Discussion
Is every digital movie service that lets you buy films just straight up forcing you to only access them in proprietary apps now? I look up films that I might want to buy for my archive, only to see this over and over again across every major provider.
It’s like they want me to just rely on pirating completely now.
@skribe Yeah, it’s pretty sucky. Thankfully, we have a pretty big library at home, and I’ve been slowly putting together a home media server / console hybrid for the living room. Biggest thing is just figuring out how to make network discovery easy.
I think part of why this makes me mad is that services like Steam are genuinely great for gaming (mostly), to the point that it’s more convenient just to use that service. If I really want to, I can strip the DRM off of my games and keep them in a vault.
When it comes to movies, though, it’s just garbage. You’re required to use a proprietary black-box app that just keeps a DRM file in temp storage, no other part of the OS is ever allowed to access it.
@deadsuperhero Also, the file you bought is often only accessible for as long as the company decides. So they're treating it as a long term, once paid lease or something.
@Mabande Yeah, it’s mind-blowing.
I’m in the process of putting together a home media server for the family, so I have all the technical pieces on my end. I guess I’m feeling more motivation to start actually serving stuff over the network.
I guess what’s kind of shocking to me is just how widespread this is now. I’m not above pirating, I did it all the time in my youth, but I’m shocked that there seems to be no mainstream market solution that’s just like “Thanks for your purchase, here’s your file to do whatever with for eternity!”
YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, Apple TV, all of these services are doing that now. There’s something deeply depressing about this.
I think what offends me more is just how poor the offering is. I bought a movie from YouTube the other day, because fuck it, why not? And it was in 480p with no digital download.
I mean, it was fine to watch. But what are you really offering me when the film is basically just DVD quality?
Install bonfire.cafe
Get the full app experience
@deadsuperhero the movie industry have always been slow to innovate. They've been dragged kicking and screaming through every revolution in technology since the widespread adoption of television. They like being in control.
They'll make it as difficult and as expensive as they can possibly make it, so you know your place: them on top and you on your knees.
The entire industry is structured that way.