Obligatory:
You should post this to !piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com before I pirate this and post it there
Yarr harr fiddle dee dee!
I dived back into torrenting a few days ago. Fucking awesome.
Piracy is wrong and should never be done. I am doing some research on how people actually pirate shows. Can anyone tell me how they do it, for research purposes?
As an avid member of the selfhosting community, I actually have a lot of familiarity with this, since tools for downloading, playing and streaming media are a very popular thing to self host.
So my understanding - entirely third hand of course - is that the following setup is used very widely:
1a. A torrent client such as Transmission or Deluge is run inside of a Docker container alongside a VPN client. Because of the nature of containers, the torrent client is unable to access the internet at all if the VPN isn't running. Torrent clients are, of course, intended for allowing users to share media that they legally can access and share, but their underlying technology unfortunately offers no way to verify that.
1b. Either alternatively, or in addition, a usenet client is set up in the same way. I'm a little less familiar with how usenet works to be honest.
- Next, the user sets up a "Servarr" stack. This consists of multiple different self hosted apps, all of which can be run very easily using Docker. These programs scan and monitor the user's entire media collection, and then automatically download new episodes of watched shows, download movies when an appropriate release is available (the user might, for example, configure to ignore cam releases and wait for digital). I'm told they even have calendars to show when content will be available. The user adds everything as easily as searching for the name of a show. It'll even automatically pick up new episodes and seasons as they air. Servarr sends all its download requests to the torrent or usenet clients, and then moves the files into an appropriate storage folder when they are ready. It also monitors existing files and replaces them when better quality releases are found.
2b. (For those unfamiliar, Docker is a kind of all in one platform for running lots of server apps together on the same PC, configured using very simple config files called Compose files. The Compose file contains all the settings for the app in one place, and Docker runs it in a way that prevents it from conflicting with, or interacting with, anything else on your system).
-
Finally Plex or Jellyfin are setup (probably through Docker again, for convenience) to allow all the media to be streamed wherever the user is, just like having your own personal Netflix. Of course, these programs were designed to allow users to stream their own legally owned media to themselves only, but there's no real way to control what users load into them. From there the files can be viewed easily through a web interface or a multitude of apps for phones, tablets, smart TVs and so on. Servarr has hooks that automatically inform Jellyfin or Plex to update their media libraries when new files, are added.
-
Optionally, something called Ombi is added to this setup. It's a little helper program that allows people to request media be added to the download / watch queue without needing access to any of the backend management (say, for giving family members an easy way to add media to the system). It even includes an optionally approval system so the owner can have final say over what is being added. I imagine this is very useful for people with children, or who are giving access to friends, for example.
Edit: I should note for completeness that the hardware requirements for all of this are quite minimal. Typically a Raspberry Pi 4 or similar is used, with a USB hard drive or a NAS for storage.
The net effect of all this is that a new episode of The Boys goes up on Amazon and almost the same afternoon it's there on the Jellyfin front page, waiting to be watched. I'm told the convenience is, if anything, higher than that of using streaming services as all the media arrives in one place (I'd imagine thats a huge plus to kids and less technical family who don't enjoy having to remember which service a particular show is on, especially with some services renaming themselves constantly).
Of course, someone could also purchase blu rays of movies and shows, convert them to media files using a program like Handbrake or MakeMKV, and then add those to their Jellyfin or Plex library. Of course getting good conversions is fiddly, so maybe better to just buy the blu rays and then download a file that someone else has ripped for you already. Much less hassle that way, and you still legally own a copy. But I shouldn't be editorializing here, like you said this is entirely academic. And who knows, buying a blu ray of Wish probably also gives Disney a legal right to murder you according to their lawyers.
That's appalling. Thank you for the instructions. I mean "warning".
1b. Either alternatively, or in addition, a usenet client is set up in the same way. I'm a little less familiar with how usenet works to be honest.
I can add a little bit of context to the Usenet side of things. I’m by no means an expert, but I at least know the surface level stuff.
Usenet is more like a server dead-drop. Usenet providers host servers, and people upload content to those servers. Then anyone who also has access to those Usenet servers can swing by and grab a copy. You use a Usenet reader to actually browse and download the files, sort of like how you use a torrent client to download torrents. The upside is that you don’t need to worry about whether or not a torrent is properly seeded; There’s a dedicated server that is hosting the file. The big downside here is that you actually need access to those servers. This requires a Usenet subscription, the same way you subscribe to your ISP for internet service. Not all Usenet providers have access to every server, (though many providers make attempts at parity with partnered companies.) So it’s common to need more than one Usenet subscription, for access to multiple servers for your various types of media.
Usenet subscriptions typically work in one of two ways; By usage, or by time. Usage is like a prepaid cell phone. Maybe you buy 100GB, and you can then download 100GB from the usenet servers before needing to pay again. These tend to be cheaper in the short term, but more expensive if you’re downloading tons of data constantly. Then there are the timed subscriptions, which are just like a subscription you’d expect; You pay for a month, and you have access for a month. Many people will keep a monthly subscription with their main provider, then a usage subscription with a backup. So even if their main doesn’t have a file, their backup might, and they’re only paying for the backup when their main is failed.
If this sounds similar to cloud server sites like Mega or Google Drive, that’s because it is. And it suffers from the same hurdles; Content owners can issue DMCA takedown notices on the media they own, and force the Usenet provider to remove it from their server. Usenet has historically been a more solid way to find full file downloads, but that was largely because content owners hadn’t bothered checking them for potential takedowns. In the past few years that has changed, and files often get taken down shortly after they’re posted. If a download fails on usenet, it’s often because the file got taken down while you were downloading it.
On a note completely unrelated to this comment. MullvadVPN was raided by the police and was unable to provide logs and accepts cash by mail without providing personal information.
When I went back to the high seas I read through the r/piracy subreddit. It is still usefull today.
In 2024 we have !piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Piracy save lives!
This is such a misinformation it's bothering me so much.
No, Disney can't kill your wife because you watch Disney+ and sign their TOS.
Yes, Disney can make it looks like an accident and you can do nothing about it.
Just don't have wife, problem solve.
Disney knows that part of the contract is unenforceable; they're just daring someone to try and outspend them on legal fees and court costs. Everyone knows US courts are pretty light handed on fining corpos. Whatever costs the mouse incurs, they'll make it up in at most a few days.
I can't speak for OP. But if we're talking about political donations. Disney kinda has a hand in a lot of women dying.
You only have to worry if you subscribe to Disney+. Piracy doesn't have you agreeing to shit. 😌
Unfortunately if you ever used Disney+ before, it's already too late. You could start pirating all Disney content right now and still be forced into arbitration with them if they murder your loved ones. Only people who were pirating from the beginning are protected. Lesson learned, I guess!
The same LIBERALS who hate WIFE-KILLING also don't like me having MULTIPLE WIVES so I can WATCH MY SHOWS
Thought this was satire....
It is not
This is straight up some Vought shit.
It's the type of thing The Onion couldn't come up with
The fact that a company can get away with killing someone because someone else in their household subbed to their TV service is fucked and we need to fucking kill that fucking bullshit, whether we will is another thing entirely.
Wait.... This isn't a joke scenario this actually happened?
The TL;DR is that a lady died in a Disney park due to being served a dish with shellfish cross-contamination.
The park was negligent in serving her the food, because she had clarified with the server that she was allergic to shellfish, and the server assured her there wouldn’t be any cross-contamination, and that the kitchen would take proper safety precautions. Either the server didn’t relay that to the kitchen, or the kitchen didn’t do their due diligence. But either way, someone employed by Disney seriously fucked up, and a person died as a result.
The (now widowed) husband sued for wrongful death. Disney’s defense has basically been “he can’t sue us, because he agreed to binding arbitration. He downloaded a free trial of Disney+ on his Xbox two years ago, and that 7-day free trial’s ToS had a binding arbitration clause. Even though the free trial only lasted 7 days, the binding arbitration clause didn’t have an end date so it is in force in perpetuity.” Basically, Disney claims that he (and her estate) can’t sue Disney for killing his wife, because of a free trial that he never even subscribed to; He deleted the app from his Xbox after the free trial ended.
It’s currently in the courts now, with a judge set to rule on whether or not the binding arbitration clause should apply. And if they set the precedent that it applies, then capitalism has truly won and we’ll be in the end-stages where you’re not allowed to sue any company ever, because they all have binding arbitration clauses.
The best argument for piracy ever
Wouldn't they already have the right to do it because you've watched the first season?
My wife:
On a sidenote: You do not need to have a gf or wife to care about human rights. Powers that want to strip large parts of the population of their rights also want to controll you.
Of you watched season 1 they can already do it.
The only thing crazier than the conditions allowed in these contracts are the fact that cancelling the service does not cancel the contract.
Very cool, very legal.
time to sail the high seas
I miss the piracy era where you could tell which one has the virus because it's the wrong file size :(
Never been better weather for it!
No. Just ignore the content entirely. Let the fruit of their labors die on the vine and rot in the fields.
pirate noises
Not letting Disney kill your wife "for free". They are going to kill her either way, the only question is if they have to pay some money later.
I actually hated Andor.. I watched it up to the Heist and it just wasn't worth it. My dad insisted it was "amazing" and to keep watching, the prison arc was okay.. I was just glad Stormtroopers showed up instead of "Generic Imperial Soldiers in Military Uniforms"
It just really felt like whoever made Andor just didn't get or even enjoy Star Wars. It's what finally made me give up on the series (Until Alcolyte won me back), I mean between that and Book of Boba Fett....
And this is coming from someone who LIKES the sequels.
The people who made it clearly loved Star Wars. They didn't only love the movies. They loved the universe. Andor is an exploration of what turns someone into a rebel. Most of Star Wars just ignores why the average person does something so they can have jedi superheros. Honestly, it's boring and overdone.
If you liked the sequels, then you're watching Star Wars for the action and not the story and the world, because they couldn't keep that straight. That's fine. You get to enjoy what you enjoy. There's plenty of Star Wars for you. There's not much like Andor, and I appreciate it all the more for it. Andor is the best Star Wars ever made for people who care about the world of Star Wars, not just the entertainment factor.
No the story of the sequels is fine, the only contradiction is that Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker tonally feel like they belong in different trilogies and it's a weird whiplash... but it's a pretty consistently Star Wars level of stupid (I mean except for that dagger, that was just stupid)
And this is another reason I hate Andor, the fanbase. Tired of having people say "Oh it's okay, you're clearly too dumb to understand Andor. Obviously the show is perfect and you're just an idiot, maybe stick with something more your speed like Spongebob eh champ?", and talk down to me because I don't like everyone's favorite show. I have never been so insulted in all my life quite like the "Oh, you're just intellectually impaired." I keep getting from Andor fans when they realize I dislike the show, and as a transgender woman living in America, that is saying something.
Like, I can and have watched "smart shows" and "slow burns" before and enjoyed them. I just specifically don't like Andor.
I think most people who enjoyed it (including myself) did so because it's not like most other star wars. It tells a more down to earth story without larger than life heroes
I mean I guess I can respect people who wanted something different, but it was too different. The earlier episodes seem to legitimately be ashamed of wanting anything to do with Star Wars and tried to avoid familiar imagery... That and again, the show is just boring.
Like why did we spend two episodes getting to know this resistance force if they're all just going to die in the Heist and never be mentioned again? I mean I get it, they're not heroes they're just normal people desperate to fight back against a corrupt system, but I'd appreciate that more if they were in anyway likable... They're not as they mostly just spend the whole of their screen time whining that Andor "isn't one of the cool kids" as if they've never heard the phrase "Many hands make light work" before.
Like I hated this cast so much that when they were doing their drills and a tie fighter flew over head, I was just BEGGING for it to kill them... Sadly when the heist finally does happen, I feel nothing because the past two episodes were nothing but these resistance guys screaming at each other like they're the disposable teenagers in an old horror movie and the opening of this episode was just 15 minutes of uninterrupted marching... I mean, I don't mind building to something, but there's building to something and stalling to meet a run-time; This felt like the latter
And I have no idea why they even bothered introducing the Kyber Crystal if nothing was going to really be done with it... It just felt like they needed to name drop the kyber crystal to remind you those exist...
Every reason why I DESPISE Andor can be summed up with "The Heist Arc", the Prison Arc was better, but... It's way too easy to suffer burnout while watching this show and by that point I was just happy that it at least felt like Star Wars. If I saw the Prison Arc in a vacuum I'd have loved it (Especially after how badly Book of Boba Fett just completely shit the bed), but on the heels of that Heist Arc my patience had been worn way too thin.
Not enough Shran for me.
🏴☠️
love how Disney is just actively killing its own platform :D
"to watch this show give us your money (and sign over your life) k? :)"
piracy is already on the rise, let's see that graph go to the moon!
