Louis C.K.

[mjmacky]

You may think this would belong in the Movies & TV section, but I assure you, I'm here to discuss filesharing and progress in terms of digital content. I won't be discussing how much I love his shows and how he his my favorite comic and gay shit like that. The very thing that I constantly tote as an appropriate response to piracy, Louis C.K. is doing just that. He's allowing you to buy the content on his site, $5 an item through Paypal or Amazon. Here's his note about filesharing (as he restricts it to commentary on "torrents").

To those who might wish to "torrent" these shows:

Look, I don't really get the whole "torrent" thing. I don't know enough about it to judge either way. But I'd just like you to consider this: I made these files extremely easy to use against well-informed advice. I was told that it would be easier to torrent the way I made it, but I chose to do it this way anyway, because I want it to be easy for people to watch and enjoy this video in any way they want without "corporate" restrictions.


Please bear in mind that I am not a company or a corporation. I'm just some guy. I paid for the production and posting of this video with my own money. I would like to be able to post more material to the fans in this way, which makes it cheaper for the buyer and more pleasant for me. So, please help me keep this being a good idea. I can't stop you from torrenting; all I can do is politely ask you to pay your five little dollars, enjoy the show, and let other people find it in the same way.

Sincerely,
Louis C.K.

Here's the rundown of what he means (plus any criticisms I'd like to share).

• The video of Live at the Beacon Theater is encoded in the H.264 video codec, including the 720p version, and the audio is encoded in AAC 192 kbps CBR, and packed into an mp4 container. Basically, it's compatible with virtually anything. (Baseline 3.1 w/ 2 Ref frames, could have saved on filesize with better encoding parameters if the production company did a better job). Still a win.
• It is 100 % DRM free. Play on anything you heart desires. A huge win.
• It doesn't require a registration to direct download from his site. You simply use your email address to attach your purchase. Another big win.
• You get a limit of 4 downloads for any item you buy. I ran into a problem with this. Download accelerators like jdownloader and Downthemall will eat these "download credits" the fuck up. I now have "-1" downloads left for videos, and since I paused my audio downloads for Carnegie Hall, it won't let me download them again. This is a bit problematic. The solution, hey you already paid for it so go pirate that booty if you run into download problem. This is not so much a win, but a workable solution exists.

In summary, this works. This is exactly what I've been asking for. Thank you, you fat idiot.

[IdolEyes787]

Could you please add a "Who is Louis C.K. ? " option.

[dljesse]

I bought his Beacon Theater performance a few days ago and really liked the way he handled this. I'm pretty broke most of the time, but he put his stuff out there for a reasonable amount of money and made it really accessible. I bet you could contact support about the download limit issue too.

Edit: In fact, right on the FAQ page it says "... If you have no luck or need a download back, contact our support staff."

[mjmacky]

I bought his Beacon Theater performance a few days ago and really liked the way he handled this. I'm pretty broke most of the time, but he put his stuff out there for a reasonable amount of money and made it really accessible. I bet you could contact support about the download limit issue too.

Edit: In fact, right on the FAQ page it says "... If you have no luck or need a download back, contact our support staff."

I did, and I told them I pirated it, so issue fixed. Should they really have a problem with that if I already paid for it?

Could you please add a "Who is Louis C.K. ? " option.

Much like what I'm doing right now, that wouldn't answer the question.

[Hole69]

The problem here is why spend $5 when you don't to? Still, if I was a fan I would consider buying though (I'm not I prefer Roy "Chubby" Brown and Jim Davidson more).

[IdolEyes787]

The problem here is why spend $5 when you don't to?

Strange I read that and the question I see is "When someone isn't ripping you off,only trying to be nice while in the process making a reasonable living ,why the fuck would you want to steal from him?"

[Cut-Copy-Paste]

I like Louis C.K. Since they are accepting amazon i am sure gonna buy it. The only problem is they dont make subtitle for it. So some part of his joke just goes above my head

[megabyteme]

While this was/is a success, and a good model to follow, I believe there is still a limit to how effective this could be. I don't pay for pay-per-view shows because even at $4 per show, watching several adds up quickly. Most shows aren't worth $4 per viewing, either.

Netflix wins because I get A LOT of programming for a little bit of money. I'd rather feed my kids than him (so to speak)...

[dljesse]

While this was/is a success, and a good model to follow, I believe there is still a limit to how effective this could be. I don't pay for pay-per-view shows because even at $4 per show, watching several adds up quickly. Most shows aren't worth $4 per viewing, either.

Netflix wins because I get A LOT of programming for a little bit of money. I'd rather feed my kids than him (so to speak)...

Well It's not $5 for a viewing, it's $5 to own the thing. Compared to the prices on other DVDs (and CDs too, he's got those for $5 on his site) the deal is great.

[megabyteme]

While this was/is a success, and a good model to follow, I believe there is still a limit to how effective this could be. I don't pay for pay-per-view shows because even at $4 per show, watching several adds up quickly. Most shows aren't worth $4 per viewing, either.

Netflix wins because I get A LOT of programming for a little bit of money. I'd rather feed my kids than him (so to speak)...

Well It's not $5 for a viewing, it's $5 to own the thing. Compared to the prices on other DVDs (and CDs too, he's got those for $5 on his site) the deal is great.

I wouldn't know whether or not I'd want to own it without seeing it first. Having seen it via torrent, I don't believe that single viewing was worth $5 (as a PPV), and I don't need to see it again. If I were to support his project now, it would be a gratuity, not a purchase.

There is a subtle difference here between paying for an item, and paying for a viewing. If I were to attend his show, I'd pay $5 for the seat. As a television program, I want to know what I am "purchasing" is worthy of repeated viewings before paying.