The food analogy falls short because the food either gets eaten or perishes. But for streaming porn to watch it again, you have to stay subscribed. DL porn you can watch as long as you don't accidentally delete your hard drive - without paying again and again.
But porn in a way can also be considered 'perishable' (because, at least that's what I'm reading from the various studios), back catalogue isn't really in demand, users always want the new stuff... so in that sense, the analogy isn't far off after all.
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - Apr 30 2022 : 6:52PM
Thanks, guys.
Another thing with downloads is that you can edit the videos with AI upscaling for an even better experience.
I get the feeling the OP does not belong to the generation that had to drive to a video store to rent their porn because if he did then like me he would love the current system even with all of it's flaws. I still member having to drive to video stores that often weren't what I call local because that's what you did if you wanted to watch porn. I rented a shitload of porn movies in my life and the only difference between renting vhs/beta tapes and dvd's is that I didn't have to remember to rewind the dvd. Then magically the general public was able to buy porn movies as opposed to only video store and from then on I started to buy a shitload of porn movies because it was often cheaper to buy a movie than having to rent it countless times.
Now if the OP wants to lament the fact that so many sites now offer a streaming only option at a reduced cost and a download option at a higher price then go ahead but remember that often the streaming only cost is usually 15$ or less and double that for download and it is still quite cheap for what you get in the end. Maybe the OP might want to think about why so many sites have to go the streaming route?
^ And you could only chose from what the video store decided to stock and wasn't already rented. Never knew what you were renting since there wasn't anywhere to look up reviews and the box images were never from the movie. And you had to get it back in time to avoid late fees.
The worst thing about stream only is that you're completely at the mercy of your internet and the streaming service. It really sucks when you're watching a vid and it's buffering or the video is closed for whatever reason and you have to go through a series of steps to open the video again. I could never stream only.
Stream only doesn't stop piracy either. If someone REALLY wants to pirate something they'll find a way.
A good reason why I still offer the download option, but only about 30% of my users download videos. The rest stream. And nearly 90% of mobile users stream-only. There are ways to combat buffering. I use one of the world's best video streaming CDNs and it's been amazing.Removing the download option drastically reduces piracy though. Digital fingerprinting and litigation also help.
Porn should've went streaming only in 2006. Youtube, netflix, tubes, onlyfans went ahead of them. Adaptive bitrate and per title encoding are things porn should've jumped on, now they're playing catch up. Streaming for the masses and 8hr Blu-rays for the collectors. Offering your entire catalog for download for $30 a month lead to high piracy and low member retention, guys would sign up, download everything then cancel. No more one hitter quitters, downloads are a small piece of the pie, it's streaming now. People want on demand access for cheap. $30 a month sites can now go streaming only and charge $5-$10 per month. On top of that, they can add DRM, no need for the viewer to install any fancy software, it's already built into the browser. Now what porn needs are mobile apps, windows apps and smart TV apps.
No way can porn look at netflix, HBO max, disney plus, spotify, tidal and say "hey, let's continue to offer these downloads eh?" numbers don't lie, streaming is the defacto means of distributing content.
Needs to be an app for LG webOs in order to work. And tvs have terrible webbrowsers.
I don't think piracy is holding studios back. There are far too many terrible productions studios to proof that. Also it's easier to subscribe to a site for a month and download what you like from a fast and reliable source. I'd be more worried about the free tubesites. My guess is that most people only use those.
LG, samsung, apple, roku all ban porn from their app stores, it must be built on android SDK which then can be installed directly, no app store needed. Bypassing the need for 4K streaming in browser.
Porn is not allowed in the app stores. Roku was the last hold out.
Android used to allow easy external apk installations, but virus makers and spammers took advantage of that.
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 1 2022 : 3:55AM
OP here. From all of this activity, I think we should Live-Stream a Round Table Discussion, downloadable afterwards! That way you could always access everyone's input, even without the Internet. The arguments for streaming over downloading that you guys state are quite reasonable, but not if you are a collector. I will comment on each of your posts shortly.
I talked with a webmaster who hosts water fetish videos. He said only 10% of his customers now download. That was 3 years ago.
My chief problem with streaming is that I am a collector of scenes of my favorite girls, and so downloads still rock. I like to archive all of their scenes onto blank DVDs and Blu-Rays, to create a kind of art gallery. Even 4K videos can be stored on a DVD for playback on a computer, if less than about 8 GB.
Streaming, especially streaming-only, totally messes with this setup. A lot of girls now offer streaming-only customs. No thanks.
There is a fancy word, "oeuvre," which refers to the total body of work of a writer, artist, or composer. I try to have a copy of all of a girl's porn works, which is something like an oeuvre. Even the girls themselves commonly do not have all of their scenes in their possession. This information comes from my asking them at their OF about some of their older scenes.
The archiving includes clustering VOB files from a girl's DVD scenes onto the blank discs. But the VOBs are mainly from the early 2000s, when the DVD version (480i) outclassed the web scene (240i).
I also like to edit and improve on downloaded videos, which I guess few viewers, even here at ADT, do.
See here, if you like, for upscaling older DVD scenes using Artificial Intelligence. https://forum.adultdvdtalk.com/ai-upscale-scenes-from-the-70s-80s-and-90s/reply/3747461#post3747461 The March 19, 2022 post has screenshots of a 360p video derived from AI that now looks more like from a 720p video.
I am of retirement age and recall when there were no video stores (1960s), because Betamax/VHS's, and of course DVDs, had not been invented yet. I recently went into a porn store in my city called "Wiggles," which still includes the porn-viewing booth downstairs, and is still, even to me, surprisingly frequented. They still have sections specializing in Brazzers, RealityKings, etc. Newer and older DVDs, including those with Kelly Divine. Another model I really like is Samantha Bush, and I was able to get 3 of her old Seattle Hairy Girls DVDs there, a real windfall. I can offer screenshots of this store's contents if someone wants to PM me here. A nearby porn store recently closed, but I have some of that store's contents preserved, too.
I can see how someone like pat362, who had to go to the store to rent and then return, would love the current system. I never actually rented anything, and mainly got into Internet porn, with an occasional porn store visit.
I do see why they go that route. It is profitable and convenient for (almost) all, and keeps them competitive. It is just the fact that downloading is fading fast that bothers me the most. It makes preserving good porn. or all of the works of a favorite girl, much more difficult to do.
I think it also make a given porn video seem even more like something totally disposable and almost worthless.
It is something like an artist saying, "Take a picture of my painting, because I won't be offering any prints. It is nothing."
That would be rough, Flash, not knowing what was already rented out, and the box images not lining up properly. With streaming, you can be pretty sure the preview is the right one.In the supposed Great Reset, you will own nothing and be happy. Kind of doubt it.I guess "you will own nothing and be happy" is still a pipe dream. Despite the many advantages of streaming, there is a sense that the customer has been made more of a pawn than ever.
In replying to the remarks above of MolassesLime,
Thank you for holding the fort, fit18. Another site that is holding the fort, or at least sort of, is EvilAngel. In addition to streaming, they offer several download options, although you pay more for including downloads. The standard stream-only subscription is $9.95. I recently had a downloads-included subscription with them for $14.95 and was able to download 98 Kelly Divine-related scenes. A great setup for a collector. I have this sense that most sites in hybrid mode will soon migrate to stream-only mode, to minimize the risk of piracy and to simplify their site maintenance. And we have a growing newer customer base that is not used to expecting or wanting downloads.
Hang on, it's snufish's turn!
Thanks, snufish. I am glad they did not go streaming-only back then, for reasons stated, but yes, if most people are at a website just for a quick fix, then that would make business sense, and at a cheaper rate. I guess I am a one hitter quitter, having confessed about the 98 Kelly Divine scenes. I did cancel the EvilAngel subscription, having done the deed 98 times, and that is just with one of their models.It always seemed strange how little actual prosecution was attempted by the studios. But I think because litigation would involve naming the people suing, and seeing how obscure a lot of webmasters like to be, it might not be seen as a profitable thing to do. "Hey, did you know that our nice neighbor Joe down the street is actually a pornographer? It says right here all over the Internet. I don't let my daughter walk down that part of the street anymore."Family shows will show you everything, except how to make a family.Yes, and so now let's watch some good old violence instead, as the companies take a far higher moral ground. The Sex and Violence dichotomy has always been interesting. Sex is Bad and Violence is OK.
Yes, it's stupid overall, but necessary. Europe after two world wars were tired of fighting and badly needed to repopulate so the governments greatly encouraged sex in the media and discouraged violence (germany still has ridiculous video game violence rules).
Meanwhile, countries who perceive they are under threat, are the opposite - like China where porn is banned, but war films showing brutal mutilations, are encouraged to be seen by schoolkids
Same. Luckily I have zero interest in the sites mentioned anyway. But I hope others don't follow the idea. Just put some kind of a download limit per month.
I stream the videos (Buffering is a very rare experience for me) and download the pictures. I only download scenes when I know I'm going somewhere with no or poor broadband or Wi-Fi. I don't feel like I need to own every scene a performer has done. So only being able to stream would not be an issue for me regarding watching the scenes, but I would still want to be able to download the pictures rather than manually saving them 1 by 1.
Yes, if I end a subscription I lose access to those videos. But I can get it back by re-subscribing if I want to. It works for me.
This is a fascinating topic. I had no idea that streaming is as popular as it is. I suspect it's a bit of a generational thing too. Older folks (maybe 45+) probably cut their porn teeth with collecting and it's part of what we expect. I recall having a conversation with a friend about music streaming and he refuses to sign up because he doesn't want a monthly subscription. That's a false analogy though as my Spotify account is one fee that keeps me attached to the music I like. With porn, it's spread across dozens of scenes. Again, this may only apply to people who collect porn, but if I wake up in the morning and really want to see that great scene with Star X on Site Y I can just plug in my external drive and watch it even if I don't have an active subscription.
I suspect that the discussion here at ADT is a bit skewed too. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that there are a higher proportion of collectors here than would be found in the general porn-watching population.
Pornhub dropped the ball. They were on track to be the "netflix/spotify of porn". They had a trusted brand and plenty of recognition. Productions big and small could earn money. Fetishes and microniches had a place to get attention. This was a $120 million / year business and growing.
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 2 2022 : 1:52PM
MOD: You've been told before to cease spamming threads with the editing, you have a thread you made for it, keep it there.
I am surprised to hear that streaming reduces piracy because it seems so trivially easy to download Chrome extensions to simply download the stream. I would have thought streaming-only would affect less tech savvy average Joe's but have no impact on the distribution side of piracy where I would assume the individuals involved wouldn't be so easily hamstrung.
PS: to be clear, I am not endorsing the practice of downloading content from sites where you have paid just for streaming.
I like to edit too, but I have so many question about the upscaling, and I hope you could help me with some answers
1. To upscale let's say, a video of half an hour from 480p to say, fullhd, or even 720p, how much time you need (and what Gpu/Cpu are you using)? 2. What kind of software are you using? I've heard that Topaz is the best at the moment but I'm very ignorant. 3. Can you achieve decent results even upscaling from crappy resolutions, like 360p or even 240p?
^ Leatherback, he has a topic in Tech Talk about the editing, please move the questions there. He likes to spam and derail threads with it despite being told not to.
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 2 2022 : 8:26PM
Getting back to the topic, I would like to emphasize that we guys need to consider the new reality that any custom video you order may actually be stream-only, and without you being told beforehand. So be sure to inquire first about whether your video will also be downloadable.
^ I don't do custom videos or anything onlyfans. When I'm subscribing to a site I know exactly what to expect by reading the terms of service and look specifically for the download quotum.
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 5 2022 : 5:29AM
Streaming-only, instead of downloads, makes "infidelity" easier to hide. Unless you password-protect your downloaded, and maybe renamed, files.
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 5 2022 : 10:26AM
Update on Streaming-Only, as opposed to Downloads
ElegantAngel.com no longer offers a general downloading option, not even at a higher price than the basic subscription. You can still download an individual scene, but a common price is $3.99 per scene.
Note the use of the expression "does not allow" [standard] downloads. As opposed to saying "does not offer" [standard] downloads. As if to want to download in general is a wicked, illegal desire. This aligns with the negative view of downloads from OnlyFans.
Basic Internet Trend Regarding No General Downloading Option:
The wording does not allow doesn't indicate wicked or illegal. It is a perfectly acceptable wording.
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 6 2022 : 5:49AM
Yes, Flash, I should interpret it less critically. It is a more strongly worded expression than would have been expected in the past. The stronger wording reflects the trending "thumbs down" view towards general downloads.
Edited by - kronas77 on 5/6/2022 5:50:27 AM
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 7 2022 : 1:57PM
Here is the newest twist for the selective downloads list: You can only download with a yearly subscription:
BurningAngel.com
And even though it looks at first like $9.95 per month, you have to make a one-time payment of $119.40. There is no $9.95 monthly fee, as is definitely initially suggested by the advertisement. Buyer be aware.
The yearly deal has been, for as long as I can remember, charged in one installment. Otherwise, they have no way to ensure you pay for a year. It doesn't surprise me one bit they have gone to only allowing downloads on the yearly plan. If you look through the forums here, all sorts of members comment on subbing to a site for one month, downloading everything they want to watch. Then canceling after a month and not subbing again for another 6 to 12 months. This ends that practice. I don't know why you are coming down so angrily on streaming-only sites. More sites like HotMovies and Adult Empire are carrying the individual scenes for purchase if you want to download them. It makes sense with the pricing model that most streaming sites have that their offerings are streaming only.
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Lezzyist Deactivated User
Make Porn Erotic Again 1736 Posts 9/19
Posted - May 7 2022 : 5:09PM
I do one-year memberships to sites, but this IS deceptive. The big number in the graphic should say $119/YR.
HAHAHAHAHA. What about all the sites that show the pricing per day? :)
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 7 2022 : 7:01PM
Thanks, Flash. I did not know that all sites expected a one-time payment for the year. I thought some would offer a monthly installment plan, I guess something like a contract. Thank you for that clarification. What we see then is the equivalent monthly fee across the year.
Yes it was always kind of odd to me for most customers who just want to download everything to be members for more than a month at a time, unless the sites were adding many scenes per month. There was commonly no limit to downloads, and customers paid to do so, and everything was upfront. The sites got us to subscribe, even if just for one month, and we got all the downloads we wanted.
I was a bit surprised that such a good deal went on for so long for the customers, although there have been so many sites competing for customers. There is also the question, of course, as to whether the customers would sign up in the first place had the subscription been set as a minimum of a year instead of a month. I doubt that I myself would have. It was good practice for the customers to subscribe for just a month to save money, and now it may be good business practice for a site to offer the one-year download deal instead for dedicated downloaders. To me though, it is like we are reaching the edge of the cliff!
I am not angry (but yes, pretty close!) at the sites themselves for going streaming-only (after all, it is their stuff not mine), although we all know I don't like the streaming-only trend. But my overall disgruntledness (= unhappy and annoyed) is the potential loss of all downloading in the future (except by "cheating," which I have never advocated or even suggested) and being totally dependent on the Internet and never really owning a copy of a single new scene or pic to play with, unless through a DVD or Blu-Ray. You might say how can you think like that with sites like HotMovies and AdultEmpire around with all their download offerings, but things have been changing so fast that I keep wondering if those sites will soon go streaming-only also, again as the best pricing model.
You have good points I had not considered. Thank you.
I think it's more like a buffet where you pay again and again the very same food you have in your dish unless you finish it up in a given amount of time
The last time I subscribed to Adult time they allowed me to download for an extra fee but this option has been available only after the monthly subscription that I did as usual without paying attention to the change (download only) they made since my previous subscription.
The reason why I need to download is that I can't watch porn on my PC , I have to download clean my pC then put it on a pendrive and watch it on TV , nor I want to stream my porn directly on my TV or phone or tablet , you name it , I get rid of the bad ones and save the good ones on a 1 TB External portable HDD in case I want to watch them again. I still buy DVDs that I store in my garage , though the online quality is much better
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kronas77 Deactivated User
469 Posts 4/19
Posted - May 8 2022 : 8:33AM
Hi. Could you please express this section of your reply more clearly? I cannot quite tell what you are saying. Thanks.
Well if you have to pay per scene in the future I'm glad I already have all the sites I like downloaded. Like 50TB of porn. I don't need to subscribe anymore as I have enough to watch for the rest of my life. But I still subscribe for the latest stuff. If they deny downloads I'd probably quit subscribing and look for alternative ways or stick with the stuff I have.
I subscribed to Adultmedia as usual but didn't realize this time it was streaming only unless I pay an extra fee the previous time i subscribed it wasn't like that , I didn't pay enough attention. I thought it was my mistake at first so I removed the cookies and went to the subscription area again as if I was a new customer and found out that the download option is not available for monthly subscriptions the extra fee is not available when subscribing but it was AFTER I joined them . Basically they try to push people to buy annual subscription if they want to download material
Posted - Apr 30 2022 : 1:13AM
