Shows and TV

I’ll probably quit all video streaming services and go back to relying entirely on my existing Usenet based setup because I have to fill the gaps with piracy more and more. So much stuff is not even available for purchase and the things are switching places in and out constantly on top of being chronically late. There’s not enough heads up when something gets removed so you might get stranded mid-series. Disney and Prime are notoriously bad in the evenings with stuttering and dropping to comically low resolution. Fucking Amazon is one of the biggest infrastructure providers around so how does that even happen? I really tried and I really made an effort to pay for everything but it’s just so much pain in the ass.

I’m not going to start buying DVDs because I value my ability to move.

Rant over.

I occasionally share USB sticks.

I’d say that I’m using the library more than ever.

I’m actually ripping all my physical discs right now. DVDs, BDs, CDs. Storage is cheap enough and then I can play them most anywhere and not have to worry about discs going bad (they do).

I didn't realise that RealDebrid has a kind of "folder" that you can send anyone a link to, and they download whatever type of media is in there

It's really useful and, I suppose, the 2024 version of loaning a disk

I buy all good shows on physical media now. Don’t want lose stream. Easy to watch, easy to watch again.

Man, I know people swapping tapes. No bullshit, VCRs are cheap, and you can get old movies by the box full for a dollar or two at freaking pawn shops. So there's a brisk tape sharing going on in my county at least. Dunno how far it's spread, but folks seem to not give a crap that the images are lousy on modern TVs.

Makes me kinda regret dumping all my VHS years ago. Not that I'd be watching anything I could get in less annoying formats, but it would nice to be able to give them away to people that want them instead of them having gone in the trash.

Word is there's two competing stalls at the flea market, selling tapes for pennies each. No idea how long that'll last though. They're bound to run out eventually.

But, yeah, I pretty freely loan out DVDs that I can replace easily. The oop stuff stays here, but I don't mind ripping a copy of those, as long as someone has discs to burn.

I'm so fucking fed up with streaming at this point that if I had my free say, we wouldn't stream anything at all. But I'm outvoted lol.

Probably depends on the media itself, as in, is it rare or hard to find on a P2P service.

My friend's son is currently working his way through the horror section of a box of DVDs I gave him 3+ years ago.