Netflix Windows app is set to remove its downloads feature, while introducing ads ( www.techradar.com )

Netflix has managed to annoy a good number of its users with an announcement about an upcoming update to its Windows 11 (and Windows 10) app: support for adverts and live events will be added, but the ability to download content is being taken away.

Netflix must realize that it's a huge frustration for people who relied on offline downloads to watch content without internet access: on planes, trains, and campsites, and anywhere else where Wi-Fi is unavailable or unreliable.

There's a small chance that Netflix will change its mind if it gets enough complaints, but the streaming service seems determined to add as many money-making features as possible, while taking away genuinely useful ones.

InternetPerson ,

Install an android emulator. Problem solved.

Start pirating again. Problem solved.

Make your own movies and shows. Problem solved.

Start a company, get rich, buy Netflix, problem solved.

Stop watching stuff, do something else. Problem solved.

Found a secret society, infiltrate politics worldwide, stir chaos and destruction, let the world burn and built a new Netflix from the world's ashes where you still can download stuff. Problem solved.

See? It's not that hard!

(In case it wasn't clear, I am joking.)

gnygnygny ,

Best comment so far

slaacaa ,

Capitalism breeds innovation

frostysauce ,

So they are introducing ads and removing the download option, both moves unfriendly to consumers. Sounds like they plan to do a "We've listened to consumers and" shelving one of those moves for later (probably the download option) when the hubbub over the worse option dies down.

InternetPerson ,

Also, at least where I live, they are increasing prices.

Makes me feel like it's time to dust my old pirate hat...

EmperorHenry ,
@EmperorHenry@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

who the hell would ever use the Netflix windows app? And for that matter, at this late date, who the hell is still paying for Netflix to actually watch what little is still on there?

chronicledmonocle ,

It's one of the only non-Android TV, Apple TV, or Roku ways of streaming Netflix with a remote via HTPC. There are EXTREMELY niche uses for it.

Black_Gulaman ,
@Black_Gulaman@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

We do. Because it's the only streaming app that has a very large catalogue of local shows and non western shows that is available in our country.

Also we (my family) pay because it's our choice and nothing you say will change that.

That said.

I pirate shows from Amazon, Disney, hbo, Hulu, paramount, etc. Simply because I chose Netflix to pay because they were the first to not snub our country and offered their services and I choose to not pay for other platforms, because it's expensive to do so.

Rekorse ,

How do you choose what you pirate and what you dont?

Railcar8095 ,

If I watch it on TV, computer, tablet or phone, I pirate it. Else, I pay.

Hell, I'm pirating Amazon even though I have Amazon Prime because of how crap the app is.

Black_Gulaman ,
@Black_Gulaman@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

this.

and anything that looks interesting that is out of the netflix line up.

InternetPerson ,

We, yesterday for a train ride. We, next week, for the way back. We almost every month for that purpose.

extremeboredom ,

..... Yarrrrr mateys

Ookami38 ,

Yaaaaaarrrrrr

DudeImMacGyver ,

Ha har, yarr!

Kyouki ,

Yuuurh!

Jackhammer_Joe ,

Yaaaharrrrrr

MoonRaven ,
@MoonRaven@feddit.nl avatar

Meanwhile with piracy, you have none of these issues.... Good job, convenience wins.

Dozzi92 ,
@Dozzi92@lemmy.world avatar

It's literally the thing that keeps me coming back (to the seas). I have paid for the services, and the service they provide has been steadily degraded. I still have Prime because they haven't fucked up delivery to my home (yet), but I don't even open the app on Roku anymore, I just download whatever it is, because I have no interest in dealing with their shit interface and then having to watch ads after.

If a service can give me a simple, easy to use interface, good search feature, good quality, and decent enough content, you've got my money. That's just too much to ask these days, so I'll just donate to the site(s) that provide alternative services.

InternetPerson , (edited )

There is just that teeny tiny ethical problem of not paying the creators and distributors for something we enjoy. This becomes a practical problem as well. If they make less money, it's likely that even more movies or series get killed or never even started.

Idk what to do.

NoTittyPicsPlz ,

The golden age of streaming is already over. Peoples wallets are getting tighter these days, but the value of what we are paying for is also declining. There is a lot less on Netflix now then there was 5 years ago and the cost has gone way up. They produce their own shows but then cancel them constantly, even if they have a decent following. Netflix has been putting in effort to make their service shittier and more expensive, removing features that people originally switched from cable to get.

Netflix IS the content creator and yet giving them more money doesn't seem to be making their content better or stop them from cancelling shows.

Not to mention, some of these streaming sites allow you to "purchase" a movie, but then when they lose licensing to those shows it gets removed from your library. So there's no value in purchasing digital content anymore because it can get taken from you at any time. Digital ownership has become a myth.

If you want to support your favorite shows, purchase them on DVD or go see it in theater. Paying for a streaming service is only encouraging these companies to continue raising prices and reduce the value of the product you pay for.

Lets_Eat_Grandma ,

I'm not really thrilled about almost all the money in show business being funneled to a couple of actors and actresses and giant studios/big money.

Over and over again the majority of writers, actors, actresses and supporting teams strike for a real share and they never seem to get one.

Meanwhile big companies get billions in tax credits every year for shooting movies. The public subsidizes the costs and then pays again once a show releases. It's insanely big bucks going to the ownership class.

InternetPerson ,

I am absolutely with you on that one.

But I think it's tied to how we do business and less a problem which is very specific to the movie industry. Or in other words: it's our fucked up capitalism in action again.

The workhorses of such shows get almost neglected while the shiny poster people and producers get most of the share.

And that's basically everywhere the case. CEOs, managers, superiors are making insanely more money than those who are contributing a lot of work. It's an unfair system which is holding the movie industry tightly in its grip as well.

nBodyProblem ,

The fact of the matter is that people will happily pay for content if it is made available in a convenient and affordable way. Hell, many people will voluntarily pay artists for content that is available completely for free. That’s how patreon works, and there are self published authors approaching $1M/year in income due to readers choosing to support the author for their hard work.

People have no issue paying content creators.

Piracy rose to prominence in the 2000s because a few executives were funneling massive amounts of money into their pockets by the sale of CDs and cable services that were simultaneously expensive and inconvenient. The studios attacked pirates directly to little effect because you simply can’t stop the free dissemination of information among the public.

Piracy almost completely died when streaming made the alternatives affordable, user friendly and convenient. In a world where the proliferation of streaming services is making content just as expensive and inconvenient as in the old days of cable, it’s only natural that piracy will once again rise to prominence.

If they want to get paid, they simply need to stop fucking with the customer and offer a service people want to pay for.

Bamboodpanda ,

My wife and I unsubscribed a few months back. I've not noticed.

DudeImMacGyver ,

Better late than never, fuck Netflix!

MapleEngineer ,
@MapleEngineer@lemmy.world avatar

I use a Netflix download app or a video capture app to store Netflix videos for offline viewing. They are charging a lot and not meeting my needs so I take matter into my own hands.

uriel238 ,
@uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

The people on your man o' war
Are treated worse than scum
I'm no flogging captain
And by God I've sailed with some
Come with me to Barbary
We'll ply there up and down
Not quite exactly
In the service of the Crown

🏴‍☠️

soba ,

And I am set to remove Netflix subscription, while introducing torrents.

Ads are the one thing I won't tolerate on a paid service.

InternetUser2012 ,

I refuse to pay to watch ads.

laurelraven ,

Which is exactly why I want to get rid of cable

azalty ,
@azalty@jlai.lu avatar

Title might be misleading, they’ll only add support for ad tiers, not introduce ads in all tiers

Qwaffle_waffle ,

At this time...

laurelraven ,

But when they do, you'll get the optional add-on to remove ads for just 2.99 more a month!

CaptainBasculin ,

How is this not considered false advertising? They literally market offline viewing as a feature

ANIMATEK ,

I just hope this does not affect WEB-DLs 🥲

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

It won't. This isn't how WEB-DLs are produced.

LainTrain ,

How are they produced?

CriticalMiss ,

Cheap android tv boxes

grue ,

I wish I had the software to do it myself.

CriticalMiss ,

Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, you’ll have to spend a lot of money on trial and error because Google will keep nulling your widevine keys.

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

Only very rarely, and usually it's a rooted nVidia Shield with a cheap HDMI splitter that strips HDCP from the signal. And those aren't called WEB-DLs, they're Webrips. WEB-DLs are downloaded directly from the source.

CriticalMiss ,

They buy cheap android tv boxes and get the widevine decryption keys off them, then use them to web dl directly from the source

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

WEB-DLs are downloaded, via command line, directly from the source. What you're getting is literally what the streaming service would stream to you, minus DRM, nicely packaged into an mkv file. The only time they are captured/recorded is when the 1080 and 720 sources are dogshit, so they capture a 4k stream and reencode it with the settings of their choice.

LainTrain ,

That's helpful, thanks, but how are they downloaded, via command line directly from the source?

_number8_ ,

honestly every single headline about how shitty streaming is getting, wantonly, willfully, feels like a hit of crack. nothing better than owning your own library.

stevedidwhat_infosec ,

Jellyfin + rip your movies off the dvds. You can even invite your friends to watch your movies too.

You know. Like we used to be able to.

Fuck late stage capitalism and every greedy little pig out there. Hope you lose your mansions, cars, and expensive toys. You can live down here with the rest of us at a perfectly reasonable level.

GlassHalfHopeful , (edited )
@GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca avatar

It's possible that the move means Netflix can save some money on licensing, which may cost extra if downloads are included – enabling users to take shows and movies around with them and watch them without an internet connection.

Maximize profit. Good for them. Never good for us. Never.

Why is it so terrible to build a company that people love?

yamanii ,
@yamanii@lemmy.world avatar

Shareholders are the real costumers.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • [email protected]
  • kbinchat
  • All magazines
    •