"The things i do for love" Game of Thrones is here

[TordelBack]

If the manager of Harrods left all the shops doors open overnight, who would be to blame if people walked in and started helping themselves?

Possibly not the analogy I'd have gone for, since I'd expect people to be responsible for their own actions and leave the crabmeat alone.  I acknowledge my thievery is wrong, and try to pay for the goods in way I find palatable, i.e. boxsets (I've no interest in or means for taking out an annual cable/satellite subscription package to watch 10 episodes of one show, and my outdated version of OSX won't allow me to access the iTunes store to buy individual episodes of, say, Clone Wars). I do not, for example, torrent 2000AD, even though I currently can't afford it - the HoT provides many ways which I can enjoy my thrills, and I have no complaints.  I'll get caught up when things are better.

Your second point is more to my taste - the goalposts have changed, media can't be discretely packaged and controlled the way they once were, and so a different business model is required.  Complaining about it is pointless, never mind prosecuting it. 

[brendan1]

Your second point is more to my taste - the goalposts have changed, media can't be discretely packaged and controlled the way they once were, and so a different business model is required.  Complaining about it is pointless, never mind prosecuting it.

A different business model? Like what?

Films and TV require money from people paying for tickets, boxsets and advertising.

People who prefer to simply steal their entertainment and store it on a hard drive are going to kill the industry and fuck everything up for the rest of us, while moaning that it isn't their fault it's so easy to be a thief, and the industry needs to come up with a new business model.

[radiator]

Ok, perhaps the shop analogy isn't a great one, but do you take my point? Yes, you might choose not to help yourself, but it would be the shop manager who got the blame. And are you seriously telling me that you have never watched a pirated movie or copied a friend's music?

I'm also wondering why more isn't done to prevent piracy. Obviously it'll never be stamped out entirely, but there certainly are steps that could be taken. Just make it difficult enough so the majority can't be bothered, but also make it easier to legally access shows. For example, why don't they flood torrent sites with hundreds, thousands, of files that are sabotaged in some way? Perhaps they cut off ten minutes before the end, or the lip sync is out, or scenes are in the wrong order? People would soon get fed up with repeatedly downloading faulty files.

Case in point with Game of Thrones - if you wanted to watch it legally in the uk, you either had to sign up to Sky, or else wait an entire YEAR for the home format release. Why not give people a third option? In this day and age, people want stuff NOW. If you make them wait, they'll just look elsewhere.

[TordelBack]

A different business model? Like what?

If I knew that I wouldn't be sitting at home on a Thursday morning posting on a forum, but the micropayment model seems to be one way, on the iTunes model. I'd do it, if it was easy and universal.  Obviously this causes all sorts of other problems, particularly for advertising, but it's a start.  Personally I don't sit in front of the TV waiting for things to come on.  I want to watch what I want when i want - TV itself is effectively a rolling trailer AFAIC.

I'll throw it back to you though, Brendan: how do you propose getting the horse back in the stable?  I just popped over to Demonoid - one torrent for Episode 9 of Game of Thrones alone has 190,000 completed downloads, and there are dozens of torrents for it.  On one torrent site.  That's a lot of prosecutions.

[brendan1]

Ok, perhaps the shop analogy isn't a great one, but do you take my point? Yes, you might choose not to help yourself, but it would be the shop manager who got the blame. And are you seriously telling me that you have never watched a pirated movie or copied a friend's music?

I'm also wondering why more isn't done to prevent piracy. Obviously it'll never be stamped out entirely, but there certainly are steps that could be taken. Just make it difficult enough so the majority can't be bothered, but also make it easier to legally access shows. For example, why don't they flood torrent sites with hundreds, thousands, of files that are sabotaged in some way? Perhaps they cut off ten minutes before the end, or the lip sync is out, or scenes are in the wrong order? People would soon get fed up with repeatedly downloading faulty files.

Case in point with Game of Thrones - if you wanted to watch it legally in the uk, you either had to sign up to Sky, or else wait an entire YEAR for the home format release. Why not give people a third option? In this day and age, people want stuff NOW. If you make them wait, they'll just look elsewhere.

People who want stuff NOW get on my tits aswell. Fuck off and wait, you grasping impatient cunt.

As for piracy, I don't think I'm entirely whiter than white, no. I certainly have ripped a few tunes off sites like Soulseek, but quite often it's to get onto the i-pod tracks I already own(ed) on vinyl or CD. And my taste is quite esoteric, so it's not easy to find stuff elsewhere.

But that is really it. Generally I like having stuff to look at and touch and feel. Real stuff.

[radiator]

I think online streaming also offers a measure of salvation for the industry - illegally downloading and managing files is actually very time-consuming. If a decent, comprehensive streaming package was available, then I think people would be happy to pay for the privilege, as long as it was a quality service, and not too expensive. I'm quite happy to pay the license fee, because I think the BBC offer a good service, especially the iPlayer.

Pricing is another thing - have you seen how expensive tv shows are on iTunes? Would be cheaper to just get the DVD! What's that about?

[brendan1]

I'll throw it back to you though, Brendan: how do you propose getting the horse back in the stable?  I just popped over to Demonoid - one torrent for Episode 9 of Game of Thrones alone has 190,000 completed downloads, and there are dozens of torrents for it.  On one torrent site.  That's a lot of prosecutions.

Clsoe down the sites. Ban the IPs of people on them. Make some high-profile prosecutions and start handing out fines. Hefty fines. There is no other way to save the industry, because piracy is killing it.

It's clear that delivery via a paying model (a monetised version of BBC's online service, for example) is the future for delivery of multiple-platform content. But there has to be a paying audience along the way somewhere.

[radiator]

By admitting that you yourself have illegally downloaded stuff because it is quicker/easier than finding it legally, you have just surrendered your argument.

[brendan1]

By admitting that you yourself have illegally downloaded stuff because it is quicker/easier than finding it legally, you have just surrendered your argument.

No, I said that I ripped some tracks, most of which I already had paid for, the others which I couldn't pay for, because they were commercially unavailable.

Next.

[TordelBack]

Clsoe down the sites. Ban the IPs of people on them. Make some high-profile prosecutions and start handing out fines. Hefty fines. There is no other way to save the industry, because piracy is killing it.

All of which has been done.  To no effect.

[radiator]

Perhaps it's time to spin this off into a dedicated thread regarding the future of media/piracy etc.

[brendan1]

Perhaps it's time to spin this off into a dedicated thread regarding the future of media/piracy etc.

Yes, good idea.

[the shutdown man]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5_Y1HcsMy0

Anyway, season 2 trailer's up....

[Radbacker]

More more more, I want more.  Cant wait for this.  If it wasn't for the interwebs and these torrent things i still wouldn't have seen season 1 as no OZ channels have picked it up for broadcast (or cable chanel in OZ) and the Blue Rays still aint out yet so like f*&k i'm waiting so long to see it.  Season two will follow.

C Radbacker

[Devons Daddy]

good argements here

my take.
why do we have to wait? if DR Who, the BEEB so to speak can show itself on Brit tv then offer it across the globe to a paying audience directly after, so even those not in the UK can watch it on their christmas day for a small fee, then let us.

not offering it to buy, encourages people to rip,torrent,etc,
so for me, get it on the net 24 hours later, I and i am sure many others will pay for it.
the Game of Thrones is the perfect example of this old school idea, delays only cost you money, wake up and get it out asap. for us to legally own.

I torrent stuff, if the G,O,T situation arises.
they have themselves to blame.

on balance, I buy all my 2000ad stuff legally, in an act of respect.