Pirates have to find the download, download it, extract it, worry about viruses, install it, tweak it, find out the crack is disabled by a later patch, get a new crack. Legal users click a button in a web browser and they're away. I'd say that's a not insignificant difference.

Once past initial setup, I haven't had to investigate a problem with a non-playing video file in over a year. Grim...'s just shit at technology, is all.

That process doesn't sound too dissimilar to what you lot all do for downloading films and TV, what with codec and NAS problems, etc. You could just watch it on TV with ads or rent from Lovefilm, etc?

You coulsn't be more wrong. My entire manual process for watching, say last week's episode of Breaking Bad:

1) select Boxee on my remote
2) select TV | Breaking Bad | 5x07
3) watch

You coulsn't be more wrong. My entire manual process for watching, say last week's episode of Breaking Bad:

1) select Boxee on my remote
2) select TV | Breaking Bad | 5x07
3) watch

Only works for live-transcoded files then, as opposed to "everything on this SMB share". And the Xbox is offensively loud.

Only works for live-transcoded files then, as opposed to "everything on this SMB share". And the Xbox is offensively loud.

And, indeed, if Netflix/Lovefilm could offer me all the programs on all the networks, at the same time that they're shown in the the states, I'd be shoving my money at them so hard they'd be shitting £50 notes for a month.

Ok, serious question; isn't it just as easy to have a Lovefilm/Netflix sub and just stream Breaking Bad that way, meaning that you pay for it as well. Or is it vastly inferior?

And, indeed, if Netflix/Lovefilm could offer me all the programs on all the networks, at the same time that they're shown in the the states, I'd be shoving my money at them so hard they'd be shitting £50 notes for a month.

You coulsn't be more wrong. My entire manual process for watching, say last week's episode of Breaking Bad:

1) select Boxee on my remote
2) select TV | Breaking Bad | 5x07
3) watch

The region release times are still a pain in the arse

The stuff you can get from Apple in the US is much better than the UK

http://www.apple.com/appletv/whats-on/

The stuff you can get from Apple in the US is much better than the UK

Yes, and usefully, this isn't geo-restricted at all; it's only tied to the iTunes account. So our AppleTV is connected to my wife's US iTunes account and we pay (smaller) US prices and get a full amount of US content.

For some reason this doesn't bother me as much. Could I set up a US account pretty easily and do this myself?

Yes, and usefully, this isn't geo-restricted at all; it's only tied to the iTunes account. So our AppleTV is connected to my wife's US iTunes account and we pay (smaller) US prices and get a full amount of US content.

It should be cheaper when you buy a digital download.

It should be cheaper when you buy a digital download.

Are digital downloads cheaper than DVDs?

Around the same price in this case

Could I set up a US account pretty easily and do this myself?

Yes. You need a fake billing address and, as Dimrill says, to buy US iTunes credit vouchers off eBay. I think that's a faff, myself, though.

To me, the selling point of a service like this is two-fold:

• Being able to play games on a machine that wouldn't actually be able to play the game 'properly' and;
• Being able to instantly play games on any machine without having to carry install media around with you or download massive files (i.e. Steam).

Both of those are factors that piracy, and the traditional sale model, just can't touch.

I'm not sure though how many people's circumstances really require that set up though. I don't spend enough time moving between inferior machines to care about this kind of thing, especially when you factor in the need for an always-on net connection with a certain level of speed/stability for the service to function at all.

I’m not sure how ITunes works for TV as I don’t use it, but it strikes me as quite expensive. Take Person of Interest, they want £34.99 for the season which is box set price, or they are charging £2.49 per episode so if you were daft enough to buy them like this it would cost you £57.00.

You look to be charged more to buy a couple of episodes to see if you like the show, also even if you buy the whole season you appear to still be restricted with episodes being released on a schedule

I've just tried to try OnLive on both my work computer (Firewall blocked it) and on my mobile (Network blocked it).

Fuck that shit.

This is a perfectly sensible reaction because, of course, the worth of a gaming service should be judged on whether it'll work on your phone or your employer allows it on their network.

You haven't known me long enough, man.

This is a perfectly sensible reaction because, of course, the worth of a gaming service should be judged on whether it'll work on your phone or your employer allows it on their network.

I works on my phone

Which network are y'on?

T-mobile.

Had a bash on the revo htpc and it works great. This is the best thing, ever!