• henfredemars@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It’s been said to death but at heart, I’ve always felt that when it comes to piracy, it’s a service issue, not a cost issue.

    Except for you Adobe. That’s a cost issue.

    • med@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I found out the other day that LibreOffice Draw has a full pdf editor built in.

      I know adobe makes many more products, but boy do I like telling people they don’t have to pay for Acrobat!

    • thedrizzle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      Wow that’s old.

      Frankly, as shitty is a lot of that stuff was, DVDs were like the last form of media distribution that I would actually call tolerable in terms of consumer friendliness. You still got a physical disk with the actual movie that was easy to rip and share, no internet required. If it weren’t for the quality limitations, I’d still collect them as the primary physical backup to my media server.

      • 100@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        4k Blu Rays exist. Aside from the pain of having to get a special cracked drive to rip them they are my primary backup for my movie server.

          • max2078@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 year ago

            Some of these players even skipped the unskippable intros and always started at the main menu. The best thing for legit buyers and enthusiasts back in the day. And don’t forget the (S)VCD support and DivX/Xvid support. Good old times.

    • StrongGoal2001@programming.dev
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      1 year ago

      I don’t use piracy for convenience. I watch movies and series together with my girlfriend (in a remote way) and we haven’t found a way to watch together (Like Teleparty for Netflix or Disney Plus native “Watch Party”) the content without the remote partner watching it in 320p (using Plex “Watch together” functionality). It simply doesn’t work.

    • credit crazy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      As someone who recently got girl und panzer on DVD I was pretty surprised by the lack of ads idk of it’s a anime thing or the shop changed me a pirate copy idk I only ever buy DVDs when I the anime I want to watch isn’t on zoro

  • GojuRyu@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’ve posted as much here in three weeks as i did on Reddit in three years. That’s one post, but still. I am trying to be more active though to keep lemmy active and because it just feels more meaningful here.

  • Glunkbor@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Streaming companies are lucky that not more people know about Stremio + Torrentio + Real Debrid. That combination is a game changer and allowed me to get rid of all streaming services.

    • Mumitroll420@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      So true! Killer combo, have it on my nvidia shield TV works perfect almost as good buffer time as the streaming services with the real-debrid service with no loss in quality, I do have vpn on it also just to be sure.

      • d_cent@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I use a VPN too, mostly so I don’t have to worry when I switch over to iptv. The VPN just stays on all the time

      • Glunkbor@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yeah same, I got it on my Firestick and it works like a charme! Got my vpn on the Firestick active as well and I could not be happier!

    • sh1ggy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This sounds interesting. I even have a Real-Debrid account but don’t know anything about those other two things. Guess I’ll be doing some researching tonight.

      • Glunkbor@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        This is a guide that someone on Reddit wrote and it helped me a lot. It looks complicated with the first glance, but when you do the steps it takes less than 15 minutes. I changed the order of the original slightly and added a few infos to make it easier:

        "Guide installing Stremio with Torrentio and Real Debird on your desktop.

        Stremio

        Go to https://www.stremio.com/ Download the relevant client for your platform (Windows/Mac/Linux) Open Stremio and sign up with email or facebook

        Real Debird

        Go to https://real-debrid.com/ Sign up Go to Premium Offers ($3 for one month, $16 for 6 months) Choose a package and subscribe

        Torrentio

        Go to https://torrentio.strem.fun/configure Choose your options for providers, quality, foreign language etc You can now choose to install Torrentio without a Debid Provider. Personally I use Real Debrid to connect directly to a server vs having my IP shared in peer to peer and to speed up performance. Torrentio has a slot for a possible API key (the Real Debrid key) To install with Real Debrid follow the next steps: Go to the API key with this link: https://real-debrid.com/apitoken Copy the API Key and go back to Torrentio and paste it under RealDebird API Key Install

        Stremio with Torrentio installed

        Check the addon installed correctly Click the puzzle piece up on the top right that says ‘Show All Addons’ Click My Addons and scroll until you see Torrentio Test stream a movie or TV show Go to Discover Click on a Movie or TV show and click ‘Show’ You should now see [RB+] Torrentio - Quality Enjoy streaming"

          • toxictenement@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 year ago

            I found out the hard way those boxes have an expiration date. The manufacturers don’t really bother to get the custom boards updated to newer versions of android, so its quite a headache to keep them operational. Theres forums that do custom firmware for them, but ymmv depending on what box you get.

            • AlexisFR@jlai.lu
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              1 year ago

              Yeah, for safety and convence, the best way is still casting from a computer.

          • Glunkbor@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I think it depends which one you take, how open they are for external software. But with Firesticks or cubes you can do 100%. With others it might be worth googling beforehand, if Stremio can be installed on that specific tv box you choose. On those boxes you just need Stremio as an app. The app on your box then syncs with the settings and addons you have in the desktop version, so no hassle.

      • cyberic@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        I think local storage and access to hardware. Stremio rewuires little storage and uptime for 1 user vs. a computer being on and storing the media to push to different devices.

    • shortypig@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Shhh… but for real. I don’t even bother switching over to my payed paid subscription apps anymore.

      • d_cent@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The fact that it’s all in one is amazing. I don’t have to manage 5 different libraries.

    • slifer@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      @Glunkbor

      Well what a fun rabbit hole you sent me into. Seriously though thanks, now I need to figure out the best way to make it show up on my samsung tv (no android, samsung os or whatever it runs) otherwise it wont be adopted by my girlfriend …

      • webghost0101@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I am in the same boat. I managed to sideload jellyfin on my samsung but stremio seems a whole different cup of tea

  • Ronon Dex@mlem.a-smol-cat.fr
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    1 year ago

    The issue with streaming companies is the exclusivity. I would happily pay for Netfix if I could watch Ted Lasso (= Apple+) and Halo (= Paramount+) on it.

    But if you want access to original series you have to buy the platform. I pay around €45 total in VPNs, Seedboxes, Usenet indexers… per month. I would happily pay for Netfix if I had access to everything in the world for up to €50/month. But with netflix you get access to a shitty catalogue on only one device for €8/month… That’s not okay for me.

    • TooL@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      See they’re doing you a favor by not letting you waste your time on that garbage that is the Halo show. What a farce.

      • Shea@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        real Halo fans waited yeeeaaarrs for that show to come out. i mean i remember being a little kid in middle school and thinking “i can’t wait for the halo movie/show to finally come out”. Fast forward years later, and i have a house, 2 kids, I’m married and the Halo show is finally out and it’s garbage. i hate what happened to that franchise

      • russjr08@outpost.zeuslink.net
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        1 year ago

        Ugh, there has not been a TV show that has disappointed me as much recently as “Halo” has… It’s a disgrace that it is even called Halo.

        The disappointing thing is there were small tidbits of S1 where I said “Hey, if there was more of this then I’d be excited to for the next episode to air!” … But no.

        I like to joke and say “My disappointment is immeasurable” but this was certainly a case where I actually meant it.

    • Obi@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      I’m still only using legit services right now. For us the biggest thing we miss is the ability to actually find something specific. They work “ok” for just choosing something to watch from the algorithm, and that’s only because we got like 4 services total. But if you want to watch a specific film? 9 times out of 10 it’s not on any of them.

  • yetanotherusername@feddit.nl
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    1 year ago

    It’s weird that we have “capitalism” and there are people, who clearly have desire for a drm-free content. Hell, we even have a gog, where you can buy drm free games. Yet the market does not want to provide legal option to obtain films/shows that are not locked into the service.

    And even with the gog there are still many games that are impossible to get drm-free in a “good” way. Not to mention emulation where things get kinda grey, depending on the system you are emulating

    • shinjiikarus@mylem.eu
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      1 year ago

      It is the same for eBooks imo. There are some sources of DRM free eBooks, but they don’t tend to have the popular books. I’m always buying on kindle, because it is so laughably easy to circumvent their DRM as long as one has a kindle serial number attached to their account.

      • yetanotherusername@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

        It’s a little bit embarassing to admit, but I never purchased eBooks at all. Only “legal” copies I have are in the form of paper books. One interesting thing, that just struck me, is that my SO the other day purchased one of the books in the form of eBook on one of the “local” online book stores. And from what they told me it’s completely DRM free, even though it’s something that was written by a foreign writer. From what I know this marketplace does not have every book in the digital format nor it is certain that all of the digital copies are DRM free there. But my guess is that some regional marketplaces might have some legal DRM free content, just not being vocal about this

  • halon5@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    It’s why I pay for Spotify, convenience and pretty much everything in one place. For TV/Movies it’s Plex and the high seas.

    • Zetta@mander.xyz
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      1 year ago

      100000000%, beyond the fact that I don’t want to pay a thousand different subscriptions, I also much prefer having everything in jellyfin or Plex. I don’t want to mess around with all these crappy streaming apps, each with their own set of limited functionality or handicaps.

      Also, why would I want to watch low bitrate streams when I can get full quality Blu-ray rips. Hopefully someday streaming platforms will offer full bitrate video, as physical media will probably go away over time.

      • citable6704@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        Concerns with shitty players is such a frustrating issue, too. The Paramount+ website is such hot garbage, it frustrates me anytime I try to watch anything on it.

      • AlexisFR@jlai.lu
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        1 year ago

        Forget about that, spotify despite it’s size is still capped at MP3 quality maximum…

      • InternetUser2012@rammy.site
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        1 year ago

        I have discover streaming from my phone plan (I don’t pay anything for it) and it’s absolute trash. Takes forever to load, buffers constantly, quality sucks. I got fed up and went to the high seas for the same show and it was beautiful with no bs. How can you mess something up so bad? I don’t bother with discover or prime anymore, high seas for everything even though I legally have the two of them.

    • skomposzczet@vlemmy.net
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      1 year ago

      At this point it 100% is. I could bother and use nonsense apps, and their poor players. But now that I need 5 subscriptions and it’s still like 40% chance that I find movie i want to see there it’s simply stupid. Also consistency with plex and much better quality, not to mention frequently found bonuses like deleted scenes or interviews with creators / actors. Another thing, it’s sad to see people switching to streaming lose their interest in exploring filmography by genre, director etc and only come down to brainlessly watching any garbage recommended by netflix.

      • coderade@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Plex is so good at finding trailers, shocks me how many streaming services don’t include trailers for their movies, seems like a no brainer

    • ANIMATEK@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Definitely not bro. I got a server running the arr suite with download clients and have to buy HDDs to store the content and run maintenance and updates and and and and and. Don’t get me wrong, I am a nerd and love doing that, but I wouldn’t call it “convenient”.

      It’s definitely the case for my wife though 🤣 she only has 2 apps, one to request content, the other to watch it.

      • Isotopian@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I don’t know, you don’t have to complicate it that much really. For me buying a hard drive every few years and downloading things I, or my brothers and sisters I share Plex with, want to watch really isn’t that complex.

        “Can you get X” “ok Plex is updated” is as difficult as it’s been for me.

        • Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          You don’t even have to do that if you use something like Overseerr. You could even have them request media themselves.

  • jem0@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I got no problem with streaming services competing and putting exclusive content on platform. What do I have problem with is them backing off from the things they advertised as when they were starting. Netflix literally rose in populating with ads saying “love is sharing the password” and other bullshit. Premium accounts were more expensive just so you can share your password with others. Nowadays they say it’s no longer possible and you have to pay extra.

    • NaturallyAsh@szmer.info
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      1 year ago

      I recently found out that it’s possible. The password restriction doesn’t apply when accessing netflix from a computer browser. The restriction notification only (for now) pops up when trying to watch Netflix through an app (e.g., Roku Netflix). I’ll just cast netflix from my laptop to TV if I want a big screen. Not saying this is ideal, but it’s a workaround.

  • Arcterusax@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    For me it hasnt been for along time. The site I use has everything as soon as its available, stores which episodes and at which time I was last time, has intro skip, autoplay and autonext. When i want to watch a series i just type the name in my browser, auto-complete the URL and i’m done. On netflix i have to tap through multiple menues, have to login and might even get blocked because im not on my home device. I get a better service in every aspect for free.

  • Digester@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Piracy is the only viable option. The problem isn’t the concept of a streaming subscription service, the problem is how many of them there are. A couple would be fine I guess but if we consider the fact that all the content is divided in more than 10 major services, it’s no longer a viable option.

    • AlexisFR@jlai.lu
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      1 year ago

      Do you really want everything centralized to a single actor, though? If Netflix had complete monopoly, that would have been catastrophic.

      • Digester@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’s not what I’m saying. Take cable tv subscriptions for example. Multiple companies offer different subscription tiers at different prices but you can get the highest tier subscription which includes all the channels.

        Now imagine having to subscribe individually to each Channel, this is essentially what these streaming services are doing.

    • Dohnakun@lemmy.fmhy.mlB
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      1 year ago

      And then there’s the problem with stuff suddenly disappearing or never being there in the first place.

      • linearchaos@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The first time my kid came to me crying because his favorite series was pulled off of Netflix, and I went to try to find any other legal way to get it at the time and it simply wasn’t available. It was done.

      • Digester@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That happened to me before with Prime. Bought a movie, forgot about it for while then I remembered and when I went to look for it, it was gone. I checked my emails and I still had the confirmation of purchase. Maybe they thought they could remove it since I didn’t watch it right away.

        I spent over $1000 on Steam in the past few years and I’m scared one day they’ll pull some games.

  • benpo@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I pay for Amazon Prime, but still get less buffer time by streaming torrents with Stremio, which also never fails to remember where I left a movie at (even if I change the torrent source, which is crazy)

  • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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    1 year ago

    We traded ownership (physical media) for convenience. I was a matter of time until that came biting us in the ass

    PS: I love the convenience of everything being in my computer without having to lift my ass to change media, so it’s possible to have ownership AND convenience.

  • Reepus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    One day piracy will catch up and everyone will be trading episodes of family guy, just like they used to with scanned disk and vhs cassets.