news.digitaltrends.com— A new research study from the Solutions Research Group finds American consumers are tuning into downloadable films...and don't consider illegal downloads a serious offense.
Jan 25, 2007View in Crawl 4
My rips aren't pirated per se (at least, not downloaded, and quite a few I actually do own). They're exactly what I want movies to be - full DVD quality, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (or dts if it was available), no commercials, previews, FBI warnings, skip protection, or bulls**t. I double-click to open, double-click again to fullscreen, and watch.I rip my DVDs to my hard drive for two reasons. One - so I don't have to dig up the disc when I want to watch the movie. Two - so I don't have to deal with all of the non-movie stuff on there. The only people I know that have any interest in watching the special features are the hardcore movie buff types. Most people don't give a s**t, and having worked at a video store for a year and a half, I can actually base that off of some observations. There's the odd person that finds the menus convenient so they can put the movie in and have it do all of the unskippable bulls**t but not start playing the actual movie while they take a piss and microwave some popcorn, but for me (and many, many others), it's just one reason that I have to keep track of one more remote for the sole purpose of hitting enter once.At least earlier DVDs had it fairly right. Put it in, and it's sitting at the menu waiting for you. I didn't spend $18 to be forced into watching MPAA propaganda (especially stuff that's blatantly wrong) or advertisements. If they want to charge five bucks and have all of the s**t, it would be acceptable enough, but charging the same or more than ever before for movies with more stuff to waste my time when costs at their end have decreased dramatically is total BS. And that's why I rip or download everything now.
I think that the price of the DVD should be not more than the price of theater ticket. Something like 6-8 euro. It may sound that with DVD you have more options like possibility to rewind and replay etc but you have to also invest into your own equipment (screen, player, ...).
Why isn't the first half of Battlestar Galactica Season III out on DVD yet? I'm not buying 100 channels of cable just to see it on something larger than an ipod. Release the disc already, and they'ld get my money.
I much prefer downloaded movies for several reasons:There are no FBI warnings.There are no "user prohibited actions" whatsoever.There are no previews (which I don't miss, but didn't mind).There are no commercials.There is no waiting while the movie cycles through it's annoying, time wasting animation between menus.Seeking (at least with XBMC) is faster than with a DVD because it's coming from faster media. I don't miss the chapters that DVDs have at all.I can load entire collections of series on my modded xbox or network share and go from one movie to the next with hardly any interruption.The cost of a DVD doesn't even make the list. If I could get really good quality rips with none of the above annoyances I'd purchase them for download (only if not encumbered by DRM).
Of course people think there's nothing wrong with it - from the standpoint of the consumer, there's no difference between buying a tv and watching a movie on it for free, and buying a computer and watching a movie on it for free. Moral of story: we're more or less comfortable paying for hardware but not software. That's life.
firehedJan 25, 2007
My rips aren't pirated per se (at least, not downloaded, and quite a few I actually do own). They're exactly what I want movies to be - full DVD quality, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (or dts if it was available), no commercials, previews, FBI warnings, skip protection, or bulls**t. I double-click to open, double-click again to fullscreen, and watch.I rip my DVDs to my hard drive for two reasons. One - so I don't have to dig up the disc when I want to watch the movie. Two - so I don't have to deal with all of the non-movie stuff on there. The only people I know that have any interest in watching the special features are the hardcore movie buff types. Most people don't give a s**t, and having worked at a video store for a year and a half, I can actually base that off of some observations. There's the odd person that finds the menus convenient so they can put the movie in and have it do all of the unskippable bulls**t but not start playing the actual movie while they take a piss and microwave some popcorn, but for me (and many, many others), it's just one reason that I have to keep track of one more remote for the sole purpose of hitting enter once.At least earlier DVDs had it fairly right. Put it in, and it's sitting at the menu waiting for you. I didn't spend $18 to be forced into watching MPAA propaganda (especially stuff that's blatantly wrong) or advertisements. If they want to charge five bucks and have all of the s**t, it would be acceptable enough, but charging the same or more than ever before for movies with more stuff to waste my time when costs at their end have decreased dramatically is total BS. And that's why I rip or download everything now.
astrotrainJan 25, 2007
I can't beleive most people waste their time, bandwidth, and even electricity to download the crap from Hollywood.
kris2leeJan 25, 2007
I think that the price of the DVD should be not more than the price of theater ticket. Something like 6-8 euro. It may sound that with DVD you have more options like possibility to rewind and replay etc but you have to also invest into your own equipment (screen, player, ...).
afreytJan 25, 2007
Why isn't the first half of Battlestar Galactica Season III out on DVD yet? I'm not buying 100 channels of cable just to see it on something larger than an ipod. Release the disc already, and they'ld get my money.
cynoclastJan 25, 2007
I much prefer downloaded movies for several reasons:There are no FBI warnings.There are no "user prohibited actions" whatsoever.There are no previews (which I don't miss, but didn't mind).There are no commercials.There is no waiting while the movie cycles through it's annoying, time wasting animation between menus.Seeking (at least with XBMC) is faster than with a DVD because it's coming from faster media. I don't miss the chapters that DVDs have at all.I can load entire collections of series on my modded xbox or network share and go from one movie to the next with hardly any interruption.The cost of a DVD doesn't even make the list. If I could get really good quality rips with none of the above annoyances I'd purchase them for download (only if not encumbered by DRM).
surfmadpigJan 25, 2007
where's the obvious tag? oh wait, this isn't fark..
socketnine3nineJan 26, 2007
Its illegal? Since when?!
paullevJan 26, 2007
Of course people think there's nothing wrong with it - from the standpoint of the consumer, there's no difference between buying a tv and watching a movie on it for free, and buying a computer and watching a movie on it for free. Moral of story: we're more or less comfortable paying for hardware but not software. That's life.
xixorJan 27, 2007
wow, I posted a comment on the wrong story. I fail.