There are many free ad-supported streaming services such as Tubi, PlutoTV, and even the Roku Channel itself on Roku. Hell, just go to JustWatch and see where whatever you want to watch is on any or all streaming services you have or not.
Neil Turkewitz, a former Recording Industry Association of America official, blasted the proposal on Twitter, claiming it will harm musicians, performers, and other cultural workers who are already struggling.
“As COVID has undermined the livelihoods of creators around the [globe emoji], you want to further expand their precarity—in the name of justice?” Turkewitz wrote.
Oh, like all the artists on the major labels from which you steal? THAT RIAA?
Look, I think there are definitely good labels out there. Polyvinyl, for one. Hell, Entertainment One owned by Hasbro puts out their stuff on bandcamp, so I think they're cool.
But Turkewitz having the chutzpah to talk about starving artists when he's really more interested in treating their output not as artistic works but a commercial product (Thanks PaulT for this helpful way of seeing things) should reveal that Turkewitz is throwing boulders from ice houses.
It is, but if this were to go to court, discovery might reveal to whom the photo really belonged (if the judge doesn't benchslap the Boebert and her lawyer first for wasting their time).
Unlike Cable and Satellite, there are fortunately always workarounds between Roku and a Streaming service. Let's say they get in a fight with Disney and Disney+ and Hulu leave Roku temporarily: I can still view them on my Nintendo Switch, iPhone, and all my computers. Netflix? PS3, iPhone, Smart LG TV, all my computers, and satellite receiver. HBO Max again? iPhone and Computers.
It's really easy to route around Roku so it's not as dire a situation if Streaming companies have beef with them like they did during the Cable era.
While I doubt Google is faultless, I do tend to think Roku is starting to get cocky as it gets more powerful.
In the dustup they had with AT&T vis-à-vis HBO Max, Roku came up on top because they had acquired a whole new streaming service to their platform and it was a really big one with a lot of content. Also, since I have Roku, it was at that moment that I became an HBO Max subscriber. Would you say that Roku winning these fights would make them cocky? If so, I would say it's understandable given all that.
I don't know what this means (if it means anything at all), but I noticed that the top two funniest comments this week are claiming TechDirt had missed opportunities and suggesting what they should have done instead.
Of course, that also means that if this bill is somehow found to be constitutional (and it will not be...), it will not be long until you start seeing 25 acres (the minimum amount necessary) somewhere in Florida suddenly under construction for the opening of GoogleLand, FacebookWorld or TwitterVillage. I, for one, can't wait to ride the AlgoSwings in GoogleLand and the Infinite Scroll Coaster at Twitter Village.
When I go to FacebookWorld, just take me on the Mad-react-coaster before I go to the Instagram Kingdom.
Take away the card game, Dota community chess game spinoff, and VR tech demo and it's last made game is a Japan-Only Left 4 Dead 2 arcade cabinet released in 2014.
That's akin to saying "Take away the 2008 bust and the COVID-19 pandemic and we hadn't had a depression since the 1930's!" Dismissing exceptions-while making you look like you're not ignoring evidence-is in fact, ignoring evidence.
No, this issue is solely isolated to the iOS app for my iPhone X. Oh, and just so you know, I tested the issue on the HBO Max app on the 7th Gen iPad (which is model # “MW752LL/A”) and there was no pillarboxing for Labyrinth, another movie that has the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, so this is more or less an issue that has to do with the 2.39:1 aspect ratio of the iPhone X and the HBO Max iOS app’s inability to conform to those specifications (which could be easily solved by allowing the user to zoom in, as I see it).
> I recommend giving this a try if you haven't already.
A screenshot or picture of the error.
I tried to take a screen-capture of the HBO Max problem, but unfortunately, the picture turned all black (probably due to the copy protection of the app). That being said, I was able to record a small clip of my iPhone X playing the HBO Max app with the 2.39:1 movies being both letterboxed and pillarboxed, and I have attached the video file in the email.
> We also suggest uninstalling HBO Max, restarting the device, then reinstalling the HBO Max application on that device to see if that resolves the error.
I tried that but it didn’t solve the problem at all.
As we've long noted, companies like AT&T and Verizon have spent the better part of a generation as government-pampered, natural monopolies. As such, creativity, competition, innovation, and adaptation are alien constructs. They're just not built for the kind of competition you see in markets like adtech or short-form online video. And when they do try to compete, that usually involves throwing money at often mindless acquisitions (see AT&T's $200 billion TV sector face plant). But despite billions of dollars, an ocean of regulatory favors, and endless hype, the end result has been a massive parade of stumbles.
I would say that I do like HBO Max. However, the user experience on their iPhone app is nowhere near as good as Netflix or even a Disney+. Here are some examples of what I mean:
When there's no WiFi or scant access thereto and I want to watch a downloaded video on HBO Max, I would get an error box constantly popping up and down saying "cannot connect to wireless network" when I just want to watch the fucking episode or movie. I never have that problem with Netflix or Disney+.
Whenever a movie is shown in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, the picture is always letterboxed and pillarboxed on my iPhone. When I offered feedback to HBOMax suggesting they offer a way to zoom in so the picture could take up the whole screen, they replied with what was in effect was that they misunderstood the problem:
Thank you for your comments regarding aspect ratios.
Please note, HBO does not alter the aspect ratio of any videos received from studios and other content providers. Based on several factors, including customer feedback, we will never clip or stretch a video. We may add black bars around the video so that the image fills an HD screen.
With the 4K movies some directors have opted to present in 4:3 ratio to ensure best quality as well Apple products may show in that pillarboxed setting.
Can you please reply with the movie or show that is streaming in 4:3 aspect ratio to better assist you.
which I would regard as terrible customer service, because I have no issues with how HBO Max handles the 4:3 aspect ratio but how they handle the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. I'll provide the letter to which they were replying in the next comment.
Part of it is because Valve hasn't made worth crap to keep their empire afloat for years now. Essentially, Valve is a cloud provider now not a game development company, and has been that way for many years.
Disney is now in the streaming space. However, unlike the Cable space, you could choose not to pay for them if you don't want to do so. I think that's what Karl meant when he said that Streaming has "helped mitigate the problem somewhat".
On the post: Only 14% Of Americans Think Communities Shouldn't Be Allowed To Build Their Own Broadband Networks
sorry to be "that guy"…
Hate to be a petty grammarian, but shouldn't "their" be "they're"?
On the post: Roku Users Lose Access To YouTube TV As Dumb Contract Fights Shift From Cable TV To Streaming
Re: Shiver me timbers
There are many free ad-supported streaming services such as Tubi, PlutoTV, and even the Roku Channel itself on Roku. Hell, just go to JustWatch and see where whatever you want to watch is on any or all streaming services you have or not.
On the post: Hollywood Lobbyists So Afraid Of Any Public Benefit From 'Intellectual Property' That They're Trying To Block COVID Vaccine Sharing
À propos of nothing…
I said that Neil Turkewitz "creates bullshit" on twitter, after which he blocked me. I feel so proud!
https://twitter.com/IronCurtaiNYC/status/1389313210495418372
On the post: Hollywood Lobbyists So Afraid Of Any Public Benefit From 'Intellectual Property' That They're Trying To Block COVID Vaccine Sharing
Re: The tweet by Neil Turkewitz
Oh, like all the artists on the major labels from which you steal? THAT RIAA?
Look, I think there are definitely good labels out there. Polyvinyl, for one. Hell, Entertainment One owned by Hasbro puts out their stuff on bandcamp, so I think they're cool.
But Turkewitz having the chutzpah to talk about starving artists when he's really more interested in treating their output not as artistic works but a commercial product (Thanks PaulT for this helpful way of seeing things) should reveal that Turkewitz is throwing boulders from ice houses.
On the post: Rep. Lauren Boebert Decides To Streisand Parody Site Making Fun Of Her, Threatens To Take Legal Action Against It
Re:
It is, but if this were to go to court, discovery might reveal to whom the photo really belonged (if the judge doesn't benchslap the Boebert and her lawyer first for wasting their time).
On the post: Roku Users Lose Access To YouTube TV As Dumb Contract Fights Shift From Cable TV To Streaming
Re:
Unlike Cable and Satellite, there are fortunately always workarounds between Roku and a Streaming service. Let's say they get in a fight with Disney and Disney+ and Hulu leave Roku temporarily: I can still view them on my Nintendo Switch, iPhone, and all my computers. Netflix? PS3, iPhone, Smart LG TV, all my computers, and satellite receiver. HBO Max again? iPhone and Computers.
It's really easy to route around Roku so it's not as dire a situation if Streaming companies have beef with them like they did during the Cable era.
On the post: Roku Users Lose Access To YouTube TV As Dumb Contract Fights Shift From Cable TV To Streaming
Re: Roku getting cockier...
In the dustup they had with AT&T vis-à-vis HBO Max, Roku came up on top because they had acquired a whole new streaming service to their platform and it was a really big one with a lot of content. Also, since I have Roku, it was at that moment that I became an HBO Max subscriber. Would you say that Roku winning these fights would make them cocky? If so, I would say it's understandable given all that.
On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
Something I noticed…
I don't know what this means (if it means anything at all), but I noticed that the top two funniest comments this week are claiming TechDirt had missed opportunities and suggesting what they should have done instead.
On the post: Canadian Government Wants To Regulate Social Media Like Broadcast
Re: Re:
It's a beauty way to go!
On the post: Disney Got Itself A 'If You Own A Themepark...' Carveout From Florida's Blatantly Unconstitutional Social Media Moderation Bill
Re:
Not only that, how about their state constitution while they're at it?
On the post: The EPIC Effect: Microsoft Changes Revenue Split To Match EPIC Store, Steam Holds Firm
Re: Re:
Well said. Whenever Epic announces exclusives on their platform, I interpret that as a threat to consumers.
On the post: Disney Got Itself A 'If You Own A Themepark...' Carveout From Florida's Blatantly Unconstitutional Social Media Moderation Bill
Re: Theme parks
When I go to FacebookWorld, just take me on the Mad-react-coaster before I go to the Instagram Kingdom.
On the post: The EPIC Effect: Microsoft Changes Revenue Split To Match EPIC Store, Steam Holds Firm
Re: Re: Re: Re:
That's akin to saying "Take away the 2008 bust and the COVID-19 pandemic and we hadn't had a depression since the 1930's!" Dismissing exceptions-while making you look like you're not ignoring evidence-is in fact, ignoring evidence.
On the post: Verizon's Media Failure Is Complete As Company Eyes AOL/Yahoo Sale
HBO Max's terrible customer service
Here is the feedback they replied to:
On the post: Verizon's Media Failure Is Complete As Company Eyes AOL/Yahoo Sale
Re: The final paragraph
In regards to this:
I would say that I do like HBO Max. However, the user experience on their iPhone app is nowhere near as good as Netflix or even a Disney+. Here are some examples of what I mean:
which I would regard as terrible customer service, because I have no issues with how HBO Max handles the 4:3 aspect ratio but how they handle the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. I'll provide the letter to which they were replying in the next comment.
On the post: The EPIC Effect: Microsoft Changes Revenue Split To Match EPIC Store, Steam Holds Firm
Re: Re:
Somebody obviously hasn't played Half-Life Alyx.
On the post: Thanks To Crappy Cable Channel Bundles, Non-Watchers Hugely Subsidize Tucker Carlson And Fox News
Re:
Disney is now in the streaming space. However, unlike the Cable space, you could choose not to pay for them if you don't want to do so. I think that's what Karl meant when he said that Streaming has "helped mitigate the problem somewhat".
On the post: Thanks To Crappy Cable Channel Bundles, Non-Watchers Hugely Subsidize Tucker Carlson And Fox News
Re: Disgusting attack.
You obviously don't understand the first thing about Techdirt, since its entire raison d'être is politics and how they relate to tech…
On the post: How Do You Debate Section 230 When One Side Constantly Lies About It?
Re: Re: Re: Re: That's How
I think Blue–like a Pokémon–evolved.
On the post: Senator Marco Rubio: Speech I Disagree With Is Pollution
Re:
Methinks you're confusing Ted Cruz with Marco Rubio. Which is extremely understandable, to be frank.
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