Legally populating an XBMC setup.
#1
After a decade of pirating (I'm 26) I'm finally throwing in the towel. I am tired of the effort it takes, the huge differences in quality, network logos, commercials that don't completely get cut, variances in volume, and the irrational fear of getting caught. It also helps that I just signed a massive contract at work, so I've got the expendable income to fill my collection and actually pay for it. I've also got a shiny new Drobo stocked with drives, hungry for media.

What I really want is a good source for downloading high quality video files legally and just pay a fair price. Something like the iTunes store, but without DRM. Actually, the iTunes store minus the DRM is precisely what I'm looking for, since 720p is enough quality for tv shows. Is there a way to strip the DRM from iTunes TV shows that doesn't involve the time necessary to completely re-encode the file?

Movies are a different matter, as I prefer them in 1080p. Just buying the blu-ray and ripping it myself is an option. There isn't a chance in hell I'll be taking the time to purchase the blu-rays for Tv Shows and rip them all by hand though. I'm assuming that paying for a 1080p movie rip online in a legal way without DRM is just an insane dream, right?

For those of you who choose legal sources for your media, what has worked and what hasn't? What would you recommend?
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#2
seems like things like amazon have to use some kind of special player..... so I am not sure if it would work on xbmc..... you could always just buy the disk, rip it and then throw it in your attic
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#3
Regrettably, to my knowledge the MPAA has not followed the RIAA cue in making drm-free video available. (rant) Nevermind the fact that individual RIAA sales shot up dramatically when drm-free music became an option. Sure, those sales were for 1 to 3 dollars, rather than 12, resulting in terrible profit margins for the RIAA, but that issue simply doesn't exist for TV and Movies, where it's impossible to buy 2 "tracks" of a movie. You buy the whole movie, or you buy nothing. All sources and empirical data suggests that the MPAA would enjoy a massive windfall if DRM free TV and Movies were made available, but somebody up on a hill is too stupid to see the writing on the wall, and so they're willing to sacrifice profit in the name of drm-laden streaming. (/rant)

So your options are to use Netflix in America. In parts of Europe, you can rip dvds and bluray by breaking the encryption legally. And, as far as options go, that's about it.
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#4
So does that mean it's not possible to just buy from iTunes and rip the DRM out? Although ripping movies by hand seems like a pretty valid option, I think it would be far too tedious for tv shows.
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#5
For me I just purchase the TV shows on DVD and the load up to a NAS or harddrive.
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#6
NoPantsJim Wrote:So does that mean it's not possible to just buy from iTunes and rip the DRM out? Although ripping movies by hand seems like a pretty valid option, I think it would be far too tedious for tv shows.

Well, you said you're 26. In 10 years or so, I'll just watch episode and forget about it. So, if you don't insist on piling them up - go iTunes way.
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#7
The only reason I will continue to stick with my current methods is not because I am too cheap to purchase my own media... it is convenience. Shocked

I doubt you will be able to find a legal source of 1080p movies and 720p TV shows without DRM, with fast download speeds, and with intuitive download services. This is the beauty of open source and services such as SAB, SickBeard, and Couch Potato Big Grin

I agree that quality can be inconsistent or you may get varying quality movies... but it sure beats paying for a subpar service (iTunes) and receiving media with DRM that is potentially tied down to a specific platform/player/whatever.

As you stated, you could always go the route of purchasing the physical BluRay and then ripping/encoding yourself. This is time consuming and also requires resources (strong enough CPU and machine to perform these tasks in reasonable time). You could also create a PVR box (MythBuntu or something similar) to automatically record HD streams from your cable and strip commercials.

In the end, there is no perfect solution! Sad
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#8
How to remove DRM from iTunes:

http://www.iskysoft.com/article/remove-d...tunes.html

This is how my dad built his library.

Even though my personal thought is that you are giving up on the gal that brought you to the dance just as she gets a Sick/Sab/Coach/Usenet makeover for the next decade...

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#9
Quote:I am tired of the effort it takes
Sickbeard, Couch Potato.

Quote:the huge differences in quality
Haven't noticed this since back in the day of IRC and people insisted on converting VCDs to Real Media and downsizing to 320x240.

Quote:network logos
Well on 'live' stuff you'll never get rid of these. If they bother you that much re-download when the DVD is released.

Quote:commercials that don't completely get cut
NEVER had this problem. I do give it a day to catch up to my TV shows so I usually automatically get any repacks.

Quote:variances in volume
30 minute TV shows are 350mb near on the dot no matter what the show or release group is.

(Seriously, where are you getting your media that you have this many quality control problems.)

Quote:Irrational fear of getting caught.
.
Usenet is not illegal for you. Using it is not illegal. Doing anything with it is not illegal. What are you worried about getting 'caught' doing?
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
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#10
By volume, I meant the sound.

I didn't really make this thread so I could be lectured on how awesome piracy is, so you've wasted a bit of effort trying to convert me back.
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#11
Oh. I'm not trying to win you back. A fool and his money are soon parted. I couldn't care less if you kept yourself warm at night with $20s. I'm just wondering wtf you're doing that you're having this much variance in quality.

You can collect all the stuff you want via iTunes, but not sure what you're going to do with XBMC since last I checked XBMC won't do iTunes DRM.

Ripping DVDs (breaking CSS) in the US is more illegal than using Usenet.
Ripping out DRM (circumventing encryption) is more illegal than using Usenet.
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
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#12
Using usenet isn't illegal. Downloading and possessing pirated material from usenet is...
-stoli-
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#13
darkscout Wrote:Oh. I'm not trying to win you back. A fool and his money are soon parted. I couldn't care less if you kept yourself warm at night with $20s. I'm just wondering wtf you're doing that you're having this much variance in quality.

I'm actually kind of astonished. It never crossed my mind that I'd get shit on for saying that I'd like to actually pay for the content I consume.
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#14
stoli Wrote:Using usenet isn't illegal. Downloading and possessing pirated material from usenet is...

Bzz. Nope, not in the United States. I open the floor to anyone to find me a single pending lawsuit, article about a lawsuit, settled lawsuit, etc where any person, group, or groups of people have been sued or taken to court for downloading anything.

Quote:It never crossed my mind that I'd get shit on for saying that I'd like to actually pay for the content I consume.

You want unicorns and rainbows.
Ripping CSS is illegal.
Ripping DRM is illegal.
Downloading from usenet is not illegal.
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
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#15
Are you just trolling us? You can't possibly be that fucking stupid.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/05/1...-Past-Year
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