reasons for DL and not buying DR. WHO?

[thraxman]

I buy several DVDs per month. In fact, last month I think I purchased 8 or 9 (note: some of these were previously viewed rental copies from Blockbuster averaging me about 8 bucks a copy), a few more than usual. I do own a few Dr. Who dvds, and a number of WHo VHS tapes from years ago.

 

Dr. Who 2005 simply is not available here in the states... enough said. In all honesty, If it was available on DVD here right now, and the price was reasonable, I'd be buying it. Period. It is great television.

 

But, Dr. Who has a very crummy release schedual here in the states. What, 2-4 eps per year? And I have yet to figure out how they choose the episodes they release. If I go to a local video store, I am lucky to find more than 3 or 4 titles on the shelf. And they are usually priced at 25 bucks per episode, much more than I pay for a feature movie.

 

Now, of that 25 bucks per WHO ep, how much is going to the BBC? I suspect that AOL/Time Warner gets a huge chunck of that... they distribute it here. And what did they have to do with the creation of thye shows? Nada... as far as I know. If there is one thing that REALLY annoys me, it is supporting some un-needed "middleman". Like the freakin' record industry. 15 bucks for a CD? Artist gets a buck or two per copy at best? Pfft. How about I just download this directly from the artists and give them 5 bucks? Same for things like Who. I'd gleefully fork over a few bucks per episode to the BBC... they wouldn't even have to get the episodes to me... we have the distribution taken care of on our end :)

 

Hmmm... wonder what would happen to me if I Sent a check to a major movie studio along with a letter saying "Hey, I just downloaded (insert movie title here). It was EXCELLENT! Enclosed is a check for 5 bucks. Pleasure doing business with you. Sincerely, (My Name)"

 

 

[Migamix]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hmmm... wonder what would happen to me if I Sent a check to a major movie studio along with a letter saying "Hey, I just downloaded (insert movie title here). It was EXCELLENT! Enclosed is a check for 5 bucks. Pleasure doing business with you. Sincerely, (My Name)"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

they already had their chance, way back in the day when we would DL a CD from a local BBS, or a SLIP acct., this "sharing" tech has been around since the 80's, and they have not embraced it, the most they do with computer tech is make crappy specialFX with no realism (what happend to the gravity of the two jedi jumping out of the vent in SWep1)...

they would have to stop the witchhunt for all of us, .....stop reworking the wording of "piracy"...i dont think any of us make a penny from DLing this material that most of us have A: already seen during its original airing, B: payed for a media duplication from a "middleman" distributor charging 10 times its actual value....

the more i think about it, the more i want to DL crap i dont want, just to be defiant...

if you look at my original posting...that was a mere fraction of the stuff i actualy own, but i was also a DJ back in the late80's-early90's, i own alot of media vynal, and several folders of music CD's, shelves of movie DVD's folders of games.....

and i pay way too much for my cable service that gives me less now WITH the digital package, then i did when there were only 50 channels......

no more ranting this hour...see you next

[Flamewinds]

I'm in India.

 

Who (and a lot of other stuff mentioned in this topic) does not air here, has not aired here and probably will NEVER air here. VHS tapes or DVDs have not been, are not and probably will never be available here.

 

An excerpt of what does air here on the best english channel available - Star World (and incidentally, I don't watch anything apart from this and the local english 24 hrs news channel, BBC news and very rarely, some CNBC)

 

Charmed - last season

The Practice - last season

Boston Public - god knows which season

some crappy comedy shows like Yes Dear, still Standing, King of Queens etc

More crap in the form of Growing up Gotti and season 2 of the Apprentice

 

Invasion Iowa -season 1 is coming

Angel - 2nd last season finished airing a year ago

Star Trek - TOS reruns finished airing in 1997

Star Trek - TNG stopped airing in 2001 - dont know what season

Star Trek Voyager - (on another channel now pulled off the air) - finished 3 years ago.

Farscape and Andromeda - first season or so for a while on another channel some 3-4 years ago.

 

There are a couple of good channels like Discovery, National Geographic, Animal Planet etc but they're educational and most of the stuff aired is old anyway.

 

The point is that if I want to watch something, be it a cult series or a new series, i can only get it by d/l. I can't buy it even if I want to because it isn't available. And I don't really get anything free. I pay what would be the equivalent of $15 for a so-called 'unlimited' broadband monthly cable connection. The fine print (and that's really really fine print) says that I have a monthly d/l quota of 6000 MB per month(actually 200 MB per day, so if on any given day I don't d/l the full amount it doesn't carry forward). So, in effect I pay nearabout 45$ to 60$ a month for a crappy 48 kbps line where i get a max d/l speed of 13 kbps for a very well seeded torrent. By the by, the quota includes uploads as well so a 350 MB episode works out to a minimum usage of 700 MB because I make it a point to seed. I've been trying to d/l the 4th season of Voyager over the last two months; I've d/l 8.5 GB an u/l 8.2 GB ... you do the financial math.

 

I've got friends and relatives in both UK and US and I've been trying to scrounge up the money to buy DVDs (over and above what I pay for my internet). I'm not going to get into the p2p sharing versus puchasing debate although I stand firmly on the side opposite the BSing **AA and studios. I'll only buy DVDs because a lot of people do good work and they deserve recognition; I just wish there was a way to cut out the middlemen.

[GorunNova]

There's no legitamite reason for regioned DVDs etc. other than to milk the audience for whatever cash the producers can get, and countries that aren't in the 'mainstream' by their standards get ignored...

 

They're all idiots, and I think you're perfectly justified to track down the media in whatever way you can if they're too dumb to supply it legitamitely.

 

Edit: Whoo! That quick reply window is nice! ^^

[Foil]

Ya, the regional thing is a doosey. That should not be allowed. I should be able to legally order and watch something that I purchase from england, china, wherever. I'm not really sure how this is justified as long as the purchaser is not bringing in mass quantities of a product. Don't publishers in other countries offer the availability of other region dvd's for individual purchase.

 

As for purchasing DVDs, I prefer it. I go for all the extras and the reliable encoding, tracks, etc. I will generally forgo a download if I think it is something I may purchase in the future (or I download something and occasionally figure it is worth the purchase). As for Dr. Who, well, I'm an addict and although I know I will purchase it in the future I can't wait to the time where I can finance such a purchase. Right now I'm working on purchasing another series (which btw goes for 30 to 40 dollars for 24 episodes). Doctor Who will be my next purchase especially after downloading the Horror at Fang Rock and finding out there is a second audio track available on the DVDs.

 

I know some of these series are very expensive but they are making a business decision and there is enough demand that they can charge this amount without much loss in number of purchases.

 

Lately also I have returned to purchasing music. I really like what's being produced lately and feel that I need to give back what I have previously gotten for free (I don't like the fact that the record companies are gouging us but I feel I have to get my money to the artist somehow). Anybody remember that Lenny Kravitz record that was titled $5.97 (If I remember right) in protest to the producer charging too much for his album? I do what I am able and try not to let the availability of downloads influence what I normally would have purchased in the first place.

 

In general, I think that TV and movie downloads generally even out for the amount they influence a purchase and cause a loss to the producer. The big loosers I feel are the video stores. I suspect these guys are really feeling the hit of downloads. I would really agree with the folks that have stated in other threads that some time should pass before a torrent for a recent release is allowed. However, I can see this being very difficult to contol and likely won't happen without the site admistrator taking too much of an active role (which in itself may be dangerous and time consuming).

[GorunNova]

*sigh* It's justified by the wonderful policy of 'because we can get away with it, and your underwear too!'

 

... why else do the recording companies force the bulk of their clients to sign away the rights to their music to them? Maybe the qualitiy of hollywood movies would improve if many of the scriptwriters didn't get screwed? ("Oh, we made six million in the box office, but the movie cost four million and our wages ate up the rest... none left over for you... so sad, don't let the door hit you on the way out.")

[elderbear]

Hmmm... wonder what would happen to me if I Sent a check to a major movie studio along with a letter saying "Hey, I just downloaded (insert movie title here). It was EXCELLENT! Enclosed is a check for 5 bucks. Pleasure doing business with you. Sincerely, (My Name)"

 

I'd leave your name off and send a money order. More anonymous that way. If you decide to do this, make sure you won't break under interrogation and rat out NiteShdw!!!

 

B)

[elderbear]

There's no legitamite reason for regioned DVDs etc. other than to milk the audience for whatever cash the producers can get, and countries that aren't in the 'mainstream' by their standards get ignored...

 

They're all idiots, and I think you're perfectly justified to track down the media in whatever way you can if they're too dumb to supply it legitamitely.

 

Edit: Whoo! That quick reply window is nice! ^^

 

I'm a Wim Wenders fan. One of my faves is the movie Until the End of the World. The theatrical release was two hours shorter than Wenders' original vision. He's done a director's cut (a triple DVD set - over 5 Hrs long), but because of copyright/distribution issues it cannot be released in the USA. I'm paying an extravagent amount to get a French version. I'm pretty sure I can region-free my DVD player. If not, I'll DVD Decrypt it and burn a high res AVI to watch. What do you think I'll do with my AVI files once I've got them? Do you think I'll keep them to myself? Not hardly!

 

Protecting intellectual property (in a capitalist society) makes sense. But the nonsense that it's turned into is counter productive and encourages people to break the system. Remember when the movie companies fought against consumer VCRs or video rentals? They're the most reactionary bunch of useless varmits I've seen outside the Bush family!

 

In a functional socialist system (can there ever be such a thing?!?) the creators would be taken care of, and everybody could share in their visions. File sharing would be legal and encouraged.

 

Sigh ...

[RebelRaven]

Well I really only DL DoctorWho and started doing so for the new 2005 season. I do so because it is not airing in the US nore are the plans to air it. So I DL the latest ep within a few hours of the UK airing (thanks to the UK providers) convert and burn to a DVD for watching with my family on Sunday. I get the Confidentials as well for my viewing pleasure as the BBC RealAudio copy is very crappy and they will not be released on DVD in any form.

 

But even though I have all the 2005 season to date, I'm also buying the Region 2 DVDs for playing on my multi-region player and computer. I want to support the production team and let the BBC know it is a show worth continuing.

 

Pricing so far hasn't been too bad for me ($20 for 3 eps). Now when they finally release the Region 1 boxset (earliest now is February 2006), I'll probably buy that too. Some things I just like to support.

 

The Classic Series DVDs are hit or miss for me. I have all on VHS tape (recorded off my PBS) and own some of the better DVDs. Yet I'm not happy with either the price nor the release schedule. It jumps around a lot from era to era.

 

BBC is making more than enough from me. I support my PBS and they license Classic Who from the BBC. I bought the "Lost In Time" collection last Fall, got so enamored I bought all the BBC audio releases of the missing episodes. I download the 2005 season, and I'll end up buying two versions of the DVDs, plus some tie-in books and other merchandise.

[Flamewinds]

There's no legitamite reason for regioned DVDs etc. other than to milk the audience for whatever cash the producers can get, and countries that aren't in the 'mainstream' by their standards get ignored...

 

They're all idiots, and I think you're perfectly justified to track down the media in whatever way you can if they're too dumb to supply it legitamitely.

 

Thanks. Incidentally, there's a fairly reasonable selection of movie CDs and / or DVDs available here and I buy those. I've always wanted to have original copies of my favourite music or movies ... and some of those I've got; *sigh* but tvshows, well ... you already know how it is.

 

Funny thing is, you would be astonished at the number of people who are interested in these shows in my part of the world; I know of someone who bought the entire Star Trek collection (including spin-offs) on a business trip to Malaysia. For a country with a population of over a billion, even capturing 0.25% of the market here would give them a customer base of about 2.5 million people.

 

Stupid MFSOBs.

[Fenriswolf]

What saddens me is that as far as I can see a certain member of this site has made better DVDs of Doctor Who 2005 with more features, for no cost available for people to download.

 

Kudos to him to be honest :)

[Flamewinds]

I know who you mean and I also happen to think that he's done a fabulous job

Cheers!

[TV Man]

-snip-

 

I don't know - I don't have a consistent ethic about it, and if the studios behaved themselves, and took advantage of the P2P market to reinvent how they distribute content - I'd probably not download and keep stuff I didn't already have a license for. But they annoy me. So I'm being passive-resistive (more to do with emotional immaturity than Gandhi!) and taking what I want when it's available, then sharing it with others.

 

Very nicely stated. I read a report today that the RIAA is going to start cracking down on the ability to copy CD's. More and more there's a push to eliminate fair use rights, and it seems to me that the government is becoming more and more supportive of large corporations over individual rights.

 

So in a sense, downloading a broadcast is an expression of individual liberty, and a small way of fighting to protect those rights. Computer technology is either going to be a source of democracy and freedom of ideas or it will be a tool for government/corporate control.

 

And ironically, I think that Doctor Who would be on our side since the MPAA and RIAA are beginning to bear a close resemblence to Davros.

[coolcat13]

What is also amazing to me is that other than the early release of Rose it seems that the BBC is less hyped about thier TV shows bieng DLd than the American stations . They are making Confidential available on line and intend to make a commercialised version of Dr Who available on line for free as well . This should soon be revealed to the public at large .

 

edit: There would be some lag time for other countries who have bought the rights to Dr Who but this experiment may happen quicker than you all think

[Fenriswolf]

Interesting cat, so they're actually going to make Dr. Who 2005 freely downloadable?

[coolcat13]

yes this is the plan. a free downloadable internet version with commercials in place for advertising money that will be used for the show . Although the project hasnt been officially released it is causing a buzz in the American TV world .

[Ulysses]

Its quite simple, I dont like buying expensive boxsets and worry about if the damn disc is going to get scratched and unplayable. Ive already got the whole DS9 boxset.

 

I much prefer to download them as i can store them digitally on a computer hard drive and watch them with a single click of a mouse button.

 

I will welcome the day when it is legal to download and watch them, but at the moment the studios are sadly lagging behind in the technology stakes.

 

This months PC Format (UK Edition) has a article about IMP (interactive media player), another that is in there is about IPTV which appartently will use Bit Torrent technology

[Fenriswolf]

yes this is the plan. a free downloadable internet version with commercials in place for advertising money that will be used for the show . Although the project hasnt been officially released it is causing a buzz in the American TV world .

 

Fantastic!

[coolcat13]

Lets hope that the MP** doesnt manage to mess it all up though

 

[Fenriswolf]

*boo hiss* at those words!