Memes

TBF you can find that in YouTube in 17 separate pieces these days

There's an exhibitor at my state fair who specializes in hard to find movies/episodes. He's got a DVD of it than I'm sure is on the level.

Because what I want to watch is spread across 17 different streaming services. Of course you can buy digitally... But then there's no guarantee they won't take that back out of your account. Or edit it later on when they decide something is offensive like happened when I bought the office on Vudu.

Edit: guys, I'm asking a question. Why the downvotes? Also, I'm not talking about PAID streaming.

How you dare to go against Jellyfin in Lemmy, not even Plex stands a chance /s

To answer your question, you actually can use both, as I do.

Plex for more "obscure" content and to enrich my own TV m3u playlist with DizqueTV and Stremio and Kodi with Real Debrid for everything else, if I have a legal streaming service is because it is being borrowed to me lol, I'm more than served with my means.

Because you can control exactly what is on your server. I do the same thing via Plex. I want to watch a movie and it got pulled from the half dozen streaming services I have access to? Fuck it, just download it and add it to my own personal server. Now I have it forever and ever until I decide I’m done watching it.

Genuinely answering:

A decade ago, there was like, Netflix and Hulu. Netflix you paid $8 a month and you got stuff from Paramount, Starz!, most television networks, Disney, the various permutations of Fox. You could watch Friends, Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, Star Trek TNG, and Mythbusters for the same $8/month in one app in one interface.

Now, nearly every network or channel wants their own bespoke app on your device, they EACH cost more than $8 a month, and now you have to remember who makes what content. And still stuff randomly disappears. Or, if there's a "purchase" system like on Amazon where you pay a price per movie/episode/whatever, some contract falling through could mean they get to unilaterally decide how long "forever" is.

I ripped my DVD collection to my NAS and I use Kodi on a Raspberry Pi attached to my (non-smart) television. I don't pay a continuous fee (or nine), I don't scroll endlessly through shit I'm not interested in, stuff doesn't randomly disappear, and it's not going to decide to start playing ads even through I paid for this.

As for torrenting? Don't need the heat. I can buy used DVDs or blu-rays from eBay or my local pawn shop for pennies apiece and have all the content I actually want, legally and conveniently. My ISP doesn't get mad, and everything continues to work.

Plus my NAS does a few other things not related to media consumption, for example it's attached to my UPS and it will send signals to several devices including the UPS and itself to shut down when it's too low on battery. It's kind of nice to have that kind of thing.

Some of us prefer the term data whore.

Or 1899

I remember when Hulu first came out and everyone kept telling me it was free. Then I'd try to watch something on it and it was only 15-30 second clips. Then I found out my friends were just stupid and didn't realize they're parents were paying for it

yeap steam is the best example of a service i'd very happily pay - I've paid LOTS to them and just last month, I downloaded "have a nice death" for yuzu, played 30", loved it and insta bought it on steam. It was 25 euros but having my saves forever and being able to single click install & play is something that I value more.

you don't get to get my money AND fuck me, pick one (netflix, youtube, etc.)

tbf, they’d prefer to be that as you described. What happened was many publishers decided they’d make their own deal, and pulled their contracts. Still the same disappointing situation thanks to greed, but it wasn’t really Netflix’s fault.