Is piracy dying?

I think Steam and Spotify have the right idea.

Steam: cheaper than physical copies, you can install it on more than one device, you don't have to (re)activate it, it remembers your save games, applies patches/fixes when required in the background.

Spotify: £10/month (or £5 if on family-friends account which I use) and you have access to almost every piece of music in recording history. Hear something you like in the club? Shazzam it, then it's yours on Spotify :-) Again can be used on more than one device.
 
Rroff said:
Not without fully locked down hardware - at some point the code has to execute actual instructions that do something and can be logged and eventually reverse engineered just takes a lot more skill and actual engineers not just script kiddies who happen to have some basic programming experience and a memory hook/debugging engine.

A lot of current DRM work arounds though in truth are the work of moderately skilled groups customising pre-existing source code and/or "engines" created by a smaller number of more skilled hackers - I doubt Denuvo would have lasted as long as it has if some of the old names were still active.
Click to expand...

So not yourself then?
 
Pawnless Endgame said:
I think Steam and Spotify have the right idea.

Steam: cheaper than physical copies, you can install it on more than one device, you don't have to (re)activate it, it remembers your save games, applies patches/fixes when required in the background.
Click to expand...

We mustn't be using the same Steam.
Generally games are cheaper physically from Amazon and the like until there's sales and the such.

Secondly, I don't get the installation part? I can install physical copies more than once on multiple machines, and those that have specific activation's tend to also have so on Steam.

I say that as a massive Steam advocate with over 500 games.
 
Pawnless Endgame said:
Spotify: £10/month (or £5 if on family-friends account which I use) and you have access to almost every piece of music in recording history. Hear something you like in the club? Shazzam it, then it's yours on Spotify :-) Again can be used on more than one device.
Click to expand...

I quite like Spotify (although their recent decision to remove notifications from the desktop client has annoyed me) but that's quite an exaggeration; there's a lot of music that isn't on Spotify. Then there's the issue that there can be a release that's there one day then removed the next.
 
No I don't think it is. I have to admit I stream quite a few things ilegally even though I probably have access to them on either Prime, Netflix, Now TV, BT that I pay for or any of the free catch up services .

I do buy all my games and music though.
 
Last edited:
krooton said:
Even people on minimum wage wouldn't find that expensive, do you think shows are free to produce?

Sheesh
Click to expand...

They will get my money on a full blu ray release (only after show has ended and full collection is available) which would be more than they would get through 3rd party stream sites. Also only if the show is decent and the blu Ray isn't massively expensive.

Tv show are generally more value that films. £10 for 1 movie hahaha what a joke.
 
I have a lot of the streaming services.

Netflix, Amazon, Now TV. I don't do music streaming. I generally buy the physical cd. Usually a DJ mix. I then rip to FLAC, and stream that over my home network. Or convert to V0 for mobile listening.

I do download some tunes, all paid for. Music is all paid for, although perhaps some of my paid for music is sourced spuriously, who knows? The service I use does have access to many promo's.

As for movies, if I like the movie, I will buy the blue ray. This is then ripped to a high quality and kept on my server, and streamed over the home network. I will also download a torrented copy though, for sticking on my portable hdd for when I travel (which I do extensively). I simply do not have the tools to get such good picture quality in such a small file size. The ONLY exception to this, so far, is with Star Wars. I simply will not buy it on 2d Blue Ray as long as there is a 3D version to come. Then it will be bought with bells on.

TV shows are different. The streaming services are generally a season behind. Not always, Amazon Prime does a good job on some series. But often series aren't available in the uk where they are elsewhere. For example, I'm currently in Norway, where the Flash is on Netflix, but isn't in the uk (well it wasn't last time I was here). I have already paid for Netflix content, and don't see why I should be restricted because of region for content I can access just for getting on a small plane ride. In this case, I feel no guilt in downloading it. I have paid, in my eyes. I could use a vpn or dns service, but I will just take the easy route. And this is applicable to many shows.

After all that, I do not pay for my to licence though. There isn't enough good bbc content to justify it, for me. So I simply no longer watch live tv. I get more than enough media to watch from other Legit sources anyway. The ONLY thing I miss is F1. Which now it's on All4, means I feel no guilt for not paying license, since it's now littered with adverts that pay for my viewing.
 
There will always be people who want what others produce and charge for for free, and others who are happy to pay for the same.
 
MatsyLR said:
They will get my money on a full blu ray release (only after show has ended and full collection is available) which would be more than they would get through 3rd party stream sites. Also only if the show is decent and the blu Ray isn't massively expensive.

Tv show are generally more value that films. £10 for 1 movie hahaha what a joke.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've decided I'm going to have to do this.
There's a few shows I've started buying like mid way, but each season release costs far too much when the collective set for is sooo much cheaper.

Walking dead is a big example, 20 quid for the latest season, yet it's 35 for 1-5.

Game Of Thrones can be had 1-5 for about 55 quid, yet some places want 30 for Season 5 alone.
 
Prime is a joke, if it's not an Amazon series but on their system you've basically got to pay. Cancelled my subscription after the trial month.

Sky is ok as I'm on a cheap tariff (~£10 month) which has Atlantic and a few other channels I watch shows on.

I must confess, I do use Kodi but mainly for the TV shows that are actually on Sky but either I don't have room for series link or it's been aired and missed it and not on catch up. Of course I know the legalities of it but in my mind I have paid for it and until services improve I will continue this way.

I keep thinking about Spotify but I listen to quite a few independent bands which are not always on there, or if they are it's only a couple of tracks. I certainly see value in the service and may go for that sometime.

I don't physically download content anymore - I think that is a general trend and shows, particularly given the massive decline in torrent sites.
 
Last edited:
Moses said:
It's not as though something like a film or to show is of £x value forever. Initally loads of people haven't seen eg. a film and will pay £y, but then that market gets exhausted... then there will be people who still haven't seen it but will only be willing to pay once it gets down to £z, etc.
Click to expand...

But the price variation is too high.
It's 15 pound extra for 4 more seasons of walking dead with that current collection pack.
 
I've got netflix, amazon prime, virgin media and a rather extensive collection of blurays and dvds. I love physical media. There is something autobiographical about a collection that you collect over years and can hold in your hand. For me the streaming services are convenient but will never replace physical media, at least for me.

I occasionally will download a torrent or stream. Typically though I will then order the bluray. Looking at the 150+ blurays that I have bought in the last year, I don't feel too guilty about the occasional act of piracy. I do feel guilty about how much I spend compared to my partner though....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom