26 April 2013

US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich wants you to please stop pirating Game of Thrones

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THRONES

Canberra’s US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich is a big fan of Canberra, which endears him to us here at RiotACT.

He’s also a big fan of Game of Thrones, which also has a fair amount of popularity with us.

He has posted on his official Facebook account a very polite request for Australia to please to stop downloading Game of Thrones.

Does this make this a matter of foreign policy?

Earlier this month, my family and I joined millions of others in watching the premiere of the third season of Game of Thrones. For those who aren’t already fans, it is a great epic chronicling the devious machinations of rival noble houses fighting for supremacy. Unfortunately, nearly as epic and devious as the drama, is its unprecedented theft by online viewers around the world. The file-sharing news website TorrentFreak estimated that Game of Thrones was the most-pirated TV series of 2012. One episode was illegally downloaded about 4,280,000 times through public BitTorrent trackers in 2012, which is about equal to the number of that episode’s broadcast viewers. In other words, about half of that episode’s viewers stole the program from HBO. As the Ambassador here in Australia, it was especially troubling to find out that Australian fans were some of the worst offenders with among the highest piracy rates of Game of Thrones in the world. While some people here used to claim that they used pirate sites only because of a delay in getting new episodes here, the show is now available from legitimate sources within hours of its broadcast in the United States.

In 2012 I paid for a season pass for the second season and felt quite good about it. I then discovered that because I’m in Australia I couldn’t get the episodes in HD, and I would have to wait over a week after the episode aired before I could access it. Then I felt a little like I wished I had just stolen it.

I can certainly see why someone would torrent it. (I can even see why someone might pay for it AND then torrent it anyways. So they get a reasonable quality product on time while still supplying HBO with money, not that I’m admitting to anything).

Johnboy would like everyone to know he paid for it also.

What do you think Rioters?

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Ah season 4 has started, download time mofo’s 🙂

cool, does TorrentFreak have motor racing and other sports ? I’ve never heard of TorrentFreak before thanks for the tip mr Ambassador.

Avast, ya scurvy dogs! Fat Fox galleons ripe for the plundering!

thebrownstreak698:43 am 29 Apr 13

Postalgeek said :

DVD zones, tedious DRM limitations, geo-blocking, and price gouging.

What better way to drive people to find creative solutions? I can’t imagine the industry could’ve done much more to fuel piracy in Australia.

American companies Microsoft, Apple and Adobe have been subpoenaed by Parliament as recently as February over their pricing mark-ups for Australian customers. I use HopShopGo now to buy Corel and Adobe software at American prices. I abandoned my rego numbers and customer history when it was clear that the geographic information in my registration was being used against me.

Call me crazy, but gouging people while telling them not to rip you off generally doesn’t result in Road to Damascus moments.

The funny thing is that Usenet pirates are still prepared to pay monthly subscription fees for news services like Giganews, and for NZB sites.

+1. Sensible pricing and access would remove a lot of the incentive to steal this stuff.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Sure. Send me your name, address, e-mail, phone number and credit card details and I’ll send you the info.

You do not have a service I require, so no…

How ever, if you did offer a service I wanted I would happily hand that information over to you.

So your criterion for providing personal information to someone who sells something you want is not whether they need it, just that they’ve asked you for it?

🙂 You’re a trusting soul. I wish you luck.

Please – no Mully here!

Tooks said :

If watching the show makes someone a geek, I guess reading the books makes me some kind of mutant supergeek.

Reading is for the sheeple, apparently.

Looks like we got ourselves a reader.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd5:48 pm 28 Apr 13

Deref said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

thanks JB.

I tried to sign up for iTunes once, but the further I got into it, the more private information they wanted, all of which was totally irrelevant to my purchase. All they needed was my money, but they wanted a whole bunch of information that I’m damned if I’m going to give them – and neither should you.

Is there a site that’ll just take my money and send me the product (like all the other sites I buy stuff from)?

Care to explain the paranoia?

Sure. Send me your name, address, e-mail, phone number and credit card details and I’ll send you the info.

You do not have a service I require, so no…

How ever, if you did offer a service I wanted I would happily hand that information over to you.

Pork Hunt said :

Deref said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

thanks JB.

I tried to sign up for iTunes once, but the further I got into it, the more private information they wanted, all of which was totally irrelevant to my purchase. All they needed was my money, but they wanted a whole bunch of information that I’m damned if I’m going to give them – and neither should you.

Is there a site that’ll just take my money and send me the product (like all the other sites I buy stuff from)?

Care to explain the paranoia?

Sure. Send me your name, address, e-mail, phone number and credit card details and I’ll send you the info.

Pretty common data required if you want to buy something via the interwebs…

If you’re ordering a physical product, they need your address. They could reasonably ask for a contact – email address of phone number, though they don’t need that to send you the goods and it’s not their problem if you don’t provide it.

If you’re ordering a digital product, all they need is your IP address, which they get automatically.

In both cases they need confirmation of your payment; if you’re ordering using PayPal (or similar) they have that through PayPal (or similar).

If they’re asking for anything more than those, you’re at best naive if you don’t ask why. They don’t need it for the transaction.

You’re perfectly entitled to provide as much information as you want to anyone you like. I tend to be a little more careful, particularly when it comes to organisations that have shown themselves to be untrustworthy. If they want personal info from me, they need to give me a bloody good explanation as to why they want it, what they’re going to do with it and how they’re going to protect it.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd would be within his/her rights to ask me why I want that information just to send him/her what s/he asked for.

My response would be “precisely”.

Deref said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

thanks JB.

I tried to sign up for iTunes once, but the further I got into it, the more private information they wanted, all of which was totally irrelevant to my purchase. All they needed was my money, but they wanted a whole bunch of information that I’m damned if I’m going to give them – and neither should you.

Is there a site that’ll just take my money and send me the product (like all the other sites I buy stuff from)?

Care to explain the paranoia?

Sure. Send me your name, address, e-mail, phone number and credit card details and I’ll send you the info.

Pretty common data required if you want to buy something via the interwebs…

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

thanks JB.

I tried to sign up for iTunes once, but the further I got into it, the more private information they wanted, all of which was totally irrelevant to my purchase. All they needed was my money, but they wanted a whole bunch of information that I’m damned if I’m going to give them – and neither should you.

Is there a site that’ll just take my money and send me the product (like all the other sites I buy stuff from)?

Care to explain the paranoia?

Sure. Send me your name, address, e-mail, phone number and credit card details and I’ll send you the info.

DVD zones, tedious DRM limitations, geo-blocking, and price gouging. What better way to drive people to find creative solutions? I can’t imagine the industry could’ve done much more to fuel piracy in Australia.

American companies Microsoft, Apple and Adobe have been subpoenaed by Parliament as recently as February over their pricing mark-ups for Australian customers. I use HopShopGo now to buy Corel and Adobe software at American prices. I abandoned my rego numbers and customer history when it was clear that the geographic information in my registration was being used against me.

Call me crazy, but gouging people while telling them not to rip you off generally doesn’t result in Road to Damascus moments.

The funny thing is that Usenet pirates are still prepared to pay monthly subscription fees for news services like Giganews, and for NZB sites.

Come on Rioters! I deliberately spelt “piracy” wrong in my previous post here to get a bite and nobody responded. Looks like I’ll have to try a lot harder next time.

Well whether this has been mentioned or not I don’t know, but one of the Game Of Thrones directors has gone on record saying that the piracy doesn’t do that much to harm the actual show, as it’s created a culture around the show.

As someone who read the books, downloaded and watched the series from day 1 and was super excited as soon as I heard about it I can tell you a lot of people didn’t expect it to get this big, and half the reason it has was word of mouth.

Australia doesn’t offer very easy methods of getting the show that aren’t counter productive. A large amount of the fan base happily download now and buy on blu ray when it comes out a year later.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/27/4035390/game-of-thrones-director-piracy

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd7:13 pm 27 Apr 13

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

thanks JB.

I tried to sign up for iTunes once, but the further I got into it, the more private information they wanted, all of which was totally irrelevant to my purchase. All they needed was my money, but they wanted a whole bunch of information that I’m damned if I’m going to give them – and neither should you.

Is there a site that’ll just take my money and send me the product (like all the other sites I buy stuff from)?

Care to explain the paranoia?

One could buy an itunes card at the petrol station, give totally bogus data, and still get the show.

Tetranitrate6:49 pm 27 Apr 13

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

thanks JB.

I tried to sign up for iTunes once, but the further I got into it, the more private information they wanted, all of which was totally irrelevant to my purchase. All they needed was my money, but they wanted a whole bunch of information that I’m damned if I’m going to give them – and neither should you.

What’s more apple is just the worst when it comes to blatant anti-competitive behavior (mainly tying). Microsoft damn near got broken up in 2000 for a mere fraction of the garbage that apple pulls routinely.
I never did bother with an Ipod (in favor of the generic mp3 players available at the time) simply because I refused to be forced to use their software(Itunes) just for the privileged of using a piece of equipment I’d bought. They pull this garbage everywhere – you buy a product, then suddenly you need to use Itunes and a whole host of other apple products simply to use it as designed because they’ve deliberately built everything to be utterly incompatible with everything else.
(you could jailbreak them, but that itself was a no-no until 2010).

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd6:11 pm 27 Apr 13

Postalgeek said :

caf said :

Is it stealing, or is it paying the iron price?

Jaime Lannister got a five-finger discount.

NO SOILERS!!!

Although that man is no the goat.

THATHFIRES THATHFIRES

Coming into this thread late and it’s a bit tldr, so forgive me if this has been discussed….

But why is it that I view free downloading as theft of a movie/series but borrowing that same movie/series of someone else who bought the DVD set is fine within my moral code?

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

thanks JB.

I tried to sign up for iTunes once, but the further I got into it, the more private information they wanted, all of which was totally irrelevant to my purchase. All they needed was my money, but they wanted a whole bunch of information that I’m damned if I’m going to give them – and neither should you.

Is there a site that’ll just take my money and send me the product (like all the other sites I buy stuff from)?

johnboy said :

I keep saying itunes deref.

Now if you want to bitch that it costs $99 to get an appletv I have to wonder what TV you’re watching, or computer you’re accessing the internet with?

Things cost money. Are you planning to eat food soon?

I honestly think that the $99 I paid for my AppleTV box is one of the best purchasesI have ever made.

Someone asked me the other day if you could use it if you ran your iTunes through a PC and not a Mac. As all the computers in my house are Apple I didn’t know.

I guess I could just google it, but why not just ask on here! Anyone?

Deckard said :

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I will, however, agree that if they wanted less pirating selling the rights to a free to air broadcaster would have helped.

So it’s only available on pay TV?

And they wonder why people pirate it.

Get used to it. Along with its deal with HBO, Foxtel have signed a deal with the BBC for next year. If you want new cutting edge quality tv you’re going to have to pay for it.

I’m perfectly happy to pay for a show I want to watch. Can you point me to the site that lets me pay for it and download it?

Or do I have to sign up for 12 months to Rupert’s pay TV system and pay lots more for a shedload of crap that I don’t want and will never watch?

I keep saying itunes deref.

Now if you want to bitch that it costs $99 to get an appletv I have to wonder what TV you’re watching, or computer you’re accessing the internet with?

Things cost money. Are you planning to eat food soon?

HiddenDragon1:14 pm 27 Apr 13

switch said :

As worrying as this is – what will the ABC broadcast without all those BBC dramas and docos to fill their schedule for starters – I don’t see how the Australian government of either colour can do much about a commercial decision between Fox and the BBC.

Indeed, and it may all be too late – but if ABC TV hadn’t become so comfortably reliant on product from the BBC, it may have a stronger constituency. As it is, ABC TV (particularly ABC1) is effectively BBC Australia, with local news, current affairs, a bit of light entertainment, and occasional local drama. Depending upon what it loses through the BBC/Foxtel deal, ABC TV might start looking a bit thin, and it will be that much easier for its critics to go in for the kill. Then again, if there is any money left, we might just see a local renaissance, of sorts.

(Apologies to Game of Thrones devotees who want to stick closely to that topic).

As worrying as this is – what will the ABC broadcast without all those BBC dramas and docos to fill their schedule for starters – I don’t see how the Australian government of either colour can do much about a commercial decision between Fox and the BBC.

HiddenDragon12:42 pm 27 Apr 13

#62 Deckard said: “Foxtel have signed a deal with the BBC for next year” – a most interesting development in the culture wars, and another sign that News really has it in for the ABC. If federal Labor could get out of headless chook mode for a while, they might realise that the fate of the ABC is a vote changer – and it’s not just the stereotypic inner-city latte-sippers who care.

BTW, how cheap are people who can’t afford to pay $3 an episode for a show they really like?

Ben_Dover said :

Mr Evil said :

So, it looks like I’m the only person who hasn’t bothered watching this crap?

Nope, I can honestly say that I haven’t bothered. Looks like w@nk fodder for geeks.

If watching the show makes someone a geek, I guess reading the books makes me some kind of mutant supergeek.

Reading is for the sheeple, apparently.

Deref said :

johnboy said :

I will, however, agree that if they wanted less pirating selling the rights to a free to air broadcaster would have helped.

So it’s only available on pay TV?

And they wonder why people pirate it.

Get used to it. Along with its deal with HBO, Foxtel have signed a deal with the BBC for next year. If you want new cutting edge quality tv you’re going to have to pay for it.

Anyway, FTA tv is obsessed with cheap to make reality shows rather than paying for good tv. Then if it doesn’t rate you’ll be struggling through the tv guide to find where they’ve hidden it at different times each week.

Of course you can easily break the law and download it and I’ll admit I’ve done this many times in the past. But how many of the downloaders here have a go at other petty criminals on other threads? You’ll have a go at the petty law breakers stealing a chocolate bar or driving at 57 in a 50 zone but what you’re doing is different is it?

johnboy said :

I will, however, agree that if they wanted less pirating selling the rights to a free to air broadcaster would have helped.

So it’s only available on pay TV?

And they wonder why people pirate it.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

eily said :

Well, you could read the books. Get more story that way. But then no-one would get to see the sexy bits now would they?

The books are way better than the show.

That is something that has been argued since film was invented. Books are certainly more descriptive than a visual medium, they can give you a better back-story and insight into a character mind.

But sometimes both are excellent. There are many example of this in movies and television. Also, the filmed version is usually an adaptation of the book/s, not a copy of the actual books.

I think that both media can be done very well, and both can be enjoyed independent of each other.

For me, Game of Thrones has been produced well in both the printed and filmed media and I enjoy both equally.

Oh..and to get back on topic…I have Foxtel…mainly for the sport..but have GoT and a couple of other shows when I want them is a bonus.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd8:00 pm 26 Apr 13

eily said :

Well, you could read the books. Get more story that way. But then no-one would get to see the sexy bits now would they?

The books are way better than the show.

Well, you could read the books. Get more story that way. But then no-one would get to see the sexy bits now would they?

Tetranitrate6:57 pm 26 Apr 13

I don’t know how it’s possible that nobody has posted this highly relevant comic yet, but here goes:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones

Mr Evil said :

So, it looks like I’m the only person who hasn’t bothered watching this crap?

Actually, I do tell a lie: I watched portions of about two episodes, before deciding that it was utter crap.

Next fad, please!

Never fear, you’re not alone.

I really don’t think this is pyrosy. It’s something else entirely.

gungsuperstar4:53 pm 26 Apr 13

I just think such simplistic requests are perennially unrealistic.

I don’t watch GoT – I must be the only person who gave it a chance (the first half of the first series) and just didn’t see anything in it.

But another show that faces the same issues that I do watch is Mad Men.

What am I supposed to do? I can’t get Foxtel because I rent. I can’t get streaming tv because nether NBN nor ADSL2+ is available in my area. I have an iTunes account, but their rubbish file type means I can’t play it on my television.

So what I do? Am I stucky paying $3.50 an ep on iTunes to watch it on a 13 inch screen?

Do I just wait 6 months to buy the blu ray? Cos I buy the blu ray anyway… so why should I feel guilty about watching a show that they actively make very difficult to watch?

For every person in this debate that makes “excuses”, there are certainly people whose only genuine access to these shows (other than waiting for dvds) is to torrent it.

And so it’s way to simplistic to say there there’s this great show that I’m not entitled to watch for 6 months due to circumstances beyond my control.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd4:25 pm 26 Apr 13

I pay for everything is possible.

Problem is lots of stuff here is delayed on Apple TV(like American horror story for one example) so I am forced to torrent that. I can handle maybe a weeks delay, anymore and it comes straight from a private torrent site day of release.

I want today for this stuff, so why not release it same time as America?

Bosworth said :

I’ve downloaded 3 cars already!

Those ads were funny, or course people would download a car if they could 🙂

Hopefully Jeffrey Bleich will turn his iron eagle gaze back over the Pacific and remonstrate Microsoft, Apple and Adobe who regularly charge the Australian shopper significantly more than the US shopper.

Can’t have it both ways Jeffrey…

Shame Australians shame!

caf said :

Is it stealing, or is it paying the iron price?

Jaime Lannister got a five-finger discount.

I’ve downloaded 3 cars already!

There are so few channels I would actually pay to watch. The BBC, and Dave are all I would really consider worth any expense.

Shame they are not available here.

Mr Evil said :

johnboy said :

Yes, not watching good tv makes you an individual. Glad to see you’ve cracked it,

MKR fan too, are we?

Some people seem to think that’s good TV too….

Game of Thrones attracts even the most ardent non-conformers Mr Evil.

Mr Evil said :

So, it looks like I’m the only person who hasn’t bothered watching this crap?

Nope, I can honestly say that I haven’t bothered. Looks like w@nk fodder for geeks.

There are only two shows that are good to watch on TV: Fast ‘n Loud and Overhaulin’.

And who could for get the Axis of Awesome contribution on this matter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CLCOvZOh1o

WINTER HAS BEEN COMING FOR SIXTEEN F***ING YEARS

johnboy said :

Yes, not watching good tv makes you an individual. Glad to see you’ve cracked it,

MKR fan too, are we?

Some people seem to think that’s good TV too….

johnboy said :

I will, however, agree that if they wanted less pirating selling the rights to a free to air broadcaster would have helped.

That foxtel is hard to get for renters should really be considered.

The foxtel over xbox and internet service though works great for watching the rugby this season.

I think thats the crux of the matter though. If its not readily available people will use it as an excuse to pirate. There is though plenty of evidence where good distribution channels that have no DRM work.

As for Fox they upset many viewers by putting it on a channel not many people get. If they put it on a channel the basic package could get they might have got some new subscribers. Instead they were trying to get an extra $25 a month out of people upgrading to the movie package.
The biggest complaint most people have with foxtel is paying for channels they don’t want. A large number of people would get foxtel if they offered a sports only package (or movie only package for that matter) with none of the other crap. Of course the other crap helps pay for foxtel via ads etc, so unlikely to happen.

Is it stealing, or is it paying the iron price?

+1 to Ambassador Bleich for a reasonable and restraint statement on what some consider to be a contentious issue. Much better than the usual “you’re all demon spawn and will die in hell” approach.

Read the first book of the series when it first came out and decided it wasn’t worth buying the of the series. No interest in the TV series, so I guess I’m an awful person.

What day/time does GoT become available on iTunes?

@postalgeek 3am Tuesday morning.

We signed a free trade agreement with the US, which basically protects US intellectual property rights and not much else, yet in return we get blocked from purchasing stuff from the US because we are in Australia (eg. try to buy ASICS shoes alot of online retailers in the US)?

So tell me why we really should care about the fact that US companies could not be stuffed to make a presence here and offer us what they get over in the US. The fact is we are a market they are not at all interested in. So if this is the case, why are they whinging about the vapourous millions they have lost from Australians D/L their shows?

If someone can show me figures how box office profits have dropped, and DVD and blu sales have plummeted, perhaps I might listen to what he is saying. My gut instinct suggests that the movie/tv industry is doing very well, despite the GFC etc. There is less money out there in the world to borrow to make films, so studios have taken an extremely risk averse approach (stifling creativity etc.) with funding stuff.

johnboy said :

I will, however, agree that if they wanted less pirating selling the rights to a free to air broadcaster would have helped.

That foxtel is hard to get for renters should really be considered.

The foxtel over xbox and internet service though works great for watching the rugby this season.

Foxtel is definitely worth it if you love sports, but not having it gives me a excuse to go to the pub.

Mr Evil said :

johnboy said :

If you don’t like Game of Thrones you’re an awful person.

Ditto if you don’t pay for it.

I’m happy to be judged as awful for not liking Game of Thrones – if it means that I’m not another one of the sheep who are following whatever’s popular this month…. 🙂

I hear oxygen is very popular with the sheeple atm. Something else for independent thinkers to avoid.

utah said :

…and yet “Game of Thrones” director, David Petrarca, doesn’t care:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2013/02/26/this-game-of-thrones-director-isnt-bothered-by-piracy/

While we’re talking about things that are morally wrong, how about them drone strikes, Jeffrey?

Drone strikes are indeed awesome, but I don’t think they’d fit in well with Game of Thrones.

Did you mean dragons maybe?

I will, however, agree that if they wanted less pirating selling the rights to a free to air broadcaster would have helped.

That foxtel is hard to get for renters should really be considered.

The foxtel over xbox and internet service though works great for watching the rugby this season.

A_Cog said :

Dear Jeff,
I’ll make a deal with you. If you stop dragging US allies into bullsh!t wars spanning decades, I’ll stop pirating Game of Thrones (which is really just a medieval version of Dallas, with all these scheming aristocrats) and also stop pirating the plethora of mediocre shows and movies your country keeps pumping out.
Fair?

Without getting too far off topic we were hardly “dragged” into the last couple of wars. We went in so fast Howard hardly had time to get off his knees and wipe his lips.

eh_steve said :

They should try to embed ads in the torrents and release a couple of episodes that way, just to see what happens.

They’d be stripped or skipped over. What a lot of them do is product placement (which might not be possible with a show like GoT, while I haven’t seen it I’m sure it’d be immersion breaking if the character has a sword in one hand an a coke in the other) or ad insertion.

If they put a little banner for a product for 10 seconds every 10 minutes or so I wouldn’t mind. As long as it wasn’t obtrusive. Of course there are many options for them to come up with solutions on making money on what people want but the studios / distributors are being stubborn on this and want their monopolies and double (sometimes triple) dipping to remain in place forever.

Would I steal a car? Well, no but if I could download a car then you better believe I would.

Dear Jeff,
I’ll make a deal with you. If you stop dragging US allies into bullsh!t wars spanning decades, I’ll stop pirating Game of Thrones (which is really just a medieval version of Dallas, with all these scheming aristocrats) and also stop pirating the plethora of mediocre shows and movies your country keeps pumping out.
Fair?

HiddenDragon1:48 pm 26 Apr 13

The American perspective on this subject has clearly evolved (presumably in keeping with the shift in the international balance of trade in ideas) from this rather liberal, and deftly nuanced, view put forward two hundred years ago by Thomas Jefferson:

http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a1_8_8s12.html

…and yet “Game of Thrones” director, David Petrarca, doesn’t care:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2013/02/26/this-game-of-thrones-director-isnt-bothered-by-piracy/

While we’re talking about things that are morally wrong, how about them drone strikes, Jeffrey?

JonahBologna1:40 pm 26 Apr 13

I watch Game of Thrones without paying for it. I am also unable to stream it.

I’m not able to stream video at home with my horrible 50-year-old copper ADSL connection. I have found a way to directly download video from ABC’s I-View so I can watch it without all of the stopping and sputtering. Is that pirating (copyright infringement) or hacking (using a device or service for an unintended purpose) or does it matter?

With this insanely slow internet connection distributed downloading (bit-torrent) is the only viable file transfer method since speed and connectivity are not an issue.

I guess I could pay for Foxtel, and then record each episode as it airs (piracy/hacking), and then broadcast the media to my TV when I want to watch it, but I won’t pay nearly $100 per month for the opportunity.

dixyland said :

I borrowed the Blu-Rays from guy from work – I wonder if I’m going straight to hell for watching it and not paying for it. 🙂

This is a polarising debate that opposite sides can’t and don’t want to see. It’s sad because that makes the debate boring as hell. Debates are usually only good if a middle ground is possible , and this one just degenerates into childish name-calling.

As for the people not wanting to be sheep and resisting watching it when others say it’s a good show – there is a reason that people sat it’s a good show and that you should watch it.

I hope it wasn’t region coded! Now there’s a scam…

They should try to embed ads in the torrents and release a couple of episodes that way, just to see what happens.

I borrowed the Blu-Rays from guy from work – I wonder if I’m going straight to hell for watching it and not paying for it. 🙂

This is a polarising debate that opposite sides can’t and don’t want to see. It’s sad because that makes the debate boring as hell. Debates are usually only good if a middle ground is possible , and this one just degenerates into childish name-calling.

As for the people not wanting to be sheep and resisting watching it when others say it’s a good show – there is a reason that people sat it’s a good show and that you should watch it.

Here’s one for you – if I’m watching it on my own tv using my friends login details for HBO he’s paid for, is that stealing?

Ps piracy is not ‘stealing’. Piracy is copyright violation.

Pps, Game of Thrones is awesome, and I’m not into fantasy usually.

johnboy said :

I have an appletv

it cost $99, it’s the size of a hockey puck and it puts my shows onto my TV, as well as streaming my music into the TV speakers.

When I’ve got a new episode available of shows i’ve bought I get an email.

It works really well and if you can’t afford $40 for a season of a quality show you like then you need to re-evaluate your life IMHO.

For those that have ever owned DVD’s for a long enough period you know that they aren’t infallible.
A good number are authored wrong and freeze, the new bluray format is copy protected so much that at anytime the powers that be can strike down your player from existence (forcing consumers to go out and upgrade all their now useless home entertainment equipment), and there is no way to play it on Linux.

DVD/Bluray you can take to a friends and watch it. You can easily put it in more than one place with a little effort. Making a backup is slightly tricky. Unless its Bluray the quality is pretty bad and your forced to sit though anti-copyright BS for 5-10 minutes before the movie.

Buying online is more expensive and less portable, you can’t actually buy the movie but only a licence to watch it. DRM is a pain. You can’t easily burn a tv show to DVD so you can play it in a car DVD player on a trip or watch it on your phone etc.

Black market, is easy to access, portable and easy to watch and backup.
However its not free: Internet costs money a bit its very cheap, people are willing to pay for it, yet they want to be unrestricted in how they keep and use it.

More recently, TV shows and movies are starting to be user-funded. There are many kickstarter programs out there trying to raise money to bring series back. I conceive this is where the industry will go. Users pay to have what they want made and they get to see it when its produced.

Black markets only exist where the perceived value of something is less than what the item is selling for and everyone knows the USA and others are notorious for ripping off Australia.

Many videos on youtube are now restricted from being viewed in Australia. Why allow it for free to country A by try to sell it to country B?

johnboy said :

If you don’t like Game of Thrones you’re an awful person.

Ditto if you don’t pay for it.

What does it matter either way?

johnboy said :

If you don’t like Game of Thrones you’re an awful person.

Ditto if you don’t pay for it.

I’m happy to be judged as awful for not liking Game of Thrones – if it means that I’m not another one of the sheep who are following whatever’s popular this month…. 🙂

Yes, not watching good tv makes you an individual. Glad to see you’ve cracked it,

johnboy said :

If you don’t like Game of Thrones you’re an awful person.

but is it really that good? I like my breaking bad and TWD.

Even my dad has been telling me to watch it, Mrs Dil had one of her friends tell her to watch it too. The more the crowd chants, the more likely I am to resist.

johnboy said :

If you don’t like Game of Thrones you’re an awful person.

Ditto if you don’t pay for it.

I have the first two episodes sitting on my HTPC, I just haven’t watched them yet. I’m a busy guy, cyclists don’t read signs themselves!

As for paying for it… well, no comment.

Rollersk8r said :

People always make excuses – oh I would pay for it, but I don’t really like major corporations like Apple or Fox, or I can’t get it in the exact format I want, or I only download it now because I always buy the DVD later…

Bottom line – stealing it is incredibly easy and people will continue to do so while they can.

That’s only if you dismiss those valid concerns.

The content providers are determined to stick with a distribution method that is unsuited for today and something that the vast majority don’t want.

Why if I want to watch GoT (not that I’ve watched a single episode yet) do I have to sign up for a large package of channels that I don’t need or want to watch when I only want to watch *one* show? Why do I need to be locked out geographically when I have my money and be willing to pay the price of the show?

People are only responding to the options that are simply not there. The studios and distributors are unwilling to meet those demands because there is a perception that if they enable global access then the distributors will lose out on their slice of the pie, they want their cut and they don’t want the studios to provide it directly to the consumer.

Give me a subscription that is not geoblocked, globally released at the same time, HD quality, is charged by the shows that I watch and not in packages of shows and movies that I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot clown pole and that I can do whatever I want to do with the files so I can play it on my PC, tablet, laptop or HTPC.

There are millions of people wanting the service that doesn’t exist. That is why there is such an issue with torrents. People want to pay what they use and not pay for what they’re not using. I don’t want 5 channels of sports, I don’t want cooking or music channels, Why should I be paying for old comedy shows that are on FTA?

Dismissing it all as “yeah, people just don’t wanna pay.” is not looking into the reasons behind it nor when people are given the opportunity to pay they usually do.

I see the amount of people doing it as “TAKE MY MONEY! PLEASE!” but no one is listening or willing.

So, it looks like I’m the only person who hasn’t bothered watching this crap?

Actually, I do tell a lie: I watched portions of about two episodes, before deciding that it was utter crap.

Next fad, please!

If you don’t like Game of Thrones you’re an awful person.

Ditto if you don’t pay for it.

Rollersk8r said :

People always make excuses – oh I would pay for it, but I don’t really like major corporations like Apple or Fox, or I can’t get it in the exact format I want, or I only download it now because I always buy the DVD later…

Bottom line – stealing it is incredibly easy and people will continue to do so while they can.

Cue the Pirate Party to yabber on about how ripping off someone else’s work without paying them anything is really doing them a favour.

johnboy said :

I have an appletv

it cost $99, it’s the size of a hockey puck and it puts my shows onto my TV, as well as streaming my music into the TV speakers.

When I’ve got a new episode available of shows i’ve bought I get an email.

It works really well and if you can’t afford $40 for a season of a quality show you like then you need to re-evaluate your life IMHO.

But what benefit is there to paying $130 compared with $0 for the same result?

Not as much sex in this season is there? A bit slower than normal too. But still an incredible show.

People always make excuses – oh I would pay for it, but I don’t really like major corporations like Apple or Fox, or I can’t get it in the exact format I want, or I only download it now because I always buy the DVD later…

Bottom line – stealing it is incredibly easy and people will continue to do so while they can.

It sounds interesting. Is it shown on TV here?

I really like Jeffrey Bliech, it was good having him on Q&A to correct all the Assange disciples too.

But mate, when it comes Monday afternoon around 4pm, I’m doing the dirty download to get my GofT fix. I’m just far too poor to watch it legally… Sorry!

Um what about all those people that downloaded the series, watched a few episodes, decided it was crap and deleted it?

ScienceRules11:48 am 26 Apr 13

Some people I’ve spoken to would love to support the show by downloading from iTunes or similar but have said that they are frustrated by being unable to then watch their content on other platforms (say a TV) as well as the iPad.

I have an appletv

it cost $99, it’s the size of a hockey puck and it puts my shows onto my TV, as well as streaming my music into the TV speakers.

When I’ve got a new episode available of shows i’ve bought I get an email.

It works really well and if you can’t afford $40 for a season of a quality show you like then you need to re-evaluate your life IMHO.

if the show was on free-to-air tv here in Australia (other than ABC or SBS), I would most likely record it and skip through the ads. under this scenario, I would not have paid to see it, nor purchased anything from the companies advertising during its screening. so have I stolen the show?

it is unlikely that I would burn the show to DVD, nor buy official DVDs. I don’t do this for most shows I watch.

I do however agree that if I then burn a downloaded copy to DVD, rather than purchasing an official DVD, I am denying the show money for seeing it.

“Game Of Thrones” Actors Doing Normal Stuff Is So Weird

Quick more links so nobody realises that this story isn’t really about Canberra, but is more about how much we love Game of Thrones.

OOOH YEAH!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3b7fZIT0nk

“From here to there,”
“From here!To there!”
“Three boys, a goat,”
“And a dancing bear!”

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