[Closed] can someone explain the Kodi TV boxes

I'm still waiting to go to jail for using Napster ~2002

I guess there is no hope, when those who are more than well off enough to pay for content, advocate pirate addons.

Absolutely.

Doesn't sit well with me at all.

Cheapskates. Most of the people I know who use it earn plenty of money. I hope they do tighten things up.

We need to make it socially unacceptable. People vote with their wallets and not for quality reasons unfortunately. A British disease.

It's a bit like going down to the local car boot and seeing a fat bike, you've always really wanted a fat bike, and it's practically being given away.

But it's fine, the market was setup with completely legitimate intentions, so no harm done and the law might never catch up with you.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/stolen-fat-bike

OP download it to you computer and have a play before spending money on a dedicated box. Plenty of help online, try add ons Exodus and Phoenix

Brilliant. Keep advocating knocking the film industry on the head.

You stand need advocating all the moral high ground with your defence of business level playing fields in other debates.

More likely the way in which we access tv and films will change to be more in line with Spotify or itunes.

Rather than paying Sky or Virgin or whoever for a tv package and watching scheduled tv you'll just have a tv with internet connection and legally sourced high quality streams with fast servers will give you access to unlimited media for a small fee. Maybe.

Eh? This is exactly what is available now. Now TV, Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer etc. All of them do this and for not much money. We've been doing this in our house for years and don't mind paying for it.

As others said above, we all know people who have more than enough money to pay for content, yet still choose to source pirated material to save a couple of quid. I don't get it. Get your money about and support the industry. If you can't afford it, you can't (and shouldn't) have it.

It's only illegal if you get caught. 😛

Each and every time someone watches a football game illegally I weep for Poor Rupert Murdoch and the losses he suffers

If there is any man alive who can lecture us on morality then i know no one better than he

I also remember when they said - it was way back with bootleg Vinyl- that illegal copies was killing music and here we are 60 years later still with music and the industry still saying piracy is killing them.

Its almost as if greedy nefarious types are still able to make money whatever folk try to do

I dont have KODI but mainly because i dont really watch tv.

...and you'd set fire to the internet trying to set it up.

Harsh I think I am more likely to break the box/tv in a tucker laden outburst

I guess there is no hope, when those who are more than well off enough to pay for content, advocate pirate addons.

Content often not available anywhere. Where content is available no sub-titles available.

We go to cinema once a week (admittedly costs us £2 each via combing 2 different offers) and rent online from Curzon. Happily paid £10 for Singletrack/British MTB movie ignoring various offers from STW and Cotic. Just saying.

Finally releasing material several months earlier in US than Europe seems to be stupid with a capital S to me.

Each and every time someone watches a football game illegally I weep for Poor Rupert Murdoch and the losses he suffers

Do you also weep for the 1000's of UK employees who's jobs rely on paying customers?

Content often not available anywhere. Where content is available no sub-titles available.

There it is.

Finally releasing material several months earlier in US than Europe seems to be stupid with a capital S to me.

If it still happened, perhaps.

[url= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528/releaseinfo ]A recent major release...
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As far as I've experienced they can be used legally to get loads of services in one place but I've heard they are buggy and a bit crap so people only persevere to get the illegal stuff...

You've heard wrong. In fact you're talking utter nonsense.

Problem with kodi is it needs updating all the time as the builds or plug ins go out of date and the streams stop working. Use the correct build and it works flawlessly.

That's not a problem with Kodi, it's a problem with the 3rd party unsupported repositories you use.

They will put a stop to it before long. Kodi and/or it's plug-in providers will be bought out/paid off/closed down. ISP's and/or server providers will be hounded/threatened when small, put under pressure/do a deal when bigger.

Other than being the front end Kodi has nothing to do with illegal streaming. In fact it's used as the basis of many legitimate set top box builds. So I highly doubt anything will happen to them.

I think the UI is a bit clunky and the integration with standard PC's not the best.

Considering that's what it's primarily designed to run on these days I find that surprising. It's fine on anything I've run it on.

The whole implementation of Kodi is - in my view - built on a premise that is morally wrong. It's just facilitating and normalising something - streaming pirated content

I looked at Kodi, to make it worth using you need to want to watch pay-for TV and Films for free, legalities and loopholes aside - it's morally bankrupt.

I'll say this again for the so-called hard of thinking - KODI HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE THRID PARTY APPS THAT ARE USED FOR LEGALLY GREY STREAMING. It's a media centre, no more morally bankrupt than Winamp, Windows Media Centre or a standard modern smart TV.

@ jimjim - Yeah I reckon so. A change of middlemen is on the horizon and/or the old in new suits.

Of course the free stuff will keep evolving. They will make it incrementally more difficult though.

Winamp

To be fair, Winamp was wrong on a whole other level.

Whipping all those llama's asses 🙁

stilltortoise

Eh? This is exactly what is available now. Now TV, Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer etc. All of them do this and for not much money. We've been doing this in our house for years and don't mind paying for it.

So that's at least five accounts and five interfaces plus a broadband subscription and probably landline rental with it too. So you've missed my point. Something like "Kodi" is probably the future where you'll have a 4g tv able to pluck content from providers like those mentioned but without the clumsiness of navigating multiple interfaces.

Anyway, my point was that illegal streams will only be eradicated by much better legal streams - all access, all media at all times for a reasonable price. The fact that you're saying something like that kind of exists, albeit in a very unfriendly way just confirms my opinion.

As others said above, we all know people who have more than enough money to pay for content, yet still choose to source pirated material to save a couple of quid. I don't get it. Get your money about and support the industry.

Define "more that enough money" ? FYI I have a Virgin Tivo box and a Netflix subscription, so I'm supporting something. Or someone. I will find illegal streams for something I want to watch but am not willing to sign up for though - [i]Grand Tour[/i] was a perfect example. Rather than go through the rigmarole of creating an Amazon account to satisfy my curiosity a stream confirmed my suspicions it was dire. Glad I didn't sign up. And it's probably the same for most people ie paying for 90% but getting streams for 10%. It wasn't hard to find a stream for the Grand Tour but if I had access to it through my TV for say, 30p I would have just bought an episode.

If you can't afford it, you can't (and shouldn't) have it.

Just like all those kids taping songs off the radio who couldn't afford CDs. They shouldn't have had it and then they ruined the record industry 🙄

Just like all those kids taping songs off the radio who couldn't afford CDs. They shouldn't have had it and then they ruined the record industry

started to wonder whether I could get my money back if I thought a film, after all the publicity telling me how great it was, turned out to be crap. I concluded I couldn't, which I think is unfair.

You may think that's unfair, but it doesn't give you the right to break the law. I can't get money back for a restaurant meal I didn't enjoy, a play I sat through and hated or a tourist attraction I decided I didn't like (after absorbing all the knowledge gained during the visit). You can't simply 'return' an experience for a refund.

I'm not intending to moralise on the subject of piracy, but your argument is flawed.

IMO XBMC (Kodi) was great a few years ago when streaming services were limited or simply didn't exist. Now Netflix et al are so good for a few quid a month that I feel much more comfortable paying for a reliable, high quality, easily-accessed and, lastly, legal service.

Finally releasing material several months earlier in US than Europe seems to be stupid with a capital S to me.

Of course, that won't be an issue for you soon, when we leave the EU. We'll be able to negotiate our own 'special' deal, presumably.

I'm comfortable with piracy.

AAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

I'm not intending to moralise on the subject of piracy, but your argument is flawed.

i have an android box purely for the reason that pretty much everything i want to see, either current or previously filmed, is available to me at the press of a (few) button(s). yes the quality isnt as good in a lot of cases, but its perfectly watchable.
its a faff to locate stuff sometimes but hey, its free, i cant complain.

as far as whats morally right, we all have our own moral compass that we're happy with. i pay for a netflix sub too, its just that netflix doesnt have everything on it.
example, i was recommended to watch a comedy series called 'camping'. couldnt find it anywhere to view, (it used to be on sky atlantic apparently). the only place i could find it was on my android box through kodi. and excellent it was too, made even better knowing that i watched a sky programme without paying murdoch a bean.

i could also do without my tv licence, i rarely watch live tv, but.....i love 6 music. so even tho i dont need a licence, i think the bbc deserve my money for that alone.
i have a couple of small bands i follow. i buy everything of theirs whether i like it or not, even tho its available on deezer, just to put some money in their coffers.

in summary, i have a kodi box but i decide where my money goes and who deserves it. i sleep well at night.

I'm not intending to moralise on the subject of piracy, but your argument is flawed.
IMO XBMC (Kodi) was great a few years ago when streaming services were limited or simply didn't exist. Now Netflix et al are so good for a few quid a month that I feel much more comfortable paying for a reliable, high quality, easily-accessed and, lastly, legal service.

*facepalm*

Try reading what I said again, slowly or with a helper if need be.

KODI IS A MEDIA CENTRE
KODI =/= STREAMING
KODI IS LEGAL.

*facepalm*

Try reading what I said again, slowly or with a helper if need be.

KODI IS A MEDIA CENTRE
KODI =/= STREAMING
KODI IS LEGAL.

yes the quality isnt as good in a lot of cases, but its perfectly watchable.

I don't know how people can bear to watch TV that's poor quality - I can barely stand watching SD broadcasts on Sky

Just like all those kids taping songs off the radio who couldn't afford CDs. They shouldn't have had it and then they ruined the record industry

Kids. How many well paid adults were sat by the radio with a tape recorder?

I don't know how people can bear to watch TV that's poor quality - I can barely stand watching SD broadcasts on Sky

I don't know how people can bear to watch TV that's poor quality

It'll be the stream that's poor quality. As before, that's not a Kodi thing.

Most of what I watch on mine is Youtube (1080p typically on a 1080p telly), Southpark (also free, direct from Comedy Central with an API), etc.
I'd do iPlayer via that too if I was in UK.

Main reason for the Kodi on Pi is that it all works thru the TV remote, and generally works better than the Smart stuff in the telly.

If you think Kodi is immoral then pay more and buy a Roku instead, and sub for £7 month to NowTV (I'd probably do that too if I was in UK). Still the Youtube, iPlayer, 4OD, ITVplayer, are all free and all the same streams that you;d get via PC, Smart TV, etc. Probably all 1080p though rather than 4K? That's enough for me, and even my audiophile brother who's always bought the best the moment it's been released.

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38906561 ]Five arrests in 'fully loaded' Kodi streaming box raids[/url]

I'm laughing at all the tossers going "yeah, look at me sticking it to Murdoch yeah? Geek pie bruv".

Do you think Rupert sits in a ****ing OB truck on a freezing Wednesday night at Stoke? Do you think he mans every ****ing camera at the match? Do you think he's the one writing the software for NowTV or SkyGo? Do you think he's sat in an edit suite full of stale farts every week? There are real people with mortgages to pay and families to feed who work really damned hard to bring this content to you. You should be able to respect that even if you don't respect the person whose name is on the building.

The revenue from big name movies/TV series you watch are then used to subsidise riskier projects. If you want an example think of something like Sideways which is a great movie that nearly didn't get funded. This money doesn't just go to actors swanning around set, it goes to people paid a pittance because they love what they do. When you're a 19 year old freelance runner on set even a £50 bonus means a lot. The money subscribers and moviegoers pay funds things like that too. Not just the Murdoch clan's superyachts.

All you're doing by pirating (especially the big name releases) is showing you're completely devoid of any initiative or morals. For under £10 a month you could subscribe to a legitimate streaming service that has more media content than you could consume in several lifetimes. Hell, Amazon even give you next day delivery on top of it. But you don't want to do that, you want to watch what everyone else does, but you don't want to pay for it, or acknowledge that there's more to it than challenging your perception that you're entitled to it.

I find it hard not to laugh when people in their 40s driving BMWs and living in half a million pound houses they bought for a button and a piece of string in the 80s moralise about how artists and content creators shouldn't get paid for what they create because Rupert Murdoch or some other public figure. Lazy argument.

Hypocrites.

Not this old argument again. If you make a copy of your mates DVD without him knowing it's highly unlikely to be looked at as a criminal offence the same way as taking his bike would be - he has lost nothing.

In this example you would have committed a civil offence and I know of no sane copper who would treat it otherwise. It would be left up to the copyright holder to seek a civil case against you; assuming anyone could be bothered to report you and the IP holder wanted to spend the money on bringing it to court...

Whilst the movie industry is keen for people to think pirating copyrighted material is a criminal offence, it mostly isn't - in the case of examples like the above.

The law does make provision for those running a cottage industry infringing on copyrights and IP to be prosecuted as criminals hence the arrests linked to - and if you read that article you will see in the case of selling Kodi boxes it still being tested - the law is that grey in the areas of IP infringement.

Also, just to be noted one of the most pirated TV shows ever is also the most successful - Game of Thrones.

How does this make sense?

The few people I know who use pirated content are also big TV/Movie buffs and spend more on DVD's/Netflix/Sky/Cinema than the people I know who don't ever pirate stuff - like me; I have Netflix and only bought 3 films last year on BlinkBox. I haven't bought a DVD/Blu-Ray in years and went to the cinema only the once last year for star wars.

Also, just to be noted one of the most pirated TV shows ever is also the most successful - Game of Thrones.

How does this make sense?

The alternatives are there (and the interesting thing that came out of Napster as it was mentioned earlier was Spotify https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Parker)

The few people I know who use pirated content are also big TV/Movie buffs and spend more on DVD's/Netflix/Sky/Cinema than the people I know who don't ever pirate stuff - like me.

Well that just doesn't make any sense at all, both anecdotally and realistically.

I'm a film buff and I work in the industry. I subscribe to Netflix , Amazon and pay for Google rentals and purchases. And I go to the cinema, a lot.

So I don't have a need for pirate content.

Actually the people I know who use these systems are the opposite; office workers - sometimes middle management types who consume and don't place any value on the work or the art. And actually I'm not talking about low paid folk too.

I find it hard not to laugh when people in their 40s driving BMWs and living in half a million pound houses they bought for a button and a piece of string in the 80s

Errrrrrrrrr!

@Drac Sorry, I forgot my maths in the heat of the moment!

Like rone says, most people I know pirating content aren't struggling for cash if we're taking anecdotes into account. Mostly they do it because they're lazy or maybe get some vicarious thrill out of doing something "proper nawty", or maybe

don't place any value on the work or the art.

So many false arguments. "oh I'd not have watched it if not for a pirate stream/download". How many times did you send a cheque to the creator because you watched it and went "I'd have paid to watch that"? Don't everyone rush to answer all at once!

Streaming.

Content not available by any other means inc paid/subscription inc content blocked due to national boundaries and news programmes (eg cbs 60 minutes etc)
Content available weeks and months before official release elsewhere
Subtitles freely available

I go the cinema 3 times a month, rent from iTunes and Curzon (£10 a film for in cinema release) etc however streaming services offer a huge amount of content not available elsewhere.

@jamby all this from a man who wants more intrusive surveillance, banning vpn's and more...

^^ yes and yes mike. If they want to arrest/charge me for it then so be it. Also not clear its illegal, selling the fully loaded boxes is.

Music has started shifting to a streaming format thats so cheap people don't really pirate. I still buy all my music but I imagine I am an outlier, only 4-6 albums a year anyway.

Content not available by any other means inc paid/subscription inc content blocked due to national boundaries and news programmes (eg cbs 60 minutes etc)
Content available weeks and months before official release elsewhere
Subtitles freely available

That doesn't give anyone the right to take it, just like you wouldn't raid the B&Q lorry on the way to the distribution centre and take your goods before they hit the store.

Blocked stuff like News I would let pass. I can see the logic for that, but it's still subject to rights/distribution and has a production model that costs someone.

I go the cinema 3 times a month, rent from iTunes and Curzon (£10 a film for in cinema release) etc however streaming services offer a huge amount of content not available elsewhere.

Well it's good you do pay for something. But there are lots of people that pay for nothing in terms of media. It's theft. It's the attitude that they can just have it because it's been made available. I have friends who I could fall out with over this, as I know for a fact if someone wandered into their workplaces and 'borrowed' some of their resources they would go all Daily Mail on the perpetrators.

There needs to be a social stigma attached to this.

It's not theft, it's copyright infringement.

I'm still staggered this is even a debate. Taking/consuming something without the owner's permission is theft. No one on here would condone the same when it comes to bike theft. No one.

It's not theft, it's copyright infringement.

We have different legal terms for murder too.

Federation Against Copyright Theft - I guess some people think it is.

It's not a debate, theft is not the same thing as copyright infringement.

It's not a debate, theft is not the same thing as copyright infringement.

If you're not creating a copy how is it copyright infringement?