[joshstrange]

> Do people flock to torrents? No one I know does.

I know quite a few people who use torrents (or usenet) as their primary source of TV. Combining Plex + Sabnzbd + Sickbeard you get a internet DVR with little to no maintenance once setup (other than adding more capacity as/if needed). They all have a hulu-like (next day) experience, they get it in HD, and there are no ads.

Legit delivery for music has crossed the threshold but video has not. You still have to use multiple services to watch everything you want.

[redblacktree]

The setup you're describing is beyond the reach of a great many people. They pay for Netflix instead.

[anigbrowl]

I can't be bothered to go through it, and I do film post & production for a living, so it's not any lack of technical capability.

[m3mnoch]

agreed. torrenting is not worth my time.

1) at this point, i just want it to work. if i don't have to do it, don't enjoy doing it, or don't get paid for doing it, i don't want to waste any time on it. time spent in setup and maintenance of torrent/media servers in the past has permanently put me on the netflix/hulu/amazon/spotify/roku side of the cost-to-benefit equation. i'm even one of those weird people who pay for netflix dvds.

2) there's so much content out there, that if your content is NOT available in the ecosystem, sorry, but my family doesn't bother to consume it. it's an attention economy and your (mr. content producer!) content strategy is putting you below the poverty line.

[zak_mc_kracken]

> I know quite a few people who use torrents

Selection bias.

You and the people you know still represent a vanishingly small fragment of the population.

"People" don't flock to torrents, only tech savvy pirates do.

[jsmeaton]

I would guess this is also selection bias. Australians are pretty much the global leaders (per capita) of torrent consumption. Everyone I know, tech savvy or not, downloads torrents. Our TV situation is pretty bad, the cable situation is extremely expensive (extra $20 a month for HD.. really?!), and we don't yet have any decent streaming services.

Once streaming services hit mainstream here I believe we'll see a significant drop off for torrents. Netflix is just about to enter this market in a few months, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. I just hope they don't add an Australian tax, otherwise the torrenting will continue.

[wavefunction]

I have to use different services to get all the music I want. iTunes is great for mainstream stuff but that's about it. Amazon's offering is "eclectic"

[k-mcgrady]

>> "iTunes is great for mainstream stuff but that's about it."

OT but it's funny to hear 26 million songs described like that :)