Online movie downloads

[aphid 0]

Looking for suggestions/recommendations for a service. Here are my criteria:

- download, not live streaming
- not a pirate site, I am happy to pay for them because I refuse to steal.
- price point from 6.99 to 9.99 per unit
- accessible from Canada
- good quality compression
- writable from my computer to an external storage device so I can use a stand-alone DVR (eliminates iTunes)
- large selection with emphasis on current releases (eliminates Netflix)
- infinite plays/transfers

Thanks for all advice

John

[jcd11235 0]

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not a pirate site, I am happy to pay for them because I refuse to steal.
…
- infinite plays/transfers

Infinite transfers implies stealing, at least as far as the MPAA and DMCA is concerned.

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[aphid 0]

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not a pirate site, I am happy to pay for them because I refuse to steal.
…
- infinite plays/transfers

Infinite transfers implies stealing, at least as far as the MPAA and DMCA is concerned.

Perhaps in their opinion, but I may like to watch these movies more than once. Much like a CD, I'd like to hear it more than once.

I take it then, you suggest I should just purchase DVD's? So much for saving the distributor the cost of manufacturing and shipping physical product.

Fair enough. Back to the semi-dark ages then.

Thanks

John

[jcd11235 0]

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I take it then, you suggest I should just purchase DVD's?

No. I'd welcome the MPAA to join us in this century. Until the movie (and television) studios decide to adopt business plan more compatible with digital lifestyles, there will be other sources providing their goods in a more consumer friendly manner.

For example, I know many people who stopped downloading video from pirate sites when Netflix online content became available. Unfortunately, Netflix does not meet your requirements.

If you're planning on doing any transfers, then there's no real reason to avoid the pirate sites.

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[quade 4]

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If you're planning on doing any transfers, then there's no real reason to avoid the pirate sites.

Sure there is. It's called having a set it ethics.

The problem isn't paying for first use or even copying for personal use on multiple devices of your own. The issue is somebody buying ONE copy and then putting it on a web site where thousands of other people don't pay for it at all.

This deprives the original artists compensation for their work.

The "solution" would be to legally purchase the work from a site such as iTunes and then (questionably legally) remove the DRM for use on your own various devices. I say "questionably legally" because you do, in fact, have the right to make copies of recordings you own, but you technically don't have the right to break DRM as part of a questionable law passed called the digital millennium copyright act.

Personally I don't find it unethical to break DRM for personal use and I think there are parts of the law which should be struck down.

The reason I don't find it unethical to break DRM for personal use is I think a person should have the right to backup any data he owns and view it even if the proprietary objects (ipads, apple tvs) become obsolete and companies go out of business.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Unfortunately, Netflix does not meet your requirements.

In Canada Netflixs sucks ass. It is not the same service that exists in the USA. In Canada only a fraction of the movies that are available in the USA service are available in Canada. Outside of illegal downloads it appears the options for those of us whose heads splits in two when we talk, is iTunes or youtube.com/movies.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[jinlee 0]

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Looking for suggestions/recommendations for a service. Here are my criteria:

- download, not live streaming
- not a pirate site, I am happy to pay for them because I refuse to steal.
- price point from 6.99 to 9.99 per unit
- accessible from Canada
- good quality compression
- writable from my computer to an external storage device so I can use a stand-alone DVR (eliminates iTunes)
- large selection with emphasis on current releases (eliminates Netflix)
- infinite plays/transfers

Thanks for all advice

John

Dramafever.com

Well worth the $4.99 a month.

Might not be to your taste however. Watch a drama series of 60 episodes shot in a single viewing season and you'll see how damn hard others are willing to work outside the United States.

Outstanding production quality and does not compare to a 14 episode season as is the norm in the United States.

O well, sorry, I overlooked your steaming requirement.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Sure there is. It's called having a set it ethics.

The problem isn't paying for first use or even copying for personal use on multiple devices of your own. The issue is somebody buying ONE copy and then putting it on a web site where thousands of other people don't pay for it at all.

This deprives the original artists compensation for their work.

The most pirated movies are generally also the most profitable movies. I am sorry for not feeling bad for somebody who is already making $5,000,000 and works for an industry unwilling to move with the times.

[quade 4]

Name a company, any company.

How much does the CEO of say, Starbucks make?

Ok, so maybe you wouldn't feel guilty about stealing a $4 cup of coffee from Starbucks because well, the head of that company already makes a butt load of money. Well, consider this, you're also fucking up that barrista behind the counter too. You're fucking over the guy who roasts the coffee beans. You're fucking over the guy who drives the truck that delivers them.

See, every time you STEAL a movie from a pirate site, you're fucking over everybody who is involved, not just the heist paid stars and studio heads, because the less money that movie makes, the less money there is to go around in general and the few movies get made and the more people your actions are putting out of work.

If you don't think this is true . . . you should try getting a job in Hollywood right now.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[SkyDekker 1,465]

Attached is a list of the top 10 pirated movies in 2011 and worldwide grosses. Please let me know who got screwed and who lost their jobs on those movies.

[jcd11235 0]

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Name a company, any company.

How much does the CEO of say, Starbucks make?

Ok, so maybe you wouldn't feel guilty about stealing a $4 cup of coffee from Starbucks because well, the head of that company already makes a butt load of money. Well, consider this, you're also fucking up that barrista behind the counter too. You're fucking over the guy who roasts the coffee beans. You're fucking over the guy who drives the truck that delivers them.

See, every time you STEAL a movie from a pirate site, you're fucking over everybody who is involved, not just the heist paid stars and studio heads, because the less money that movie makes, the less money there is to go around in general and the few movies get made and the more people your actions are putting out of work.

If you don't think this is true . . . you should try getting a job in Hollywood right now.

The difference is that downloading a movie from a pirate site does not mean that the studio now has one less copy of the movie to sell. Stealing a coffee from Starbucks leaves Starbucks with less coffee to sell.

Many people who download pirated copies of movies don't do so instead of paying for a copy. If it wasn't freely available, they would just go without watching it. The studio isn't losing a sale.

That's not to say that there aren't some people who download pirated movies instead of purchasing. But it certainly isn't the case that the studios lose money every time some downloads a movie from a pirate site.

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[quade 4]

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The studio isn't losing a sale.

It absolutely is.

You are watching the movie and not paying for it. That's exactly the same as sneaking into a movie theater and not buying a ticket.

You can't justify it by saying there was an empty seat left in the theater. You are getting something for nothing. You are breaking the moral contract being the industry and viewer.

YOU ARE STEALING.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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It absolutely is.

You are watching the movie and not paying for it. That's exactly the same as sneaking into a movie theater and not buying a ticket.

So if I download it but don't watch the movie, did I steal anything?

If so, isn't the theatre company stealing from the distributor if a movie is shown with empty seats in the audience?

[billvon 3,120]

>Please let me know who got screwed and who lost their jobs on those movies.

The guys on the movies that the studio had to drop due to piracy cutting into their revenue.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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The guys on the movies that the studio had to drop due to piracy cutting into their revenue.

Which movies are those?

[michalm21 2]

Well, by definition, you had nothing and now you have something. You paid 0 even though it has a price tag. It wasn't a gift.

It looks like stealing.
But I don't have a problem with it. You can even call me a thie... ahm banker.
Big fan of private trackers.

[jakee 1,596]

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It absolutely is.

You are watching the movie and not paying for it. That's exactly the same as sneaking into a movie theater and not buying a ticket.

So if I download it but don't watch the movie, did I steal anything?

If so, isn't the theatre company stealing from the distributor if a movie is shown with empty seats in the audience?

I think you know why those are stupid questions.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[jcd11235 0]

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You are watching the movie and not paying for it. That's exactly the same as sneaking into a movie theater and not buying a ticket.

You can't justify it by saying there was an empty seat left in the theater. You are getting something for nothing. You are breaking the moral contract being the industry and viewer.

If a person is not going to purchase a movie ticket/Blu-Ray/etc., the studio is losing nothing if that person downloads and watches the movie. Their damages are zero. They didn't lose a sale. They didn't lose a tangible product that they now can't sell to someone else.

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[oldwomanc6 60]

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You are watching the movie and not paying for it. That's exactly the same as sneaking into a movie theater and not buying a ticket.

You can't justify it by saying there was an empty seat left in the theater. You are getting something for nothing. You are breaking the moral contract being the industry and viewer.

If a person is not going to purchase a movie ticket/Blu-Ray/etc., the studio is losing nothing if that person downloads and watches the movie. Their damages are zero. They didn't lose a sale. They didn't lose a tangible product that they now can't sell to someone else.

Allow me to put it another way.

I'm an artist. You go to a gallery and see a painting of mine. I have prints available for sale. You somehow, are able to get a digital copy of my painting. You take that to Kinkos and get a copy printed, frame it , and hang it in your home.

I still have the same number of copies in the gallery available for sale, but you have stolen from me. You have taken my property without my permission. That I have no fewer copies to sell to others does not negate the fact that you did not pay me for my work.



That's STEALING!

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[quade 4]

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If a person is not going to purchase a movie ticket/Blu-Ray/etc., the studio is losing nothing if that person downloads and watches the movie. Their damages are zero. They didn't lose a sale. They didn't lose a tangible product that they now can't sell to someone else.

Without a doubt the stupidest, circular reasoning I've ever heard. Well, no shit, of course if you can just steal the movie from a pirate download site there's no reason to buy the ticket or Blu-ray. Therefore you ARE denying the industry the profits of their efforts.

It's like saying, "as long as I can get away with stealing, it's ok." No. It's not. It's stealing.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[jcd11235 0]

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If a person is not going to purchase a movie ticket/Blu-Ray/etc., the studio is losing nothing if that person downloads and watches the movie. Their damages are zero. They didn't lose a sale. They didn't lose a tangible product that they now can't sell to someone else.

Without a doubt the stupidest, circular reasoning I've ever heard. Well, no shit, of course if you can just steal the movie from a pirate download site there's no reason to buy the ticket or Blu-ray. Therefore you ARE denying the industry the profits of their efforts.

It's like saying, "as long as I can get away with stealing, it's ok." No. It's not. It's stealing.

You may want to look up the meaning of circular logic!

Lots of people download from pirate sites who would not otherwise buy a Blu-Ray, even if they didn't have access to a pirated copy. For example, some of these people simply don't have the extra disposable income to buy or rent movies, but they have access to an Internet connection.

Others would happily pay for a legal copy if the industry would just provide one in a convenient digital format compatible with all their (i.e., the consumers') media devices.

But, you're right. There are some people who don't buy movies because they can download pirated copies. These do often represent lost sales.

Most people I know who watch pirated copies of movies belong to one of the first two groups. I've met very few who fall in the third category, perhaps because it's a PITA to download a version of a movie that is comparable in quality to Blu-Ray.

There are no damages if a sale is not lost. Not every download of pirated copies of movies represents a lost sale.

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[jcd11235 0]

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You are making the case that it is okay to steal if you can't afford something...

Incorrect. I'm making the case that not every download of pirated movies results in damages.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

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Lots of people download from pirate sites who would not otherwise buy a Blu-Ray, even if they didn't have access to a pirated copy. For example, some of these people simply don't have the extra disposable income to buy or rent movies, but they have access to an Internet connection.

Others would happily pay for a legal copy if the industry would just provide one in a convenient digital format compatible with all their (i.e., the consumers') media devices.

But, you're right. There are some people who don't buy movies because they can download pirated copies. These do often represent lost sales.

Most people I know who watch pirated copies of movies belong to one of the first two groups. I've met very few who fall in the third category, perhaps because it's a PITA to download a version of a movie that is comparable in quality to Blu-Ray.

There are no damages if a sale is not lost. Not every download of pirated copies of movies represents a lost sale.

Ok, let's take that logic to the act of sneaking into a theater without paying the admission. This isn't the theft of a tangible item (like a cup of coffee).
And if it isn't opening weekend of a huge blockbuster, there are usually empty seats in the theater. So it's not like they are taking a seat that would otherwise be filled by a paying viewer.

So by your reasoning, if someone didn't have the money, or had the money but wouldn't have gone to see it if they had to pay for it, it isn't "wrong."

It's only wrong if they both had the money and planned on paying to see it if they couldn't sneak in.

I see both (sneaking in and unauthorized downloading) as the same thing. Regardless of the rationalizations and excuses used.

It's theft.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[jcd11235 0]

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So by your reasoning, if someone didn't have the money, or had the money but wouldn't have gone to see it if they had to pay for it, it isn't "wrong."

No, I've made no such judgements about anything being right or wrong or anything in between. That's all subjective. I've only shown that there are no actual damages in such cases.

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[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

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So by your reasoning, if someone didn't have the money, or had the money but wouldn't have gone to see it if they had to pay for it, it isn't "wrong."

No, I've made no such judgements about anything being right or wrong or anything in between. That's all subjective. I've only shown that there are no actual damages in such cases.

Ok, so in the case of sneaking into the theater, would there be actual damages?

Would sneaking into a seat that was unfilled create damages because nothing tangible was taken, and there wouldn't have been any income from that unfilled seat?

Or is watching the movie without paying for it creating the "damage"?

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo