I came to this thread because I am interested. I like to have tv/movie going in the background when I do other things, and sometimes I even like to pay attention to what I'm watching :)
We have not had broadcast TV since it went digital (never got a box or a new tv), and I can't say I miss it much. At the time, we had Amazon Prime (which we still have)...we got prime for the shipping, and it is worth it to me. We went through most of the content that interested us, and rarely (very rarely) end up watching anything over Amazon Prime. For a while it was Android compatible, and I would watch on my phone or Ramona's tablet as well as on the laptop.
We do watch a lot of Netflix since we subscribed...I'm not using Hulu plus enough, and will probably end up canceling it (most of the content that I tend to watch there is available directly from the network...Daily Show, South Park, etc. In theory I think I would use it more, but I simply don't.
I ordered my smartphone the night before they dropped the unlimited plans, so I have 4g, unlimited, and I also use it as a hotspot.
I'm considering getting a digital converter box and trying the airwaves again...I don't think I could stomach paying for cable...I rarely find anything I want to watch when I do have access to Fios.
I've also found a number of older shows (good background stuff) like 'Small Wonder' and 'Too Close for Comfort' available on Youtube. I can't make any claims about the legality of making these available on Youtube, but big brother Google is certainly interested in making sure that IP is respected, and it seems that violations are dealt with...some of these have commercials as well.
So, I was very interested to see what others are doing. I was reading through the thread when I came across:
I've shared my site of choice before http://www.tubeplus.me/ there really isn't any TV series I haven't found here and all content is commercial free.
and
Nearly every book I pay for, I find elsewhere and can use filemaster (and a few other apps) to download. Not as convenient as Audible, but $14 a month cheaper.
..which is what I was commenting on. If you don't want a discussion about illegal downloading, perhaps it would be best not to discuss how and where to do illegal downloading?
Deknow.... Why do Libs always think people are talking about them?
1. How did this become about 'libs'?
2. You were addressing me directly, I assumed you were talking to me and about me.
Here we go.... "I've stole before, but that was me" Glad you forgave yourself.
I recognize that I have stolen. I recognize that I will probably steal again before I die. I haven't given any thought to the idea of 'forgiving myself' or not. I don't go around telling other people how to steal and justifying to myself that it isn't stealing.
Let me ask this, If you paid for HBO and a show appeared on there, so you chose to download it AFTER paying your fees to HBO - are you still stealing, just stealing a little - or have you paid your royalties?
They are not 'my royalties' to pay. In your above example, you have a clear contract with HBO, who has a clear contract with the owner of the work. If you feel entitled to make an agreement but change it unilaterally because you think you deserve more than you agreed to, that's fine....just as it's fine if someone pays for a pound jar of honey and feels entitled to take a 2lb jar off the table instead...after all, if the customer feels entitled.....
Shows on Broadcast TV where you can obtain the content through the airways, through a legal digital converter box - do you see watching a copy to watch (NOT DISTRIBUTE) infringement? Does that commercial you muted and went for a bowl of ice cream until the show can back make you a thief?
This is clearly legal and proper...has anyone said or implied otherwise?
How about shows that you can not find on regular TV until of course they make a movie of the same name, then they dust the box off and play a Gilligan's Island Marathon - how much of a crook is it if you would like your kids to see these, especially if they have never heard of them and they were the shows you couldn't wait to air as a kid 50 years ago?
I'm not sure how/why anyone is entitled to things they don't have legal rights to, and for which the owner doesn't care to grant them to you. One could _at least_ understand what it is they are doing instead of pretending that because they want it and can't get it legitimately that they are entitled to obtain it through whatever means necessary.
...that isn't to say that I would fault anyone for downloading Gilligans Island for their kids to watch (I love Gilligans Island). Telling others how to do it on a public forum (that you own) and acting as if it is your right to have access to it is a whole other thing.
If I pay for cable, and a show airs on a channel I paid for - then I believe I have the right to see that show however I choose
That is an absurd position. You have the rights that are in your contract with your provider. If you don't like that contract you can cancel it or you can ignore it....but you don't have the right to download a bit torrent of it just because you feel justified.
I know you admit to being a thief in your past, reminds me of the I smoked pot when I was a kid line - no one smokes pot, but they sure use too! but somehow you believe that qualifying others in a hierarchy that you either made up, or you get a trill out of seeing how us evil people dance with the devil for an episode of Bewitched or Rifleman.
Gee...I feel so bad about myself now. ...but my point has been driven home...you feel justified in stealing...so justified it doesn't seem like stealing, does it?
So, I'll ask this - if I choose to stream or download a TV show or movie I pay monthly fees to a cable company to see, but I don't want to pay another $12 a month for a DVR, I give up rights to watch that show that I paid for because I was at work, not home or watched something else? How many times are you supposed to pay for something? Isn't it ever yours?
This has been clear since 1984. You can record the show yourself to view (you could probably buy a VCR for $12...probably setup a cheap PC based recorder for not very much money...you could even setup your old super8 movie camera and wire recorder if you like). You cannot download a torrent file that someone without any rights to the work uploads to the web.
Final thought, seems movie companies make about 2 dozen films a year for half a decade ...
Not sure your point here. If you don't like the product, don't buy it. If you steal it, you wanted the product all along, no matter how much you complain about it.
I suppose you write a royalty check every time you sing happy birthday too - or do you apply rules so the best fit you? Satellite, cable, streaming media or over the air content, whether watching commercials or paying for channels - we all watch something, probably frequently that might raise an eyebrow on infringement.
You clearly don't understand (or don't want to be seen as understanding) how copyright law works.
'Raising an eyebrow' is not the same thing as, 'here is where i get my illegal TV...you can too, and it isn't even wrong!'
Again, I started to read this thread because I was interested in the topic. Again, I was disappointed at what I read.
deknow