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Do you watch TV series? I do. Surprisingly I almost never watch them on TV. I watch them online, sometimes on YouTube or Dailymotion.
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Recently I've discovered a whole new world of possibility to keep up with my favorites. I'm talking about online streaming, specifically about hulu (hulu.com) which can be used for free. The first problem one might encounter after clicking the link is the message: 'Sorry, currently our video library can only be watched within the United States' which is due to copyrights and all other legal stuff. How to solve such a problem? Move to US... or use a proxy (e.g. ZenMate) service to get public US IP address.
Such a system is called Video On Demand (VOD) and depending on the provider allows you to either download (useful if your connection is too slow for comfortable streaming) or stream the content.
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Most of the services are subscription-based (netflix.com, hbogo.com), some allow you to buy or rent movies (amazon.com) and some will provide you content if you are o.k. with watching some ADs (mentioned earlier hulu.com). With different pricing comes different qualities of streaming (from SD to ultra HD) and a different range of movies. From what I know the biggest database belongs to Amazon, but their subscription (Amazon Prime) is 99$/year which at first glance is a lot. On the other hand, Netflix, which has most of the TV series I watch starts from 8$/month. The industry is also present in Poland. VOD.pl, Google Play or iTunes offer a wide range of movies without the need of using proxy. Sadly, the foreign offer is simply better both in terms of pricing and the library's size.
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Is this the way of the future? I mean, is the standard TV going extinct? Or it is just a matter of perception and the digital television taking over the analog one is the same as the internet television taking down the cable TV? Many modern TV screens (Smart TV?) have the internet connection so it seems only natural that at some point the television we used to know from our childhood will simply become a story of 'old times' that we may tell our children...
Do you often watch movies/TV series?
If so, on what platforms? Do you use VOD? Which provider?
If not, is VOD something more to your liking compared to normal TV?
Comments
Using computer just for watching TV is like using a car just to sit in one. You don't do just that because it's not the main purpose of this thing.
I don't often watch movies/series using TV. Most of the time if I watch, then I watch youtube's short amateur videos, documentaries, entertainment, scientific, etc... Companies set up their channels there and put the 'TV' term in their channel name often. It creates illusion as they would have set up their own television channel. A couple of years ago yes, I did watch TV, but I was slowly progressing towards using internet and other services more than TV. Eventually watching yourube completely displaced my TV habits for watching movies or series. From time to time, occasionally I watch a movie or series in a TV, but very rarely.
I do not use VOD because it is not free and sooner or later any media posted on the internet will make their way out to be free.
I don't use vod, because I feel that I can download everything that I want from the Internet in good quality and without any ads. Maybe if we would have Netflix in Poland perhaps I would consider paying for it. I love their show "House of Cards" and actually I'm in the middle of the new season. The huge difference between the internet and television is that I can choose what I want to watch and when I want it. Even when I'm in the mood to watch something silly to relax I would much rather watch something specific of my choosing then mindlessly serf through television channels (I never had cable so I wouldn't take long). I think that the Internet is much better than television, especially in Poland (at least here I know what kind of programs there are in tv). The Internet offers much better quality and I feel like deletion only invests their money into really stupid programs (like Dancing with the Stars and similar things) or buy foreign programs and airs the first season when everybody are watching the 4th one.
In my opinion people no longer have time or need to wait every week for their favorite programs at a specific hour especially when everything is available at any time you want.
I usually use websites such as watchseries or eKino. I don't need to watch in HD quality because I don’t mind quality that much. The only exception that I have is for TV shows which are on TVN.
Mine was more about generaly speaking 'Internet television' rather than VOD. I like that you focused on this branch. I was working for company serving biggest polish TV companies with VOD. Amount of people watching it - is crazy.
There is still one thing that is not regulated: in USA there are 1.7 bilion people using up to 10 ISPs (Internet Service Providers). In Europe - there are 500 milion people using several dozen ISPs.
If these companies wouldn't invest money in the infrastructure - Internet Televisions wouldn't exist. Now, most of the money paid for transfering data are not sufficient to improve the infrastructure and I'm not suprised that ISPs want TV companies to pay them for eg. better transfer - and it's happening even in Poland.
For example: Google has to pay UPC to transfer Youtube content faster.
I've read an article where it was written that law has to be changed to unify the market of internet television and internet providers so it would be obligatory to share their incomes.
What do you think about this idea? Wouldn't it kill the Internet freedom? So for example if you would use 1 ISP you can watch youtube and with another you can't but you have access to Netflix (and price is covered by your Internet bill).
I would be really interested in using hulu or netflix, unfortunately all those copyright laws, that doesn't allow to watch movies in Poland, makes it impossible.
I would be really interested in using hulu or netflix, unfortunately all those copyright laws, that doesn't allow to watch movies in Poland, makes it impossible.
One of disadvantages is that the series are published later than the television. And often the newest are paid.
That's why VOD seems to be a very good option for me. I already wanted to give it a shoot last year with HBO GO. Unfortunately it's impossible to subscribe to HBO GO on its own, it's just an addon (costing 10 PLN extra) to regular HBO subscription and I could buy it only from a TV provider. I would gladly pay even 30 or 40 PLN for this service standalone. It was a real deal breaker for me since I don't have a regular TV subscription (for the reasons I mentioned before). Most of people in Poland don't even know that you actually can set up a proxy and use Netflix and other amazing VOD services available in the US.
Maybe HBO's policy originates from their wrong assumption that everyone interested in TV shows already has traditional TV but in my opinion it's just their way to force people to buy even the cheapest subscription to their traditional channels which are bound to lose to a superior medium which is the Internet.
What do you think?
But I think VOD is really cool option to reduce piracy in internet. It is quite unnatural to go to the shop if you want to watch something – you want it NOW, you don't think about going out anywhere. Many series are not even available in our stores when they are hot in Poland. So this kind of is very convenient – and it's quite similar to TV, except the fact that you watch what you want whenever you want :) cool stuff
I don't think I watch movies or TV series often but I do. And if I do then I'll wacth it only on the Internet, cause I don't have TV(student :)). I've never heard about VOD before, but thanks you, now I know anout this pretty interesting opportunity to watch favourite movies or series online. There are many different platforms in Ukraine, so I prefer watch everything I want there.
From TV series I really like two of them: arrow and supernatural.
What you're saying about deals between content service providers and ISPs is astonishing... and after a while seems kinda reasonable. At least for Poland - I mean... this a country of better deals and hard competition, guess it's hard to be surprised by anything if you're in Poland :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyzmLJVYtqk
Aaaand sometimes one episode is just not enough and I can deal with one less hour of sleep. Haha.
Watching specific things you're interested in is a good trend everyone here seems to follow. Good for us :)
I won't subscribe to any VOD in near future because now my hosting plan is much more important than entertainment.
MUST SEE
Have fun watching :)
The use of normal TV is not very comfortable because of schedule and commercials. VOD is more flexible. Video On Demand allows us to see what we want and when we want.