Impossible !!! :( Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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Sorry this is not TG related, though some of those I deal with are...

Lame excuse I know.

I started out wanting to stream "Greyhound" with Tom Hanks online. I've only watched it 6 times. As it turns out, Apple isn't dealing because they are busily shooting themselves in the feet. I tried Amazon Prime, and a half dozen other sites, and no joy.

So, being stubborn, I tried to buy an external DVD, USB drive and it seems that they are obsolete. A few years ago, I had an external DVD drive that worked, and had two USB cables. It sat gathering dust until I threw it away, why, I can't say. It looks like "Free Geek" a local non profit is going out of business, I hope that I can get to them before they do. Perhaps I can be of some sort of help to them???

There is a guy in my apartment building that may be able to provide help but he comes with too much baggage...

Now I am going to try to find a local computer parts store. It is not possible to install an internal drive of any sort on my all in one desktop. This machine is very old and when it dies, hopefully before me, I plan to buy a tower with lots of open bays, and usb ports.

Oh, the trials and tribulations of an old girl.

Ahabidah

Comments

External drive

I don't know where you are searching but frankly one is spoiled for choice still.

Go to newegg.com and search for "external usb drive burner". These burners will of course still play the dvd and not just burn a disk. Not that you can burn a commercial disk.

Now, for your computer you still need the software to play the movie though, in addition to the drive itself. Just saying.

The old DVD Drive

I still have the software for the old DVD drive. I am NOT interested in doing a CD or a CD drive. As I understand it, CDs are audio only.

Thanks

Ahabidah

Careful

BarbieLee's picture

Let me make sure I have this right. You wish to stream a copyright movie online to?

Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl

Stream

My interpretation is that she can't find it for streaming so she will get the physical media version to play it but can't find a player

Since she did not have a player or burner all this time tells me she is not likely a habitual pirate.

Personally I don't see a problem with recording. We've had VCRs for God's sake and as long as we don 't distribute the recording it should be fine. The media companies are paranoid of course.

I Misunderstood

BarbieLee's picture

Kimmie, you're right about copying VCR. The qualifier was it didn't leave the house. Sometimes they get too protective of their work. I have a new DVD movie wouldn't play. Has a code embedded. The simple explanation is at some point I will decompile it, transfer the movie to a DVD and my player can recognize it. What is frustrating, it isn't pirated, I purchased it from a retail store, I shouldn't have to slice and dice it to see the movie.
Hugs Kimmie
Barb
When I finally learn the game "they" change the rules.

Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl

Some info

Andrea Lena's picture

Greyhound was supposed to premiere in theaters before the coronavirus pandemic had other plans. To mitigate some of its possible losses, Sony Pictures sold Greyhound to Apple TV+ for a rumored $70 million. In turn, Apple decided to only stream Greyhound over Apple TV+ instead of bringing it to theaters.

Tom Hanks came down with Covid during the production.

Because Apple owns the rights and because it was never released to theaters, like most streaming services with exclusive rights, streaming will likely stay in Apple alone. The movie cost Sony in excess of $51 million, so they essentially made no money.

It is available on DVD for purchase via Etsy, Amazon, EBay, and even Walmart. It's also in circulation in public libraries.

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

Not found on Amazon to stream

So, it seems that my only option is to purchase an external DVD drive, which Amazon has, and also purchase a DVD. Fine. YouTube, and Amazon are usually so easy to deal with. This juddering on one movie was a total surprise.

Apple's business model is predatory. Every time I have tried to work with Apple, it was worse than a jippo car dealer.

Amazon.com sells DVDs

I'm assuming you are in the US.

I just checked and Amazon.com is selling the Greyhound ~ Tom Hanks movie on DVD.

Another option is to check out "thrift stores" such as the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Value Village etc. You can usually find used CDs and DVDs for sale (cheap) at this type of store. Just check to make sure the disk inside 1) is actually there, 2) matches the description on the box, and 3) isn't cracked or scratched.

Good luck

streaming vs media

What Gwen is encountering with streaming is the standard risk be it streaming from Amazon, Hulu, Apple, Netflix etc:

You are at the mercy of the streaming provider in what is made available.

The traditional alternative is to buy the media but with people voting with their wallets and opting for streaming, the production of media is in jeopardy, or if available, is much more costly as there is less economies of scale which means less people will buy as it makes streaming seem less costly etc.

Honestly it is a bit of a death spiral. Media is more resilient as the resolution goes up and up due to needing much higher bandwidth, bandwidth that may be constrained arbitrarily by the likes of Comcast.

However, most older content (say older TV shows) is still on DVD as it is cheaper to produce.

Anyway, even holiday staple movies seem to have disappeared even from cable due to them getting owned by other companies who only want them streamed. More and more, those movies no longer appear even on Blu-Ray. Alistair Sim's 'A Christmas Carol' is a prime example of it being no longer available in Blu-Ray and I did not recall it appearing on Cable either.

If you like a movie, and you want to watch them whenever the mood strikes, I would suggest that one should buy them now on physical media else it may or may not stay available going forward.

"Greyhound" with Tom Hanks

Apple seems to have a death grip on the rights to the movie, so all I can hope for is that some time, hopefully while I yet live, something will change. In my opinion, their management is made up of stubborn, senile old men. Or I have just not understood what is at stake here. When I have tried to deal with them, I have come out wishing I had only dealt with a fire breathing dragon...

I just got home from two different media stores, no joy. So instead I purchased a Kindle version of a Forester book called "The Good Shepherd". I am told that the movie I wanted was inspired by that book.

Never Yield

Their business model is completely inscrutable to me. Someone associated with Apple is very angry and wanting revenge. In looking at the ownership of the company, I think there is an old, rich, white guy at the bottom of this. It is all a mystery.

That’s correct

I’ve read the book and watched the movie a couple of times. The film is well made and well acted but the pacing as an action/adventure film omits details giving insight into the captain’s character. The book’s better unless your chief interest is cinematography and warships.

The Book and the Movie

I just now started to read the book and am on chapter 2. The language is colloquial and a bit of a trudge. The movie was done in 2020, I think, and I am a Tom Hanks fan. As I said in a previous post, I have given up on streaming the movie or buying the DVD. I've reconciled to all this, and may just move on to other things...

Ordered it. :)

How do I stop this blog? It violates all the rules. Sorry.

Ahabidah

Easy

Patricia Marie Allen's picture

Just stop posting. It'll die on its own.

Hugs
Patricia

Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt