Tag: pirate

UK Pirates Are Big Box Office Spenders

Been a bit of noise about the UK darknet from a survey OFCOM did recently, a lot of the findings Musicmatch already highlighted in their study previously…

Pirates Are Big Box Office Spenders

the comprehensive study suggests that many pirates spend as much as 300 per cent more on media than a person that doesn’t download.

The information was retrieved as part of a survey of just under 4,500 internet users, aged 12 and older. In conclusion, the researchers found that of the 16 per cent that said they downloaded, the majority were termed, “hybrids,” because they also paid for movies, music, concerts and such like. Ultimately it was found that these hybrids, could spend much, much more than those that didn’t pirate at all. In a three month test period, 100 per cent legal movie fans spend around £35. Comparatively, the hybrid pirates – which are sounding more and more like something out of Davy Jones fish-head crew – spent almost £60 in the same period.

Torrent Freak goes into much more detail, even the RIAA agrees with some of the higher level results.

What I want to know is, will this change the TV ecosystem in anyway? I unfortunately don’t think so…

Another head in the sand moment…?

The hierarchy of darknet video encoding

Some people make the grave mistake of thinking the darknet is full of kiddies messing with stuff to defeat drm and commit mass copyright.

They are so wrong and what they fail to understand is some of the smartest people are working together.

If you need any proof of this, see the recent changes in Standard Definition x264 release standards… Frankly the darknet puts the standard process of the likes of Ultra Violet to shame…

The whole NFO file is here.

-ªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªª¼
- -
- The SD x264 TV Releasing Standards 2012 -
LªªªªªªªTTªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªTTªªªªªªª-
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- Lªªª[ INTRO ]ªªª- -
- -
- x264 has become the most advanced video codec over the past few years. -
- Compared to XviD, it is able to provide higher quality and compression at -
- greater SD resolutions. It also allows better control and transparency over -
- encoding settings. With CRF in the mix, we can also ensure that a diverse -
- array of material will get the most appropriate bitrate for them and not -
- arbitrary and fixed sizes. This standard aims to bring quality control back -
- to SD releases. There are many standalone players/streamers such as TviX, -
- Popcorn Hour, WDTV HD Media Player, Boxee, Xtreamer, PS3, XBOX 360, iPad, & -
- HDTVs that can playback H264 and AAC encapsulated in MP4. -
- -
- The SD x264 TV section was formed to separate releases from the ruleless -
- world of TV-XviD. This document will cover the rules and guidelines for -
- only SD resolution x264 television rips. -
- -
LªªªªªªªTTªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªTTªªªªªªª-
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I would go as far to as to say some of the best video encoders and there results are in the darknet including the likes of Yify, Froggie100, etc. Of course I’m not condoning what they do but its amazing they are able to squeeze a HD video down to a 700meg CD.

Question: How do you do it? Making movies so small, yet such good quality?

Answer: Magic hehe. But in all seriousness I use a combination of software and settings that I have found to work best. For beginner encoders I recommend Handbrake and Format Factory, very powerful tools that do a really good job.

Piracy sounds too sexy, say copyright holders

Pirate child

From ArsTechnica

For years, we’ve heard complaints about using the term “piracy” to describe the online copyright infringement—but most have come from Big Content’s critics.

As noted copyright scholar William Patry argued in his most recent book, “To say that X is a pirate is a metaphoric heuristic, intended to persuade a policymaker that the in-depth analysis can be skipped and the desired result immediately attained… Claims of piracy are rhetorical nonsense.”

That may well be true, but copyright holders have long preferred the term, with its suggestions of theft, destruction, and violence. The “pirates” have now co-opted the term, adopting it with gusto and hoisting the Jolly Roger across the Internet (The Pirate Bay being the most famous example).

Some of those concerned about online copyright infringement now realize that they may have created a monster by using the term “piracy.” This week, at the unveiling of a new study for the International Chamber of Commerce which argued that 1.2 million jobs could be lost in Europe as a result of copyright infringement by 2015, the head of the International Actors’ Federation lamented the term.

“We should change the word piracy,” she said at a press conference. “To me, piracy is something adventurous, it makes you think about Johnny Depp. We all want to be a bit like Johnny Depp. But we’re talking about a criminal act. We’re talking about making it impossible to make a living from what you do.”

Translation: we should have chosen a less-sexy term.

Gutted, they built up this stupid image of pirates and its totally back fired on them. Another win for remix culture I would say. Heaven knows what they will come up with instead.