[partialrecall]

Plug the hard drive into the TV or mobile device. I'm pretty sure mobile devices support USB harddrives these days, but I know for sure "smart TVs" do. If you prefer dumb tvs (as I do) plug an old computer into that. Or if you want to save power, plug a new computer into it. Or get something that supports DLNA (e.g. a playstation or I believe roku's and roku-like devices) and use a DLNA server on your NAS/workstation (I use minidlna, some people I know use Universal Media Server (cross platform GUI, GPLv2.)) Or use a more commercial DLNA-like solution such as plex.

There are many options here. That's one of the upsides of pirating non-DRM media. Storage is stupid cheap and anybody on HN should be able to figure out how to get an arbitrary mp4 file onto an arbitrary screen.

[scarface74]

The people on HN that care more about saving $8 than the headache of both finding pirated media, lugging around an external hard drive, making sure that the movie is a supported format or converting it to a supported format.

HN users seem to be way out of touch with the average user.

[partialrecall]

Virtually anything you pirate these days will be supported on virtually anything you might want to watch movies on these days. The obscure edge-cases are things that HN users might be aware of, but simply aren't a practical concern in practice. DLNA is generally the case where you might run into issues, but a transcoding DLNA server solves that problem.

Not to mention it greatly simplifies other matters. If you drop a bunch of movies onto your kids tablet, you no longer have to worry about being away from a cell tower or wifi AP. Furthermore, concerning this very article, there is the matter of too many streaming platforms existing. Maybe you only need Disney because you don't let your kids consume any other brand. But probably more likely, there are numerous desirable movies that are on one streaming platform but not another, or on none at all. And a movie that might be on a platform one year could be gone the next. A harddrive full of movies avoids all of this mess. Subscribe to two or three services a year and you'll be spending a lot more than $8 a month. Maybe it still seems trivial to you with an inflated tech salary, but I know a lot of people who think a single netflix subscription is too expensive so they share an account with other friends/family. This is pretty common.

> HN users seem to be way out of touch with the average user.

I am certainly not out of touch with my own friends and family!

[scarface74]

Virtually anything you pirate these days will be supported on virtually anything you might want to watch movies on these days.

Roku is the most popular streaming device and it only supports H.264 for attached storage and its very picky on what it will support.

The obscure edge-cases are things that HN users might be aware of, but simply aren't a practical concern in practice. DLNA is generally the case where you might run into issues, but a transcoding DLNA server solves that problem.

So now you've added even more complexity and a regular DLNA server/client has what is far from a user friendly interface like Plex.

If you drop a bunch of movies onto your kids tablet, you no longer have to worry about being away from a cell tower or wifi AP. Furthermore,

So now we have a streaming DLNA server, transcoding, bit torrenting, and copying the movie to the device as opposed to paying $8 a month and just click "download" to put it on the device?

A harddrive full of movies avoids all of this mess. Subscribe to two or three services a year and you'll be spending a lot more than $8 a month. Maybe it still seems trivial to you with an inflated tech salary,

And the people not in tech are going to jump through all of the hoops you are suggesting?

How poor do you think the average household in the US is that close to 50% are paying for iOS devices and not going to pay $25 a month for a few streaming services? Do you realize what they are already paying for cable?

I am certainly not out of touch with my own friends and family!

Your friends and family are not a representative sample....

[partialrecall]

You don't have to implement every possible solution all at once; you pick one that works for you. If you prefer Plex, use Plex. If you prefer keeping everything on a thumb drive or your phone's SD card, do that instead. With non-DRM media you have the option to implement whatever solution you find preferable, not the obligation to implement those that you don't prefer.

And if my family can do it, I am quite sure your family can too. I think the attitude you're demonstrating here exemplifies a problem with the industry in general these days; giving non-technical people too little credit.

None of this stuff is complicated, but when a technical person such as yourself tells a non-technical person that they're incapable of wrapping their mind around something, it becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy as they're now scared of even trying. And without trying, neither of you will ever learn what their true capabilities are.

[scarface74]

If you prefer Plex, use Plex.

Running your own server, finding good torrents, risk getting emails from your ISP or paying for a VPN service, dealing with networking and making sure the correct port is open and then dealing with the crappy upload bandwidth that most Americans have....

If you prefer keeping everything on a thumb drive or your phone's SD card, do that instead.

Most people don't have phones with SD cards and the majority of middle class to upper middle class households in the US have iOS devices...

And if my family can do it, I am quite sure your family can too. I think the attitude you're demonstrating here exemplifies a problem with the industry in general these days; giving non-technical people too little credit.

There are plenty of people that can cook but that doesn't prevent them from eating out. Convenience beats cheap.

None of this stuff is complicated, but when a technical person such as yourself tells a non-technical person that they're incapable of wrapping their mind around something, it becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy as they're now scared of even trying. And without trying, neither of you will ever learn what their true capabilities are

It's not about what people can't do -- it's about what people don't want to do. My wife and I both have cars but when we want to spend a night out and go to downtown from the suburbs we take Uber for the convenience.

[partialrecall]

If you don't want to use SD cards, there are plenty of other methods available; at this point you're being deliberately obtuse. But I do find it amusing that you appeal to the requirements of "the majority of middle class to upper middle class" not long after accusing me of being out of touch.