7 votes

Changes to ad-supported viewing

14 comments

  1. [2]
    babypuncher
    Link
    This seems like a real stretch to me. I have ~$45/mo in subscriptions and have way more content at my disposal than I could ever hope to watch. And it's real easy to just swap some subs around...

    We're now at the point where cable TV is a fucking bargain compared to the fractured state of today's streaming landscape.

    This seems like a real stretch to me. I have ~$45/mo in subscriptions and have way more content at my disposal than I could ever hope to watch. And it's real easy to just swap some subs around when I want to catch up on different shows. People who think this is as bad as cable do not remember what cable is actually like. There was a time when we were practically begging cable companies to let us subscribe to individual channels like we can today with streaming services.

    8 votes
    1. stu2b50
      Link Parent
      Yeah, I feel like some of what cable was has been forgotten, as well as how unnatural the "good ol times" of everything being on Netflix was. Cable was a natural monopoly - it was practically...

      Yeah, I feel like some of what cable was has been forgotten, as well as how unnatural the "good ol times" of everything being on Netflix was.

      Cable was a natural monopoly - it was practically impossible to compete with, because you, hypothetical up and comer, didn't have the infrastructure to display video on people's televisions.

      On the other hand, the whole reason there's a bajillion streaming sites is that online video streaming is the opposite - it's very easy, relatively speaking, to setup a basic streaming site. Of course, there are scaling issues, but a single person could get a paywalled website that serves video up in no time at all - a far cry from "literally impossible".

      Netflix's heyday was because they had a first mover advantage that led to a temporary monopoly on the streaming of professional video content. First, as before, it's not like they had a natural monopoly, so it's only natural that competitors rose up. Secondly, I don't think it's a good or healthy thing for everything to be on Netflix! Competition is good.

      But is competition good? I'd say so. Yes, the effective cost to view everything has gone way up compared to the "just pay Netflix $10 a month" days, however there's so much content that only exists because of the streaming wars. The disney plus shows? The much earlier than anticipated Hamilton recording? Stranger things? Ozark? Queen's Gambit? You can go on and on.

      So much of the best prestige TV in recent years has come because of the streaming wars. None of that would exist on cable, or if Netflix was the sole streaming site.

      5 votes
  2. Bullmaestro
    (edited )
    Link
    I had a lot of reasons to dislike Crunchyroll and Funimation. Some are justified and still major grievances today (like how both companies neglect Europe as a market or how Funi completely fucked...

    I had a lot of reasons to dislike Crunchyroll and Funimation. Some are justified and still major grievances today (like how both companies neglect Europe as a market or how Funi completely fucked up on box set releases like DBZ's 30th anniversary collection, or the shitshow that was High Guardian Spice), others like the Vic Mignogna situation I realise I was heavily misinformed on. And I think people were maybe too quick to jump to Vic's defence.

    I genuinely considered cancelling my Crunchyroll subscription when the acquisition was announced, but I decided to wait it out. Waiting for the merger to finish has kinda told me that maybe I should have unsubbed because the service hasn't really improved.

    That big content migration from Funimation Now to Crunchyroll screwed over UK subscribers. There is still a lot of dubbed and subbed anime that remains available on Funimation Now but is still geo-blocked on Crunchyroll. And now they're flipping the bird to free users - free ad-supported broadcasts of simulcasts was one of the few things Crunchyroll did well.

    I cannot condone piracy but at the same time I cannot fault TV fanatics who decide not to pay a dozen separate subscriptions just to catch up on the latest shows. We're now at the point where cable TV is a fucking bargain compared to the fractured state of today's streaming landscape.

    Crunchyroll should take note of their users' grievances before they start losing more of their users to torrent trackers and illicit streaming sites.

    3 votes
  3. [11]
    moocow1452
    Link
    Welp, here comes that other shoe.

    Welp, here comes that other shoe.

    1 vote
    1. [10]
      Akir
      Link Parent
      I, for one, completely support their decision to lose one of their income streams to piracy.

      I, for one, completely support their decision to lose one of their income streams to piracy.

      4 votes
      1. [9]
        lou
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Yeah... I kinda hate most fan subtitles. Not that they're wrong or incorrect, but fansubbers and scanlators respect the source material to a fault. They translate, but they don't localize. The...

        Yeah... I kinda hate most fan subtitles. Not that they're wrong or incorrect, but fansubbers and scanlators respect the source material to a fault. They translate, but they don't localize. The result is huge detailed subtitles, a bunch of untranslated terms, and a lot of footnotes (even on anime). It's clunky and bureaucratic.

        And if you wanna pirate manga, it's not easy to find the official translations, but fan translations are everywhere.

        I just wanna have fun with a cool story, not have lessons in Japanese culture...

        3 votes
        1. [4]
          stu2b50
          Link Parent
          Well, I don't think that really ends up being a problem in practice. The most available and common kind of subs you'll find on pirate anime is actually ripped Crunchyroll subs. It's hard work to...

          Well, I don't think that really ends up being a problem in practice. The most available and common kind of subs you'll find on pirate anime is actually ripped Crunchyroll subs. It's hard work to sub anything, after all, and it's impossible to sub something right when it releases (unless you get the script ahead of time as an official partner like Crunchyroll), and the first pirated release is what wins in popularity.

          However, in the context of the topic post, I would say if you enjoy the "official" subs from Crunchyroll, I would just recommend paying for the subscription if possible to support that work.

          7 votes
          1. [3]
            lou
            Link Parent
            What are those fansubs who use Crunchyroll subs?

            What are those fansubs who use Crunchyroll subs?

            1. [2]
              Nodja
              Link Parent
              HorribleSubs and SubsPlease are the main ones. They do what you would call web-rips on the TV scene. They rip off websites like crunchyroll/netflix/amazon/hulu/etc. Just to note that HorribleSubs...

              HorribleSubs and SubsPlease are the main ones.

              They do what you would call web-rips on the TV scene. They rip off websites like crunchyroll/netflix/amazon/hulu/etc.

              Just to note that HorribleSubs disbanded a while ago and SubsPlease came to fill the void. So it's SubsPlease for anything the past ~2 years and HorribleSubs for anything before that.

              4 votes
              1. lou
                Link Parent
                Awesome, thanks.

                Awesome, thanks.

        2. [4]
          Nodja
          Link Parent
          I agree that some older fansub groups were obnoxious and tried to shove as much Japanese culture in your face in the subs themselves or by adding dozens of translator notes. I recall some old...

          I agree that some older fansub groups were obnoxious and tried to shove as much Japanese culture in your face in the subs themselves or by adding dozens of translator notes. I recall some old comedy/slice of life anime (School Rumble maybe?) where the fansub would explain all the jokes in long ass translator notes where you had to pause the anime to read, on top of adding a bunch of explanations at the end for a bunch of details that didn't involved dialogue. But while I didn't have much choice which fansub I watched back then (no fast speed internet), I later learned what were the quality fansubs and which ones were not.

          Pro subs are not better or worse than quality fansubs.

          I'm not sure about now, but Crunchyroll translators used to be former fansub translators. The site was formerly a
          anime pirate website after all, they're just considered pro translators because they're being paid for their job now.

          While pro translators are hand-picked and at least follow minimum guidelines, the quality often suffers due to the time and logistics constraints imposed on them. I understand Japanese at an beginner-intermediate level (~1/2 of N3) and I've seen anything from lines not matching what was said at all--which I suspect the script changed and the subs timer didn't notice--to translations that probably made sense when the script was handed in but don't in the context of the visuals. While these errors are eventually fixed when people spot them, sometimes the pro subs make more subtle mistakes that aren't easily noticed that can have big consequences.

          For example for Pretty Boy Detective Club people highly recommend you don't use the pro subs as a lot of meaning is lost/changed in translation to the point that it affects the themes of the show, for reference the show is mostly about themes with little plot. A proper fansub was later released that used the source material as reference to provide a more accurate translation that is closer to the author's intent. I heard more recently that Sonny Boy suffered from similar issues.

          Doesn't help matters that Crunchyroll pays 1/3 the rate of other services to their translators. So I doubt they're able to retain the high quality personnel they need.

          4 votes
          1. Bullmaestro
            Link Parent
            One that made me scratch my head was an English fan-sub of Girls und Panzer, which replaced every sorry with "entschuldigung." I get it, they're driving (mostly German) WW2-era tanks, but that...

            One that made me scratch my head was an English fan-sub of Girls und Panzer, which replaced every sorry with "entschuldigung." I get it, they're driving (mostly German) WW2-era tanks, but that wasn't really necessary.

            3 votes
          2. lou
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            Yeah, I don't mean to say that fansubbers are any worse than prosubs in terms of knowledge, competence, fluency, etc. But they have different priorities. Some fansubbers are very concerned with...

            Yeah, I don't mean to say that fansubbers are any worse than prosubs in terms of knowledge, competence, fluency, etc. But they have different priorities. Some fansubbers are very concerned with transmitting as much information and context as possible, and things can get out of hand. You end up with huge subtitles that are hard to read, notes that require pausing, etc. When it comes to subtitles, even in the most perfect translation some things must inevitably change, adapt, or even be dropped for brevity. There's no way around it. There's a balance to achieve.

            1 vote
          3. Akir
            Link Parent
            Yeah, Sonny Boy had some issues with the translation. Thankfully most of the time the visuals were enough to clarify what they meant most of the time. Though most of the difficulty comes from...

            Yeah, Sonny Boy had some issues with the translation. Thankfully most of the time the visuals were enough to clarify what they meant most of the time. Though most of the difficulty comes from deciding the abstract Terry Gilliam style storytelling.

            It’s also really fantastic and surprisingly emotional at times. I wish more people saw it.

            1 vote