I had an argument today. Well, a discussion -- but a heated one! It was about why I download TV shows using bittorrent, but not movies. 'Cos that's a bit hypocritical, or something. Apparently, if I download TV shows I may as well download films, as it's basically doing the same thing. Stealing.
Well, the reason I don't download movies is quite simple:
(1) Films don't look very good on a 17" full-screen PC monitor, and I can't output to a widescreen TV.
(2) A decent film download to ensure quality is 700MB or 1.4GB, and I don't have the time or HDD space to do that.
(3) But mainly, I don't want to be involved in film piracy, even if the quality of the material is near-DVD quality. I'd rather pay the exortionate £6.70 at my local ODEON. Or hang on for a 3-for-£20 DVD deal at HMV.
But why have such principles for films, and not TV? Well, the reason I download TV is also quite simple:
(1) I'm impatient and want to see the best US TV shows now, not 6-12 months after my fellow geeks have argued and debated every episode to death.
(2) My personal downloading habits don't infringe on those involved with creating the shows.
Even if I downloaded stuff "legitimately" (by faking a US iTunes account and spending $1.99/£1 on an episode of Lost), only the greedy networks get that cash, not anyone else. This is something the WGA strike is rallying against.
Ah, but... the argument continued. Surely, if I'm downloading the second season of Heroes, I won't watch it when it's shown on BBC2 in 2008. Or buy the DVD box set. So I'm hurting DVD profits and UK ratings, surely!
Well, allow me to retort: I'd never buy a DVD box-set. I'd just watch the shows on TV if I wasn't downloading them, so I'm not hurting DVD profits in any way whatsoever. As for TV ratings -- you're only directly participating in the UK's BARB ratings if you've been given one of their special ratings boxes. How else do they know I'm watching MTV Hits or LivingTV at 6 pm? They don't. It's not a Big Brother state. Yet.
But rest assured -- if I was given a BARB ratings box, I'd make sure I tuned it to all the shows I personally enjoy, even if I'd seen them via the internet. That's because I'm loyal to the TV shows I love, and I assume other people savvy enough to bother with weekly downloads are just as passionate.
I want Heroes, Lost, Prison Break and 24 to be massive hits in the UK, so I would do my part to help them whup Coronation Street in the chart. But... I've never been given a BARB ratings box, so whaetever I watch, or don't watch, doesn't affect anything.
Incidentally, has anyone ever had a BARB box in their home? Have you ever heard of anyone who had one? Have you even seen one? Do these things exist?!!
So there you go. I don't see how downloading TV really hurts anything. I just get things quicker and avoid adverts. You could make a sounder argument about the perils of Sky+ -- which encourages viewers to fast-forward through the adverts which provide the funding for commercial channels!
I know loads of people who look at you with blank faces if you mention that drumming gorilla advert. I wonder how long it will be before the advertisers begin asking Sky to change the way their Sky+ system works, so customers can't skip through the ads?
But I digress. Yes, I download TV because it would never affect ratings or any other profits for the guys n' gals that make them -- based purely on my own viewing habits. So there.
I won the argument. Well, I ignored the post-rant grumbling and lunch break ended, anyway.
Well, the reason I don't download movies is quite simple:
(1) Films don't look very good on a 17" full-screen PC monitor, and I can't output to a widescreen TV.
(2) A decent film download to ensure quality is 700MB or 1.4GB, and I don't have the time or HDD space to do that.
(3) But mainly, I don't want to be involved in film piracy, even if the quality of the material is near-DVD quality. I'd rather pay the exortionate £6.70 at my local ODEON. Or hang on for a 3-for-£20 DVD deal at HMV.
But why have such principles for films, and not TV? Well, the reason I download TV is also quite simple:
(1) I'm impatient and want to see the best US TV shows now, not 6-12 months after my fellow geeks have argued and debated every episode to death.
(2) My personal downloading habits don't infringe on those involved with creating the shows.
Even if I downloaded stuff "legitimately" (by faking a US iTunes account and spending $1.99/£1 on an episode of Lost), only the greedy networks get that cash, not anyone else. This is something the WGA strike is rallying against.
Ah, but... the argument continued. Surely, if I'm downloading the second season of Heroes, I won't watch it when it's shown on BBC2 in 2008. Or buy the DVD box set. So I'm hurting DVD profits and UK ratings, surely!
Well, allow me to retort: I'd never buy a DVD box-set. I'd just watch the shows on TV if I wasn't downloading them, so I'm not hurting DVD profits in any way whatsoever. As for TV ratings -- you're only directly participating in the UK's BARB ratings if you've been given one of their special ratings boxes. How else do they know I'm watching MTV Hits or LivingTV at 6 pm? They don't. It's not a Big Brother state. Yet.
But rest assured -- if I was given a BARB ratings box, I'd make sure I tuned it to all the shows I personally enjoy, even if I'd seen them via the internet. That's because I'm loyal to the TV shows I love, and I assume other people savvy enough to bother with weekly downloads are just as passionate.
I want Heroes, Lost, Prison Break and 24 to be massive hits in the UK, so I would do my part to help them whup Coronation Street in the chart. But... I've never been given a BARB ratings box, so whaetever I watch, or don't watch, doesn't affect anything.
Incidentally, has anyone ever had a BARB box in their home? Have you ever heard of anyone who had one? Have you even seen one? Do these things exist?!!
So there you go. I don't see how downloading TV really hurts anything. I just get things quicker and avoid adverts. You could make a sounder argument about the perils of Sky+ -- which encourages viewers to fast-forward through the adverts which provide the funding for commercial channels!
I know loads of people who look at you with blank faces if you mention that drumming gorilla advert. I wonder how long it will be before the advertisers begin asking Sky to change the way their Sky+ system works, so customers can't skip through the ads?
But I digress. Yes, I download TV because it would never affect ratings or any other profits for the guys n' gals that make them -- based purely on my own viewing habits. So there.
I won the argument. Well, I ignored the post-rant grumbling and lunch break ended, anyway.
