GT-TV: why Youtube and the likes are not an alternative

the Interceptor

the Interceptor

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theInterceptor77
GT-TV: why Youtube and the likes are not an alternative

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I've seen quite a lot of criticism towards GT-TV „reloaded“, now (or soon) offering downloadable video content for real money. Many say that there's no point, because the same material is available for free on the Internet. Well technically, that is true, but if you say so, you're brushing off some important details.

For starters, Youtube does not offer the same video quality as GT-TV. The latter will at least reach the level of DVD or even of full HD content, while Youtube gives you something you can watch, but you can't enjoy it. Now, you might argue that you're satisfied with just having seen it, but then you can as well argue that getting from A to B in a Smart car is just as good as getting there in a Dodge Viper. You'll see the difference here, so please see it there.

Then, there is the legal issue. For most of the material you can watch on or download from the Internet, the uploader doesn't have the copyright. Therefore, the only reason you can get this material at all is that the actual copyright owner doesn't know it is available, or just doesn't bother with having it taken down. Nevertheless, there remains little point in arguing that Polyphony Digital should offer their GT-TV content for free, because it is available for free. To use the car example again: you might understand that a car dealer won't give you a Dodge Viper for free, even if you use the argument that you can steal one for no money.

There is a small and very limited exception to this: Top Gear on the BBC iPlayer. This is a legal source of watching Top Gear content online. However, the quality of this doesn't supass Youtube by much, the videos are only available for 7 days and, most importantly, this only works for UK citizens, simply because the BBC is funded by them. So while technically this is a legal alternative to GT-TV, it only covers a small portion of Prologue owners and has other limits as well.

I'm willing and happy to discuss this further, but please, keep it clean. Thank you! 👍
 
I have a few gripes about it, mainly two things: Price & that you can't keep the things you download and pay for. The 14 days limit is a joke and a good way to turn potential customers away.
 
Good original post 👍 Same disappointment as with the post above though - you can only keep it for 14 days? If I was paying for a program such as one on GT-TV I'd want to be able to move it onto my PC and burn it onto DVD. Just as well for me that GT-TV won't actually get much use from me. I buy the game to play the game and don't really care for superfluous tinsel.
 
m00ndancer
I have a few gripes about it, mainly two things: Price & that you can't keep the things you download and pay for. The 14 days limit is a joke and a good way to turn potential customers away.
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69p for 40 minutes of video is a great price.
 
I'm not so sure about the price either, but I think it'll sort itself out. If they get the feeling that they keep people away through the price, they might lower it or put on some something like a weekly bargain.

The 14 day limit is something that puts me off as well, and very much so. If I pay money for being able to view the content, it should be permanent and not just temporary. Remember Kaz talking about Gran Turismo being like your personal car collection game? Well then Sir, why can't I collect (= buy and keep) the best car videos from around the world then?
 
Seriously you can only keep the downloaded stuff for 14 days? I hate DRM since I can't understand why if I pay for something I can't have it and use it as I please.

In this day and age I don't know why companies bother putting things on the internet to buy like this. There are so many ways around it that people are going to start going towards the "free" route. Music artist are starting to realise people don't want to buy CD's, Radiohead and NIN both released their CD's free on the net and in turn will get more people interested in their music and thus better concert sales.

Is it wrong to download for free? I don't believe so.
 
Firstly if i want to look at top gear, TV shows it here (old episodes) or i can watch BBC2. Maybe i would buy it from GTTV if it was not so expensive 2 euro i think it was? that is expensive. And as i understand you cant copy it to a computer or save it? (could be wrong about that)
 
Just want to point out, if you were allowed to copy it to your pc and burn it etc, it just opens up a world of piracy.

Like it or loath it a company like Polyphony and Sony cannot be seen to encourage this.

Personally I feel that the money they are asking isn't too bad at all. If I were to go to my local rental store for a 1.5, maybe 2 hour film I would pay at least 3 pounds, for one night. I believe that the 69 pence (doubling eventually I suppose) is a fine amount to pay.

Unfortunately the internet has become a place where everyone wants things for free.
 
JamboGT
Just want to point out, if you were allowed to copy it to your pc and burn it etc, it just opens up a world of piracy.
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You being able to rip a CD to your computer is the same thing.
 
Seems like the idea of the GT-TV content is video rental. And compared to your local shop, the price seems to be excellent for 14 days. Still, I'd rather like a "buy the rights and do whatever you like" system instead.
 
45 minute TV show for $1.50 AU isn't great renting especially as I can get all of my new release videos (some blu-ray too) from my local Video Ezy store for $2 bucks most nights of the week. Dunno why you guys are paying three pounds ($8AU!!!) for a single overnight rental, it would seem that you're getting overcharged in the UK.

You must also consider using up bandwidth and allowances to download these things too, so the cost isn't as flat as they make it seem. I don't know how the split of the fees works (50/50?), but there are hidden costs to consider too. I'd rate the overall cost of a download to be more easily $4-$5AU per episode. And that's rather expensive for a TV show that is on free-to-air....
 
To put the price in perspective for Germany:

We pay 0.99 Euros for 14 days of one GT-TV video now, will be 1.99 Euros soon. For a current movie (example: the Bee movie), we pay 4.99 Euros for being able to watch it within 24 hours.
 
the Interceptor
To put the price in perspective for Germany:

We pay 0.99 Euros for 14 days of one GT-TV video now, will be 1.99 Euros soon. For a current movie (example: the Bee movie), we pay 4.99 Euros for being able to watch it within 24 hours.
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Well Bee Movie have not been on television yet for free, but for people who cant get the programs GT TV maybe good to use, but if you can see it on tv already it has no use at all for 2 euro´s. Maybe they could get commercials in as option and you pay less, thats something i would not mind 👍
 
AERO_HDT
45 minute TV show for $1.50 AU isn't great renting especially as I can get all of my new release videos (some blu-ray too) from my local Video Ezy store for $2 bucks most nights of the week. Dunno why you guys are paying three pounds ($8AU!!!) for a single overnight rental, it would seem that you're getting overcharged in the UK.

You must also consider using up bandwidth and allowances to download these things too, so the cost isn't as flat as they make it seem. I don't know how the split of the fees works (50/50?), but there are hidden costs to consider too. I'd rate the overall cost of a download to be more easily $4-$5AU per episode. And that's rather expensive for a TV show that is on free-to-air....
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I want Australian Rental Costs!

I worked in Xtra Vision (Northern Ireland company owned bt Blockbuster) and our rentals to be precise are one night 3.50 for new release, 2 for £6.00 for 2 nights! Older one are cheaper, but GTTV holds up well in my mind.

To be honest i won't be getting top gear, I love it but I have seen them all, What i am currently downloading is the SuperGT and the Best Motoring Episodes.

My tv viewing is motorsport and there is not enough, even in the UK with Eurosport etc, I am happy to pay a quid or two to view more about cars. Here's hoping for some bikes as well!
 
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In the UK it is 4.20 to rent a dvd for 2 nights so 69p looks good to me.
 
Joey D
Seriously you can only keep the downloaded stuff for 14 days? I hate DRM since I can't understand why if I pay for something I can't have it and use it as I please.

In this day and age I don't know why companies bother putting things on the internet to buy like this. There are so many ways around it that people are going to start going towards the "free" route. Music artist are starting to realise people don't want to buy CD's, Radiohead and NIN both released their CD's free on the net and in turn will get more people interested in their music and thus better concert sales.

Is it wrong to download for free? I don't believe so.
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Do you think you have been able to go to a car dealer and get your mini for nothing? Where is the difference?

Someone has to pay for everything. If that someone then wants to pass it on for free, then that is up to them. If that someone then wants to sell the CD/video/game/download/car, then again, that is up to them, but they should not be pilloried for choosing to charge (whichever way they see fit) for their service.

I hate the way the world is going here when people expect to get something for nothing.

Currently, there are videos available for download at 69 pence, and you get to keep them for 14 days. That to me is fine. I would like to have the option to buy and keep, but then I would expect the price to be higher.
 
daan
Do you think you have been able to go to a car dealer and get your mini for nothing? Where is the difference?

Someone has to pay for everything. If that someone then wants to pass it on for free, then that is up to them. If that someone then wants to sell the CD/video/game/download/car, then again, that is up to them, but they should not be pilloried for choosing to charge (whichever way they see fit) for their service.

I hate the way the world is going here when people expect to get something for nothing.

Currently, there are videos available for download at 69 pence, and you get to keep them for 14 days. That to me is fine. I would like to have the option to buy and keep, but then I would expect the price to be higher.
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I agree entirely, especially with the incresed fee to keep the video, as per the playstation store video download service (when it eventually makes its way to the UK!)

People work to make these things, We work to buy them, its what the worlds economy is generally based on!
 
F1KimiFreak
Well Bee Movie have not been on television yet for free, but for people who cant get the programs GT TV maybe good to use, but if you can see it on tv already it has no use at all for 2 euro´s.
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True, but remember that a programme like Top Gear only airs on TV for a very small portion of people.
 
If I could keep it just like with the games and expansions on PSN I would easily pay €1.99
And btw I pay €3 for movie rentals. And the copying part... Fair use comes to mind. I should be able to put it on a DVD. Without violating any eula. That said, that does not give me the right to give that DVD to anyone else outside my household. But that's a separate discussion, sorry for going slightly off topic. I also want to point out some thing in JoeyD:s comment:
pls dont compare the publicity stunt Radioheads record company pulled with the thing NIN did. Read what Trent says about it: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...iohead-offering-insincere-industry-inept.html
 
m00ndancer
I have a few gripes about it, mainly two things: Price & that you can't keep the things you download and pay for. The 14 days limit is a joke and a good way to turn potential customers away.
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yeah the veiw limit is my big problem, they want to make me pay for it fine but if they do then I bought it its mine. some may say that its a lot for a buck, how much do the D1GP vids go for? I'm fine with that to charge me more but dont charge me for it then take it way later??
 
Now thats a way to look at it that i hadnt thought of. And to be honest, looking at it that way i feel a little better about it. lol thanx!
 
Fair enough about the hiring comments, it's a good price to hire, but I'd rather pay more and have the rights to keep what I've downloaded, burn it to DVD etc like I mentioned before. I'm sure some people might abuse that option but using the same analogy that would be like shops only being allowed to have CDs for rental just in case people wanted to burn them and share them on the internet. People will always illegally trade stuff but not being able to keep the GT-TV content seems a bit unfair.

I don't know how long the programs on GT-TV will be, I presume that depends, but I'm prepared to pay around £10 for a DVD's worth of material (3-4 hours?) so if I had the option to download that amount of TV for around that price I'd be perfectly happy.
 
the Interceptor
Youtube gives you something you can watch, but you can't enjoy it.
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No offense, the Interceptor, but I can't imagine how you came to this conclusion.

the Interceptor
Now, you might argue that you're satisfied with just having seen it, but then you can as well argue that getting from A to B in a Smart car is just as good as getting there in a Dodge Viper. You'll see the difference here, so please see it there.
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Eh...not exactly your best analogy. YouTube is more like driving the Dodge Viper with dirty glasses and a bit of wax in your ears.

Personally, I don't care much about the resolution or quality of full motion video, especially with something like Top Gear. I mean, the videography is fantastic and all, and it's nice to have the option of high-quality video, but it just doesn't matter to me if I can't see Jeremy's nose hairs or hear every click of an engine's tappets. The reviews, jokes, and spectacular shots (pixelated they may be) are all the same.

That being said, the concept of GT-TV doesn't sound so bad, but there will ALWAYS be alternatives. Even if someone doesn't like YouTube, there's always torrents. If you had made this topic "GT-TV: Why It's Worth The Money," you'd have a point.
 
JamboGT
Just want to point out, if you were allowed to copy it to your pc and burn it etc, it just opens up a world of piracy.
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Personally I hope this becomes a reality ... I'm quite happy to pay for some of the excellent stuff they're hosting (the ferrari stuff looks particularly good so far) but only being able to view the content for 14 days is a bit of a downer imo.
 
Yeah I would definitely like to have the option to download it to my playstations hard drive, or have some kind of one time fee for continues download or a subscription fee, like 20 bucks a year unlimited viewing
 
My problem with it is that I don't want to "rent" those videos. I have racing vids on my computer from years ago, that I still watch. I'm not about to pay for something like that Ferrari video, something that I know I'm going to want to watch again later on, if it's just going to disappear from my system in a couple of weeks. If it's a permanent install, yeah, I'll be all over it, but not until then.

I think they'll figure that out soon enough when their sales end up being far below their expectations.

Legal or not, the "alternative" methods of watching videos like Top Gear is at least permanent.
 

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