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Dunkey's Guide to Streaming Services

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Streaming apps were great 5 to 7 Years ago. Now it’s a shit show, and I predict everybody will go back to cable because this shit is too confusing and becoming too expensive.
Every time someone says this you know that they haven't had cable in a long time. My MIL was paying $280 [/b]a month [/b] for some tv, internet and phone over internet bundle. And that was without some of the premium channels.
We tried basic Direct TV - over the internet no actual 'service' - $70 a month, dropped it almost instantly.
 

j0hnnix

Gold Member
One thing I do is go cancel, then take advantage of their lower rates to retain you. Those are usually timed deals so a put in a little Calendar message 3, 6, or whatever months out to go cancel again. CAn get lots of these services 50% off by doing that. Works well for siriusXM as well.
I definitely play that game with Hulu (email+1@gmail.com) this time for disney+ with Hulu with ads obviously for 3 bucks this year, wait patiently every black Friday and SiriusXM cancel it rinse and repeat when I like the come back email deal I like.

I try to avoid full price on any of these large stream corps. Paramount for some reason keeps giving me a free month I haven't paid for service for 3 months. For NFL I jump on IPTV and roll with it for a few months and cancel.
 

dorkimoe

Member
One of the most popular tv apps is one to help you locate shit across all the streaming services. Its only going to get worse, with prime adding commercials into shows we are basically back to tv
 
It takes a lot of creativity to find something to watch these days. I wouldn’t be able to watch anything if I had access to everything (pirate) so working within this bizarre deal whirlpool is actually helpful.
 

Bojji

Member
I'm forced to have netflix because my mother uses it, I also have prime because one year sub is dirt cheap here (less than netflix for one month lol).

But this whole situation is a clusterfuck, we are in a position where many shows or movies aren't available anywhere, only on torrent sites and (maybe) physical discs. Fragmentation is also insane.
 

Meicyn

Gold Member
I have Apple TV because it’s part of the Apple One bundled service which makes it “free” since I’d pay the same price if I bought each bundle item separately minus TV. So, bundle it is. I watch stuff on there now and then. The family plan is used by my mom and sister so there’s a lot of mileage from it.

Netflix being overly greedy put me on a path of cutting it months ago, when it once was treated as a de facto utility since the Xbox 360 days. Now they get nothing from me. And I have no intention of subscribing to any of the others. Screw them all. I buy some of the shows I want outright when they are sold at discount and that’s that.

I know I’m a drop in the ocean and Netflix doesn’t give two shits, but it makes me feel self-righteous. Plus I can buy 10 pounds of pork shoulder per month for the money I used to give Netflix.
 
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At this point, streaming is like cable. Maybe worse.
We are basically back to tv
I predict everybody will go back to cable because this shit is too confusing and becoming too expensive.
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This must be a nostalgia thing because you all have forgotten cable TV. You have also forgotten how bad cable TV became in the early 2000s when Netflix was just starting to get a foothold. Mountains and mountains of reality TV shows, food networks, shopping networks, constant reruns, unskippable commercials, TV scheduling mishaps, and stuff that was meant for youtube(tutorials, music videos, and tech). It only got worse as the years went on before streaming saved the day. For a long time, Sports was the only saving grace for cable as something they could call exclusive, but now more streaming services are offering Sports so there's essentially just about nothing left exclusive to cable at this point. I'm glad it's dying and it will hopefully be fully dead soon.

Every time someone says this you know that they haven't had cable in a long time. My MIL was paying $280 [/b]a month [/b] for some tv, internet and phone over internet bundle. And that was without some of the premium channels.
We tried basic Direct TV - over the internet no actual 'service' - $70 a month, dropped it almost instantly.
More likely something new will come up then people going back to cable

Exactly. Not a chance in hell people will willingly go backwards to those high base package prices. The ones who say this don't understand the immense waste of money that cable was. Tons of irrelevant channels tacked on to your cable package, inflating the price, even though the viewer is only wanting a fraction of the channels and content. Not to mention hoping that DVR recorded properly and having to switch channels to find good content, just to catch a movie that's halfway done. Additionally, some of the cable providers made sure that you were locked into a 3 month, 6 month, or year long contract.

Who honestly wants to go back to this headache?

Yes, streaming has it's own problems with navigation, but I'd rather just use an app that tells you which show is on which streaming service 100 times over than going backwards into the headache that was cable.
 

Salz01

Member
giphy.gif


This must be a nostalgia thing because you all have forgotten cable TV. You have also forgotten how bad cable TV became in the early 2000s when Netflix was just starting to get a foothold. Mountains and mountains of reality TV shows, food networks, shopping networks, constant reruns, unskippable commercials, TV scheduling mishaps, and stuff that was meant for youtube(tutorials, music videos, and tech). It only got worse as the years went on before streaming saved the day. For a long time, Sports was the only saving grace for cable as something they could call exclusive, but now more streaming services are offering Sports so there's essentially just about nothing left exclusive to cable at this point. I'm glad it's dying and it will hopefully be fully dead soon.




Exactly. Not a chance in hell people will willingly go backwards to those high base package prices. The ones who say this don't understand the immense waste of money that cable was. Tons of irrelevant channels tacked on to your cable package, inflating the price, even though the viewer is only wanting a fraction of the channels and content. Not to mention hoping that DVR recorded properly and having to switch channels to find good content, just to catch a movie that's halfway done. Additionally, some of the cable providers made sure that you were locked into a 3 month, 6 month, or year long contract.

Who honestly wants to go back to this headache?

Yes, streaming has it's own problems with navigation, but I'd rather just use an app that tells you which show is on which streaming service 100 times over than going backwards into the headache that was cable.
I’m not saying cable was great, because it wasn’t. I hated it too. It’s old and archaic. Having 300 plus channels was stupid too. But streaming is turning into something nasty and that’s what Dunkey is pointing out. You don’t have to manage one service now, but several. They already have streaming service aggregation apps where you can manage your multiple subscriptions from one login. I know people that watch one service for a month , cancel, watch another then cancel, and go back and forth. Juggling between streaming services is a headache too. Me personally, I just subscribe to Netflix / Hulu, and buy the rest on iTunes.
 
I’m not saying cable was great, because it wasn’t. I hated it too. It’s old and archaic. Having 300 plus channels was stupid too. But streaming is turning into something nasty and that’s what Dunkey is pointing out. You don’t have to manage one service now, but several. They already have streaming service aggregation apps where you can manage your multiple subscriptions from one login. I know people that watch one service for a month , cancel, watch another then cancel, and go back and forth. Juggling between streaming services is a headache too.
I think we've always been a point where there isn't one great solution and you just have to accept choosing between negatives. There are just more options now. And I don't think that more options are a bad thing. Here's what we have for each:

Cable negatives: Everything we've listed above

Streaming negatives: Shows and movies spread throughout multiple services and some aren't able to be found due to being delisted or because of an expired license / Too much choice / You have to manage several subscriptions (there's apps to help for this though).

Digital purchasing negatives: You're taking a chance on digitally owning a product that you might only watch once and can't sell. Your chance depends on the reviews of others as there's usually no way to preview the content. Also too much choice.

Digital Rental negatives: Like an online Blockbuster but you quickly realize how outdated this model is for anything that's not simultaneous theater release, because each singular title rental is around 5.99 on Prime/Apple TV+.

Physical purchasing negatives: You're taking a chance again, but now your physical media could be at risk depending upon the situation and amount of time. Also, it takes up more and more space in your home. The choice isn't quite thrown in your face like the above two depending on where you buy, but you end up with less of a chance of discovering something fresh and new aside from what others recommend.

Right now I'm okay with a mixture of digital purchasing and streaming (including the free apps people here tend to ignore for some reason).
 

bender

What time is it?
Digital purchasing negatives: You're taking a chance on digitally owning a product that you might only watch once and can't sell. Your chance depends on the reviews of others as there's usually no way to preview the content. Also too much choice.

One negative to digital purchases that if something you purchase gets delisted from a storefront and you no longer have a local copy, you may be SOL. It's fairly common on iTunes.

As far as being unable to preview content, I just wait for sales. Movies usually dip to $4.99-$7.99 pretty quickly. I don't really see too much choice as a negative either.

The safest method for owning is ripped physical media and just store your discs in Case Logic binders rather than their original packaging material if space is a concern.
 

Valedix

Member
This is why physical copies matters, imagine paying for 10 streaming services just to watch season 1 - 5 or whatever of your favourite show.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
Now that Amazon has also introduced advertisements I’m dripping this stuff for good I think. All the new series are all woke invested and unwatchable anyway.

Will use Amazon for movie rental here and there still but otherwise I’ll just keep watching the 400+ movies I already own. There streaming services have gotten out of hand.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
I'm sorta ok with ads so long as they are A. All front loaded or B the show is designed for ads, with the natural break and post ad recap common to shows in the prestreaming era.

But dropped in randomly, sometimes in the middle of an action or drama scene is straight bullshit, as are the ones you retriever over and over If you fast-forward or rewind.

Give me 1-2 fun ads before starting though, I'm ok with that to shave a few bucks off a sub.
 

Quasicat

Member
I have been using Plex for over a decade when stuff I watched on Netflix was being delisted. Once the kids were born, I bought a lifetime Plex Pass to create a family account and that is all I ever spend on it. I can use it anywhere, even with my terrible upload speeds of 25mbs.
 

Miyazaki’s Slave

Gold Member
I watched the video, had a chuckle, then thought "how does he come up with this stuff" so I looked and.....everything he said is true?!?!

This is bat shit insane. I am not much of a TV/Movie watcher any more (old bitter etc etc) but I sub to all of the major services (except for netflix...I was an 18 year customer then they did that password shit and prevented my mom/extended family from using my account...fuck'em) and my extended family watches whatever they want.

What a shit show (but still cheaper and allows more JIT choice than cable).
 
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Paltheos

Member
I watched the video, had a chuckle, then thought "how does he come up with this stuff" so I looked and.....everything he said is true?!?!

This is bat shit insane. I am not much of a TV/Movie watcher any more (old bitter etc etc) but I sub to all of the major services (except for netflix...I was an 18 year customer then they did that password shit and prevented my mom/extended family from using my account...fuck'em) and my extended family watches whatever they want.

What a shit show (but still cheaper and allows more JIT choice than cable).

I can believe it. I didn't even doubt it as I was watching the video. Supposedly his Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid summaries are also just as true despite sounding just as insane.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I have been using Plex for over a decade when stuff I watched on Netflix was being delisted. Once the kids were born, I bought a lifetime Plex Pass to create a family account and that is all I ever spend on it. I can use it anywhere, even with my terrible upload speeds of 25mbs.
I use Plex as well. It's nice to be able to pay just once to stream the stuff that I know I'll watch more than once. I have a bunch of tv series I love on Plex.
 
This is why physical copies matters, imagine paying for 10 streaming services just to watch season 1 - 5 or whatever of your favourite show.
Agreed, if you’re one of the people who subscribe to an entire service just to only have a few favorite shows you watch again and again, you should have already bought those shows either physically or digitally on Prime/Youtube/AppleTV.

The difference is that I don’t blame the streaming service for this level of unawareness and negligence.
 

Quasicat

Member
Fuck all that come sail the high seas
One Piece Hello GIF by Pudgy Penguins
I don’t understand why people do it. I guess I’ve always been afraid of getting caught which would make me lose my teaching license through the ethics board. That being said, it’s still legal to record video onto a DVR and put that recording to your TV for individual use. It’s a small hurdle you have to make, but at least it’s legal.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
- begin streaming service to provide more content and prevent piracy
- 99% of what's on offer is garbage
- make own shows, also 99% garbage
- ask 20 bucks a month for unstable, ever-changing catalogue of titles
- have literally 12 competing streaming platform services doing the exact same thing
- price hikes on a yearly basis, adding nothing of value in return
- add advertisements

What is the long term objective here, exactly?
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
I don’t understand why people do it. I guess I’ve always been afraid of getting caught which would make me lose my teaching license through the ethics board. That being said, it’s still legal to record video onto a DVR and put that recording to your TV for individual use. It’s a small hurdle you have to make, but at least it’s legal.
I don't think you have anything to worry about, simply run everything through a VPN and even if you didn't, with so many people sailing the seven seas your broadband provider has more than enough on their plate to worry about people downloading shit
 

ADiTAR

ידע זה כוח
because of this, and he recommends it, I watched The Killer. What a bore fest, thank god I ran it in 1.25X, how do these movies get approved. Nothing happens, nothing clever, yes you can write in statistics to sound smart, but that doesn't change the fact the movie has no plot, no character, nothing.
 
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sankt-Antonio

:^)--?-<
Its the natural progression of these tech companies and their goals. Go into a segment, destroy the competition with venture capital and the willingness to loose money for over a decade, using the engagement numbers to pump the stock market, raise prizes once competition in destroyed in the hopes of building an attainable business.

We are now in the phase where cable has been killed off, market is saturated and these providers aggressively trying to raise prices and save costs to get an actually profitable business. To sad that I'll be back to sailing on the high seas.
 

ADiTAR

ידע זה כוח
Its the natural progression of these tech companies and their goals. Go into a segment, destroy the competition with venture capital and the willingness to loose money for over a decade, using the engagement numbers to pump the stock market, raise prizes once competition in destroyed in the hopes of building an attainable business.

We are now in the phase where cable has been killed off, market is saturated and these providers aggressively trying to raise prices and save costs to get an actually profitable business. To sad that I'll be back to sailing on the high seas.
There's a lot of old great content they can just remaster and turn HD. I'm still watching Golden Girl, now started binging on Murder, She Wrote. Both are great. There's a lot of great 80-90s series that can fill out their content gaps.
 

RPS37

Member
- begin streaming service to provide more content and prevent piracy
- 99% of what's on offer is garbage
- make own shows, also 99% garbage
- ask 20 bucks a month for unstable, ever-changing catalogue of titles
- have literally 12 competing streaming platform services doing the exact same thing
- price hikes on a yearly basis, adding nothing of value in return
- add advertisements

What is the long term objective here, exactly?
Damn.
 

Drew1440

Member
One of the most popular tv apps is one to help you locate shit across all the streaming services. Its only going to get worse, with prime adding commercials into shows we are basically back to tv
A lot of smart TV middleware does this, where you can search from within its guide and it will show you which different services it's available on, either for streaming or rental. Both my Tivo (Virgin Media) and Sony Android TV did this and it was amazing since it would take you directly into the app instead.
 

Quasicat

Member
There's a lot of old great content they can just remaster and turn HD. I'm still watching Golden Girl, now started binging on Murder, She Wrote. Both are great. There's a lot of great 80-90s series that can fill out their content gaps.
This is what I’m doing as well. When I was growing up, my parents were always watching stuff like Hogan’s Heroes and Magnum PI, but I was too young to care or understand it. Now I’ve gone through those and am now halfway through The Practice. After this, I’m moving onto Boston Legal and Matlock. Such great shows that don’t preach to me when I just want to be entertained.
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
- begin streaming service to provide more content and prevent piracy
- 99% of what's on offer is garbage
- make own shows, also 99% garbage
- ask 20 bucks a month for unstable, ever-changing catalogue of titles
- have literally 12 competing streaming platform services doing the exact same thing
- price hikes on a yearly basis, adding nothing of value in return
- add advertisements

What is the long term objective here, exactly?

I have Netflix, Prime, Max, Showtime and I still prefer to download them, ifyouknowhatImean, for the following reasons:

1. storing content
2. better media apps to watch them on tv(higher volume, better subtitle config, etc.)
3. no ads

If it werent for my parents, I'd cancel them. They really dont care about ads or whatever, they just open Netflix or whatever and pick whatever is popular or whatever they feel like it.
 

lifa-cobex

Member
Streaming services are fantastic in this day in age for giving me ideas in what to pirate.

I don’t understand why people do it. I guess I’ve always been afraid of getting caught which would make me lose my teaching license through the ethics board. That being said, it’s still legal to record video onto a DVR and put that recording to your TV for individual use. It’s a small hurdle you have to make, but at least it’s legal.
I've been doing it for the past 20 years. At this point I'm not even using a VPN.
With the odds of you being caught, You might as well play the lottery.
I'm not talking about downloading and distributing.
Just streaming alone.

I'm somewhat sure that here in the UK, You're fine to stream. It's uploading(seeding) and distributing where you could get in trouble.
 
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