> You have to know what to look for. Torrent tracker sites are full of advertising that look like download buttons. My girlfriend still gets lost after a decade of web browsing.
This is a completely separate issue that can be easily solved with Adblock. Everyone I know uses it, even those who don't know much about tech.
I just searched for the most pirated movie of 2012, Project X, on Google. I typed in "project x torrent". The first link took me to a Pirate Bay page for a DVD rip[0], while the second link was for a HD version. You would have to be a real idiot not to know how to download from a page that clearly says "GET THIS TORRENT" in red letters. I cannot think of anyone I know who cannot do this, and there are plenty of people I know who have very little computer experience.
In fact, I find Netflix's UI quite a bit more confusing.
> You also have to choose the correct quality, or decide between filesize/quality.
Oh yes, it is so difficult to understand the difference between DVD rip and 720p Bluray rip. Come on, you deal with this same problem if you go to the store to buy a movie on disc! People are not that stupid.
> Check that audio is good.
This is 100% FUD. I have no other response. If you are downloading a DVD or Bluray rip, there is no reason to worry about audio quality.
> If you're watching with non-native english speakers, go hunting for a subtitle track that syncs with your chosen file... not straightforward at all.
Have you used a DVD or Bluray disc or Netflix lately? Is it easy to enable subtitles? Are they even included in all discs/videos?
> For most people it's easier to download a .exe and click next/ok blindly than do all those steps. I believe the Steam model would fare quite well with the movie/music industry, though netflix or amazon instant might win.
It's not a matter of whether it's easier, it's a matter of how much easier it is. It's a tradeoff between price and convenience. My point is that the tradeoff tilts in favor of the paid option for PC video gaming, but tilts in favor of piracy for movies and TV shows (for a la carte purchases).
I'll try to gloss over your disrespect and get straight to the subject. No, not everyone uses Adblock, in fact only 9-10% of users have it. The highest average is 17% for tech sites [1]. Most people have no fucking clue what that is.
I have no idea what flavor of Google you use, but piratebay is not even among the top 15 results for Project X: http://cl.ly/image/0R1K2z2V0O3z. Your search history is probably reflecting on your results.
Third, no, a lot a people have absolutely no clue about the difference between 720p/1080p. It's not about being stupid, they just don't care enough.
Fourth, there are plenty torrents around with crappy audio, either low volume, distorted or mono, specially for new releases. Your own experiences don't apply to everyone.
Finally, yes, I do use Netflix daily and subtitles are a menu click away, and available for every video. Same goes for DVD/BR, which I haven't watched in years. Clearly you don't watch subtitled movies, so what are you arguing for?
> No, not everyone uses Adblock, in fact only 9-10% of users have it. The highest average is 17% for tech sites [1]. Most people have no fucking clue what that is.
This doesn't change the fact that the problem can be easily solved. Your girlfriend getting lost after 10 years of browsing is something that can be solved in 10 seconds. When I said that everyone I know uses it, my point wasn't that everyone in the world uses it, it was that it's not so difficult to use Adblock that people won't use it once they're told about it.
> I have no idea what flavor of Google you use, but piratebay is not even among the top 15 results for Project X: http://cl.ly/image/0R1K2z2V0O3z. Your search history is probably reflecting on your results.
I don't know why you're seeing those results, but not only did I search in an incognito window to avoid my search history biasing my results, personally I use private torrents almost exclusively, so my Google torrent search history is quite limited.
I have never seen that site before, nor do I recommend it to anyone that I know. There are bad sites out on the internet - who would have guessed?
> Third, no, a lot a people have absolutely no clue about the difference between 720p/1080p. It's not about being stupid, they just don't care enough.
Well, that's good, because on Netflix, most content is not even available in 1080p, and even when it is, it's not accessible on many devices. Hell, I've seen tons of stuff that isn't even in HD.
And most people can't tell the difference in quality between 720p and 1080p anyway, so what difference does it make which one they download?
> Fourth, there are plenty torrents around with crappy audio, either low volume, distorted or mono, specially for new releases. Your own experiences don't apply to everyone.
Please point me to some examples. And I'm not talking about crappy cams. I would never suggest watching a cam over going to a theater, if the experience is important for you.
The only reason for audio issues with a DVD or Bluray rip would be improper encoding, and such a release would just be ignored.
> Finally, yes, I do use Netflix daily and subtitles are a menu click away, and available for every video.
No, they are not. That is blatantly incorrect. I just logged into Netflix and opened a random TV show. There were only subtitles available in English. They only had a 4:3 480p video option. Please explain how this is an optimal experience again?
And Netflix is not really a valid comparison in any case, since the available content is horribly limited.
Maybe they only make available content which does have subtitles in the local language, and only show subtitle options relevant to the region. Could you imagine that? Or maybe I'm just delusional and all those netflix shows in portuguese only exist in my head.
This is a completely separate issue that can be easily solved with Adblock. Everyone I know uses it, even those who don't know much about tech.
I just searched for the most pirated movie of 2012, Project X, on Google. I typed in "project x torrent". The first link took me to a Pirate Bay page for a DVD rip[0], while the second link was for a HD version. You would have to be a real idiot not to know how to download from a page that clearly says "GET THIS TORRENT" in red letters. I cannot think of anyone I know who cannot do this, and there are plenty of people I know who have very little computer experience.
In fact, I find Netflix's UI quite a bit more confusing.
> You also have to choose the correct quality, or decide between filesize/quality.
Oh yes, it is so difficult to understand the difference between DVD rip and 720p Bluray rip. Come on, you deal with this same problem if you go to the store to buy a movie on disc! People are not that stupid.
> Check that audio is good.
This is 100% FUD. I have no other response. If you are downloading a DVD or Bluray rip, there is no reason to worry about audio quality.
> If you're watching with non-native english speakers, go hunting for a subtitle track that syncs with your chosen file... not straightforward at all.
Have you used a DVD or Bluray disc or Netflix lately? Is it easy to enable subtitles? Are they even included in all discs/videos?
> For most people it's easier to download a .exe and click next/ok blindly than do all those steps. I believe the Steam model would fare quite well with the movie/music industry, though netflix or amazon instant might win.
It's not a matter of whether it's easier, it's a matter of how much easier it is. It's a tradeoff between price and convenience. My point is that the tradeoff tilts in favor of the paid option for PC video gaming, but tilts in favor of piracy for movies and TV shows (for a la carte purchases).
0: http://i.imgur.com/IHu9b.png