Tech’s broken promises: Streaming is now just as expensive and confusing as cable. Ubers cost as much as taxis. And the cloud is no longer cheap::Some tech is getting pricier and looking a lot like the older services it was supposed to beat. From video streaming to ride-hailing and cloud computing.

  • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.social
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    1 year ago

    It has honestly never been so reasonable to just buy the blue ray disks and just rip them to store locally. The other alternative is to pirate the media, but at least it’s still legal to rip your own media, and honestly for how much we’re all paying for streaming it’s not unreasonable to just buy the titles we repeat watch outright.

    Of course, were probably not far from them phasing out DVD runs entirely, or for the DMCA to be amended to remove the fair use exception for personal use. I’m pessimistic enough to think they’ll outlaw VPNs in the US too, and then all we’ll have is SSD drops.

    • Эшли Карамель@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 year ago

      where I am currently living, you can’t even rip stuff for PERSONAL use, which I think is ridiculous. I understand making it illegal if you’re profiting off it, or selling it, etc. but if it’s only ever used personally by you, I don’t see why not?

      • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        If you see the law as an extension of collective democratic interests and compromise, then yea, it should absolutely be legal.

        But if the law is an extension of the interest of capital, as it is in the US, then why should you be allowed to do that? Every ripped DVD is opportunity cost for streaming or renting services.

        Edit: if IP holders got to litigate this is court, they’d argue that “most people” who rip DVDs only do that to illegally share them, and most “normal people” prefer the flexibility and choice in a streaming service. The same argument is now routinely used in defence against rent control and public housing: most people who rent want to be renters, otherwise they wouldn’t pay the HUGE FEE for the privilege over buying a house.

        Completely blind to the coercion involved in making those choices the only reasonable options, and that it does NOT constitute consent

    • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      Depends on where you live.

      In the Netherlands it is legal to “pirate” media, since they pay a small fee (2-5€) on every device that could play those media, and use this money to pay the artists.

    • couragethebravedog@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They will not outlaw VPNs. Every major company uses a form of VPN to allow workers to connect remotely. No chance this will happen.

      • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        They could still compel VPN providers to give them information about users and user activity, if something like the RESTRICT act passes in order to limit access to international networks/apps.

        Not exactly a ban, but it would absolutely negate the intended purpose for most VPN users (myself included).