Howdy folks,
As you can see to the side of this blog post, I have created a poll asking who illegally downloads tv shows and movies. I ask you kindly to participate in this.
To be honest with you, I would answer with all four questions depending on the person who was asking the question. Please know that I won't call the cops or FBI or the producers of Breaking Bad on you, so feel free to comment as honestly or dishonestly as you feel comfortable.
Do you feel as though it is necessary to download shows illegally as otherwise you might never see it? How do you think Australian TV could present an alternative... personally, if they actually played the damn season in order and at the same time every week would be a good start. I think this is a reflection of our decline in literacy and numeracy, as apparently Australian TV producers cannot count or tell time.
What are your opinions on illegal downloads?
Yes, I download tv shows illegally. The main reason is that my favourite tv series Castle is released in the US in September and if Channel 7 does decide to run it, it's done very late at night in April of the following year - so I download it so I can join in fangirling with everyone else. Other shows I like are not shown on network television in Australia (Orphan Black and the Newsroom) and as I don't have access to foxtel the internet is a good place to get it. If there was a way I could get it legally without costing an arm and a leg or taking forever I would do it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't do illegal downloads as I have access to cable (foxtel).. I can appreciate how and why this is common, especially here in Australia...
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ReplyDeleteHey Susan, will post my thoughts on Facebook :)
ReplyDeleteHiya - For whatever reason I love DVDs, collect them and am willing to wait for the eventual release date to roll around. While I'm anxious about encountering spoilers and have viewed content that others have sourced, I would personally never illegally download a TV show or movie. The same goes for music - I strive to download tracks LEGALLY through sites like the free music archive, noisetrade etc. That being said, I have a couple of apps on my phone that allow we to watch full length movies and I'm not 100% sure about their legality :|.
ReplyDeleteI do download tv shows illegally as the episodes come out and then buy the box-sets when they become available later.
ReplyDeleteI watch shows on Netflix and Hulu mostly. The reasons for this are they can be binge-watched (ie. multiple episodes), there are minimal advertisements in between episodes, and the price of watching is set at the right amount, I think.
ReplyDeleteHulu and Netflix are streaming services. Hulu puts up episodes of major shows from Fox, NBC and ABC the day after they air. In Australia, we mightn't get these episodes for weeks, if not months. On a Hulu Plus subscription (somewhere around $12 a month from what I recall) you get access to the seasons available of all the shows, instead of simply the most recent episodes. Plus also allows you to watch movies, as Hulu Plus has the license to the Criterion Collection, a movie publisher that cleans up and re-releases classic movies. For a movie buff like me, this is pretty much heaven.
Netflix is a streaming service for TV, documentaries and movies from a wide array of places. If Netflix has a TV show, chances are it lists all or as many seasons for instant viewing as possible. Unlike Hulu, Netflix has no ads in between episodes. While their library may be patchy in terms of quality, major shows are there that I can't watch on Hulu, and in terms of movies, Netflix has an endless array of them.
To watch these services typically requires you to be in the country they're available in, however there are ways to bypass this. I figure it isn't wrong, as I still give money to the companies hosting these services. In the end, I support this kind of service over anything else, even iTunes. iTunes has ridiculous price fixing for shows, and the last time I hired a movie on there it wouldn't even play on my computer.
Accessing these services from Australia is a legal grey area, but I feel it's a compromise between simply illegally downloading for ease or giving in to bad business practices, as has been shown by services like Foxtel and the commercial TV's strangling of content.
This article explains the state of it in this country a bit further: http://www.zdnet.com/au/australians-encouraged-to-bypass-netflix-geo-block-7000017615/
Hi! I am sorry I missed the poll, but it is a very interesting subject! I don't do illegal downloading, but at times I have watched content that was obtained through this way. It seems like a 'grey area' for most people, I think partly it is because it is so hard to control. However, there is increased monitoring of copyright infringement by internet service companies. I understand why though some people do it. There are differences in time and the quantity of DVDs released in Australia in comparison to other places internationally; and sometimes not even shown on Australian television. YouTube appears to be the best option to watch material :)
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