Amazon ongoingly annoying

[mtbc]

Over the past couple of decades, Amazon have largely gone downhill in terms of what I want from them. I wonder if, given my recent issues with Prime Video, and their price increases, we approach the last straw. After all, I am still annoyed every time my Fire turns itself on whenever I plug it in. Maybe I just wanted to charge it?

In discovering reports of the two-day limit to finish watching a downloaded show, I had also read of a typical thirty-day limit for watching them at all. So, I had freshly downloaded shows before departure to the tropics, then, in my return flight, I found that they had all vanished, so much for entertainment on that journey. What happened there? I don't know, but it did little for my mood and all ought to be far clearer. I don't see anything in the user interface that tells me of a specific episode's expiry. My objection is less to their content controls and more that they are ongoingly surprising.

I much wish for a reasonable competitor to Amazon. eBay gets me some way. I could at least finish watching current shows on Prime then not renew. Amazon's hard push to join Prime would then an extra annoyance but perhaps that should drive me away rather than toward. If Amazon treat me like this yet I continue to pay them then I am part of the problem. They certainly have the resources to do better.

Comments

[armiphlage]

In addition to a time limit, you can only view them in certain geographic locations.

Same with e-readers; sometimes you buy a book when travelling, but then can't read it after you go home.

[mtbc]

Good point - though, in this case, the whole point of downloading so I can watch on a flight is that I'll have the device in airplane mode, so it can't even determine its geographic location. It's maybe as if they've tried to make it look as if some model of usage is simple and easy but that's not something they are willing or able to deliver on.

[mellowtigger]

For tech stuff specifically, I personally use NewEgg (global) and MicroCenter (regional). I don't know a solution for general purpose items.

[mtbc]

Aha, thank you for the NewEgg reminder.

[thewayne]

Buy your own DVDs. Break the DRM, load your own copies.

I buy my own ebooks mostly from third parties that are DRM-free and buy almost all of my music on CD and rip it myself. Movies are a bit more tricky, but doable. I know it's a lot harder to rip Bluray, but it is possible.

These limited viewing times are just utter bollocks.

[mtbc]

In this case, it's largely stuff I want to watch once but probably never again, I do indeed tend to go with CDs though I think at least one of US/UK (latter?) doesn't offer much in terms of fair use protection. Partly I don't trust players/providers to have much longevity and I like to have clear proof that I didn't just pirate the thing.

The limited viewing times are as utter bollocks as region encoding. Massive pain with DVDs, video games, etc., that want a matching player, when one has a habit of moving from continent to continent every few years and has loved ones spread all over.

[thewayne]

I'd like to get a regionless DVD/BR player.  I theoretically brought one back from Colorado, I'm not sure where it is at the moment.  I've got some cleanup to do, need to look for it.  I've thought about buying multiple BR drives for a PC and making a media PC that can play multiple regions, each drive devoted to a different region.  Not an issue at the moment.  Stupid Hollywood has its claws too deeply set into Congress, then stupid USA throwing its weight too heavily around the world on IP laws!

[mtbc]

Aha, I don't yet have BR, I have a cheap little regionless DVD player. I also have a USB one for ripping things but that's an old one that was made regionless by some random Windows executable, no idea how hard that'd be to replace. Hadn't thought of your multi-drive idea, I ought to have! I'm not sure the UK or EU are much better on IP, heh. I'd be in favor of rather substantial reform, which the rights-holders wouldn't like.

[thewayne]

The problem with reform is the Sonny Bono/Mickey Mouse initiation of the copyright extension act ages ago has just proliferated and grown.  It was trimmed back a little, and the failure to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership helped.