Torrents: Eliminating Cable (Part 2 of Watching TV Without Cable Series)

Let me begin by saying that Mobile • Local • Social does not endorse illegal or unauthorized file-sharing, the use of BitTorrent for any unauthorized distribution or reception of copyrighted or otherwise protected content, or any other form of copyright infringement.  The views espoused in this post are mine and mine alone.

That said, a good argument can be made for “free”.  As I wrote yesterday, since getting rid of cable, I have been exploring the alternative methods of watching TV.  Being that I had a Netflix account, I watched LOST via Netflix’ streaming “Watch Instantly” feature.  And, before long, I was at Best Buy, purchasing seasons 1 through 5 on Blu-Ray.  I didn’t even manage to get to the second season before I liked the show enough to buy it on Blu-Ray.

At the same time, I had decided on the recommendation of a friend to check out Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  It was a spur of the moment type thing and I didn’t feel like waiting the day or so to get a disc in the mail.  So I fired up my browser and downloaded a few episodes.  I put them onto my PS3 and watched them.  The next day, I bought the Blu-Ray set. Did Lucasfilm, Ltd. lose out on any money by my watching the copies that I had downloaded first?  I honestly don’t think so.

Consider that iTunes sells episodes of shows at $1 apiece.  That is a fairly high price to hook a new viewer.  Sight unseen, I probably would not have paid the first dollar.  Moreover, while some shows will give away one episode for free, in the case of serial drama, that’s not nearly enough to really get someone hooked.  The “pusher” model needs a little tweaking.

The picture quality of LOST on Netflix streaming was about on par with the cable broadcast.  The picture quality of The Clone Wars, even though it claimed to be 720p, was about 480p.  Why buy the cow when the milk is free?  In this case, I knew the cow was good even if the milk quality wasn’t.  In the case of LOST, its replay value is fairly high.  The same goes for some of the other serial dramas of the last decade, especially those from FX and HBO.  In the case of The Clone Wars, I fell in love with the art style and wanted to see it better.

There is also a bit of a hassle in getting purchased content to the TV.  As it stands now, I have an XBox and a PS3 connected to the TV.  The XBox won’t play DRM-content from iTunes such as purchased shows.  The PS3 also has its hiccups and, while it does have a browser, it’s a pain to use with just the controllers.  What I’ve found is that the easiest method is simply transferring content from my media server to the consoles via thumb-drive.  It’s especially simple to do on the PS3.  But it needs to be a format that the console can handle.

As it stands now, I’m going the quasi-legal route (quasi because the MPAA and RIAA have stated that they will go after uploaders only, not downloaders).  I will not vouch for the legality or illegality of downloading, nor will I render any opinion on whether it exposes one to civil liability.  From an ease-of-use standpoint though, torrenting TV shows remains easy and, to be honest, a good substitute.  If you have qualms or otherwise feel uneasy about torrenting, that is for you to decide.

Will I torrent regularly?  No.  Will I do it to see if I really like a serial TV show in the knowledge that if I do, I will purchase it?  There’s a good chance.  And yes, I do “leech”, meaning I do not allow uploads from my computer.  It may be somehow undemocratic but I’m the only who will be paying my fines and legal fees.

I’m on the fence about Caprica.  I adored Battlestar Galactica (again, I got hooked after watching four episodes off of Netflix) enough to buy it.  And if I like Caprica, I’ll probably buy it, if only to rewatch it in conjunction with BSG.

So who is losing out by my torrenting the odd handful of shows?  The studios (and by extension, creators) are getting fully compensated by my purchasing it.  It appears that the only one left unpaid is the cable company.