Funny

For companies not to milk every god damn cent out of consumers while providing a worse experience than the free alternatives. Netflix limits steam quality to 720p in browsers (except for Edge) forcing you to use their Windows app or a spyware filled smart TV to access 4k content THAT YOU PAY FOR. Cracking down on password sharing such that it is an inconvenience to try to use your Netflix account outside of your home. Constant price raises to all the streaming services for lesser features over time, and content that could just disappear from the platform entirely. We haven't even gotten to ads on paid tiers and "promotional" suggestions that are thinly veiled ads on non-ad plans.

You know what doesn't do those things? An MP4 file on a Plex server. It's gotten so frustrating to use streaming services that my partner and I torrent movies we have legal access to because it's a better experience, and I'm guaranteed to be able to finish a series without it being ripped from the platform. I can also watch the 4k content I PAY FOR in any browser I please. There is zero reason a bunch of volunteers working together should be able to provide a better user experience than multi-billion dollar companies.

You know what I rarely pirate? Steam games. They've made the user experience 10x better than pirating with non-intrusive DRM and an endless number of features I use regularly (controller support, custom configurations, cloud saves, online "local" co-op, remote game streaming, workshop/mod support, community guides, automatic updates, local network downloads...I could go on for an hour). The times I do pirate are for games I'm not sure I will like or games that might not run well on my Steam Deck. You know what Valve is doing to combat this? Introducing a game trial feature.

Streaming platforms should compete on quality of service and pricing. But they don't. They compete in exclusivity instead. And that is the biggest problem. There is a defacto monopoly right now because you can't eg choose between Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max to watch Star Wars.

Another problem is their locked down nature. Ie can't get 4k from Netflix by using a PC to watch it even if that PC is specifically built to act as a media device, and can't watch it at all if your device doesn't support HDCP or other hardware DRM schemes. Gotta use a clunky interface on some underpowered, overpriced and privacy-intruding "approved" device.

For an audio enthusiast and tinkerer like I am whos setup is very, very different from typical consumer hifi stuff, the whole "legit" home cinema route is a no go due to stupid restrictions on hardware the MPAA have asserted (specifically no multichannel PCM digital output for receivers/pre-pros).

Piracy is just so much easier, faster and more flexible solution that gives overall better UX, PQ and SQ than trying to conform into the draconian frames of the "legit" route whenever your use case is deviating slightly from the industry-accepted, approved and expected norm.

You can have something similar to what music streamers are doing. Sure Spotify has a majority, but you still have perfectly fine competitors.

I had not pirated music for more than a decade now.

True, but this is also because there's no Steam Storefront option for people who like to watch TV.

I'm just shitposting stolen content, please don't take anything I say or post too seriously :D

The ideal solution is not a Netflix monopoly, it's one where content providers must pick a single price, and any streaming service can pay that price and provide access to the content. That way you can pay for only Netflix, but get access to everything. Netflix wouldn't end up with a monopoly though, because anybody else could offer a better service and people could switch to it and not lose access to anything.

This is unlikely to happen anytime soon due to the intentional clusterfuck of laws like copyright, but it would solve the problem neatly.