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musicale

When exactly did we decide that digital video shouldn't be easily recordable like analog video?

In any case, a download button is basically like a DVR. It is also an obvious feature that

- is easy to add

- is logically part of any video hosting site

- is wanted by most users

DVRs may be legal according to the law, but youtube and other sites spend an extraordinary amount of effort to make it hard for users to record the videos they are watching. It's basically a technologically enforced ban on video recording for the 99% of users who can't easily use youtube-dl or other tools.

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Using a DVR/VCR recorded the broadcast as is. You're download idea bypasses all of the ads. Unless, without stating so, you'd accept a download file with the ads embedded.

While YT might originally have started with the Yous of the world creating content, it has greatly evolved from that where very professional types are releasing to it. Of course YT loves that as it means much more interest from users to their site. However, you know that concessions had to be made to convince music labels to release their content on the platform. We all know what those mean.

> Using a DVR/VCR recorded the broadcast as is. You're download idea bypasses all of the ads. Unless, without stating so, you'd accept a download file with the ads embedded.

That's what automatic SkipMode is for!

https://explore.tivo.com/how-to/SkipMode

Unfortunately:

"Note: The SkipMode feature is available only on certain recorded shows; we hope to make it available for the most popular shows on the most popular channels watched by TiVo subscribers"

A limitation that 0.000% of viewers wanted.

curious if they were working with broadcasters to embed cuetones that the unit would scan to locate which is why it took a bit of time "after recording" for the skip icon to work. if that's the case, then it's obvious why it didn't catch on. (i say didn't because i have no idea if Tivo is still a thing or how old the page linked is.)

> When exactly did we decide that digital video shouldn't be easily recordable like analog video?

> In any case, a download button is basically like a DVR.

> DVRs may be legal according to the law …

The recordability of analog video (in the sense of whether it's OK to do so, not whether it is physically possible—although there was that useless tab on videocassettes), and the acceptability of using a DVR, have not always been settled subjects. To the extent that such things can be quantified, I'd suspect that the amount of conflict over them was roughly comparable if you account for (1) the increased number of people in a position to have an informed opinion and (2) the increased visibility of conflict.

> The recordability of analog video (in the sense of whether it's OK to do so, not whether it is physically possible—although there was that useless tab on videocassettes), and the acceptability of using a DVR, have not always been settled subjects

Analog seems pretty well settled in the US for the past ~40 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Unive....

But my point is actually a bit different. Weren't VCRs a good thing? Isn't it a bad thing that it is so much harder now to record internet TV than it was to record broadcast and cable TV in the 1980s-2000s?

> Analog seems pretty well settled in the US for the past ~40 years.

Yes, but not always. There was a time when it was a new thing, and, when so, it was much argued.

> But my point is actually a bit different. Weren't VCRs a good thing? Isn't it a bad thing that it is so much harder now to record internet TV than it was to record broadcast and cable TV in the 1980s-2000s?

Yes, they were! Yes, it is! But my point wasn't to disagree with you on either of these points, just to observe that it's not that the content owners who went along with previous innovations are suddenly balking at this. Rather, my invocation of even long settled questions like analog recording was meant to point to the fact that content owners have always argued against use of their material that they didn't like, which was any use of their material that they didn't completely control and directly profit from.

> content owners have always argued against use of their material that they didn't like, which was any use of their material that they didn't completely control and directly profit from.

I am reminded of the backlash against player pianos, and of Sousa's "The Menace of Mechanical Music" (and his accompanying copyright advocacy), etc. I think he probably did accurately predict a drop in amateur music performance (and sheet music sales), though the cat had been out of the bag since the advent of orchestrions, street organs (and organ grinders), and other technology dating back to the 18th century and probably earlier.

I just tried recording youtube using the os provided screen recorder on ios and mac and was able to do so.

How did you record the audio?

Previously I'd tried to record video and never succeeded, but it (currently) works full-screen on youtube!

Edit: Apparently the audio is just a limitation of QuickTime Player. So... Mac DVRs should work with youtube and possibly some other sites?

Where are DVRs banned?

Edit - the parent wildly edited their comment so mine no longer makes sense.

GP's point, aiui, is that using a DVR/VCR isn't really that different in concept from downloading a video off YouTube.

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