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hob

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 4, 2003
2,004
0
London, UK
Amazingly, the new Doctor Who has surfaced in the Bittorrent community.

BBC News: "Doctor Who spread on the net"

Thought it might interest some of you.

I'm quite interested in the legal question of downloading TV show. Obviously, in the case of the currently unreleased Doctor Who, this is copyright infringement. But, surely it's similar if not the same as the whole VCR issue. I pay NTL to deliver me TV content. Some of that goes to... Channel 4, who pay Fox for the rights for The OC. If I then download The OC as it's released in America, instead of waiting 12 weeks (so that the Xmas episode is aired in mid-april... :rolleyes: ) how is that a bad thing? They're not missing out on any money....!

Discuss!
 

clayj

macrumors 604
Jan 14, 2005
7,612
946
visiting from downstream
Erm. I guess the question is, how is the new Doctor Who going to be made available in other TV markets? In the UK, it's shown on the Beeb, which is "free" (taxpayer-funded, but broadcast over the air and not a premium channel)... so as far as people in the UK go, it shouldn't be a problem for it to be redistributed via computer (although it is technically still copyright infringement).

Here in the US, I'm guessing Doctor Who will be shown on BBC America, which is a channel you have to pay for (it comes packaged with digital cable services, for example)... you don't pay for BBCA itself, but it ain't free, either. So I'd have to err on the side of caution and say that it should NOT be downloaded by anyone in the US (to do so would constitute clear copyright infringement).
 

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
LOL, I would like to announce that I am a moron for going to UrbanDictionary to find out what 27x01 means in 1337-speak. :D

Mmmm...the Dr. is back, eh? They're just remaking everything. I still gotta add the new BattleStar Galactica to my ReplayTV scheduler.... :cool:
 

clayj

macrumors 604
Jan 14, 2005
7,612
946
visiting from downstream
mkrishnan said:
LOL, I would like to announce that I am a moron for going to UrbanDictionary to find out what 27x01 means in 1337-speak. :D

Mmmm...the Dr. is back, eh? They're just remaking everything. I still gotta add the new BattleStar Galactica to my ReplayTV scheduler.... :cool:
27x01 means "27th season, 1st episode". :) (Just in case anyone actually wanted to know...)
 

Lynxpro

macrumors 6502
Feb 22, 2005
385
0
hob said:
Amazingly, the new Doctor Who has surfaced in the Bittorrent community. I'm quite interested in the legal question of downloading TV show. Obviously, in the case of the currently unreleased Doctor Who, this is copyright infringement. But, surely it's similar if not the same as the whole VCR issue. I pay NTL to deliver me TV content. Some of that goes to... Channel 4, who pay Fox for the rights for The OC. If I then download The OC as it's released in America, instead of waiting 12 weeks (so that the Xmas episode is aired in mid-april... :rolleyes: ) how is that a bad thing? They're not missing out on any money....!Discuss!



I downloaded it the day after it appeared on BitTorrent. I had no objections to it because there isn't a cable network in the States yet that has committed to airing it. SciFi Network supposedly passed on it, claiming it was "lacking." I did not find that to be the case, and I've spread my thoughts on Aint It Cool News rather passionately about why it should be picked up in the States. Downloading the show won't affect the ratings unless people who are "Nielsen Family" members download the show and fail to watch it when it is televised. The same goes for the Battlestar Galactica episodes that were available on BitTorrent a couple of months before SciFi aired them because SkyOne (of the U.K.) got first dibs to air them. I downloaded episodes 11, 12, and 13. I'm still watching them when SciFi airs them, that way SciFi at least gets my TiVo viewer statistics to counter anything that the bogus Nielsens report.

My rule of thumb is, if you are in (Great) Britain, Canada, or Australia, don't download the New Who, because you all have networks in your countries that have committed to broadcasting it. If you are in the States, download it, and tell your friends to watch it, and then write an email to SciFi at: programming@www.scifi.com and tell them you want them to air the new Doctor Who.

What I found funny about the episode is the new Doctor battles the Autons. Think about it. The Third Doctor, in his very first episode, 1970's "Spearhead from Space", also battled the Autons. "Spearhead" was also the very first Doctor Who episode broadcast in color (err, colour). The first episode for the Ninth Doctor ("Rose"), marks the first episode of Doctor Who broadcast in widescreen format. To me, I find that very interesting.

Speculation is that the BBC itself leaked the episode to generate buzz and get the show picked up Stateside. Its a working copy of it, meaning that some things probably have changed, the theme is the very same one used during the Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) era, and the titles need a bit of work on them. Other than that, its great, and the image quality is great. Don't run it in QuickTime on a Mac unless you have a G5...it choked up this eMac 1Ghz G4, and it has 768 megs of memory. Use VLC Media Center to watch the show; you can blow it up to full screen without image loss that way...or image jerks.

And to the poster who suggested that BBC America will air the new show. Not likely. The BBC charged far too much to air the "old" Doctor Who on BBC America so they dropped it. Plus the fact that BBC America is generally restricted to digital cable (not basic), unlike the SciFi Network, USA, TNT, or F/X, which are all generally part of basic (analog) cable packages.
 

hob

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 4, 2003
2,004
0
London, UK
mkrishnan said:
LOL, I would like to announce that I am a moron for going to UrbanDictionary to find out what 27x01 means in 1337-speak. :D
I'm not sure if I should be insulted by the insinuation that I would use all this 1337-speak...!

|-|08 pwn j00!
 

WinterMute

Moderator emeritus
Jan 19, 2003
4,776
5
London, England
hob said:
Amazingly, the new Doctor Who has surfaced in the Bittorrent community.

BBC News: "Doctor Who spread on the net"

Thought it might interest some of you.

I'm quite interested in the legal question of downloading TV show. Obviously, in the case of the currently unreleased Doctor Who, this is copyright infringement. But, surely it's similar if not the same as the whole VCR issue. I pay NTL to deliver me TV content. Some of that goes to... Channel 4, who pay Fox for the rights for The OC. If I then download The OC as it's released in America, instead of waiting 12 weeks (so that the Xmas episode is aired in mid-april... :rolleyes: ) how is that a bad thing? They're not missing out on any money....!

Discuss!

Yes they are, they can charge far higher prices for the commercials they show during a programme that is exclusive, but if the show has already been plastered accross the internet, fewer companies will want to use the ad space. Think superbowl.

Downloading content is illegal, all work is copyright unless specifically declared as copyright-free. Simply because the content is broadcast rather than retail does not change that.

Besides, how much are you hurting the retail sales once it hits the stores.

Please remember that it's against forum rules to post details of piracy sites or specific locations (not that anyone has).
 

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
15,662
5,496
Sod off
I think BBC America is way overtaxed in the sense that one channel is incapable of broadcasting everything that Americans want to watch from the UK.

Doctor Who is high profile enough that grassroots support may speed things up and encourage BBC America to buy.
 

bentley

macrumors 6502
Mar 20, 2005
252
1
just watched this

looks really really good! and i've never seen another dr who before.
 

yuc7zhd2

macrumors regular
Aug 6, 2003
136
0
The problem with BBCA is the daytime programming. I can only watching Ground Force reruns so many times. And lets not forget House Invaders. Theres also the BBC obligation to only use BBC funding in Britain, meaning commercials and edited programming even though I'm paying a 'fee' for BBCA. Why not just make it like HBO and pay for the specific channel, no commercials, more nudity, and less DIY reality programming.
 

Eric5h5

macrumors 68020
Dec 9, 2004
2,488
590
Lynxpro said:
SciFi Network supposedly passed on it, claiming it was "lacking."

Well, hey, it must be good then. SciFi had become really uber lame by the time I stopped watching TV last year...so this must mean the new Who is NOT lowest-common-denominator, brain-dead junk. Which I thought it wouldn't be. Hopefully better than the Sylvester McCoy era, too.

This is the only TV show I'm actually interested in right now...too bad I can't see it, as I'm in the U.S., so even if I still had TV it wouldn't do much good. And I'm sure it'd take way too long to download with a modem....

--Eric
 

Piarco

macrumors 68030
Jun 24, 2004
2,529
0
Londinium
I've already seen it on an advanced screening (one of my friends works for the Beeb :D) about 3 weeks ago, but it was not the finished article, and thats what has been leaked. The final product has a better theme, with more bass (a hell of a lot more) strings etc and sounds fantastically epic. well worth watching for that alone.

I was told the effects need polishing, but I think they are pretty much what will be seen on Saturday.

On a personal note, I don't think it was the strongest introduction to the new Who. But from the trailers for upcoming episodes it just gets better and better.... I am now officially excited about the series wereas before I had serious reservations!

So if you're tempted to download, don't. Well at least wait until somebody posts the final cut!
 

Blue Velvet

Moderator emeritus
Jul 4, 2004
21,929
265
Post your reviews!

Lynxpro said:
Speculation is that the BBC itself leaked the episode to generate buzz and get the show picked up Stateside.


The person who allegedly leaked the first episode of Doctor Who onto the internet has been sacked.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4378881.stm

As I don't have a TV and don't use P2P, I'd really like to hear other people's opinions of the first episode which is being aired here in the UK within the next couple of hours... maybe I'll get round to seeing it on DVD or something at some stage but if you guys thinks it's rubbish then I won't bother.
 

brap

macrumors 68000
May 10, 2004
1,705
2
Nottingham
I've not seen it yet, either. Might catch the episode tonight when it's broadcast, but I really don't know whether I can put myself through watching Billie freaking Piper trying to act.
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
regardless of Billie Piper or not, i bloody love the new series. just saw it today :D

alright i hold my hands up, my parents and my sister gave in and borrowed the episode off the 'film guys' at my pops works. but i held out :) and im glad i did. i contributed to the ratings war between the Doc and Ant & Dec (pricks).

funny thing is i didnt really think twice about this until a few days ago when i came over all Doctor Who mad.

anyone seen the trailer for episode 2? my god, i got a shivver during the "this is the year 5,000,000,000..." bit :eek:

quite glad i live in the UK and need not download this beautiful show.

incidently, now they have identified and fired the canadian bugger for releasing the first episode... does this mean the rest of the world will have to wait till after they're shown here (giving time for the rippers to record/upload the torrents)?
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
Blue Velvet said:
As I don't have a TV and don't use P2P, I'd really like to hear other people's opinions of the first episode which is being aired here in the UK within the next couple of hours... maybe I'll get round to seeing it on DVD or something at some stage but if you guys thinks it's rubbish then I won't bother.

yea i think its amazing, ive seen the odd episode of the older series back when i was but a child. my parents love it too and they used to watch it religiously.

to me it just seems so brittish. if it had american accents and took place in New York it would be boring and cheesy... and Christopher Eccleston is an excellent Doctor. my first thought was "it'll never work" but just like touch-screen handhelds, portable hard disk based music players and bright yellow Volkswagons; it just works.

very BBC. nice to see them starting to bring out quality shows again.
 

clayj

macrumors 604
Jan 14, 2005
7,612
946
visiting from downstream
Given that this first episode (27x01) was illegally put on the Internet (something I didn't realize previously), it's definitely wrong for anyone to download it. This is no better than someone bootlegging a big movie (Star Wars, for example) before it arrives in theatres.
 

phreakout13

macrumors 6502
Jan 4, 2004
317
0
South Eastern MA
Wait, Dr. Who is popular in the U.K.? Me and my sister rented it at Blockbuster, and thought it was the funniest thing. The Matrix was a total copy of it. They plug his brain into the matrix and stuff... Anyways, it was very confusing and funy, and we didn't know it was popular. Coooolllll
 

hob

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 4, 2003
2,004
0
London, UK
phreakout13 said:
Wait, Dr. Who is popular in the U.K.? Me and my sister rented it at Blockbuster, and thought it was the funniest thing. The Matrix was a total copy of it. They plug his brain into the matrix and stuff... Anyways, it was very confusing and funy, and we didn't know it was popular. Coooolllll
Matrix? Brain? Plug? Were you watching the same show as the rest of us? It's called Doctor Who....

... I've probably just put my foot in it big time having never watched much of the old stuff, but seriously - from what i've seen, how does it compare to The Matrix?

I'd love to see Jon Pertwee try and do Bullet Time...
 

phreakout13

macrumors 6502
Jan 4, 2004
317
0
South Eastern MA
hob said:
Matrix? Brain? Plug? Were you watching the same show as the rest of us? It's called Doctor Who....

... I've probably just put my foot in it big time having never watched much of the old stuff, but seriously - from what i've seen, how does it compare to The Matrix?

I'd love to see Jon Pertwee try and do Bullet Time...
Maybe I'm thinking of another Dr. Who, but in the one I watched, there were these creepy government people with big fiberglass things on their necks. Eventually, some guy put these things on Dr. Who's head, and they said he was in the matrix, which was a virtual computer world. It was wicked similar to the movie, like how you die in real life when you die in the matrix and stuff. Anyways, it was made in like, the 70s so it was way ahead of the Matrix and I thought it was cool.
 

Santaduck

macrumors 6502a
Oct 21, 2003
627
0
Honolulu
Any show that was such a hit that it had its budget intentionally limited to keep the trademark cheesy special effects (and therefore reliance on great storylines) has got to be "it". Oh, and holding the record for being the longest running television show in any country on the planet doesn't hurt.


And regarding what-is-reality relevance, matrix wasn't even close to the first. I'm sure there are scifi buffs who know the story. In the same era contemporary to Matrix of course was Dark City... and in the 80's was the Infocom text adventure A Mind Forever Voyaging where you "wake up" and it is revelaed to you that your life has been faked and you are actually a US gov't artificial intelligence program to run simulations of public policy repurcussions.
 

kettle

macrumors 65816
brap said:
I've not seen it yet, either. Might catch the episode tonight when it's broadcast, but I really don't know whether I can put myself through watching Billie freaking Piper trying to act.

I was pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed the show and will watch the next one. I still think red dwarf does the humor better but I realise Doctor Who has to leave enough straight stuff to make the Daleks scary. I know it is possible for an adult to get scared without gratuitous violence and gore so they have to keep some thing in reserve, they still need to go into Day of the Triffids and The Tripods territory me thinks.

I wasn't disappointed as I thought I would be. :)
 

HydroMan

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2004
410
0
Luton. Lutonshire.
I liked it, have to admit to DL'ing it when it first appeared (thanks BBC news for all the info ;) still watched it again though), can't say that I can't wait for the next episode as I'm not a kid anymore (BooHoo) but just the same I liked it (and will probably record it as it clashes with watching football), just an aside Christopher Ecclestone beats the pants off of Sylvester McCoy but that ain't saying anything, Tom Baker is THE Doctor :cool:
 

CanadaRAM

macrumors G5
Lynxpro said:
I downloaded it the day after it appeared on BitTorrent. I had no objections to it because there isn't a cable network in the States yet that has committed to airing it...
My rule of thumb is, if you are in (Great) Britain, Canada, or Australia, don't download the New Who, because you all have networks in your countries that have committed to broadcasting it. If you are in the States, download it, and tell your friends to watch it, and then write an email to SciFi at: programming@www.scifi.com and tell them you want them to air the new Doctor Who.

Eh. One definition of copyright is that the copyright holder has the right to determine when, how and to whom the property can be published. Embedded in that right is the right to withold it from publication, and to charge for publication differently in different markets.

"It ain't available here" is no defence for piracy.
 
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