Quote:
Originally Posted by Saaf_laandon_mo
Why is it we can talk about torrents and not chipping NTL boxes? Surely the more and more people use torrents, the less need for paying for say Sky 1.
I used to rem,ember the days when we'd go through, say all Summer, waiting for a new series to start in the Autumn. There was a buzz and expectation between series, and now all its all gone. I was watching the next season of CSI Miami as soon as the credits were going up on the last episode not so long ago, back in teh good old days Id have waited till summer for it to restart.
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Chipping ntl boxes.... illegal, theft of ntl services. No discussion.
Torrents of TV shows, movies, albums, whatever... illegal, & copyright theft. So no discussion of torrent names & where to obtain them, no linking to torrent files or torrent sites. Etc.
However, if people want to talk about a TV show......
Taking my "Mod Hat" off briefly, this is my personal opinion on the subject:
Yes, fine, downloading TV shows is copyright theft.
However, I believe that morally there isn't anything wrong with it, in some instances (OK, this won't stand up in court, but...) for the following reasons:
Downloading a movie - copyright theft. Shouldn't be done. The studio/distributor lose revenue due to you downloading a movie rather than paying for a cinema ticket or a DVD.
Downloading a CD - copyright theft. Shouldn't be done. The artist/label lose revenue due to you downloading a CD (or track) rather than paying for a CD album or single or legal download.
Yet for TV....
I pay my TV license. I pay my Sky TV subscription.
So if, for example, I wanted to download a TV show after US broadcast, which would end up being on TV in the UK later on (perhaps, for the sake of example, BSG on Sky 1, or Prison Break on Five), where is the actual real theft or loss of revenue compared to downloading something like a movie?
The networks wouldn't lose out - they're not losing ad revenue (as I wouldn't watch it in the US anyway), the UK networks have my money already, & some of my money to the UK networks goes to the US networks to buy the UK rights.
Besides, if the shows were actually shown here closer to their US broadcast, then fewer people would download, as there wouldn't be such a long wait.
It's not too bad now for some things... e.g. Sky are very close behind the US with 24 season 6, & actually ahead of the US for the second halves of the current Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis seasons (10 & 3 respectively). Although we're still behind for BSG & Prison Break, & Rome.
As for method of download.... while P2P such as BitTorrent does, by its nature, mean that you're uploading too at the same time, & so providing other people with what you're downloading, there are other methods, which do not involve using P2P, & so avoid uploading & sharing.
Also......while it's nice to see something early, instead of waiting several months, it's still even nicer to then actually own it. I bought the Rome season 1 DVD box set, the BSG DVD box sets, etc. etc.
Anyway............ this is now very off topic, so
back to discussing the excellent Prison Break.... 
[if anyone wants to carry on discussing this, rather than Prison Break, then please do so in a new & dedicated thread]