Piracy

[mattyb89]

Me and a friend were discussing piracy and how illegal it really is due to the fact he pirates a lot lol and we agreed on the fact that downloading TV episodes that have already aired and anime episodes etc shouldnt be illegal in anyway as its just the same as me recording the episode, I just wondered what other peoples thoughts are on this matter. Also using youtube downloading software surely theres no difference between watchin the video online and havin it on your hardrive as long as it isnt redistributed? Anyway these were just some of those topics you get into discussions about lol thoughts welcome

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Well, it was on TV for free anyway! Can't steal something that was free

 

[legendofphil]

There is a world of difference between recording off TV and downloading a TV episode.

If you don't pay for a TV licence you haven't paid for it in the first place, TV isn't free.
If its on a channel with adverts then they are loosing money for advertising revenue.
If its not broadcast in your country or on the TV channels you have access to yet then you won't watch it when it is on.

The biggest factor is, TV shows ratings drop and they get canned, happened before and will happen again.

 

[Hitto]

If you don't pay for a TV licence you haven't paid for it in the first place, TV isn't free.
Far-fetched. Nowadays in France, the state knows even when you buy a VCR. So, you'll always pay the damn tax.

If its on a channel with adverts then they are loosing money for advertising revenue.
It's called a bonus, you get to skip commercials, the greatest evil of this century!

If its not broadcast in your country or on the TV channels you have access to yet then you won't watch it when it is on.
And won't be the local broadcaster's bitch who tells you to watch whatever HE wants, WHEN he wants. How is freedom evil?
QUOTE

The biggest factor is, TV shows ratings drop and they get canned, happened before and will happen again.

One good point!

 

[jumpman17]

Now, for me, TV downloads should be legal.

Take Stargate for example. I only had Showtime for the first 3 years of the show. Years 4-10 I had to download them as I had no way of viewing them. All be it now you can download episodes from iTunes and stuff. But I always downloaded the newest episode to see what happens. I never kept them after I watched it and then bought the season when it came out on DVD.

Or I often forget to watch a show on TV, so I just download it, watch it, and then delete it.

But maybe I'm in the minority here.

 

[mattyb89]

All good points I have to say though that when it comes to v if they didnt want piracy to ccur on programs outside of there country then they should make them availbale in those countires as well I mean take the new series of supernatural it began a few weeks ago in America however it will be probably spring before it is aired over here in the UK meaning that everyone over here int he UK will be downloading the American episodes so they are up to date, why wait when is available? And I agree you need a TV license yes but if you have one then shouldnt it be legal?

 

[Veho]

The biggest factor is, TV shows ratings drop and they get canned, happened before and will happen again.

One good point!

Wait, wait, wait. How do they calculate the ratings? They don't ask everyone whether they watched it or not, they have a sample audience of a few hundred people, and poll them. That sample batch of couch potatoes gets free TV, so they don't have to download shows. And even if they did download shows instead of watching them on TV, what are they going to say? "No, I didn't watch it, cancel it", "I downloaded a commercial-free version so the show's ability to draw my attention to commercials is gone (I guess you better cancel it)", or "Yes, I saw it, it was great, moar plz"? The fact that Internet made the connection between people who watch the show and people who watch commercial breaks sort of fuzzy, but that's still the "rating" criteria.

 

[jumpman17]

Yes, the ratings come from a small sample of people whom have special boxes in their house that track what they watch. So what gets canned or renewed comes from what those few people watch.

A very flawed ratings system and severely needs to be updated.

EDIT: In America at least. I don't know how it's done in other countries.

 

[Hitto]

The biggest factor is, TV shows ratings drop and they get canned, happened before and will happen again.
One good point!

Wait, wait, wait. How do they calculate the ratings? They don't ask everyone whether they watched it or not, they have a sample audience of a few hundred people, and poll them. That sample batch of couch potatoes gets free TV, so they don't have to download shows. And even if they did download shows instead of watching them on TV, what are they going to say? "No, I didn't watch it, cancel it", "I downloaded a commercial-free version so the show's ability to draw my attention to commercials is gone (I guess you better cancel it)", or "Yes, I saw it, it was great, moar plz"? The fact that Internet made the connection between people who watch the show and people who watch commercial breaks sort of fuzzy, but that's still the "rating" criteria.

It doesn't matter, because when a certain show gets canned, the blogosphere-dwellers (I hesitate to call them human) CAN, and HAVE drawn enough attention toward it to save it from the dumpster. Nielsen ratings are used less and less nowadays.
That is, is the powers that be are smart enough. Oh, wait.

 

[Javacat]

I think it's done like that in the UK. Cable and Sky+ might do it for all viewers (cable as it can be done over the medium and Sky+ as you need it plugged into a phone line.. I think..), but I'm not 100% sure.

Pirating TV shows in the UK does appear to have worked to some viewers advantage (that don't pirate). It was so bad over the last couple of years that it has forced broadcasters to show series' such as Lost, Prison Break, Ugly Betty (it may be aimed at women, but I

it

) almost as soon as each episode is aired in the US.
Although it has killed some programs, if downloading TV series' had been as popular 5 years ago as it is now it could have possibly saved some programs, such as Firefly (

), as broadcasters could have seen how popular it really was.

 

[FAST6191]

Morals are not something I tend to be bothered by, I am out for me and I like watching stuff. Therefore whatever provides me the best way to do it I will go for.

Therefore I am a great fan of Channel usenet concept or (import) DVDs.

Adverts: perfect time to take a leak, get a drink, play a game, speak to whoever is watching it with me..... so no loss there if I do not watch them. I can only think of one occasion an advert interested me in the last 15 years anyhow (cadburys released the white chocolate flake).

The whole wait nearly a year thing does also grate (I have grabbed US DVDs before shows hit the TV films hit the cinema fairly often although as Javacat says they seem to have wised up).

TV taxation. Fake IDs are made for a reason (I doubt the people in the TV shop either care enough to examine a good one). Also borders are often hopped for other vices (I have lost count of how many times myself and people I know have done the Belgium run or to a state with lower sales tax).

Pausing: sure I could pay for uber TV but I would rather pay 5 of your chosen currency and have a spacebar instead. My PC has a better image than my TV as well courtesy of all my filters.

As for ratings I have yet to hear a convicing point that says they are any more accurate than reading tea leaves. (I was once asked to keep a book of radio stations I listened to over a week, I asked if the Dutch radio station I listen too (675am if anyone wondered, I will take classic rock over g3nst2113ndr rap (I think I spelt it correctly)) counted and they said no.

Shows getting canned, no pithy response here other than perhaps I will always find something to watch.

 

[VVoltz]

Interesting points.

I think the iTunes service is great BUT too pricey, I mean 2USD per episode sounds like a rip off to me. But then again the work involved on actually making the show available on iTunes must be like 300% harder than for a song, that only leads me to think the music is also over priced.

Fun should always be free.

 

[gratefulbuddy]

There is a world of difference between recording off TV and downloading a TV episode.

If you don't pay for a TV licence you haven't paid for it in the first place, TV isn't free.

What is a TV license? Who needs one? Consumers or broadcasters?
Dont you guys have broadcast channels in the UK? In the US as long as I own a tv and an antenna my tv is free.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

There is a world of difference between recording off TV and downloading a TV episode.

If you don't pay for a TV licence you haven't paid for it in the first place, TV isn't free.


What is a TV license? Who needs one? Consumers or broadcasters?
Dont you guys have broadcast channels in the UK? In the US as long as I own a tv and an antenna my tv is free.

exactly. I just plug my antenna into my TV. and the channels are there. no license. it must be something from across the pond I guess. silly of him to assume it applies ot the whole world..So, yeah, TV is free.

as for the commercials you are free to walk away from them when they come on during the original broadcast. or change the channel. so there's no difference between downloading and skipping them. unless they strap you down and hold your eyes open during the commercials. like clockwork orange.

 

[jimmy j]

There is a world of difference between recording off TV and downloading a TV episode.

If you don't pay for a TV licence you haven't paid for it in the first place, TV isn't free.


What is a TV license? Who needs one? Consumers or broadcasters?
Dont you guys have broadcast channels in the UK? In the US as long as I own a tv and an antenna my tv is free.

In the UK, you must own a TV license to own or operate any TV reception equipment. You can simply get a TV, plug in an antenna and watch, but it is illegal and you would face a stiff fine if caught.
The worst part of the whole thing (and this really p*sses me off) is that the license fee only pays for the BBC! All the other channels get their money from showing advertisements. Even if you never watch the BBC channels, you have to pay!

There was a news story a while back, about a woman who was paying £40 per month for cable TV. She never watched the channels that come through the normal antenna, never watched BBC, only ever watched cable. Anyways, the inspector knocked on her door, she let him in, explained that she only watched cable, even cut the antenna wire in front of him to prove it, and she still got hit with the fine!

I don't pay the license fee as I don't own a TV anymore, but I'm looking to buy a HD screen. It's purely for my PC/360, so I'll be getting one that doesn't have built-in freeview (a signal decoder) so, legally, I won't have to pay for a license.

I'm really looking forward to f**king with the inspector when he comes to my door

 

[legendofphil]

I don't pay the license fee as I don't own a TV anymore, but I'm looking to buy a HD screen. It's purely for my PC/360, so I'll be getting one that doesn't have built-in freeview (a signal decoder) so, legally, I won't have to pay for a license.

Doesn't matter if it has a built in reciever or not, you have to ring them and tell them you aren't using the TV to watch broadcasted programming.
You can get fined for just having the TV.

 

[mattyb89]

I don't pay the license fee as I don't own a TV anymore, but I'm looking to buy a HD screen. It's purely for my PC/360, so I'll be getting one that doesn't have built-in freeview (a signal decoder) so, legally, I won't have to pay for a license.


Doesn't matter if it has a built in reciever or not, you have to ring them and tell them you aren't using the TV to watch broadcasted programming.
You can get fined for just having the TV.

What he says is true as far as I'm aware you have to contact them as they'll get you on any technicality nowadays the worlds gone crazy!

 

[Marxian]

There is a world of difference between recording off TV and downloading a TV episode.

If you don't pay for a TV licence you haven't paid for it in the first place, TV isn't free.


What is a TV license? Who needs one? Consumers or broadcasters?
Dont you guys have broadcast channels in the UK? In the US as long as I own a tv and an antenna my tv is free.

In the UK, you must own a TV license to own or operate any TV reception equipment. You can simply get a TV, plug in an antenna and watch, but it is illegal and you would face a stiff fine if caught.
The worst part of the whole thing (and this really p*sses me off) is that the license fee only pays for the BBC! All the other channels get their money from showing advertisements. Even if you never watch the BBC channels, you have to pay!

There was a news story a while back, about a woman who was paying £40 per month for cable TV. She never watched the channels that come through the normal antenna, never watched BBC, only ever watched cable. Anyways, the inspector knocked on her door, she let him in, explained that she only watched cable, even cut the antenna wire in front of him to prove it, and she still got hit with the fine!

I don't pay the license fee as I don't own a TV anymore, but I'm looking to buy a HD screen. It's purely for my PC/360, so I'll be getting one that doesn't have built-in freeview (a signal decoder) so, legally, I won't have to pay for a license.

I'm really looking forward to f**king with the inspector when he comes to my door

The fact that the woman watched cable only is not relevant, as the BBC channels are available via the cable service.

Sorry to point this out but you need to purchase a TV without a TV tuner (whether Freeview or analog) in order to avoid a TV license. My HDTV does not have a built-in Freeview tuner but it can receive an analog signal, and therefore requires a TV license. It is possible to buy a HDTV without an on-board tuner but there are not many of them about these days.

 

[jimmy j]

Doesn't matter if it has a built in reciever or not, you have to ring them and tell them you aren't using the TV to watch broadcasted programming.
You can get fined for just having the TV.

Even if my equipment is incapable of recieving and displaying a broadcast signal?

 

[legendofphil]

If it has no tuner at all I think its safe, but the vast majority have a tuner and most of them have 2 (1 being freeview).

But if you mean it has no aerial, then you definatly need to ring them.

EDIT: Either way I would ring up, TV retailers have to pass your details onto the TV Licensing people now anyway.