Hope someone can help. Am getting sick of purchasing DVD''s via Amazon etc to get the latest releases ASAP - they take ages to get released in Australia and I didn't mind paying for non Region 4 DVD's but they still take ages to arrive and the cost is substantial once converted to A$. Am considering a subscription download service provider such as dvdfreedirect I saw mentioned in another forum. Is there any value in this and what should I expect, are they easy to use/install or is there some other way to get my DVD's quicker than via an 'auction' site. Appreciate any advice/help. Tom.
Anything legit would presumably just give you access to expensive DRM'ed to the max content. Anything else and you are probably just paying for "access" to freeware p2p software and public networks. If that is the case you could just download the stuff from p2p for free, then purchase the R4 PAL release later. Not exactly legal, but in the scheme of things...
Blockbuster on-line, Netflix. More reliable, but tend to vehemently bend they truth in their adverts. Both claim to offer "3 out at a time", and "the faster you send back, the faster you get more". Not true. Although they both claim not to quota the amount of movies you get per month, guess what.....they do. I've gone back and forth with both of them and both do the same thing. Lie. Though you do get approximately 10-15 movies per month for $17.99, I guess it beats going to the movie store and renting for approx $4.00 a piece. So, yes I'm still a member, the service sucks, the customer relations suck but you are able to get new releases fairly quick so long as you get the titles into your queue well ahead of release dates. P2P downloading is hit or miss and if you don't mind low quality compressed movies then you can download at will. However MPAA and DMAA are watching very closely to hit anybody they can with HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUge fines when they get them. That's about all I can offer
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but those are DVD rental services. The original poster asked about download services.
Thanks guys, In summary, sounds like subscription download is a con as the ability to download is there via p2p peer to peer protocols?) software that can be downloaded for free (I'm sure I'll find it somewhere within the Afterdawn archives). If I were to use this eg for a DVD that I can't currently buy down here in Australia then then I could successfuly download it, back it up to disc (and eventually buy theoriginal when it's released here in 6 - 7 months). Thanks again, Tom.
celtic_D wrote: ---------------------------------- Correct me if I'm wrong here, but those are DVD rental services. The original poster asked about download services. ---------------------------------- Read my first sentence. Then read my last sentence of my reply back to teemore. I was offering an alternative to risky download services, which normally don't give you what you are looking for anyway. The alternative to the pay downloads is to do it for free, but your risk fines. Hence the alternative to rent online for a low cost and get more from online renting then you would if you were to go to the store to rent. Overall, it is a response to alternative subscription memberships. Hope that helps answer your question.
Yes, but presumably those services are for the US only. The most you really risk is an email warning and that is if the ISP here even bothers forwarding it. Use Peear Guardian, etc. and you probably won't even get an email. As far as I know, no idividual here has been sued for downloading. Like I said, downloading something and buying the DVD later isn't legal, but I don't have a problem with it.
