For companies not to milk every god damn cent out of consumers while providing a worse experience than the free alternatives. Netflix limits steam quality to 720p in browsers (except for Edge) forcing you to use their Windows app or a spyware filled smart TV to access 4k content THAT YOU PAY FOR. Cracking down on password sharing such that it is an inconvenience to try to use your Netflix account outside of your home. Constant price raises to all the streaming services for lesser features over time, and content that could just disappear from the platform entirely. We haven’t even gotten to ads on paid tiers and “promotional” suggestions that are thinly veiled ads on non-ad plans.
You know what doesn’t do those things? An MP4 file on a Plex server. It’s gotten so frustrating to use streaming services that my partner and I torrent movies we have legal access to because it’s a better experience, and I’m guaranteed to be able to finish a series without it being ripped from the platform. I can also watch the 4k content I PAY FOR in any browser I please. There is zero reason a bunch of volunteers working together should be able to provide a better user experience than multi-billion dollar companies.
You know what I rarely pirate? Steam games. They’ve made the user experience 10x better than pirating with non-intrusive DRM and an endless number of features I use regularly (controller support, custom configurations, cloud saves, online “local” co-op, remote game streaming, workshop/mod support, community guides, automatic updates, local network downloads…I could go on for an hour). The times I do pirate are for games I’m not sure I will like or games that might not run well on my Steam Deck. You know what Valve is doing to combat this? Introducing a game trial feature.
For companies not to milk every god damn cent out of consumers while providing a worse experience than the free alternatives. Netflix limits steam quality to 720p in browsers (except for Edge) forcing you to use their Windows app or a spyware filled smart TV to access 4k content THAT YOU PAY FOR. Cracking down on password sharing such that it is an inconvenience to try to use your Netflix account outside of your home. Constant price raises to all the streaming services for lesser features over time, and content that could just disappear from the platform entirely. We haven’t even gotten to ads on paid tiers and “promotional” suggestions that are thinly veiled ads on non-ad plans.
You know what doesn’t do those things? An MP4 file on a Plex server. It’s gotten so frustrating to use streaming services that my partner and I torrent movies we have legal access to because it’s a better experience, and I’m guaranteed to be able to finish a series without it being ripped from the platform. I can also watch the 4k content I PAY FOR in any browser I please. There is zero reason a bunch of volunteers working together should be able to provide a better user experience than multi-billion dollar companies.
You know what I rarely pirate? Steam games. They’ve made the user experience 10x better than pirating with non-intrusive DRM and an endless number of features I use regularly (controller support, custom configurations, cloud saves, online “local” co-op, remote game streaming, workshop/mod support, community guides, automatic updates, local network downloads…I could go on for an hour). The times I do pirate are for games I’m not sure I will like or games that might not run well on my Steam Deck. You know what Valve is doing to combat this? Introducing a game trial feature.
The last game I pirated was Minecraft Alpha. Steam just makes it so easy