Streaming Movies

2011/08/03 — isecore

I wrote a similar post in this blog before I rebooted it some two years ago, but it seems to have gotten lost in the confusion. Either way this is still a good topic and needs to be reiterated.

A while back everyone was gaga over Spotify. In case you haven’t heard about it, it’s a service where you can subscribe to an account and then they stream music to your computer. It’s quite simple, and even though I am critical of it for various reasons it was lauded as a solution to piracy and for most people it provides a perfectly decent experience.

However, as of writing this, there is still no decent similar solution for us movieholics. We’re still mostly banished to the (in my eyes) quaint practice of buying plastic discs or downloading or movies from the Pirate Bay. The practice of buying plastic discs has in my eyes become extremely old-fashioned, and the concept of going to a movie-store to RENT said plastic discs is to me virtually a medieval practice. Downloading them illegally isn’t a particularly appetizing prospect either, but at least it’s somewhat progressive and with the technological times.

See, the thing is – piracy has EVERYTHING that I feel a streaming on-demand video service should have. The problem with downloading a movie off of TPB is that you have to be really clued-in to understand what quality your download holds, as well as being somewhat literate in the technology.

If there was a decent streaming on-demand service that fulfilled my expectations I would subscribe to it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately there isn’t, and probably never will be since that would require abandoning many of the cornerstones embedded in the mentality of the average VP for the movie-maffia.

So what would be required?

1. No DRM or being chained-down. I’m sorry, but there simply is no wiggle-room here. Every time I see some new service pop up, this is the cardinal sin they always perform. I want to be able to stream my movies to any device, any time. Services expect me to use a certain operating system, a certain webbrowser, certain combinations of this-and-that and frankly, it’s horseshit. I rarely use Windows, and I don’t want to be tied to Windows, Internet Explorer and shit like that. I want to watch the movie on my Linux-desktop, or my laptop, or my HTPC (running Linux) or on whatever device I may have in the future.

2. This kinda ties together with the above, but it HAS to work on any device. My desktop computer, my laptop, my mediaplayer. Whatever. If you expect me to be tied down to my desktop computer, or shuffling around plugging a computer into my TV or whatever, then you will be left in the dust.

4. Again, this kinda ties in with #1 above. It needs to work on any operating system and software combination. Windows, MacOS, Linux, etc. If you limit me to one certain combination, then you’re history.

5. The quality has to be the same or similar to the best non-streaming (i.e. disc) format available through traditional channels. If the movie is available on Bluray, then the quality on-demand should be the same or visually impossible to distinguish. No extremely compressed crap Flash movies. This also goes for audio. DTS or Dolby Digital with at least 5.1 sound for movies that have been mastered with it. No stereo, no Dolby Pro Logic. Only if the movie doesn’t have a multitrack soundtrack is stereo or similar acceptable.

6. The same day a movie is released on DVD/Bluray it is available for streaming on-demand. None of this staggering releases bullshit, keeping movies intentionally away from on-demand services to not cut into disc-sales. If it’s in the shop, it should be on-line. No exceptions.

7. Anything and everything that is available on DVD/Bluray needs to be available or at the very least you should plan to be able to provide it. “Thousands of movies” might sound impressive but if 99% of those movies are either extremely obscure or in the public domain because they’re 70 years or older then you’ll fail again.

8. Decently priced. I will not pay for your hookers, limos and cocaine. I don’t mind paying a reasonable price for it if you manage to fulfill my requirements, but if you don’t – then don’t expect me to pay out of my nose for it.

Will any service that fulfills my wishes ever appear? I seriously doubt it. The industry behind filmed entertainment is way too narrowminded, greedy and unprogressive and seem happy to make enemies out of their potential customers instead, so I doubt anything like this will ever appear.

Posted in Computers, Filesharing, Movies. No Comments »

How To Beat The Pirates

2010/10/30 — isecore

I keep an eye on the debate regarding movie, music and software-piracy and often find myself filled with frustration in regards to the lack of understanding and utter lack of nuances when the corporate talking heads start vomiting horseshit in every direction.

One of the most common excuses for people downloading their warez off of the Pirate Bay or whatever is that there’s a lack of legal alternatives. This is a complete load of bullshit. There are now – finally – at least some semi-decent alternatives to filesharing. The problem with them though is that they’re always inferior in every way. Mostly due to companies intentionally crippling them, but also due to other restrictions and bureaucratic idiocy.

Here’s what you have to do in order to “stop” people from sharing copyrighted material through torrents or smoke-signals or whatever.

First, you need to stop suing your own customers. Just cut that shit out, immediately. Seriously, how daft are you people? Do you really think that going after your own customers will want to make them spend money buying products from you? No, the short answer is that you’re only establishing yourself as gigantic greedy dickheads.

The second thing you need to do is accept that filesharing WILL ALWAYS EXIST. You simply won’t get away from it. It’s human nature to share things. We talk, we share, we enjoy. That’s how we work. It’s too bad that your industry is in stark contrast to this, but you need to simply man up and accept it. Human nature should not be forced to adapt to corporate concerns.

Third, you need to stop feeling as if you’re entitled to money just because you output a shitload of generic crap in the shape of boring movies and mass-produced Justin Bieber type crappy pop music. You need to accept that your product is there, and if people think it’s worth the money they will pay for it. You’re free to offer your product, but if the price isn’t fair in comparison to the products value, there’s nothing you can do about it. Included in this part is the fact that you need to accept that physical items are not the same as virtual items, and that a downloaded movie or song does not equal a lost sale. You need to accept the numerous (and genuine, unlike your bullshit claiming the contrary) surveys that indicate downloads and downloaders generate more sales than non-downloaders.

Fourth, and this is the reason why I started writing this thing, when you realize that physical media (such as actual DVDs and CDs and whatnot) are a dead end and that the future is in virtual media – and then finally get your asses in gear and start offering to sell these things, then you need to understand this:

You have to make it better than piracy.

You can’t make it less good, which is the way it is now. You can’t make it just as good. If you want people to pay for you wares, then you’ll have to make it a lot better than pirating the latest tunes or the latest movie.

See, pirating a movie or music is a huge convenience. The supply is astronomical. Virtually every movie, every song, every album by every artist is available just a few minutes (or hours) away. These things can be downloaded, stored anywhere, played on any device, with no restrictions on the user or what type of computer the user has. The technical quality of these things range from decent to amazing. And it’s completely free.

None of the current “legal alternatives” can come close to this. Spotify is a half-decent idea, but it’s crippled by you. The supply is very good, but it pales in comparison to what’s available at the Pirate Bay. It starts limping though because it has annoying ads, is very limited in what devices can play it, and it has the huge drawback that it’s the companies – not the user – who decides what is available. Friends who’ve found something they liked, and suddenly with no warning did that music disappear from Spotify because some executive somewhere felt it wasn’t turning enough profit.

Voddler was touted as the movie-equivalent of Spotify, but so far it’s been a lackluster experience. The amount of movies on Voddler is absolutely pathetic as well, and it’s technologically inferior to everything else.

They say you can’t compete with “free” and this is true to a certain extent when it comes to filesharing and piracy. Somehow though, I believe you can compete with “free” but you have to offer something that’s worth paying for. You have to offer something that is better. Currently you’re all content with offering the same tired old inferior crap, and that’s why the “legal alternatives to piracy” isn’t catching on.

Because they’re simply not as good, and yet you expect people to pay for them. And this is why people still head to the Pirate Bay for their needs. Because it does what they want, when they want it, how they want it. And at a price you can’t beat.

Posted in Filesharing, Politics. 4 Comments »

Black Tuesday

2009/12/01 — isecore

blacktuesday

Until the end and back again
Defiant to the last man
‘Til there’s nothing left
To fight against
No surrender

Posted in Computers, Filesharing, Internet, Politics, Sweden. No Comments »

Peter Danowsky Är Ett Verktyg

2009/03/02 — isecore

Jag sitter och läser Christians utdrag ur Peter Danowskys slutplädering mot TPB. Jag vet tamefan inte om jag ska skratta eller gråta åt galenskaperna som denna karl kläcker ur sig.

Tool
One who lacks the mental capacity to know he is being used. A fool. A cretin. Characterized by low intelligence and/or self-esteem.
Example: That tool dosen’t even know she’s just using him.

(Källa: Urban Dictionary)

För det är vad Peter Danowsky är: ett verktyg. Han bryr sig mest troligt inte om att han är det, det finns säkert mycket pengar i att vara ett verktyg, förutsatt att man saknar kognitivt tänkande och/eller någon form av sinne för etik.

Låt mig därför kommentera några godbitar Danowsky kläckt ur sig. Dessa godbitar har jag skamlöst knyckt från Christian.

Danowsky refererar till ett hovrättsmål, och pratar om att även om man inte kan veta om en nedladdning motsvarar ett uteblivet köp, bör man ändå räkna det så.

Jo, men bara för att jag säger att Peter Danowsky är en usel imitation av en fungerande människa och i fortsättningen ska betala mig tretusen kronor i timmen resten av mitt liv, samt att man bör räkna det så betyder ju inte att det är sant eller att det kommer att hända. Att dra den jämförelsen är bara absurd, och enbart en advokat kan faktiskt säga såna bisarra påståenden utan att han spontant kräks för det är så orimligt.

Men det är faktiskt sant att Peter Danowsky är en usel imitation av en fungerande människa.

- Förutom att Neij, Swartholm, Sunde och Lundström har gjort så att sajten fanns, har de dessutom närmast uppmanat till illegal fildelning och uppvisat en “attityd”, säger Danowsky. Det bör leda till högre straff.

Åh nej, de har uppvisat attityd! De har vågat vara fräcka mot någon som har mer självutnämnd status! Att de vågar! Maken till fräckhet! Peter, det är inte olagligt att visa attityd, även om du vill få det till att bli det. Det är sånt jävla hyckleri att jag tror min tjocktarm kommer att slå knut på sig själv ju mer jag tänker på det. Jag ska börja polisanmäla mina grannar när de visar “attityd”, kommer du och slåss för min sak då?

- De tilltalade har åberopat Roger Wallis, vars 30%-iga gästprofessur närmast har tjänat att ge auktoritet åt vad som egentligen är att betrakta som debattartiklar, säger Danowsky. Företrädarna för branschen, som Ifpis president John Kennedy, vet däremot vad de talar om.

Skitsnack. Det enda de vet är vad de blivit tillsagda att säga. Jag tvivlar på att John Kennedy skulle kunna föra ett vettigt samtal om upphovsrätt, skivförsäljning eller ens vilket som är godare av Hallonsoda eller Fanta utan att ha fusklappar som någon annan skrivit åt honom. Hackern i mig störs enormt när man använder bogus-kriterier som ett mått på hur viktig någons åsikt är.

- Renforsutredningen, “Musik och film på internet – hot eller möjglighet?”, är en rik källa till inspiration, säger Danowsky. Kapitel 8 i utredningen ägnas helt åt användarundersökningar. Där ser vi att de som fildelar köper laglig musik i betydligt mindre omfattning.

Renfors-utredningen har debunkats i så många olika nivåer att den är generellt ansedd som mindre pålitlig objektiv informationskälla än Mein Kampf. Däremot har flertalet oberoende undersökningar visat att fildelare tvärtom köper mer musik än icke-fildelare gör.

- The Pirate Bay är tydligt kommersiel, säger Danowsky. Det ser man av annonsförsäljningen, kontraktsskrivandet och varumärkesbyggandet. De har till och med sålt t-shirts för att hjälpa till att bygga varumärket.

Det här är ett så tråkigt och betonggrått tänk i den här typen av människor. De kan inte förstå att saker har icke-kommersiella ursprung och att hackers (som jag räknar TPB-teamet till) mest ser pengar som ett irriterande och störande moment som hindrar dem från att göra det de vill. Du kan ju också prova driva en välbesökt site på bara luft och glada tankar. Jag vet själv hur dyrt det är ens att hålla en liten garderobsserver igång, och även om jag helst gjort det helt utan vinnings skull har jag några få text-annonser för att få lite inkomst som hjälper mig med min hiskeliga elräkning. Men jag antar att i ditt urblåsta ägg till huvud innebär det att jag är “kommersiell verksamhet”?

Varumärket? Tillåt mig att asgarva. The Pirate Bay är lika mycket ett varumärke som jag är rysk kosmonaut. Enda orsaken till den här vinkeln är att IFPI och övriga mediamafiosos vill få det till att vara en hemsk kommersiell konspiration mot små, oskyldiga bolag.

Posted in Filesharing, Politics, Sweden, Whining. No Comments »
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