| > As for torrenting, etc., "it's only 'free' if your time has no value" comes to play. Whenever I hear someone disregard torrents offhand, I get the distinct impression that they've either never actually tried it or that they're simply being dishonest, because piracy has never been easier. Have you actually tried torrenting TV shows or movies (or any other type of digital content, for that matter)? Contrary to the FUD that seems to be popular opinion on HN, it's a cake walk. Most importantly, learning how to use torrents is a (rather small) one-time time investment, whereas watching TV means that you perenially waste 1/4th of your viewing time watching ads. And don't forget that you have to keep track of when shows are airing and either watch them then or remember to record them for later viewing. So if saving time is one of your primary concerns, the numbers simply don't add up in favor of broadcast TV, no matter how you look at them. In fact, piracy is so easy that I won't even bother with free solutions like Hulu - why should I waste my time traversing 10 different sites looking for a particular episode of a particular show I want to see when I can go to the same torrent site every time and have a virtual guarantee that the content I want will be instantly available, and in HD, at that? If you have moral qualms with respect to piracy, I can agree to disagree, despite my personal lack of objections to the practice. But claiming that piracy is somehow time inefficient is nothing more or less than pure prevarication. |
It wasn't offhand: it takes more time to find and download content than it does to turn on the tube and flip through its offerings. With hope, you're not arguing that point.
Your distinct impression is incorrect in my case: The last several torrents specifically for shows not then available via other means took me several minutes to find and many more to download. The shows in question weren't tiny unknowns; in my experience, finding less-popular shows is even more of a hassle. If any of these had been available on demand, for "purchase," or via Hulu (to which I subscribe), I would have preferred those methods.
Your own points are also not mutually-exclusive: piracy may be as easy as it's ever been and still be more involved than turning on and tuning in. I don't mind paying for content I feel is of value. I also value my time and the frictionlessness with which I can ~"mindlessly" enjoy some programming. Less hassle - even if it's still little hassle - is worth it to me. YMMV.