Comments on: On The Download http://geoffrey.com.au/2010/04/on-the-download/ Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:22:17 +0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: edwin http://geoffrey.com.au/2010/04/on-the-download/comment-page-1/#comment-6517 edwin Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:58:03 +0000 http://geoffrey.com.au/?p=454#comment-6517 It's not just the TV stations who are ignorant. In my web work, I've dealt with many Australian Distributors. One distributor (who I've never heard from - ever. I registered 2 years ago) just announced a new website. When I went to do so, it was down. A few years ago I uploaded some movie files to a (big Australian) distributor's server only to find that they couldn't run Flash! The more I teach the TV and Film kids of tomorrow about story-making, the more I am thoroughly stunned by the ignorance. TV - just like Igby - is going down and they don't even seem to be aware of it. It’s not just the TV stations who are ignorant. In my web work, I’ve dealt with many Australian Distributors. One distributor (who I’ve never heard from – ever. I registered 2 years ago) just announced a new website. When I went to do so, it was down. A few years ago I uploaded some movie files to a (big Australian) distributor’s server only to find that they couldn’t run Flash! The more I teach the TV and Film kids of tomorrow about story-making, the more I am thoroughly stunned by the ignorance. TV – just like Igby – is going down and they don’t even seem to be aware of it.

]]> By: Mark Ampersand http://geoffrey.com.au/2010/04/on-the-download/comment-page-1/#comment-6504 Mark Ampersand Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:07:57 +0000 http://geoffrey.com.au/?p=454#comment-6504 It's so shocking that TV stations are only just cluing into this, and disappointing that so many of them still don't get it. Bless the ABC and their iView service. The fact that I can go on the internet, and watch episodes of the Daily Show and Colbert Report that aired in the US /this week/ is amazing, and something I was beginning to think I'd never see in this country. Couple this with the fact that, with my ISP (who shall remain nameless... they don't need the publicity) doesn't count these shows towards my quota, is amazing. To hear Channel 9 is still pulling crap like cutting shows to fit their broadcast needs is shocking, and so insulting to their viewers. Last year I started making a concerted effort to obtain my TV legally, and while I'm finding most of my shows easy to come by, it's really rather costly. Plus, I have to employ some pretty dubious work arounds before I can even hand my money over, which I find odd. Here I am, a viewer willing to pay cold-hard-cash-monies to watch my TV shows as close to the time they're aired in the US as possible, and I still have to jump through hoops to do it. And when isn't available - Treme is the most recent example of this - I'm left with the internal struggle; wait till I can pay, or just do what 'everyone else' seems to be doing and download it? My question is - if a TV show isn't being aired locally, and isn't available to purchase legitimately, nor do the networks have any intention of providing any avenue to watch it legitimately or locally, what's the worst thing I can do as a viewer? Download it, and rob the network of potential advertising dollars? Or just not watch it, and rob the network of potential word of mouth? It’s so shocking that TV stations are only just cluing into this, and disappointing that so many of them still don’t get it.

Bless the ABC and their iView service. The fact that I can go on the internet, and watch episodes of the Daily Show and Colbert Report that aired in the US /this week/ is amazing, and something I was beginning to think I’d never see in this country. Couple this with the fact that, with my ISP (who shall remain nameless… they don’t need the publicity) doesn’t count these shows towards my quota, is amazing.

To hear Channel 9 is still pulling crap like cutting shows to fit their broadcast needs is shocking, and so insulting to their viewers.

Last year I started making a concerted effort to obtain my TV legally, and while I’m finding most of my shows easy to come by, it’s really rather costly. Plus, I have to employ some pretty dubious work arounds before I can even hand my money over, which I find odd.

Here I am, a viewer willing to pay cold-hard-cash-monies to watch my TV shows as close to the time they’re aired in the US as possible, and I still have to jump through hoops to do it. And when isn’t available – Treme is the most recent example of this – I’m left with the internal struggle; wait till I can pay, or just do what ‘everyone else’ seems to be doing and download it?

My question is – if a TV show isn’t being aired locally, and isn’t available to purchase legitimately, nor do the networks have any intention of providing any avenue to watch it legitimately or locally, what’s the worst thing I can do as a viewer? Download it, and rob the network of potential advertising dollars? Or just not watch it, and rob the network of potential word of mouth?

]]> By: skribe http://geoffrey.com.au/2010/04/on-the-download/comment-page-1/#comment-6502 skribe Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:07:31 +0000 http://geoffrey.com.au/?p=454#comment-6502 I was discussing this issue with a video content provider here yesterday (Thursday). The measures that the industry have taken to restrict copyright infringement have actually become a disincentive to obtain their products legally. DRM, copyright warnings, rabid promotional material, regional delays and encoding only hurt legitimate customers and do nothing to prevent infringers. To paraphrase the first feature I saw: the more they tighten their grip, the more infringers slip through their fingers. Worse, many of the people in the industry just don't understand how much the digital revolution has changed the viewing habits of their customer base. It's so bad that the head of drama of one of the Australian TV networks refuses to use email and believes that Facebook et al are just plain evil - full of pirates. *whacks head on table* I was discussing this issue with a video content provider here yesterday (Thursday). The measures that the industry have taken to restrict copyright infringement have actually become a disincentive to obtain their products legally. DRM, copyright warnings, rabid promotional material, regional delays and encoding only hurt legitimate customers and do nothing to prevent infringers. To paraphrase the first feature I saw: the more they tighten their grip, the more infringers slip through their fingers. Worse, many of the people in the industry just don’t understand how much the digital revolution has changed the viewing habits of their customer base. It’s so bad that the head of drama of one of the Australian TV networks refuses to use email and believes that Facebook et al are just plain evil – full of pirates. *whacks head on table*

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