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Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

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Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#41
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Content cartels?" You mean copyright owners? I'm not sure the majority is on your side. A lot of folks, including me, generate copyright-protected content and are happy to see anti-piracy measures enforced. Facebook has other issues, to be sure, but I don't have a problem with this.

Enjoy your bubble, while it lasts. It's [not] funny how every new "anti-piracy measure" seems more akin to precrime policing. This unrelenting insistence on invasive control is the heart of why copyright and the Internet cannot coexist.

So you give everything you create away for free? Hmm, how altruistic of you.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#42
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Content cartels?" You mean copyright owners? I'm not sure the majority is on your side. A lot of folks, including me, generate copyright-protected content and are happy to see anti-piracy measures enforced. Facebook has other issues, to be sure, but I don't have a problem with this.

Enjoy your bubble, while it lasts. It's [not] funny how every new "anti-piracy measure" seems more akin to precrime policing. This unrelenting insistence on invasive control is the heart of why copyright and the Internet cannot coexist.

I certainly think that many Hollywood companies are stuck in the stone age in many regards, but these devices are literally built for piracy (with the specific plug-ins, there are very legal uses of Kodi). You may have your own views on copyright, but I don't really see any rational argument for why someone should be able to profit off selling these devices.

Yes, the internet makes it easy to circumvent copyright, so then why don't people download this software themselves?

If you don't believe the `content cartels` deserve your money then why should someone random person installing free software?

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#43
post #2

All the fuss about Kodi makes me think I should get a box. Is it worth it?

Kodi has one of the most arcane UIs I've used in years. Also, you need to find and set up plugins to get streaming going and this is a complicated process. The streams can be good but not worth all the hassle.

The stream links die left and right these days. The upkeep it requires (searching for working plugins) is just not worth the hassle, IMO.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#44
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Content cartels?" You mean copyright owners? I'm not sure the majority is on your side. A lot of folks, including me, generate copyright-protected content and are happy to see anti-piracy measures enforced. Facebook has other issues, to be sure, but I don't have a problem with this.

Enjoy your bubble, while it lasts. It's [not] funny how every new "anti-piracy measure" seems more akin to precrime policing. This unrelenting insistence on invasive control is the heart of why copyright and the Internet cannot coexist.

It ends up having the opposite effect anyway. Now people will just buy a ton of Kodi devices. I don't think any majority of the country/world even cares about anti-piracy measures in any direction and certainly doesn't pay attention.

While I agree with your point, I think this bubble will stay afloat by pure ignorance alone.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your recommendations more-or-less came to fruition as the company Plex.

I find the dichotomy quite interesting. Fundamentally, there aren't too many differences between the two, and yet Plex has no stigma associated with it. It's a pretty limited space to work in. Long term, I don't see how Plex's business model works. Since they don't control the media, they don't really control anything. There's only limited appetite for transcoding software.

Plex relies on a backend server, on your LAN, to work. So you can't sell standalone Plex boxes, or if you did, it would have to include both the server and the client together, and the server requires a reasonably powerful system. A Raspberry Pi wouldn't be good enough.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#46
post #33

Does anybody think these clowns are actually going to be around in a decade? I can understand the business desire to censor political minorities to please the majority, but how does doing enforcement for the content cartels generate any goodwill from their users? It will be interesting to see what happens when their surveillance archives go off to the highest bidder (and are subsequently leaked).

It's ironic that you accuse FB of banning political minorities after many revelations that they gleefully took lots of money from the US political minority (Republicans) in exchange for tailored marketing services, helping that minority take control of the entire federal govt.

I don't really have a dog in that [WWE match], so I don't really care about the he said she said.

I was referencing how it is fundamentally impossible to please everybody all the time, yet centralized services put themselves in the position of having to try.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find the dichotomy quite interesting. Fundamentally, there aren't too many differences between the two, and yet Plex has no stigma associated with it. It's a pretty limited space to work in. Long term, I don't see how Plex's business model works. Since they don't control the media, they don't really control anything. There's only limited appetite for transcoding software.

Plex relies on a backend server, on your LAN, to work. So you can't sell standalone Plex boxes, or if you did, it would have to include both the server and the client together, and the server requires a reasonably powerful system. A Raspberry Pi wouldn't be good enough.

You can run the server and client on the same box. It's just pointless for that use case, because Kodi can do that better. Plex is useful for transcoding for different clients. Besides, Plex is proprietary and can't be sold without permission. However, the point I was making was that all these things are for watching primarily pirated media, but Plex doesn't have the stigma. Plex was originally a fork of xbmc btw.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#48
post #33

Does anybody think these clowns are actually going to be around in a decade? I can understand the business desire to censor political minorities to please the majority, but how does doing enforcement for the content cartels generate any goodwill from their users? It will be interesting to see what happens when their surveillance archives go off to the highest bidder (and are subsequently leaked).

It's ironic that you accuse FB of banning political minorities after many revelations that they gleefully took lots of money from the US political minority (Republicans) in exchange for tailored marketing services, helping that minority take control of the entire federal govt.

Would you really call Republicans the US political minority in any meaningful sense of the word? Especially considering their representation in all three branches of the US government.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#49

Shouldn't the title be FB bans ... sales on Facebook ? It's good to remember that FB Internet and FB world.

Isn't that implied. If it said Walmart bans sales of Kodi, is anyone going to think they are banning it worldwide.

One would hope so, but not as FB would have it. e.g. internet.org. Safer to keep a tight psychological bound.

Re: Facebook Bans Kodi Device Sales

#50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your recommendations more-or-less came to fruition as the company Plex.

I find the dichotomy quite interesting. Fundamentally, there aren't too many differences between the two, and yet Plex has no stigma associated with it. It's a pretty limited space to work in. Long term, I don't see how Plex's business model works. Since they don't control the media, they don't really control anything. There's only limited appetite for transcoding software.

In my view that's one of it's strengths, they make a good product that is best in class for the their niche. I'm happy they're trying to expand with features rather than some content bid. Plex doesn't have a stigma because you can't use it to actually pirate content.

I don't think Plex will ever be a huge company but you don't need to be in order to succeed.

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