Seibertron wrote:chaddicus wrote:On the subject of watching or downloading something early: You try to harp on those who do this, yet you don't take into the account that maybe we do buy the material when it comes available as well, which I do. I support the TF franchise as a whole and yeah, I downloaded Predacons Rising, and guess what? I'm going to purchase the dvd when it's available. Your boasting how you have connections and got the DVD weeks early and such, and that's ok because it happens to you, and then you go on a rant about how people are not "cool" cause they download a torrent or watch a video on Youtube. Let's put a little more of a perspective on this. I was deployed to Afghanistan when Animated Season 3 was airing. The DVD is yet to be made available and the series has been off the air for what, 4 years, and yes it's coming out this year, but am I such a terrible person for downloading season 3 when I returned so I could watch something that I did not have access to? Just a personal experience which doesn't apply to everyone, but not everyone has access to all the material that the rest of the world may have.
Welcome to the site chaddicus. I hope you will continue to listen to the Seibertron.com Podcast. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
While I disagree with watching it illegally regardless of whatever reason a person may have, that wasn't the point that I was making. I was really hot about the people who think they have a right to post the video on Youtube or make it available on bittorrent or however else they have chosen to illegally distribute a video on which Hasbro and Shout! Factory are still trying to make money. The people uploading those videos are who I am upset with. They don't have a right to distribute the video. It hits home with me because I personally know people at Shout! Factory and at Hasbro and I think it sucks in this economy that their hard work to make some money is undermined like this. It's not fair.
Thank you also for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. I don't expect or hope that you guys will always agree with me and I'm also not afraid to speak opinions that are unpopular. Our differences in opinions make for much more interesting discussions here on our forums than if we all agreed with each other. That'd be boring.
I haven’t heard the podcast, but just reading these comments I’d like to add another viewpoint. I appreciate that your problem is with those who do this illegaly for the sake of wanting to do companies out of money, and you may already be sympathetic to my views, but if I may just get something off my chest;
I find it absurd that we, as fans and more importantly as consumers, are not expected to want things. Why do Hasbro and Shout! Spend their time and money creating and distributing entertainment if people can’t want it?
Let me explain. I want to watch Transformers: Prime. When I first heard it was coming I wanted to watch it. I’m in the U.K, and yes, we are always behind.
We, as fans, are on the WORLD WIDE web. There is no hiding from things anymore. I wanted to keep up with my friends, this website and the fandom as a whole…so yeah, I began watching season 1 on YouTube. I could have been watching them on the hubs official website, with the same effect…but despite being on the WORLD WIDE web, it’s region restricted.
Anyways, I was about half way through season 1, when it was announced it was coming here to Cartoon Network. I stopped watching You tube, re-watched all the eps from the beginning on CN…only to have it stopped half way through. I think maybe I saw 2-3 fresh eps direct on CN. CN then proceeds to repeat eps 1-13 over and over and over. Season 1 finishes in U.S. I’m still stuck on re-runs. I did everything to avoid spoilers, didn't read any Prime related news. Was a good boy and sat waiting for CN to air the final eps. We all know the big plot point that clinches season 1…and I get it ruined one day on Deviant art by some twit posting a pic of Unicron. Nice.
I’m an artist and a writer. I know the importance of carefully threading and writing a story. Spoilers are not just the nemesis of fans, they can ruin the writers intentions for a story. This may be a weak point, since this is ultimately a business argument, but I also believe in supporting the creative’s behind these stories. I don’t see why their carefully crafted material should be ruined for their intended audience.
Times are changing. The internet has changed how media works, It has changed how we interact with said media and fandoms. I see you are friends with members of Shout! And Hasbro, so I can sympathize this issue is a sensitive one to you personally. These people have the right to make money on their hard work-I do NOT argue or disagree with this. But, if they feel this strongly about the problem, they have to step up to it. They have to as companies trying to sell and market products.
I will be buying predacons rising, I will import the DVD from the U.S, since I have no idea if the U.K will ever get it. I can play NTSC region stuff easily, so why not? I’m not an evil Pirate. I’m a fan, a very enthusiastic fan. (this will however piss off the U.K, as I am robbing the British economy of income. Can’t win whatever you do) They make product, I want it. This is the natural process. If people were agnostic and didn't want product, companies would die. If they provide me a source to buy it I will. Or, at the very least watch on domestic TV, as I have with TF: Prime now (yes, I still re-watched all eps broadcast, even after seeing the you tube vids) Consumers should not be blamed for bad distribution. If these companies are facing walls set up by people bigger than them in regards to international distribution, then tackle them. Don’t just blame us.
Since you know some of these people personally, may I humbly ask that this point of view be presented to them? The Internet is World Wide. The walls don’t exist anymore.And they most certainly SHOULD NOT exist anymore. Distribution of media should not, and need not be restricted anymore. If companies distribute this stuff through fairly priced legal channels with availability to EVERYONE, then this ‘problem’ would be so much smaller.
I can’t say fairer than that.
