when you steal. Lame argument.

The main point though is that the user experience is that much better regardless.

I got a Netflix subscription. I watch almost all of the Netflix content through Plex, because the user experience is infinitely better.

Re: Too Many Video Streaming Choices May Drive Users Back To Piracy

#400

Post by jaypeg25 »

kerkeslager wrote: post #360
an_opabinia wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People who had cut the cord... As long as you don't care about the zeitgeist... That's not really what it's about. You have no idea how utterly janky Plex and torrenting is. People on Hacker News find IT stimulating, so their experience is basically moot. It's like trying to predict trends based on a nerd's hot take of the iPod. It has always been about enforcement. Seen in this lens, the hassle of pirating movies…

> You have no idea how utterly janky Plex and torrenting is. Compare these experiences: 1. Search Netflix. Discover it's not there. 2. Search Amazon. Discover they have it, but it's not available for free as part of your subscription. 3. Search Hulu. Leave Hulu, because it's not there. 4. Finally go back to Amazon and rent the movie, not sure why you're paying for Prime if you still have to pay on top of that for hal…

Or just do what normal people do:

1. Search Google for movie you want to watch.

2. Google shows a handy "Available on" frame at the top of the page, with prices (if applicable) and services that it's on.

3. Click the link.

4. Watch.

And you can rest easy knowing that you're not breaking the law because you're cheap and for some reason feel entitled to getting things for free.

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