I love fandom, but I don't love fandom for $150,000
So, I was going to talk all about my interesting life, but then the internet got involved, so I need to talk about some things. This mostly involves my American flist, but I'm sure that it will ruin other people's fun as well.
Starting July 1, your internet provider is going to start spying on you for the government. If they catch you pirating illegal context, they can and will report you, give you a warning, and could suspend your internet service. Here is the post at ontd_political with more information.
Now, if you're anything like me, this is going to put a huge crimp in your viewing habits. No one is quite sure how they're going to measure this, but there have been suggestions that it will work in similar ways to universities that also ban illegal downloading, mostly focusing on torrents. However, since a lot of direct download sites have been disappearing after Megauploadgate (I'm sure there's a better name for it on the internet that I just have not been informed of, feel free to educate me), torrenting has become the sole option for many, especially those that don't have DVR. It's also a bad time to tell your friends, "Hey, you should totally watch this show that I love!" because unless they're willing to invest, it's unlikely that it will happen.
Undoubtedly, with every fandom on the internet banning together, people will find a way around this. But until then, what are the options?
Here's some I've found
Stream Sites - Pay
1. Netflix
2. Hulu Plus
3. Amazon Instant Video
Those are essentially the only three I know of that are authorized to give you a large selection for a decent price. Hulu and Netflix are about $8 a month. Netflix offers a free month trial and Hulu Plus a free week. Amazon, on the other hand, is pay by episode, but also allows downloading.
Stream Sites - Free
1. Hulu
2. IMDb
3. Various networks
4. YouTube
The go to for free streaming tends to still be Hulu. IMDb hosts a variety of shows, but it's very hit or miss. While most of the networks host their episodes for free on their websites, many networks are slow with uploading and most of what I've heard has been issues with the streaming. Some fans have gotten away with uploading shows on YouTube, but it's rare and unlikely to remain on there for very long. In addition, many pay for channels like HBO require a subscription to the network before you can stream from their website.
Personally, I've never been a huge fan of streaming, which is why I've never tried Hulu or Netflix. Until ads start meaning something, it's nice to avoid them. So, what about downloading?
Download Sites - Pay
1. iTunes
2. Amazon Instant Video
iTunes has the corner on the market, as it does with most pay by individual units, but Amazon also provides HD and a growing selection. Both allow a season pass and work on both Macs and PC.
Download Sites - Free
1. There aren't any. This is why we download.
If anyone knows anything I can add to this list, please let me know. I'm going to attempt a week of no downloading anything (other than all the stuff I want to finally watch in the future. Come here, Buffy complete series torrent!) to see how feasible it is for my lifestyle before I start investing in Netflix or Hulu Plus. If anyone has any experience with either company and would like to share with me, I'm all ears.
Starting July 1, your internet provider is going to start spying on you for the government. If they catch you pirating illegal context, they can and will report you, give you a warning, and could suspend your internet service. Here is the post at ontd_political with more information.
Now, if you're anything like me, this is going to put a huge crimp in your viewing habits. No one is quite sure how they're going to measure this, but there have been suggestions that it will work in similar ways to universities that also ban illegal downloading, mostly focusing on torrents. However, since a lot of direct download sites have been disappearing after Megauploadgate (I'm sure there's a better name for it on the internet that I just have not been informed of, feel free to educate me), torrenting has become the sole option for many, especially those that don't have DVR. It's also a bad time to tell your friends, "Hey, you should totally watch this show that I love!" because unless they're willing to invest, it's unlikely that it will happen.
Undoubtedly, with every fandom on the internet banning together, people will find a way around this. But until then, what are the options?
Here's some I've found
Stream Sites - Pay
1. Netflix
2. Hulu Plus
3. Amazon Instant Video
Those are essentially the only three I know of that are authorized to give you a large selection for a decent price. Hulu and Netflix are about $8 a month. Netflix offers a free month trial and Hulu Plus a free week. Amazon, on the other hand, is pay by episode, but also allows downloading.
Stream Sites - Free
1. Hulu
2. IMDb
3. Various networks
4. YouTube
The go to for free streaming tends to still be Hulu. IMDb hosts a variety of shows, but it's very hit or miss. While most of the networks host their episodes for free on their websites, many networks are slow with uploading and most of what I've heard has been issues with the streaming. Some fans have gotten away with uploading shows on YouTube, but it's rare and unlikely to remain on there for very long. In addition, many pay for channels like HBO require a subscription to the network before you can stream from their website.
Personally, I've never been a huge fan of streaming, which is why I've never tried Hulu or Netflix. Until ads start meaning something, it's nice to avoid them. So, what about downloading?
Download Sites - Pay
1. iTunes
2. Amazon Instant Video
iTunes has the corner on the market, as it does with most pay by individual units, but Amazon also provides HD and a growing selection. Both allow a season pass and work on both Macs and PC.
Download Sites - Free
1. There aren't any. This is why we download.
If anyone knows anything I can add to this list, please let me know. I'm going to attempt a week of no downloading anything (other than all the stuff I want to finally watch in the future. Come here, Buffy complete series torrent!) to see how feasible it is for my lifestyle before I start investing in Netflix or Hulu Plus. If anyone has any experience with either company and would like to share with me, I'm all ears.