@Everhard, There is a law that could stop the sale of HC European subscriptions to the UK citizens but it is now a long shot. The Home Office under advice from Ofcom could proscribe channels that they find offensive. But the long shot is that they would have to convince the European Courts that a ban was more than necessary in a democratic society, as HC is now perfectly legal to buy and own (since 2000). There has been NO proscriptions orders issued since than although the ITC recommended that SCT was proscribed in 1999. The only way the Home Office could proscribe euro adult channels was to prove that the material was stronger than current UK laws permitted. But in doing so this would cause a conundrum as Ofcom would have no choice but to permit R18 on UK TV, as channels that adhered to that standard could not be possibly proscribed. This would fully comply with the TWF Directive.
This is the reason I believe why Ofcom will permit R18 on UK television from Feb/Mar 2005.
mk13
What to do about pirate copies
Re: What to do about pirate copies
BXD,thats a fair point.
When it comes to conventional hollywood films mostly i buy the real thing.Why pay ?3 for a pirate when after a while you can get the real thing for maybe ?7/?8 in a sale at HMV.
The problem you have is compounded by the fact that pirates ignore cencership laws,you have to abide by them.
Its the government thats doing you harm,not the pirates.
When it comes to conventional hollywood films mostly i buy the real thing.Why pay ?3 for a pirate when after a while you can get the real thing for maybe ?7/?8 in a sale at HMV.
The problem you have is compounded by the fact that pirates ignore cencership laws,you have to abide by them.
Its the government thats doing you harm,not the pirates.
Re: What, exactly, are we buying?
When any of us buy a dvd/cd/video are we buying the medium? the bit of shiny plastic? or the intellectual property contained therein?
The complaint about piracy is generally shown as the producer/artistes loosing sales. In the mainstream I might have some sympathy with this view if it weren't for the fact that the big studios attempted to rip off the Brit punter in the first place with regional dvds, just enter the same film or album name into Amazon.com and .co.uk for a stark reminder.
However, what happens now that Dixon's won't sell me a new vcr? I have some favourite OEJ titles (Every Hole, Hard Day, Liive & Dicking) all legitimately purchased and I paid Terry Stephens for the enjoyment of his considerable intellectual property. Now, to maintain my enjoyment I must pay again for a dvd, nearly 30 pounds. Now a fiver for a new bit of plastic and a stamp seems fair, but 30? It's not cost Terry any more to produce the dvd (no offence mate, and lets not spoil the argument by quoting relatively microscopic authoring costs). Can't I send my vhs back with a crisp fiver for an upgrade?
Once again the mainstream has porn beat for chutzpah. We bought artistes on vinyl, bought what we already owned on cassette and then again on cd. And because the latter is smaller, cheaper and costs less to ship and stock they doubled the price!
And the same can be said for vhs vs dvd, so why do dvds cost more (adult stuff included).
As someone who has worked in a creative industry for 25 years I've had my share of ideas ripped off, but its a fact of life. And its hard to generate too much sympathy for the mainstream if they want an extra tenner from my kid's pocket money to fund Brad Pitt's next $2m/week paycheque.
The complaint about piracy is generally shown as the producer/artistes loosing sales. In the mainstream I might have some sympathy with this view if it weren't for the fact that the big studios attempted to rip off the Brit punter in the first place with regional dvds, just enter the same film or album name into Amazon.com and .co.uk for a stark reminder.
However, what happens now that Dixon's won't sell me a new vcr? I have some favourite OEJ titles (Every Hole, Hard Day, Liive & Dicking) all legitimately purchased and I paid Terry Stephens for the enjoyment of his considerable intellectual property. Now, to maintain my enjoyment I must pay again for a dvd, nearly 30 pounds. Now a fiver for a new bit of plastic and a stamp seems fair, but 30? It's not cost Terry any more to produce the dvd (no offence mate, and lets not spoil the argument by quoting relatively microscopic authoring costs). Can't I send my vhs back with a crisp fiver for an upgrade?
Once again the mainstream has porn beat for chutzpah. We bought artistes on vinyl, bought what we already owned on cassette and then again on cd. And because the latter is smaller, cheaper and costs less to ship and stock they doubled the price!
And the same can be said for vhs vs dvd, so why do dvds cost more (adult stuff included).
As someone who has worked in a creative industry for 25 years I've had my share of ideas ripped off, but its a fact of life. And its hard to generate too much sympathy for the mainstream if they want an extra tenner from my kid's pocket money to fund Brad Pitt's next $2m/week paycheque.
Re: What to do about pirate copies
Dual-layer DVD+R is already out. Before long it will be almost as cheap as the 4.7GB, so even a professionally pressed DVD9 will be as aeasy to copy as a DVD5, and shrinking will no longer be an issue.
Anyway, I know what you are saying about the compressed image of a DVD, and you are right, it looks horrible. I'd sooner watch a copied VHS tape than a badly compressed DVD, but I'm a video editor by trade so I notice these things. The average porn watcher probably probably watches in the bedroom on a portable TV and does not have a trained eye looking for pixellation of the image anyway so doesnt really notice or care.
When I first started watching porn, it was in my bedroom on a 12" black and white TV, and a Sanyo top-loading Betacord machine with copied tapes sent from Holland (my schoolmate's mother thought he was in a book club!).
My point is that it had the same effect on me as it would have done seeing it on colour 28" widescreen playing from the original DVCAM camera master tape. Whether good or bad quality, porn still stimulates and arouses, so if people get the same arousal for a couple of quid rather than a couple of tenners they are happy with less quality.
Anyway, I know what you are saying about the compressed image of a DVD, and you are right, it looks horrible. I'd sooner watch a copied VHS tape than a badly compressed DVD, but I'm a video editor by trade so I notice these things. The average porn watcher probably probably watches in the bedroom on a portable TV and does not have a trained eye looking for pixellation of the image anyway so doesnt really notice or care.
When I first started watching porn, it was in my bedroom on a 12" black and white TV, and a Sanyo top-loading Betacord machine with copied tapes sent from Holland (my schoolmate's mother thought he was in a book club!).
My point is that it had the same effect on me as it would have done seeing it on colour 28" widescreen playing from the original DVCAM camera master tape. Whether good or bad quality, porn still stimulates and arouses, so if people get the same arousal for a couple of quid rather than a couple of tenners they are happy with less quality.
Re: What, exactly, are we buying?
You are right,
DVD is cheaper to produce. As we have paid for an item on VHS I believe it is legally ok to make a copy of that on DVD for home use.
I say this because I have read somewhere that its OK to make a backup copy of software programs and use the copy, filing away the original for safe keeping, providing the 2 are not in use at the same time.
The company that I work for has spent literally thousands of pounds on video editing software, and they believe in only opening the originals once, making a copy, then using the copies until they finally get scratched and another copy is needed from the original.
Software companies often offer upgrade services for purchasers of old versions to new versions.
I believe what you have mentioned (as long as you can prove you purchased the VHS) about upgrading to DVD, to be very valid. After all you would not be owning anything new in terms of content, simply changing the medium its on, and the media costs virtually nothing as you say its just a piece of plastic.
A system like you have outlined could be a strong customer service gimmick and work well for anyone who wants to be the first to try it out.
I know of one "pirate" vcd site some time ago, that upgraded to selling DVD-R and offered previous customers who had bought VCDs, to buy the same films again on DVD-R this time, and only charged ?1 per title.
DVD is cheaper to produce. As we have paid for an item on VHS I believe it is legally ok to make a copy of that on DVD for home use.
I say this because I have read somewhere that its OK to make a backup copy of software programs and use the copy, filing away the original for safe keeping, providing the 2 are not in use at the same time.
The company that I work for has spent literally thousands of pounds on video editing software, and they believe in only opening the originals once, making a copy, then using the copies until they finally get scratched and another copy is needed from the original.
Software companies often offer upgrade services for purchasers of old versions to new versions.
I believe what you have mentioned (as long as you can prove you purchased the VHS) about upgrading to DVD, to be very valid. After all you would not be owning anything new in terms of content, simply changing the medium its on, and the media costs virtually nothing as you say its just a piece of plastic.
A system like you have outlined could be a strong customer service gimmick and work well for anyone who wants to be the first to try it out.
I know of one "pirate" vcd site some time ago, that upgraded to selling DVD-R and offered previous customers who had bought VCDs, to buy the same films again on DVD-R this time, and only charged ?1 per title.
Re: What, exactly, are we buying?
Bayleaf, the OEJ DVD's are not 30 but 21 quid, but you know what, we'll give you a special upgrade deal: you don't have to send us the VHS tapes, drop me or Jay a line (preferably from the email address you used with us before) and we'll give you a 50% discount on the DVD's.
And maybe we will do a limited time upgrade offer for everybody here: if you bought the OEJ tapes from us, we'll give you a discount on the DVD's!
How does that sound?
And don't forget all the One Eyed Jack DVD's have lots of extra's compared to the videos.
And maybe we will do a limited time upgrade offer for everybody here: if you bought the OEJ tapes from us, we'll give you a discount on the DVD's!
How does that sound?
And don't forget all the One Eyed Jack DVD's have lots of extra's compared to the videos.
Jacco