[thebundok]

I'm a bit confused over whether PlayOn is legitimate software or just potential piracy masked as legitimate software.

The reason I question is because in their FAQ in one sentence they say "Upgrade to PlayOn Desktop to watch Netflix offline, watch Hulu shows and movies on your TV without subscribing to Hulu..." while then two questions down they state "Yes, you need to have a subscription with Netflix or Hulu or Amazon to record and download from those services."

Also, being able to record from the streaming services and then keep the content even if you cancel. Is this just a "gray area" legally?

On the one hand, I assume it's being treated as legal because it's promoted in Kodi's forums where typically anything pirating related is struck down. But I just want to be sure.

[PatK]

On the face of the web site it quotes " Record and download streaming movies and shows from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, The CW and more." Looking into the wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayOn proves it's been around a long time and would appear to be legitimate. From what I gather this software acts as a high tech DVR device or SVR (Streaming Video Recorder).)  with a cloud storage solution; If you have the subscription. (perhaps saving shows allows one to cancel the subscription while still maintaining the saved shows in the playon storage?)

The devil is in the details, with a lot of gotchas in the advertising blurbs. This one for me would be "PlayOn is limited to 720p resolution. For those that desire 1080p or 4K streaming capability, PlayOn may not be your solution." a negative.

[PatK]

Also, being able to record from the streaming services and then keep the content even if you cancel. Is this just a "gray area" legally?

I've got some old VCR tapes of the moon landing and a few others, I think they are legal to have in my position and at one point in history a few courts have ruled. With that precedence established there has been no subsequent ruling that has contradicted this, although a challenge of this ruling could be on the horizon based on advanced digital and broadcast definitions.

[thebundok]

Cool, thanks for the reply. I know the Kodi Team works very hard to maintain their stance of legitimacy and not enabling illegal activities so I just wanted to be sure I wouldn't be part of the problem.

With that in mind, I've been trying now for the last hour or so to get it working with my libreelec install on my Pi4 to no avail. I've found multiple sources that indicate this should be possible but I haven't found any sort of guide specific to my setup yet.

Anyone have any tips to get me started in the right direction?

[the_other_guy]

What you are allowed to do is format shift video from analogue sources into a digital format, again as long as you own a legitimate copy
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/07/fo...r-content/

In the UK, it's just become illegal to rip CDs you own, but that doesn't mean the same law applies here. Still, it's worthwhile refreshing what's legal under Australian copyright law and what isn't.

That being said, you've got to do the actual format shifting yourself

[PatK]

Just a bit of clarification: Life is better in Canada!

In U.S.A.

FTA: The moment you crack DRM (Digital Rights Management) to rip the DVD, you've violated Title I of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 17 U.S.C. 1201 prohibits circumvention of DRM

In Canada

FTA: The good news is that the law now features a wide range of user-oriented provisions that legalize common activities. For example, time shifting, or the recording of television shows, is now legal under Canadian copyright after years of residing in a grey area. The law also legalizes format shifting, copying for private purposes, and the creation of backup copies. This will prove helpful for those seeking to digitize content, transfer content to portable devices, or create backups to guard against accidental deletion or data loss.
Canadians can also take greater advantage of fair dealing, which allows users to make use of excerpts or other portions of copyright works without the need for permission or payment. The scope of fair dealing has been expanded with the addition of three new purposes: education, satire, and parody.

Different regions of the world have there own rules, there are exceptions in most cases.

[thebundok]

Thank you both for your replies and clarifications.

[speedwell68]

What you are allowed to do is format shift video from analogue sources into a digital format, again as long as you own a legitimate copy
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/07/fo...r-content/

In the UK, it's just become illegal to rip CDs you own, but that doesn't mean the same law applies here. Still, it's worthwhile refreshing what's legal under Australian copyright law and what isn't.

That being said, you've got to do the actual format shifting yourself

The position in the UK is ridiculous, the government ruled in favour of allowing reasonable 'format shifting', only for the music industry to have it overturned by the courts.  How much money has been wasted having that law overturned?  Especially when you consider that it will never be enforced and is pretty much un-enforcable.  90% of the music on my server is ripped direct from CD.  I have been ripping CDs since the days when iPods and Napster were all the rage.  The media industry wonder why piracy is a thing.