Paying for direct movie downloads (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by Painfinity@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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This recent YouTube video from LTT on the topic of ripping DVDs and Blu-rays has got me wondering:

I'm not a big fan of stores, hoarding physical stuff and DVDs and Blu-rays, but I do love owning my stuff digitally and supporting the artists. Is there a service that let's you buy the movie, TV series or anime that you want to watch and then simply download it to your drive? No app, no subscription bs, no delivery, just straight money for an .mkv file and that's it?

TL:DR: Is there an equivalent to Qobuz but for visual enjoyment?

Edit: So in summary, the often repeated mantra of "piracy exists because it is more convenient than traditional services" doesn't just apply to subscription streaming services, it applies to direct digital movie purchases too. I suppose the best approach remains to split the "supporting artists" part from the "digital file getting" part, at least until a service with a modern catalogue pops up that unifies the two parts.

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[-] Painfinity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 months ago

Oh I nearly forgot but specifically Prime Video is indeed a service that allows direct movie downloads, thanks for the suggestions!

Altough......now that I've looked at it more closely and if I understood it correctly:

one can only use their proprietary app to initiate a download
one can only watch the downloaded content on their proprietary app, and
the downloaded movie expires after 30 days.

I'll try it out as soon as I can, but if true then this is just a horrible experience.

[-] SaltySalamander@fedia.io 6 points 3 months ago

They do not offer downloads like you think. The downloads from basically any service are wrapped in DRM and can only be downloaded and played through their interface. You don't own it. They can revoke your access to it.

[-] Painfinity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah....thanks for the clarification, when I read the download part I expected to get a file, not just an offline viewing experience. I'll be more careful now whenever I read that a service offers downloads, I came in from the perspective of someone buying music and thought I would get a file.

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 1 points 3 months ago

Yeah, that's why I said buy and then "pirate".

[-] Painfinity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Splitting the "file getting" from the "supporting artists" part is my current approach for movies and such, but I fear that Prime Video isn't a very good service for the "supporting" part since their cut is so big. But as you've already correctfully said, if I have to split my approach to movies, then I'll be on the lookout for a service that offers digital purchases and that I support, which entails that it doesn't take half of my money before it even reaches the movie studios that will want their cut too.

[-] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 1 points 3 months ago

They're saying you can pirate a copy from the high seas to keep on Plex/Jellyfin but pay for a digital copy in order to pay the artists/studios. You won't want to rely on Prime Video to actually store or watch your purchases because it'll be disappointing in both regards.

[-] Painfinity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 months ago

Splitting the "file getting" from the "supporting artists" part is generally an approach that I'm fine with, but I fear that Prime Video isn't a very good service for the "supporting" part since their cut is so big.