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You all get to suffer the disappointment of not being able to watch your favorite shows because the Netflix servers are down ~ AGAIN ~ along with the rest of us. 
You get to have a less than mediocre selection of "A" movies (that are mostly "old" in market terms) and a mediocre selection of "B" movies. And a somewhat close to acceptable TV series selection. All of that on Linux too!
Although it's better than local channels, Netflix isn't all that great. I'll use it on Linux given the chance, it's just not that great.
Although it's better than local channels, Netflix isn't all that great. I'll use it on Linux given the chance, it's just not that great.
Go ahead and browse the American site if you want. Click a movie and it will auto switch to the Canadian site and play it (or ask you to login).
Its the same movies.
Its the same movies.
Because I've seen a very different selection while I was in the US last winter (Paid for a US account for a month). I'm almost sure it's the CRTC with the "Canadian content" thing that's the nuisance. Of course, I could be wrong, but I did notice a difference in the actual movies available.
Copyright laws being what they are, to protect their stuff, plenty of companies don't allow it to be exported/imported across borders.
Youtube is the same service across borders, but there are plenty of times when I get a message saying I can't watch a video because my IP says I'm in Canada, not the US (or not in the UK, etc)
Youtube is the same service across borders, but there are plenty of times when I get a message saying I can't watch a video because my IP says I'm in Canada, not the US (or not in the UK, etc)
Often when you see this message there is a note as to how we can view it, if it came from an imbedded clip, then just click on the YouTube symbol and the clip will play. There are some show's clips that will tell you for viewing you must visit Comedy Network or a particular network to view the clip. You can get shows such as the Daily Show, the Colbert Show, or Conan and As for movies there is the biggest farse of all MGM will not sell from its store to Canadians even thought the company is ultimately owned by a Canadian, the same applies to Universal and the fact that Disney has about a third ownership held by Canadians. I don't know why a Candian cares about Netflix when you can get Rogers online, I am sure Shaw has similar and so does Cogeco and Videotron, you can rent current movies online from their services, most networks run streaming services for free. I have checked Netflix out and saw nothing in their services making it worthwhile. A lot of American sources don't like to have their signal come to Canada because they believe our government doesn't protect them from pirates.
If they were smart they would make everything but the security modules Open and let others get in the game. I could see a great secondary market with MiniATX machines and lower hardware requirements for Media PC's serving up netflix and other streaming video.
Beyond even the security models, if they give everyone the tools to make a similar tool, then others can copy them, and they have more competition (who doesn't need to spend to develop the tools). That means price wars, and both Netflix and the MPAA want to avoid a race to the bottom when it comes to sales.
... It's just that they have to admit that DRM is fundamentally broken if they don't want to waste time customizing the tools.
I find it remarkable and amazing that just two days after Walmart released Vudu which worked immediately with my laptop and my android - that now Netflix is working on making their service available for Linux. TOO DAMNED LATE!!! I hope to see Netflix die a sudden death as everyone world wide discovers Vudu.
I just checked, and Vudu's website says it's only available in the 50 continental U.S. states. Since I'm not in the continental U.S., looks like I'm back to not watching ANYTHING online (Vudu, Netflix or otherwise).
As far as I can see (according to Wikipedia), NetFlix is another profit oriented company which protect its money by using closed proprietary protocols and encoding, EXACTLY like Microsoft!
My opinion is that the free community should force these companies to change this attitude, not to enforce them by implementing their closed code to Linux!
Btw, Netflix is not available in Europe, but we DO have a lot of providers that are on the same path with unlimited Video On Demand, and each time a special, proprietary, closed code to install on Windows computer, as "There is only one OS : M$"
The good approach is the "moonlight" versus "Silverlight" approach.
My opinion is that the free community should force these companies to change this attitude, not to enforce them by implementing their closed code to Linux!
Btw, Netflix is not available in Europe, but we DO have a lot of providers that are on the same path with unlimited Video On Demand, and each time a special, proprietary, closed code to install on Windows computer, as "There is only one OS : M$"
The good approach is the "moonlight" versus "Silverlight" approach.
The free community has no more right to "force" companies to make their products open source than those same companies have the right force you to use their products. In other words zero.
Companies have the right to release their software either closed or open, free or paid as they see fit. The company paid to have developers create that specific product and it is the company's right to determine how it is distributed and how they will gain a return on their investment. If you don't like closed source you are free to not play in their sandbox or invite them into yours.
There is nothing wrong companies making a profit. It is their very nature. However it is also the nature of a free market that you have the choice as to whether or not you purchase their product. In the end one of two things will happen, either consumers will want their product and be willing to pay what they charge for it or the company will go out of business.
Companies have the right to release their software either closed or open, free or paid as they see fit. The company paid to have developers create that specific product and it is the company's right to determine how it is distributed and how they will gain a return on their investment. If you don't like closed source you are free to not play in their sandbox or invite them into yours.
There is nothing wrong companies making a profit. It is their very nature. However it is also the nature of a free market that you have the choice as to whether or not you purchase their product. In the end one of two things will happen, either consumers will want their product and be willing to pay what they charge for it or the company will go out of business.
If 90% of the desktop users are using windows, they are the low-hanging fruit when it comes to making something that people can/will use...
Don't blame Netflix for content restrictions put on by their suppliers. The movie and music companies put restrictions on distribution, and Netflix must follow them or lose the content.
Netflix is for-profit, yes, but if the movie moguls don't get their cut, we don't get to see the movie. The movie industry bought-in to the MS DRM scheme, but that's a proprietary system, take it or leave it.
And bluntly, $7.95 a month might buy one ticket at the second-run theaters, but probably not at a first-run show. So for unlimited use, of course you're not going to get first-run. That's going to be confined to the pay-per-view space and cost a lot more. TANSTAAFL.
Netflix is for-profit, yes, but if the movie moguls don't get their cut, we don't get to see the movie. The movie industry bought-in to the MS DRM scheme, but that's a proprietary system, take it or leave it.
And bluntly, $7.95 a month might buy one ticket at the second-run theaters, but probably not at a first-run show. So for unlimited use, of course you're not going to get first-run. That's going to be confined to the pay-per-view space and cost a lot more. TANSTAAFL.
They don't want me as a client and I don't need their services, even if they eventually do provide.a GNU/Linux client.
Many companies have content restrictions about movies and such. One way to control the "corruption" of the local "culture".
Commercial or copyright reasons are probably the reasons behind not being available in Portugal.
GNU/Linux users won't pay for anything, so how in the world do you expect them to pony up the $7.99 /mo. streaming fee?
2011: Year of the GNU/Linux desktop!
Another no-starter.
2011: Year of the GNU/Linux desktop!
Another no-starter.
Here is an example that disproves your statement:
http://www.humblebundle.com/
Average Windows: $3.79
Average Mac: $6.59
Average Linux: $11.63
This is a pay what you want case, where GNU/Linux users pay almost two times more than Mac users and three times more than Windows users. Also, many (most?) GNU/Linux users paid for a Windows license. And lets not forget that for many Windows users software cost is free, as in illegal copies.
Now, do you have any proof of your "GNU/Linux users won't pay for anything" statement or is it just a gut feeling (and we all know what a gut is full of)?
http://www.humblebundle.com/
Average Windows: $3.79
Average Mac: $6.59
Average Linux: $11.63
This is a pay what you want case, where GNU/Linux users pay almost two times more than Mac users and three times more than Windows users. Also, many (most?) GNU/Linux users paid for a Windows license. And lets not forget that for many Windows users software cost is free, as in illegal copies.
Now, do you have any proof of your "GNU/Linux users won't pay for anything" statement or is it just a gut feeling (and we all know what a gut is full of)?
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/opensource/open-source-software-users-voluntarily-pay-more/2504
Linux users are still the leader of the "Big Spenders" here:
http://www.humblebundle.com/
I think you'd find that Linux users would spend even more if we could get rid of the Microsoft Tax on our hardware purchases... at least that's how I feel.
The reason I don't pay for Netflix is not because I run linux -- it's because they don't have much online content I actually want to watch.... and the president of the company is a putz. When one of those two situation changes, I'd get out my checkbook.
I'm just sayin',
"Merch"
Linux users are still the leader of the "Big Spenders" here:
http://www.humblebundle.com/
I think you'd find that Linux users would spend even more if we could get rid of the Microsoft Tax on our hardware purchases... at least that's how I feel.
The reason I don't pay for Netflix is not because I run linux -- it's because they don't have much online content I actually want to watch.... and the president of the company is a putz. When one of those two situation changes, I'd get out my checkbook.
I'm just sayin',
"Merch"
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