THE $100 CABLE BILLComplications Ensue
Complications Ensue:
The Crafty Screenwriting, TV and Game Writing Blog




Archives

April 2004

May 2004

June 2004

July 2004

August 2004

September 2004

October 2004

November 2004

December 2004

January 2005

February 2005

March 2005

April 2005

May 2005

June 2005

July 2005

August 2005

September 2005

October 2005

November 2005

December 2005

January 2006

February 2006

March 2006

April 2006

May 2006

June 2006

July 2006

August 2006

September 2006

October 2006

November 2006

December 2006

January 2007

February 2007

March 2007

April 2007

May 2007

June 2007

July 2007

August 2007

September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

December 2007

January 2008

February 2008

March 2008

April 2008

May 2008

June 2008

July 2008

August 2008

September 2008

October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009

February 2009

March 2009

April 2009

May 2009

June 2009

July 2009

August 2009

September 2009

October 2009

November 2009

December 2009

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

April 2011

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

June 2012

July 2012

August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

December 2012

January 2013

February 2013

March 2013

April 2013

May 2013

June 2013

July 2013

August 2013

September 2013

October 2013

November 2013

December 2013

January 2014

February 2014

March 2014

April 2014

May 2014

June 2014

July 2014

August 2014

September 2014

October 2014

November 2014

December 2014

January 2015

February 2015

March 2015

April 2015

May 2015

June 2015

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

November 2015

December 2015

January 2016

February 2016

March 2016

April 2016

May 2016

June 2016

July 2016

August 2016

September 2016

October 2016

November 2016

December 2016

January 2017

February 2017

March 2017

May 2017

June 2017

July 2017

August 2017

September 2017

October 2017

November 2017

December 2017

January 2018

March 2018

April 2018

June 2018

July 2018

October 2018

November 2018

December 2018

January 2019

February 2019

November 2019

February 2020

March 2020

April 2020

May 2020

August 2020

September 2020

October 2020

December 2020

January 2021

February 2021

March 2021

May 2021

June 2021

November 2021

December 2021

January 2022

February 2022

August 2022

September 2022

November 2022

February 2023

March 2023

April 2023

May 2023

July 2023

September 2023

November 2023

January 2024

February 2024

 

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Damn it, all the shows people are talking about are on specialty channels. Three Moons over Milford on ABC Family, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia on FX, Brotherhood on Showtime. Everybody's got a tentpole show that demands you sign on. Meanwhile, on broadcast, there's the Battlestar refresher / clip show.

I have to choose between a $1200/year cable habit or stick with Zip.ca -- a mere $300/year mail-in DVD habit. (UPDATE: Though I finally had to terminate my membership.)

I would, on the other hand, happily pay a buck a show to watch what I want to watch. I just don't want to have to sign up for the Family Package solely to check out what happens when the Moon splits in three.

And I don't feel right pirating shows. I had the opportunity to watch Season Six of Sopranos pirated, but in the height of irony, I could not enjoy the experience. Somehow immorally watching horribly immoral people did not work for me. Go figure. Yet I had no real qualms watching a download of the show about the minister who has chats with Jesus. (Being as it was cancelled and all.)

Phooey.

Labels:

9 Comments:

To 'pirate a show' would mean you are ripping the video from the source and reselling it on the black market for personal profit.

I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that either. But I have no qualms about downloading a show or a film that I would otherwise have no access to (I don't have a tv or a schedule that allows me to watch tv on a corporate schedule).

And the marketers are aware of the power of torrents. For example, do you think Studio 60 was really leaked accidentally? The leaked pilot will nurture a buzz that no amount of traditional advertising could do.

Otherwise - great blog - keep it up!

By Blogger Matthew Forsythe, at 2:13 PM  

Most of those shows are on the iTunes store in the US. Dunno if they're on the iTunes Canada store, or if you have access to the US store (you need to charge it to a US bank account), but at least they're out there. For double that buck you said you'd gladly pay, which, while not bank breaking, might be a bit much for one episode.

http://thirdreel.livejournal.com/

By Blogger Andrew, at 3:35 PM  

Yah, two bucks is a buck too much.

And I'd want to be able to watch it at least computer-screen-sized. The Itunes are iPod sized, aren't they? Bit small if you ask me.

By Blogger Alex Epstein, at 4:26 PM  

If you took the time to add up all the shows you do watch, I bet it wouldn't be a whole hell of a lot cheaper.

Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis & SG-1, 24, Prison Break, Deadliest Catch, (this year Surface, Invasion, and Threshold).

That's 173+ episodes give or take for first-run shows, what about things you watch in syndication but think about?

Firefly on Sci Fi which I never got to see on Fox (including a couple of produced but never aired episodes) for another 10-12 say. Then there's the 8 parts of the Nightmares and Dreamscapes mini-series sitting on my DVR which I can make DVD's out of any time I please.

That's not counting the odd shows I'll watch on Discovery, History Channel, local news, national news, and roughly half the episodes of South Park, The Daily Show, and Colbert.

Already at $2 a pop that's $450 just for the first-run series. You're still gonna pay $40-60 a month for the broadband connection to download these things which piles another $480 on top of that $450, and what do you get?

I have the MLB baseball package so I can add another $140 for the year on top of that, and I'd be looking at about a grand per year..for substandard low resolution video...that is wrapped in DRM.

This is better how?

On prices: $2 per ep is what you're currently paying for the DVD box set on average, for big shows this is actually cheaper.

Matthew: You are breaking the law, regardless of how you describe it. It doesn't matter that you have no other way to get it (you do, it's called DVD), and it doesn't matter that you aren't redistributing it. You're copying something you have no legal right to do so.

By Blogger Paul William Tenny, at 9:48 PM  

Actually, I'm renting the DVD's from Zip. So that winds up being about 50-70 cents per episode.

By Blogger Alex Epstein, at 10:00 PM  

Paul, sometimes there is no other way to get it - the pilot for "Global Frequency", for example. In that case (and I'm stretching both the law and my feeble understanding of it here) some sort of compulsory license should kick in. In Canada (nice folks, crappy weather,) orphaned works are covered under their compulsory license scheme.

Of course, it's questionable whether a pilot commissioned by Warner Bros. would be considered orphaned.

Beyond that, I totally agree with you. People pour out their hearts and souls to create; others pay a great deal of money to make those visions manifest. These people need to be compensated. Some of us just want to be able to do it even when they refuse our money.

By Blogger R.A. Porter, at 10:57 PM  

Actually, the video files you buy on the iTunes store can be viewed on your computer, and the picture can be expanded to full-screen with okay quality. I can't imagine watching a whole TV show or movie on my iPod, which is why it struck me as an odd marketing move at first.

Of course, watching a show on my computer screen is also less than optimal, and not what I would choose for shows I'm really into. I can handle using YouTube to catch Canada's Next Top Model, but Battlestar Galactica has to be on the TV.

By Blogger Andrew, at 11:40 PM  

I haven't watched "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," but it's on FX, not Showtime or Bravo. Also haven't seen "Three Moons" but that's on ABC Family.
Scribe
I would pay for what you want and then get Tivo. It's all about writer expenses anyway.

By Blogger Scribe LA, at 11:42 AM  

Pirate it and then buy the DVD when that finally arrives? That's how I get around my conscience. It is not stealing because I am totally planning to pay for it later, yes.

By Blogger nadia*, at 12:29 AM  

Post a Comment

Back to Complications Ensue main blog page.



This page is powered by Blogger.