"The Shadow Internet" article

[mediawave]

It's all a game for many of these thieves, but it's real money lost for the whole industry.

Read and weep.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/topsite.html?pg=1&topic=topsite&topic_set=

PJ

[Hardcopy]

It is interesting, but not really surprising, these groups have been around since the late 70's early 80's.

Things have gotten out of hand? Nahhh not really, everyone here I am sure has seen a bootleg, the quality SUCKS. I would say at least 50% of my customers have watched a bootleg at one time or another. P2P is NOT a problem. The problem comes from people who sell them at flea markets and they are pirated copies. The downloaded versions need to be watched but they have no real effect.

[yburan]

I say let them go ahead and rip the DVDs, just come to us to rent them to do it :twisted:

[Thomas]

Not if they give those copies to 15 of their closest friends, who also live within blocks of your store and now won't rent it themselves!

[j4kp07]

I'm not worried about these pirates.  I'm more concerned with the local John Doe and his new Dell computer, renting my movie and making copies for his co-workers.

I sincerely believe that a combination of "all-of-the-above" effects our industry, causing a decline in revenue by an average of 5%.

[Hardcopy]

Then offer the blank DVD-R's for $2.50 each and pick up the second rental cost that way.

[videogeek]

It's not much worse then the guy or gal who buys it and runs to all their friends "you have to see this, just borrow it" If I wanted to see a movie Id rather borrow it then pay and rent it. I try not to worry about it. If someone is in the mood to rent then they will rent, the guy handing out bootleg copies of a movie doesnt have thousands of them to choose from.....yes it sucks but the more copy protection they throw on the more the people who know how to bypass it are going to do just that. Its a battle that wont soon be won.

[vatch]

I say let them go ahead and rip the DVDs, just come to us to rent them to do it :twisted:

Dude... are you F'ing kidding??? What type of an idiotic statement is that? How can you be part of this industry and say something so stupid???

For your sake, I hope your statement was in jest.

[Hardcopy]

Calm down, I am sure it was. Truth is anyone who has used DVD-R's also know they don't have last as long. What does begin to worry me though is that I think it was Dell that offers a free dvd printer to screen print graphics on the DVD so they would be indistinguishable from normal dvd's.

[j4kp07]

I'm also amazed at how many people will call me up and tell me of errors they are receiving while trying to "make backups" of their DVDs.

Are you kidding me!?!?!?!?

You do understand what I do for a living! Right?

Even worse.  One guy called me one day to ask what was the best place to download movies that he could burn to a DVD.

A-holes.

I enjoy teasing them by saying that I know exactlly how to do it, but "I'm not going to tell you how."

[Hardcopy]

Sure, the best places to download movies is an outlaw hacker site called F.B.I. Just go to http://www.fbi.gov and email them asking for access to the illegal movie files. BE sure to give them your real name and address.

[videogeek]

I have customers that would honestly go there if I told them that...hmmmmmm....better not :?