Best 'legally valid' options for HD streaming in India?

[gman]

Hi guys,

what are the best options to view free/paid HD streaming movies in India? given netflix etc. are not allowed, want to know what other options i can consider.

thanks.

 

[manniraj]

Hi guys,

what are the best options to view free/paid HD streaming movies in India? given netflix etc. are not allowed, want to know what other options i can consider.

thanks.

None as per my knowledge for HD movies streaming in India. You can very well subscribe to Netflix and watch the movies using a chrome/firefox browser or thru a media player over the VPN.

 

[anuragn]

How about Google Play movies? It is legally valid in India.

 

[krish199]

Hi guys,

what are the best options to view free/paid HD streaming movies in India? given netflix etc. are not allowed, want to know what other options i can consider.

thanks.

Believe it or not its iTunes. You can rent a HD movie for Rs 120. and puchase for Rs250. Quality is quite awesone if you have a decent internet connection (6mbps+). They only set back you need to have an apple device like AppleTV to stream it on big screen.

 

[poppy]

How about Google Play movies? It is legally valid in India.

Yes it's legally valid in india.you can either rent or buy in Rs.its similar to iTunes.

 

[hemantwaghe]

when they say HD what is sound quality offered?

 

[gman]

None as per my knowledge for HD movies streaming in India. You can very well subscribe to Netflix and watch the movies using a chrome/firefox browser or thru a media player over the VPN.

Thanks. Is the VPN option legal?

@krish199, @poppy, @aunarg - thanks a bunch for your inputs.
I dont mind buying apple tv, but i am very unlikely to buy an iphone or ipad ( i support higher premium for higher quality, but i feel they are way too pricey for what 'i need' from those devices). So i need to watch out on that. I already have a sony BDP S1100 which streams youtube content but i am looking for more subscription based options like these.

 

[manniraj]

Thanks. Is the VPN option legal?

I am not sure about the legality but lot of people use it

 

[krish199]

Thanks. Is the VPN option legal?

@krish199, @poppy, @aunarg - thanks a bunch for your inputs.
I dont mind buying apple tv, but i am very unlikely to buy an iphone or ipad ( i support higher premium for higher quality, but i feel they are way too pricey for what 'i need' from those devices). So i need to watch out on that. I already have a sony BDP S1100 which streams youtube content but i am looking for more subscription based options like these.

For your reference I recently have watched Dhoom 3 on both Netflix and from apple iTunes store. I liked the quality of iTunes better then Netflix. Its just my personal preference. I don't have proper home theatre so can't comment on HD 5.1 sorround quality. But picture is excellent.

 

[gman]

I am not sure about the legality but lot of people use it

I have actually posted a question explicitly about this in this very forum. The fact that so many viewed but not a single person replied gives me an impression that it might be illegal. I personally would like to use only when i know for sure that it is legal. I can understand a person stealing bread, which is illegal but u can understand if he is starving for a day, but i just cannot get my head around as to why someone would resort to illegal stuff just for the sake of entertainment which is far from life-critical. There are thousands of options to entertain legally.

 

[SatMumbai]

Thanks. Is the VPN option legal?

Having a VPN is legal. However if VPN connection is used, for things let us say, to watch Netflix from USA then it is not legal, IMO. If a Region restricted content, is being watched in a region where it is restricted then it is not fine by the content provider.

 

[sash]

I can understand a person stealing bread, which is illegal but u can understand if he is starving for a day, but i just cannot get my head around as to why someone would resort to illegal stuff just for the sake of entertainment which is far from life-critical. There are thousands of options to entertain legally.

Could it be because we make say 25% of what a typical American makes but are forced to pay the same amount for a blu ray? If i was in the US, i could buy 10 blu rays a month and not break a sweat ($200?) but here i'd be breaking my bank. The day they realize this and sell as per the income in that country they'll see piracy cut down tremendously (and they'd also sell in larger numbers). In India, a blu ray should not cost more than Rs 300 - then i'll buy 10 a month.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I don't think those equations really work. If they did, then only poor people would be using torrents etc. I don't know, but I really suspect that that is not the case. Right or wrong (and I'm not making value judgements, and, if I did, I couldn't cast that proverbial first stone* anyway) I don't think that how much people want something for free is necessarily related to their income or standard of living.





*Biblical: Let he who is free of sin cast the first stone.

 

[asliarun]

Having a VPN is legal. However if VPN connection is used, for things let us say, to watch Netflix from USA then it is not legal, IMO. If a Region restricted content, is being watched in a region where it is restricted then it is not fine by the content provider.

Yep, you're right.

https://www.netflix.com/TermsOfUse

Netfix terms of use: 6c:

You may view a movie or TV show through the Netflix service only in geographic locations where we offer our service and have licensed such movie or TV show. The content that may be available to watch will vary by geographic location. Netflix will use technologies to verify your geographic location. THE NUMBER OF DEVICES ON WHICH YOU MAY SIMULTANEOUSLY WATCH IS LIMITED. Go to the change plan information in the "Your Account" page to see the number of devices on which you may simultaneously watch. The number of devices available for use and the simultaneous streams may change from time to time at our discretion.

 

[asliarun]

Could it be because we make say 25% of what a typical American makes but are forced to pay the same amount for a blu ray? If i was in the US, i could buy 10 blu rays a month and not break a sweat ($200?) but here i'd be breaking my bank. The day they realize this and sell as per the income in that country they'll see piracy cut down tremendously (and they'd also sell in larger numbers). In India, a blu ray should not cost more than Rs 300 - then i'll buy 10 a month.

But why do we feel that this logic only applies to "soft" things like media, when we won't use that same logic, for say, stealing or smuggling a car?

Is it right to say, "I smuggled 2kgs of gold because I think the 75% import duty is unreasonable"?

Maybe, maybe not. Those are debatable points. But what I find interesting, beyond ethics, is why we feel so differently when it comes to media and content.

If we think we are overpaying for media, and we very well are, the same logic applies to many many other things too. After all, in a capitalistic free-market setup, companies will charge for products what they think "the market can bear" or what they can get away with. That's why Apple has a 300% margin while Dell and Xiaomi has 20% margins. But no one tries to steal Apple products from stores. It is pointless to think about what is fair/unfair, or use that as a reason for any action.

And ultimately, these are luxury or nice to have products. If we don't watch 20 pirated movies a month, it is not like our digestive processes are getting affected by it.

 

[sash]

Here is some food for thought -
1. Generally it is easy to steal media than say gold or phone. I mean since it is out there for grabbing it is our morals or desire for quality that prevents us from doing so
2. I will not talk of morals - we are a species that is capable of killing another just because he if of a different religion/caste/color and nothing else. So i do not trust morals.
3. Will i buy an iphone or a iphone clone? If iphone is exorbitant then i'll probably buy the clone. if it is affordable, i'd rather buy the iphone for the quality of the original. If there was an iphone clone out there for stealing, i would rather get the iphone if it was affordable - for the experience of owning one.
4. I'm sure there is a minority that will steal nevertheless. But i believe most who can afford would rather buy - if not for morality surely for the experience.
5. Ditto with blu rays. I hate the quality of downloaded movies. They do not offer the same experience as a blu ray. I buy a lot of blu rays today. I'd buy 10 times more if they were more affordable.
6. I believe free market is not prevailing here. Somehow i feel they are not taking the india market seriously. I feel they think Indians won't buy blu rays much anyway. I feel they are not ready to take the plunge and reduce the prices in the hope of getting larger number of orders. They could be right about the market but i feel they are wrong.
7. See what happened to mobiles. They were not absolutely essential (at least then). But falling tarriffs made almost everyone buy one. Today tariffs in India are one of the lowest in the world but the mobile service providers are making money aren't they?
8. So we need someone bold enough to analyze the market and slash the prices. If dvds are available at Rs 100 and blu rays at Rs 300, i'm damn sure they'd make more money than they are doing today.

 

[Nishanth]

Youtube also has a decent collection of paid streaming movies.

I have actually posted a question explicitly about this in this very forum. The fact that so many viewed but not a single person replied gives me an impression that it might be illegal. I personally would like to use only when i know for sure that it is legal. I can understand a person stealing bread, which is illegal but u can understand if he is starving for a day, but i just cannot get my head around as to why someone would resort to illegal stuff just for the sake of entertainment which is far from life-critical. There are thousands of options to entertain legally.

I would say it is illegal. The laws in our country are not very clear about the legality of accessing Geo-blocked content. But when your accessing Geo-blocked content from India and if the content's rights are with some company or individual in India then it is clearly illegal.

Could it be because we make say 25% of what a typical American makes but are forced to pay the same amount for a blu ray? If i was in the US, i could buy 10 blu rays a month and not break a sweat ($200?) but here i'd be breaking my bank. The day they realize this and sell as per the income in that country they'll see piracy cut down tremendously (and they'd also sell in larger numbers). In India, a blu ray should not cost more than Rs 300 - then i'll buy 10 a month.

With time the prices of Blu-rays will come down in India. Remember the prices of DVD when they were launched in India? They were priced like how Blu-rays are priced now. Prices of select Blu-rays in India during discount sales are lower than the price in the US, so even a person on a budget can build a small collection. Companies are aware of the cost sensitive nature of the Indian market and that is why we still have VCDs in India.

Pricing physical media lower will not have huge impact on piracy. In India piracy will not come down in a significant number as long as as pirates sell at a lower price compared to the original's market price.

 

[gman]

But why do we feel that this logic only applies to "soft" things like media, when we won't use that same logic, for say, stealing or smuggling a car?
.......
....
.If we don't watch 20 pirated movies a month, it is not like our digestive processes are getting affected by it.

Very glad to see people like you. I see very few people, even among my colleagues and friends, who really think about what they are doing. People just dont think before they buy black tickets or watching pirated movies. Attention to 'values' is disappointingly low.

When i say i dont watch pirated movies, the first thing i hear back is 'nowadays the quality is same original'...so the whole concept that this is 'wrong' is nowhere in their consideration. Sad

 

[slash1814]

In India piracy will not come down in a significant number as long as as pirates sell at a lower price compared to the original's market price.

Not really...I think media companies should emphasize the contrast between quality and price.. (say) 1080p with HD sound @ 400/- is acceptable..rather that less than a 100/- bucks, pirated, pixelated movie with crap sound..provided prices of entertainment media are reasonable (like I said upto 400 bucks for a bluray movie)

I am worried that except online stores BD / DVD and (remarkably) CDs are getting wiped out from the market... I remember landmark (The Forum) in Bangalore had stupendous CD collection in 2004 (when they opened)...I say everything under the sun...But TODAY!...They do not have a CD rack at all..
Irony is that inspite of that CD Players & AMPS cost...a big buck.. that encourages people to lean towards mp3s...The entire system has to be changed to bring back good ol' days.

 

[musicbee]

Having a VPN is legal. However if VPN connection is used, for things let us say, to watch Netflix from USA then it is not legal, IMO. If a Region restricted content, is being watched in a region where it is restricted then it is not fine by the content provider.

Yep, you're right.

https://www.netflix.com/TermsOfUse

Netfix terms of use: 6c:

You may view a movie or TV show through the Netflix service only in geographic locations where we offer our service and have licensed such movie or TV show. The content that may be available to watch will vary by geographic location. Netflix will use technologies to verify your geographic location. THE NUMBER OF DEVICES ON WHICH YOU MAY SIMULTANEOUSLY WATCH IS LIMITED. Go to the change plan information in the "Your Account" page to see the number of devices on which you may simultaneously watch. The number of devices available for use and the simultaneous streams may change from time to time at our discretion.

Might need to check on this with the specific service provider or in this case Netflix, but most services will limit purchase or activation specific to a physical address or location in the United States and a credit card/debit card tied to that address. In other words, you cannot buy unless your card is tied to a US address. That is how I can pay for my subscription services, in fact the only way.

Now in this scenario let us imagine a person having a United States Netflix account travelling to Canada for business or work. Most services in such a scenario will let him access the service he has already paid for instead of having him purchase a separate Canadian Netflix subscription. This can be true for many reasons like businessmen travel a lot, you are posted abroad as part of the job, etc.

I personally work several months in the US and then several months back home here in India. Now I don't want to get into arguments about the morals or the ethics, but I do use Netflix at home in India via VPN and if anything I actually end up paying more for the VPN and the ISP (increased bandwidth).