What's everyone think about the new initiative to download entire episodes for a price:
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/000925/17/downloadable-south-park
If each one is 110 MB, then that would actually be pretty good quality,IMHO. Of course, I do not create video files regularly, so my opinion might be totally bogus. And $4.95 per episode seems fairly reasonable, actually. Other thoughts?
Uh...HELL NO! Not the way they're describing it, at least. Full of copy-protection measures that just inconvenience the legit user:
"The per-episode price is $2.50 for a download that expires after two days and $4.95 for permanent copy, payable online by credit card. Users who copy an episode from one computer to another will be prompted to pay, SightSound said. The picture of the downloaded images should be about 95 percent of the same image on television with the best computer processors on the market, said Jen Pesci, a SightSound spokeswoman."
So, if I get a new PC, my episodes are now worthless?! BS! Also, I usually prefer to watch episodes of whatever on my TV, not my PC. Give me SP DVDs, please. (Quicker, please.) I like that I can carry a DVD from the player to the computer to the laptop with no problems. Like it's supposed to be, considering I *paid* for the damn thing! $4.95/episode is steep as well. That's more than the cost/episode for the DVDs.
Sorry, dude. I didn't catch that the first time I read the article. One little sentence, and the whole thing suddenly tastes sour. Hmm.
Sounds like f'ing Divx all over again... thanks for being more awake than I was when I originally read the article!
Red-faced, Jack
"Bao H. Lammy" wrote in message news:[email]...
and $4.95 for permanent copy, payable online by credit
prompted to pay, SightSound said. The picture of the downloaded
best computer processors on the market, said Jen Pesci, a
prefer to watch episodes of whatever on my TV, not my PC.
from the player to the computer to the laptop with no
thing! $4.95/episode is steep as well. That's more than the
episodes
quality,IMHO.
Hey, that's why we post here. To learn from one another... to get different viewpoints. Well, at least that's why I'm here. Later, and thanks for the post. It was good to know what they're considering, no matter how craptastic it is.
I dunno, dude, I read that again today, a different way. If each episode is $2.50 for a two day rental, or you can pay $4.95 for it, for a permanent copy, wouldn't that copy be yours to keep?
The article seems slightly misleading in this respect. Pertaining to the sentence that reads, "Users who copy an episode from one computer to another will be prompted to pay, SightSound said." - we've all assumed that meant we'd have to pay another $4.95 per episode if we transferred it to another PC, and we all agree that sucks ass.
But what if it only meant that you couldn't transfer it to another PC during the two-day "rental" period? It wasn't very specific in the article, and that sentence might have referred to the two-day rental, not the $4.95 permanent copy. I wonder if you are free to do whatever with it once you pay the $4.95, and we're just reading the press release from that single "Well that sucks ass!" viewpoint.
-Jack
"Bao H. Lammy" wrote in message news:[email]...
One
than I
days
the
usually
DVD
might be
actually.
So, are you saying that they would actually start an episode downloading initiative that, upon paying $4.95/episode, you can transfer it all you want across the net to millions of other users? I highly doubt it. Not that they would say it was legal, but I doubt they would even allow it to happen without some serious hacking. The technology is there to make it very hard to easily transfer digital media. Windows Media is already like this. It requires you to manage "licenses" -- the SP plan would undoubtedly involve something like this.
Anyway, it still sucks ass. $5 for an episode that is "95%" of TV picture quality? Nah. If they were smart, they would charge something like a buck for each episode. That might generate a lot more $ for them in the end. How hard would you bust your ass to assemble files on Usenet NGs when it's just a buck to get the "real" file?
Well said dude. For a buck per episode, I woldn't care if I could get it free another way, I'd just pay the buck and get the real thing for sure. At 4$ with lots of silly copy protection, forget it. DVD's are still better though. -Mr Twig
"Bao H. Lammy" wrote in message news:[email]...
episode is
the
another
meant
another
during
and
you
two
be
with
carry a
damn
entire
Just downloaded a preview of the pay-per-view mpegs, and was disappointed. Firs of all, I couldn't download the full file because it wasn't available in my country?? what the hell is that? I thought the internet was world wide (www) Second, the quality sucked ass compared to the DVD's. Hell I've seen TV captures in .rm that was better than those mpeg's. Nope, they gotta do better than that to get me into it. -Mr Twig
"Mr Twig" wrote in message news:U2cB5.791$[email]...
At
nt
single
article.
awake
after
will
television
I
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/000925/17/downloadable-south-park
opinion
Where's this preview? I'm morbidly curious.
www.sightsound.com
"Bao H. Lammy" wrote in message news:[email]...
disappointed.
available
wide
Thanks for the link. Here's the problems (copied straight from the site itself!):
1) Can I view the movie on another PC? Since the movies and music we sell are encrypted to inhibit piracy, the decryption key that you receive to play the movie or music is unique to the PC from which it is purchased. This decryption key cannot be transferred to another PC. Therefore, you are only able to play the movie on the computer from which you purchased the decryption key. Thus, each PC the movie or music is to be played on requires a decryption key. Note: if you download the movie from a location from which you have a broadband connection to the Internet but want to play back the movie from a location, which has a narrowband connection, we have a solution. Simply download the encrypted movie from your broadband PC, don't purchase the movie just yet, burn the encrypted movie to a CD Recordable, take that CD-R to your narrowband PC, copy the encrypted movie to your narrowband PC, double-click on the movie, you will automatically be launched to the eCommerce page for that movie, now purchase the license to get the decryption key. <GOOD FUCKIN' CHRIST!>
2) How many times can I view the movie after purchasing or renting it? The purchase of our encrypted movies allows you to view the movie as often as you like, provided you do not rebuild your PC or experience a hard drive crash. If you rent a movie you can view the movie as often as you like, within the time frame of your rental duration, and provided you do not rebuild your PC or experience a hard drive crash. We believe that the upgrade to Windows Media Player 7 will permit you to securely backup your decryption keys, without creating a piracy problem, and let you restore your movies in the event of a hard drive crash or if you rebuild your PC. <WHATEVER! WHAT A PAIN IN THE ASS!> 3) What if I re-format my hard drive or re-install my operating system? Currently there is no way to back-up or restore your decryption keys if your hard drive fails you rebuild you PC. If you rebuild your PC, the decryption keys for playback will be lost and you will need to re-purchase another decryption key to re-enable playback. We believe that the new Windows Media Player 7 (currently in beta-form) will permit you to securely backup your decryption keys, without creating a piracy problem, and let you restore your movies in the event of a hard drive crash or if you rebuild your PC. Stay tuned for updated information on this issue.
Um... that's a little FUCKING complicated, isn't it? Very disappointing.
Personally, I can't even get the site to load.
"Bao H. Lammy" wrote in message news:[email]...
you
world
TV
Here's what I think 1. Every computer you copy an episode to will generate a visit to the e-Commerce page, since the video won't detect a decryptiion key in the new computer. Thus, you have to pay again. 2. If you rebuild your computer or your hard disk crashes you will lose your decryption key(s). Windows Media 7 is supposed to remedy that situation. But since the videos require Windows Media 7 in the first place, that first sentence is crap. You WON'T lose your decryption keys in the event of a hard disk crash or system rebuild.
--- Willie Westwood
Well, I'm not sure what you mean in 2. above...the decryption keys are stored on your computer and are unique. Windows Media 7 is supposed to remedy the situation *by allowing you to back up your keys*, but if you haven't done the backup recently, you will lose access to your keys in the event of a crash&rebuild because it will have no way if knowing that your new system isn't just another PC and will prevent functionality of the old keys. If you back up your keys using WM7, you are supposedly able to restore them to a new system/
So, basically, if you just do a normal backup (without using WM7, like using a tape drive, etc.) -- your keys will not work once you restore that backup (tape, whatever) because it will think it's a different PC. If you do the WM7 key backup, *that* is what supposedly will remedy the situation.
Still too complicated, worrisome, risky, and expensive.