Last time I used piratebay, I saw a lot of porn and malware/scam ads. I had to find and install a torrent client. Then I had to make sure I was downloading a movie that had enough seeders. And then I couldn't watch the movie until (and if) the download finished.
When I use netflix, I have a much better experience.
I know this is all anecdotal, but last time I used a torrent site, I found the movie immediately and it pulled the whole thing down in under 3 minutes. Could be that it was a newer movie and pretty popular. I do see a lot of older stuff that's not being seeded much anymore.
> When I use netflix, I have a much better experience.
If you're on Linux, you won't be able to stream at 1080p, let alone 4k. Netflix even went out of their way to disable workarounds that users developed.
Try "actual" content videos. You can press ctrl+alt+shift+D to open a debug overlay that shows the playback resolution.
The actual DRM limitations also vary by content (and region) - with some titles I get 720p on Linux while some other titles are limited to SD, while I get 1080p on Windows Edge on those same titles.
They may not have the same DRM restrictions as actual content? It's not that Firefox is not technically capable of rendering the videos, it's that it doesn't give the DRM the control that Netflix and rightholders want to require in exchange.
Some torrent clients support sequential downloading, which will be equivalent to streaming with most video formats. And obviously there's uBlock for the ads.
DRM on streaming and BluRays made it so that any usage outside basic consumption on prescribed devices is better served by illegal means.
You can have a similar experience with a private tracker and a seedbox. The content is curated (no malware), there's a larger selection, the quality is sometimes higher, and peers generally have better connections.
After you pick your torrent, it takes the seedbox a few seconds to download the content. Then you can stream your download using emby, vlc over http, or whatever you prefer.
With torrents you can get a film in minutes. With popcorn you are exposed the entire time you watch the film.
In Germany they monitor peer connections and send a payment demanding an out of court settlement. After two years they escalate to a court appearance in a remote town. If you don't show, you lose and they turn it over to debt collection.
I don't know this technology, but I'd really recommend using a VPN that provides a SOCKS proxy for your Bittorrent connections. Otherwise you're just announcing your IP address related to your torrent activities to the whole world.
I don't live in Europe but I canceled my Netflix the minute I learned that Reed Hastings is taking advantage of the coronavirus situation to increase Netflix's bottom line by limiting streaming quality to everyone in Europe after one phone call with a French politician.
There are plenty of torrent streaming and download clients that work just as well and are just as convenient as Netflix, without needing to rely on a central authority.
You need: 1. Usenet provider (this allows you to download the links) and Usenet indexer (this allows you to search for content you want because files like movies usually have obfuscated filenames). Example of the former is Frugal Usenet, example of the latter is Drunken Slug (free-ish) or DogNZB (paid). One of the many things you need to watch out for with providers is retention, the length of time they keep the files so you can download them. In general, the older content you find on the indexer, the less likely it's still going to be available. The downloading itself can be done in an automated way (for example with Sonarr and the like) or kind-of manual with tools like SABnzbd.
