I sometimes pay for things and then pirate them anyway because I can adjust the subtitle position on the pirated version. Or I can rely on being able to play them offline. Or a dozen other reasons where the pirated version offers a better UX.
> I sometimes pay for things and then pirate them anyway because I can adjust the subtitle position on the pirated version. Or I can rely on being able to play them offline. Or a dozen other reasons where the pirated version offers a better UX.
I've been doing this for years. I have a stack of Blu-Ray discs I've never opened because I send a request to my home server while I'm in line to check out at the store and by the time I get home the exact same content on the disc I just purchased has already landed there exactly as if I had ripped it myself.
As you note, every element of the user experience is better with the pirated copy and absolutely nothing is worse, even for those who legitimately own it. The only way you compete with free is by being better than the free offering, and the home video industry just refuses to acknowledge that reality.
Not every element: most pirated media lacks the extra content of DVD/BluRay like commentary tracks. It’s relatively rare to find shows with commentary audio tracks alongside the main audio.
there are specialized pirate sources that cater to this niche specifically, but most of them only have the AD tracks as MP3 files, without the actual video.
If you're watching with friends and your audience is a mix of fully sighted and visually impaired people, and you want both AD and video on the screen, you're in for a world of pain.
These exist. I have tons of straight and remuxed Blu-ray rips from certain sites that contain extra content and/or commentary or other tracks. If you know the right sites that specifically cater to people who want this stuff, it's not a problem.
Maybe not related to this topic, but I was thinking about certain games I purchased from Ubisoft. Whenever I open Uplay, it asks me to log back in and enter a 2FA code.
So basically all my Ubisoft games are playing pirated versions after purchase.
By the way the anti-cheat system Ubisoft uses, EAC, also refuses to work at the same time as GoLand, so I can say that I really don't have a choice.
There are games I own on Steam where I'll prefer the cracked version because of asinine publisher decisions like forcing a third party launcher that often gets an update which breaks it on the Steam Deck.
