Where do most of you get your movies from?

[wpotere]

Yup, keep telling yourself that. Here's a handy guide for you, if you can read it in your ivory tower.

FYI, your little graphic leaves something out... $$$

By pirating you are, in fact, depriving or taking money from the people that made it. Thus, it really is stealing. Keep trying to justify it but it is still wrong. I used to do this a lot as well but have since learned that people deserve to be paid for what they do.

 

[petvas]

I find it very bizarre how people rationalize their piracy/theft of content. Very strange how people can live in denial.

Who is denying anything here? What you people don't seem to get is that if there were no mkv files on the Internet, I would simply never ever but these films. That means that the studios and the movie creators doesn't lose any money. On the contrary, having the ability to watch a film first by downloading an mkv increases the chances that I will buy it, so at the end movie studios do make more money from me. I don't find it wrong and as long as people do not share these films with others I believe that it is ok. Also do not forget that downloading content from Usenet isn't free. There are many Usenet providers (like Giganews) who make a big profit out of people that have a subscription.
Imagine not having all this downloadable content. All Usenet providers would just close. There are also rumors that big Usenet providers do pay (under the table) the movie studios, in order to have no problems...

 

[416049]

Well like Hellhammer here in Denmark and I think most of scandinavia iTunes doesn't have a movie store nor tv shows heck we don't even have apple stores but resellers that are expensive as hell.

There is maybe one streaming company But you need a special box and the quality is sd so its worse than any of the us users have (stop complaining)

There is a movie rental called blockbuster like us however you have to go out to the rental to get it and older DVDs are usually so overused that they are practically unwatchable..

This leaves most Danes with wither torrenting or getting an illegitimate us account

 

[MacDawg]

Yep. I've been in the technology world for 30 years. I can see the differences, subtle as they are. I just don't care that much. That doesn't mean it isn't important for other people -- just not important to me.

Or for me
I get some Blu-ray from Netflix, but I honestly don't care one way or the other
And yes, I have a rather large HD TV
I would actually rather stream

As far as ripping or torrenting, there are only a handful of movies I would even care to watch a second time, much less a third or fourth

Easy enough for me to toss it at the top of my Netflix queue if it is something I want to see

 

[RaceTripper]

Who is denying anything here? What you people don't seem to get is that if there were no mkv files on the Internet, I would simply never ever but these films. That means that the studios and the movie creators doesn't lose any money. On the contrary, having the ability to watch a film first by downloading an mkv increases the chances that I will buy it, so at the end movie studios do make more money from me. I don't find it wrong and as long as people do not share these films with others I believe that it is ok. Also do not forget that downloading content from Usenet isn't free. There are many Usenet providers (like Giganews) who make a big profit out of people that have a subscription.
Imagine not having all this downloadable content. All Usenet providers would just close. There are also rumors that big Usenet providers do pay (under the table) the movie studios, in order to have no problems...

You made me think about it some more, so I updated my post you quoted.

I sympathize with your situation but it doesn't change anything.

 

[ptaylor9]

When I get a coupons emailed to me I us BLOCKBUSTER or REDBOX. I have an NETFLIX account so I both stream and get DVDs from them. My Samsung Blu-ray player has both Netflix and Amazon and my TV gives me plenty to rent. But I mostly get used DVDs and Blu-rays at Pendergrass Flea Market in Georgia. I like owning my DVDs and CDs. Below is an old photo, I have more but I've been collecting since DVDs first came to be.

Nice collection btw.
Whats the 6th babylon 5 box, thought there were only 5 seasons? Not that im stalking your colection or anything haha

 

[wpotere]

Who is denying anything here? What you people don't seem to get is that if there were no mkv files on the Internet, I would simply never ever but these films. That means that the studios and the movie creators doesn't lose any money. On the contrary, having the ability to watch a film first by downloading an mkv increases the chances that I will buy it, so at the end movie studios do make more money from me. I don't find it wrong and as long as people do not share these films with others I believe that it is ok. Also do not forget that downloading content from Usenet isn't free. There are many Usenet providers (like Giganews) who make a big profit out of people that have a subscription.
Imagine not having all this downloadable content. All Usenet providers would just close. There are also rumors that big Usenet providers do pay (under the table) the movie studios, in order to have no problems...

You make an aweful lost of assumptions to justify what you do.

Sorry, but morally you are wrong and if you had a piece of artwork (song, photo or movie) that you created spread across the web for free you would be singing a different song as you would be the one that is out all that money.

 

[petvas]

You make an aweful lost of assumptions to justify what you do.

Sorry, but morally you are wrong and if you had a piece of artwork (song, photo or movie) that you created spread across the web for free you would be singing a different song as you would be the one that is out all that money.

Whatever. I am not justifying anything. I am just explaining why someone would prefer to download mkv files.

Give me HD movie rentals for 1€ and I would immediately forget that Mkv files exist.
I think I made my point so there is no reason for me discussing it further. You have your opinion and I have mine. Let's leave it there.

 

[toypadlock]

i dunno about you lot, but my justification for piracy is that you get stuff for free! it's brilliant, you should try it.

 

[wpotere]

I think I made my point so there is no reason for me discussing it further.

Then don't!

I have family that have had photos stolen for use on web sites as well as music pirated. I also lived in Germany for 4 years and know how difficult it can be to get things but that still never made me turn to the internet for pirating reasons. I would love to have a copy of Die Wella but sadly it isn't available here in the USA (at least it wasn't, I haven't looked recently) and the only way I might be able to get it is via DVD which is region locked. So, I do without. I suppose I could get it via the internet but I want to pay the people that made it.

 

[Apple Expert]

Blockbuster online. iTunes is too expensive. On a side note. I haven't used my apple tv in months. I feel it's just not ready for prime-time.

 

[petvas]

Then don't!

I have family that have had photos stolen for use on web sites as well as music pirated. I also lived in Germany for 4 years and know how difficult it can be to get things but that still never made me turn to the internet for pirating reasons. I would love to have a copy of Die Wella but sadly it isn't available here in the USA (at least it wasn't, I haven't looked recently) and the only way I might be able to get it is via DVD which is region locked. So, I do without. I suppose I could get it via the internet but I want to pay the people that made it.

Guess what? They don't want you to have it! How nice is that? Companies with their silly policies frustrate consumers and make them look at piracy (not you).

 

[Grey Area]

I actually used to torrent tons of movies and music. I developed a conscience about it around a year and a half ago and deleted all my illegally obtained content and couldn't be happier.

I hope that you did not just delete your illegal tons of movies and music, but that you also bought the original versions of everything. Otherwise you experienced these works without compensating the creators, and your memories of these works have been obtained illegally.

And I hope you made sure that you paid at least as much for these originals as they would have cost at the time when you torrented them - if you torrented a movie at the time of its full price release, you certainly cannot make up for this by purchasing a bargain bin DVD of it today. Technically you should even take interest and inflation rate into account, because if you deprived some creator of his $20 in 2007, that money would be worth quite a bit more today, and he never got to enjoy this compensation over these years.

Honestly, this gets so tricky to keep track of - I somewhat admire that you can still be happy in your situation, because I would feel completely doomed.

 

[iPhoneCollector]

I hope that you did not just delete your illegal tons of movies and music, but that you also bought the original versions of everything. Otherwise you experienced these works without compensating the creators, and your memories of these works have been obtained illegally.

And I hope you made sure that you paid at least as much for these originals as they would have cost at the time when you torrented them - if you torrented a movie at the time of its full price release, you certainly cannot make up for this by purchasing a bargain bin DVD of it today. Technically you should even take interest and inflation rate into account, because if you deprived some creator of his $20 in 2007, that money would be worth quite a bit more today, and he never got to enjoy this compensation over these years.

Honestly, this gets so tricky to keep track of - I somewhat admire that you can still be happy in your situation, because I would feel completely doomed.

dude calm down. i bet you torrent every single movie that come out and catches your interest.

 

[ECUpirate44]

Redbox and rip to my mac. It costs me $1.08 to have a movie

 

[pjarvi]

In this order:
iTunes
Amazon Video on Demand
DVD
Netflix
Torrent
VHS

I check iTunes first for everything and buy from there. (over 180+ movies). One sort of exception to this if there is a new movie I absolutely love and must own, then I'll check for a Blu-Ray version that comes with an iTunes digital copy. I've gotten probably 6 movies from digital copies like this, most recent example: Despicable Me.

If iTunes doesn't have what i'm looking for I check Amazon Video on Demand. I've got a Blu-Ray HTIB that has Amazon support built-in so it's easy to watch content from them on my TV. I currently have 4 movies from Amazon.

If I can't find what I want for legal purchase digitally, I then check for it on DVD and rip it. I can't remember the name of the tool I use to rip with, it's a hella' old XP tool that has worked on everything I throw at it. For compressing/conversion I use an Elgato Turbo.264. (40+ movies)

If it's not on DVD then i'll usually just check for it on Netflix so I can at least watch the movie to satiate my interest in seeing it. Alternatively, I may just watch something on Netflix if I think the price for it on iTunes/Amazon is too much to tide me over until it goes on sale.(20+)

If I really want to have a copy of something that isn't on any of the above, I'll then resort to checking torrents, and if there's no torrents I'll go as far as buying it on VHS and recording it to the computer with an Elgato EyeTV. (~5 torrents and 3 VHS)

I used to just buy DVD's and rip them, but I prefer to just buy digitally to save the time and hassle of ripping and encoding. If I were still a teenager, there is no doubt I would just torrent everything possible, and rent DVD's to rip instead of buying anything. (tip: check your local library for DVD movies )

 

[Moyank24]

I hope that you did not just delete your illegal tons of movies and music, but that you also bought the original versions of everything. Otherwise you experienced these works without compensating the creators, and your memories of these works have been obtained illegally.

And I hope you made sure that you paid at least as much for these originals as they would have cost at the time when you torrented them - if you torrented a movie at the time of its full price release, you certainly cannot make up for this by purchasing a bargain bin DVD of it today. Technically you should even take interest and inflation rate into account, because if you deprived some creator of his $20 in 2007, that money would be worth quite a bit more today, and he never got to enjoy this compensation over these years.

Honestly, this gets so tricky to keep track of - I somewhat admire that you can still be happy in your situation, because I would feel completely doomed.

Doomed seems a bit over dramatic in this situation. It's not like this guy is stealing from babies or murdering puppies.

The actors/actresses who are demanding tens of millions of dollars while the people who are responsible for making the film happen (cameramen, grips, editors, etc..) get paid pennies don't seem to be losing sleep. You shouldn't either.

 

[wpotere]

Guess what? They don't want you to have it! How nice is that? Companies with their silly policies frustrate consumers and make them look at piracy (not you).

I totally agree with you here. It is silly... Some of it is actually corporate policy where others are zoll (customs) and country policies. Sadly we all really live in a global economy yet every country treats it on a very individual level. We should all be able to buy what we want and we are getting there but it will take time. I very much remember my neighbor asking me to buy him a DVD of a movie because he couldn't get it on the German economy. Trust me, I feel your frustration.

 

[Grey Area]

dude calm down. i bet you torrent every single movie that come out and catches your interest.

I will neither confirm nor deny this. ;-) I'm just trying to see things from Resident Guru's position, and wondering how consistent he is.

 

[mouthster]

If I could download a car, I would.

 

[omni]

I tried bittorrenting movies but the whole process drove me nuts. I think I'm too OCD.

Sometimes the file would say it's HD, when in fact it was not. Half the things i found only had 2 channel audio even though it claimed to be in AC3. Not to mention the quality was just all over the place and I can't stand all the network logo's on tv shows to begin with.

So for the sake of quality / consistency - I rip everything that I buy myself. That way the files have 5.1 audio, subtitles, chapters, chapter names, etc.

Over 2000+ tv shows and probably 300 or so movies, not 1 was downloaded illegally.

I also don't buy from itunes for the same reasons - lack of 5.1 and lack of subtitles.

 

[kellen]

I don't torrent. My decision because I would rather not be sued later, even though I realize the odds are so low to not really be a factor. I don't care if you do or don't torrent, I just choose not to.

Also because Redbox is only $1. I usually only keep movies for one night, return the next. Only annoying thing is the lag for some movies.

 

[newagemac]

i dunno about you lot, but my justification for piracy is that you get stuff for free! it's brilliant, you should try it.

Yeah, you can also get free cars if you just steal them. It's brilliant, you should try it!

/sarcasm

 

[newagemac]

The prices movie studios charge us are a rip off. They are taking advantage of everybody and are greedy. I can only see two options: a) stop watching movies or b) return the studios the favor by downloading movies and if they are worth it, buy them.
For everything else in life I would say that piracy is bad, but I cannot say that about movie studios...
I own for example all applications I have on my Macs. I never pirate software because I know that it wouldn't be fair to the developers. With movies it is different. People pay once to watch the movie at the cinemas, then once again to rent it or buy it. At the same time people pay television rights for the movies and actors. Many people have pay TV and can watch such movies. That means they indirectly pay again.
How many times should we pay to watch one movie? According to the movie studios we should be paying money for every different distribution media that exists. This is what I call theft.

I'm sorry but most of these arguments sound like nothing more than what any simple thief would say. OK so you believe that the movie studios are charging too much so that gives you the right to steal from them. It's like saying it's ok to rob the local liquor store if you believe the store owner is overcharging for the products he offers. That argument simply just does not hold up to any reasonable person.

I have news for you sir. You have two options:

1. Pay what they are charging and receive the product they are offering.

2. Not pay and not receive the product.


You don't have an unalienable God given right to watch the movie. You can't choose to not pay and still receive the product. That is theft. Your "reasons why you robbed the liquor store" do not hold up.

With that being said, I do agree that they are charging way too much and putting ridiculous restrictions on their content. And DRM is one of the worse "solutions" that you can throw upon your would be customers.

So they deserve for you not to buy their product. But you're no better than them when you set the price at $0. And widespread piracy (by people like yourself who feel it is justified) is one of the reasons why DRM and all these restrictions are continually being thrust upon us. Piracy does not make the situation any better. It makes it worse.

You know what would make the situation better? Just don't buy it at all. And show no interest whatsoever. As long as you keep showing interest by trying to get it through illegal means they will keep trying to sell it and at higher costs and at with more restrictions and DRM. So the solution is to NOT watch their movies AT ALL if you want them to feel the pain and change things for the better.

But of course, most people really just want something for nothing. Thieves have existed throughout eternity so I don't think this is going to change anytime soon. And every common thief has a "justification" if you listen to them tell it.

 

[mouthster]

stealing / thievery does not equal copyright infringement, which is what we are talking about here.