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Netflix Downloads

media.netflix.com

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Re: Netflix Downloads

#91

Post by 9point6 »

izacus wrote: post #65
m3ta wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not "all the DRM they need". Files split up into "randomly named 100mb chunks" does not make them safe from would-be pirates with a penchant for reverse engineering.

DRM never did stop "would-be pirates with penchant for reverse engineering". Ever. Plus, the owner of the Android/iOS device is paying for that content anyway, why would it be in any way a problem if he can open that downloaded file in another software?!?!

Technically paying for a license to play said content in the Netflix app.

I agree that DRM is a waste of time and the pirates are going to get the content whatever happens, but a $10/m streaming service is only licensing you to watch video in a few specific scenarios. If you had spent $3 an episode (or whatever it is on iTunes/Google Play these days) to own it, then I'd expect a DRM free file to be available (Though I doubt you actually get one in reality).

Re: Netflix Downloads

#92

Post by Dylan16807 »

maxerickson wrote: post #86
Dylan16807 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what that's supposed to prove. There are only a few big studios, and they all happen to be wrapped up in inertia and paranoia. But that's just how the dice came out, it's not because DRM provides actual value. If they wanted to perform a realistic market assessment we could be DRM-free in a snap.

The point is that 'viable' means something. Overcoming inertia and paranoia is providing actual value.

The business model is viable in terms of the studios deciding to sanction it. So not treating the studios as black boxes.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#93

Post by BillinghamJ »

AlexRobNewton wrote: post #7

Looks like it's only going to be on Netflix originals at the moment. But at least it's a step in the right direction! Wonder how long you can keep the content for after download?

Your account seems to be marked as [dead] btw. I have vouched for you, as I can't see any real reason for this.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#94

Post by schnable »

fastball wrote: post #66
kevinbluer wrote: post #5

Oddly not everything is downloadable though. No Luke Cage here on Netflix Hong Kong (which is odd given it's Netflix made).

Not every Netflix Original is available in every region. This can be either because Netflix was producing the show before they were in that region, and so signed over the rights to the show in that region to a different provider, or because they have agreements with other producers that need to be on board as well. The same idiosyncrasies will probably apply to downloads. For instance, in the case of Luke Cage, maybe…

A lot of the Netflix "Orginals" are really just Netflix being the exclusive distributor in a particular region of a show produced by someone else.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#95

Post by neves »

Nice! I'll travel with a bunch of kids to a place without internet. We would like to watch a movie at night in a projector connected to a laptop.

It looks like it won't be possible to stream the contents of the netflix app in my phone to the projector.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#96

Post by zrm »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #71
andrewstuart2 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without DRM, it's super viable because P2P is a piece of cake, and Netflix would only have to seed and host less-frequently-used content.

I don't think DRM stops them from doing P2P. Limited upload speeds are a much bigger issue. Plus people finding it icky to be an uploader on something they already paid for.

BitTorrent solved the limited upload speed problem. Split the data into chunks and download from multiple users at once. Even that is only necessary if a user doesn't have enough upload bandwidth for a stream, which for 1080p is ~5Mbps.

And the second problem has a simple solution. Give the customer a tiny discount for uploading. Anyone with an unmetered connection sees it as free money even if it's only pennies/month, and it works fine even if some customers turn it off because the discount-accepting customers can upload more than they download.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#97

Post by JamesSwift »

Someone1234 wrote: post #48
naspinski wrote: post #26

PlayOn is on sale for $50 right now: https://www.playon.tv/playlater Browse/download any streaming service (that you have access to) easily - I love it.

The concern I have with giving them money is: They're going to get shut down, sooner if not later. Big media have had people raided for less than what they're doing, and laws are written (again, by big media) to put them into a legally gray area. Morally I don't think what they're doing is wrong. But the US government is in bed with media goliaths, and the two work together to shut down re-hosted content (even in are…

Playon doesn't rehost the content. It runs on your computer and automates the process of capturing the video stream from a website. So, you have to _actually wait for the entire video to play_ to have it fully downloaded because its nothing more than a screencapture in essence.

The whole thing is a little flaky, but I'm really pleased with what it cost me ($60 if I remember).

Re: Netflix Downloads

#98

Post by eridius »

izacus wrote: post #62
greg7gkb wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who would license content to a company without any DRM protection?

Your question implies that there's any practical use for that DRM in streaming services. There's not and it does nothing useful but annoy users. Anyone with ounce of motivation can easily bypass and extract the media content, so the only thing DRM does is piss of paying users which can't watch content on flaky connections, flights, travel and alternative operating systems. Meanwhile on torrent sites you find Netflix…

DRM also provides more legal protections to the content providers when someone breaks it.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#99

Post by serge2k »

fastball wrote: post #81
izacus wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your question implies that there's any practical use for that DRM in streaming services. There's not and it does nothing useful but annoy users. Anyone with ounce of motivation can easily bypass and extract the media content, so the only thing DRM does is piss of paying users which can't watch content on flaky connections, flights, travel and alternative operating systems. Meanwhile on torrent sites you find Netflix…

Not true. An important use for DRM in regards to streaming services is to prevent people on shared networks from getting access to the data. For instance, if I was in a college dorm with dorm-wide wifi, and I was watching my de-DRM'd Netflix, anyone on the dorm intranet could snoop my packets and get the data being transmitted to me by Netflix, for free. That is nigh on impossible to do when the content is encrypted…

TLS solves that problem.
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