May I Have A Download Please?

[Renegade]

Well, I hear about this web site with alternative films, so of course I visit.

And, oooooh~! This one looks interesting... (I love supernatural flicks!)

http://pureflix.com/wp/portfolio/the-encounter/

So I watch the trailer, and figure I'll go buy it. But what I really want is a download and not a DVD... The whole waiting a few weeks thing is just kind of like, oh so entirely 20th century and lame.

Sigh... No luck.

In other places, I've watched movies for free, then gone out and bought the DVDs simply to support the film. (e.g. The Corporation - it was available to view for free somewhere, and was so good I had to buy a copy.)

This stuff isn't that hard to do. I think I'm going to go ahead and see about creating a relatively secure "shareware" (try before you buy) downloadable movie. I've got the basics in my head already, and it shouldn't be that hard... We'll see...

But all I want is to download the movie... It's cheaper for the seller that way even!

[40hz]

Well...be careful what you wish for. The US recording industry has plans to discontinue all "hard-media" sales and only make their music "assets" available via download starting in late 2012 if they can keep it on schedule. Probably the only reason the movie industry hasn't announced similar plans is because of the size of their files. (In the US, most people are still on residential grade ADSL for their broadband so you're looking at 3+ hours per movie download.)

Of course once hard copy is gone they can go hog wild with more and more restrictive licensing and crazy DRM schemes.

Sometime not too long from now:

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(Customer at work on his lunch break calls ToonSmith Central)

[attach]

[Renegade]

40... dammit... stop ruining the moment and predicting the future!

All I want is to be able to reasonably download stuff and use it... I suppose that's too much to ask... sigh...

[Innuendo]

40... dammit... stop ruining the moment and predicting the future!

All I want is to be able to reasonably download stuff and use it... I suppose that's too much to ask... sigh...

Yeah....the 20th century isn't sounding so lame anymore, is it?

[40hz]

40... dammit... stop ruining the moment and predicting the future!

All I want is to be able to reasonably download stuff and use it... I suppose that's too much to ask... sigh...

From what I've been reading? Yes. It is. (Sorry)

[mahesh2k]

It is already happening in Movie theaters here in India. They have this Satstream technology which airs the shows based on the number of leased plays contracted between theater and distribution channel. I'm sure you can check this technology in Imax theaters. Only thing that can stop hard media distribution is ISP's limiting the internet speed. As of now there are many countries where practical implementation of this is difficult not impossible. Even with 3G, it's hard to keep up with the streamed movies here in india. I think EU/US have much better speed and if the ISPs are not limited with data then surely this will take off. Amazon and other online movie streaming sites are selling online plays for 99 cents for sometime with limited success. I don't know how many users are watching movies that way but TV or sport events are in demand via these streaming channel. It'll be easy for pirates to telesync these movies, unless ofcourse they come up with TV with signal with customer code that is shown in tv to catch the viewers who are watching pirated copy. It's like catching a pirate from code in pdf file.


GNU Save us all from this insanity.

[Renegade]

40... dammit... stop ruining the moment and predicting the future!

All I want is to be able to reasonably download stuff and use it... I suppose that's too much to ask... sigh...

Yeah....the 20th century isn't sounding so lame anymore, is it?

Yeah... True.

GNU Save us all from this insanity.

All this stuff is simply driving me way, way into the GNU camp.

[40hz]

All this stuff is simply driving me way, way into the GNU camp.

Cool! Considering your political leanings and patience with corporate BS, we were wondering when you'd finally show up.  

[attach]

[superboyac]

No joke, the recording industry is trying to figure out how to charge someone for HEARING a song played anywhere.  Let's say I go to my friend's house for a party, and he's playing some music on the stereo at the pool.  If they're going to charge per device, why stop there?  Should all the people who are hearing the music have to pay some kind of license fee for that?  What?  They just get to freeload listen?

[40hz]

^They're already busting down on bars and local cover bands for playing unlicensed music.

I knew somebody who was part of a non-profit that had a thank-you picnic for their volunteers last summer. It was held on private property and it was by invitation. Somebody attending must have ratted them out to a buddy in the recording industry.

The local organization got a polite "reminder" a few weeks later that any public performance (which apparently includes playing a CD through a portable stereo system out on your patio) requires some sort of license in order for it to be done legally. The letter suggested that next time they hire a DJ who had already obtained the requisite performance rights in order to stay on the right side of the law.

The letter wasn't exactly a threat. It was more like a "perhaps you didn't realize you have just broken the law and could be in serious trouble had we decided to pursue it" sort of things. It was probably left at that because this was a recognized charity with some very serious money and political cachet behind it, so they wouldn't have simply rolled over and played dead if it escalated much beyond "a word in your ear."

But it wasn't a joking letter either.

Crazy.

[superboyac]

^They're already busting down on bars and local cover bands for playing unlicensed music.

I knew somebody who was part of a non-profit that had a thank-you picnic for their volunteers last summer. It was held on private property and it was by invitation. Somebody attending must have ratted them out to a buddy in the recording industry.

The local organization got a polite "reminder" a few weeks later that any public performance (which apparently includes playing a CD through a portable stereo system out on your patio) requires some sort of license in order for it to be done legally. The letter suggested that next time they hire a DJ who had already obtained the requisite performance rights in order to stay on the right side of the law.

The letter wasn't exactly a threat. It was more like a "perhaps you didn't realize you have just broken the law and could be in serious trouble had we decided to pursue it" sort of things. It was probably left at that because this was a recognized charity with some very serious money and political cachet behind it, so they wouldn't have simply rolled over and played dead if it escalated much beyond "a word in your ear."

But it wasn't a joking letter either.

Crazy.

It's really a little TOO crazy.  Cover bands...it's reediculous.  All their doing is playing the music they love.  It's such a personal insult on so many levels.  What if I hum a tune?  What if I am thinking about a particular song?  If a song gets stuck in my head, do I have to pay royalties?

What's next?  Are we going to start copyrighting phrases?  Do I have to reserve in advance the sentences I want to say in my life?  Do I have to keep track of what I say, and then pay the royalties on it periodically?  If I play the blues, do I have to give money to the descendants of African American workers from the 19th century?  Did the music industry pay for those rights to the blues?  I bet I can find that 1-4-5 progression in most songs owned by the recording companies.  Shouldn't they have to pay for that to the *original* innovators?

[iphigenie]

I am a card carryin' FSF and FSFE and read Stallman's political notes rss feed to hear of what abuse happens anywhere in the world. He watches a lot.

He's an idealist of the hippie variety, but I agree with him on an awful lot of things. I wonder what that makes me? And where he might have once appeared to have cried wolf and exagerated, this year he looks awfully prescient, so we might as well at the very least hear the questions even if we dont agree with all the answers. Cause not enough people are asking those questions.

When it comes to books and media, I only buy open and I try to only use free software or software done by small independent developers - I believe small devs won't just casually cripple their customers.

[Renegade]

All this stuff is simply driving me way, way into the GNU camp.

Cool! Considering your political leanings and patience with corporate BS, we were wondering when you'd finally show up. 
(see attachment in previous post)

Hahahaha~!


Yeah, I suppose it is about time.

[Edvard]

All this stuff is simply driving me way, way into the GNU camp.

Cool! Considering your political leanings and patience with corporate BS, we were wondering when you'd finally show up. 

Hahahaha~!

Yeah, I suppose it is about time.

[40hz]

He's an idealist of the hippie variety, but I agree with him on an awful lot of things. I wonder what that makes me?

IMHO a very intelligent person. 

[40hz]

@Edvard - now don't go giving the game away this early...

@Ren - this one's just for you - the Cryptic chapter from Brooke Burgess' Broken Saints

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY1xbDm-tyE

[Deozaan]

I didn't know Broken Saints was on YouTube!

I actually own the DVD set. I should watch it again sometime soon.

[40hz]

I didn't know Broken Saints was on YouTube!

I actually own the DVD set. I should watch it again sometime soon.

Yeah. I didn't either. And it probably won't be there for long.

I've got the DVD set too. I actually like the original Flash version with that more 'colored pen' hand drawn look to the artwork over the deluxe version. The colors on the newer version were garish IMO. And the linework looked heavy and lacked the expressive subtlety of the original too. I also didn't like the actors they picked for the character voiceovers. The music was improved however.

I'm going to give it a re-watch this weekend if I have the time. I really enjoyed it even if it didn't quite work at the end. It was a noble try at least. And it was 95% there, so I'm not complaining. I've seen major motion pictures that didn't pull it off either despite $300 million budgets and 3D.

[TaoPhoenix]

I was in a discussion with an author of an ebook who claimed to want to know about how sharing copies can increase exposure and then hopefully sales. His first email was all smiley. I looked, and page 3 had one of those typical "thou shalt not copy this" notices. I figured he didn't realize it was there, so I sent him a couple of emails about logistics, including the problem of the copyright page.

No answer. I sent another one. No answer. Considering his first email was lightning fast, this was becoming suspicious.

Yesterday I went ahead and created a second Creative Commons copy of the ebook and said, "Sorry you've been busy, look at this new copy, let's go!" Bang. Half an hour later came the answer "let's not". 

I'm havin' NONE of that stuff!

"All the fun of Viral Exposure while eating the cake of a theoretical Piracy lawsuit in pocket."