This recent YouTube video from LTT on the topic of ripping DVDs and Blu-rays has got me wondering:
I’m not a big fan of stores, hoarding physical stuff and DVDs and Blu-rays, but I do love owning my stuff digitally and supporting the artists. Is there a service that let’s you buy the movie, TV series or anime that you want to watch and then simply download it to your drive? No app, no subscription bs, no delivery, just straight money for an .mkv file and that’s it?
TL:DR: Is there an equivalent to Qobuz but for visual enjoyment?
Edit: So in summary, the often repeated mantra of “piracy exists because it is more convenient than traditional services” doesn’t just apply to subscription streaming services, it applies to direct digital movie purchases too. I suppose the best approach remains to split the “supporting artists” part from the “digital file getting” part, at least until a service with a modern catalogue pops up that unifies the two parts.
Looks like Amazon offers digital purchases.
If you find a company you support that offers a digital purchase, I’d do that and then “pirate” it through normal means. You’ve already paid for the digital copy, and “pirating” is easier than ripping your own.
Oh I nearly forgot but specifically Prime Video is indeed a service that allows direct movie downloads, thanks for the suggestions!
Altough…now that I’ve looked at it more closely and if I understood it correctly:
- one can only use their proprietary app to initiate a download
- one can only watch the downloaded content on their proprietary app, and
- the downloaded movie expires after 30 days.
I’ll try it out as soon as I can, but if true then this is just a horrible experience.
They do not offer downloads like you think. The downloads from basically any service are wrapped in DRM and can only be downloaded and played through their interface. You don’t own it. They can revoke your access to it.
Yeah…thanks for the clarification, when I read the download part I expected to get a file, not just an offline viewing experience. I’ll be more careful now whenever I read that a service offers downloads, I came in from the perspective of someone buying music and thought I would get a file.
Splitting the “file getting” from the “supporting artists” part is my current approach for movies and such, but I fear that Prime Video isn’t a very good service for the “supporting” part since their cut is so big. But as you’ve already correctfully said, if I have to split my approach to movies, then I’ll be on the lookout for a service that offers digital purchases and that I support, which entails that it doesn’t take half of my money before it even reaches the movie studios that will want their cut too.
They’re saying you can pirate a copy from the high seas to keep on Plex/Jellyfin but pay for a digital copy in order to pay the artists/studios. You won’t want to rely on Prime Video to actually store or watch your purchases because it’ll be disappointing in both regards.
That sounds like a really solid approach!
As for Amazon Prime Video, they aren’t really a company/service I trust with supporting the artists behind it, also seen by the fact that they’re increasing their cut each year (Amazon’s average cut is now at 50%, and somehow I have a hunch that they won’t stop there). And I was already being generous by asking for a 50% split, compared to platforms like Steam (30%) or the App Store (30-15%) it’s insulting.
Basically, for me Qobuz’s attractiveness doesn’t lie in offering direct downloads, as we all know there are other ways. Personally it’s attractiveness lies in not having to support artist by buying tickets to their show, buying their merch, buying CDs and leaving them sealed anyways, donating or funding their sideprojects, but instead in supporting them by directly buying their product, in that case it being their music. All the other stuff is just waste I don’t want.
