Netflix has managed to annoy a good number of its users with an announcement about an upcoming update to its Windows 11 (and Windows 10) app: support for adverts and live events will be added, but the ability to download content is being taken away.
Netflix must realize that it’s a huge frustration for people who relied on offline downloads to watch content without internet access: on planes, trains, and campsites, and anywhere else where Wi-Fi is unavailable or unreliable.
There’s a small chance that Netflix will change its mind if it gets enough complaints, but the streaming service seems determined to add as many money-making features as possible, while taking away genuinely useful ones.
They’ve gone full circle at this point: it’s like paying for TV channels and piracy is looking really attractive again, even though Netflix was the reason many people stopped doing that initially (I assume)
To be honest, I like watching SciFi and superhero movies yet cinemas are too expensive in my country. So, my fiance (Netflix) and I (Amazon Prime) bought thsse services and using together.
But guess what:
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No HBO in my country, so no DC for me. Yet they are not selling DC to Turkey neither. So no DC movie for me after 2018(?)
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Both Netflix and Prime just puts their content, and forget the rest for Turkey. For example I couldn’t watch Mad Max: Fury Road one month ago
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They are doing some kind of censorship? You cannot watch too bloody, too sexual, too whatever content while there is no legal censorship on internet content. For example I can watch “Barda” (“at pub”) on Youtube but not on Prime.
So yes, why I am paying for TV channels wtih ads?
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Back then, when I wanted to watch a film, I checked Netflix first, then amazon video. I only reached for other sources if it was unavailable at both. Now there are way too many platforms to pay for, and they are getting way too shitty to pay at all.
There was a time when I was even feeling good going “clean”. Now everything is dirtier than I ever imagined.
Totally agree!
Yeah, not only are there a dozen platforms that you need to search but they all suck. I have seen so many instances where people download videos for a vacation and then they can’t be played. I can’t even share screenshots to advertise the shows that you are selling to my friends for free!
Funny enough when I have a video file sitting on my computer it just works, all of the time, super fast. And instead of using services that tell me what streaming platform a given show is on it is easier to use a service that tell me the infohash of the file.
Yup. Cable TV was amazing back in the 1980s. Almost no ads and great content (I loved “Night Flight” on USA, especially). But it didn’t take them more than 10 years to ruin it.
Took me a minute to figure out why these 2 updates would be bundled together. Must be cause if you downloaded something you’d be able to bypass their ads
Must be cause if you downloaded something you’d be able to bypass their ads
They could also download the ads. People on an ad-supported subscription tier would probably expect that those are there.
The ad design could link to the products and out of Netflix. So they wouldn’t get clicks
Idk I didn’t have expertise in this space
Y’all just need to cancel your Netflix, they are too expensive for far too little
Yup.
They told me I could choose between ads and a 35% price rise.
I replied “I have a better idea”
Can honestly say I’ve not missed out watching anything I wanted to watch
Canceled mine.
Sailing the high seas works just fine.
If I could figure out an easy way for my partner to download content to my Plex library, I’d dump Netflix and Hulu in a heartbeat. I’m picturing an app where they can search for any show or movie, hit download, and it will grab it from my private tracker and toss it on my server. AFAIK something like this just doesn’t exist.
You can use the plex watchlist feature to do this. Add the plex watchlist to the arrs and then when anything is added to the watchlist on plex the arrs will see it and add it to the queue. Works great.
I setup overseerr to auto add users added to my plex server and auto approve anything they request or add to their watch list, they just need to login once to my overseerr for their plex account to be linked after that as long as they have the online media thing enabled that is enabled by default they can just search for anything through plex and add it to their watch list and overseerr will auto add it to the arrs and begin the search and download. I have to get in there from time to time to manually do shows that are low quality or in a different language some times but other than that it’s all automated, you can even setup another tool that auto deletes things after a certain time so you can manage your storage easier
One of those -arrs can be setup to download automatically when someone adds a movie or show to their watchlist.
The one value streaming services provide is subtitles in languages other than English. Unfortunately there aren’t enough pirates in a lot of countries to make foreign media viable.
That’s hilarious, I used to have trouble finding the stuff I wanted in subbed English, could only find dubbed that was changed in significant ways usually.
Yes I was an anime nerd in the late 90’s and 2000’s
My small ass original country with 9m pop has its own subtitle pages for pirated content. You just need to search by title + release group (+episode, if a TV show).
I’m guessing most of them are created by some auto-subtitling services, because most are pretty horrible quality. But still better than nothing.
Is the release group the name of the people who usually upload subs? How would I find that?
For example, I’ve been trying to find Japanese subs for the show American Horror Story, but the only way I know to look is to search for the title plus subs. But the only result that even comes close is the opensubs site, which doesn’t have much Japanese content.
The release group or person is usually a tag at the end of the file name before the extension.
You could try auto-translating the subtitle files content, see how well a job some of the translation services do.
Oh yeah, good point. I didn’t think about translating the srt files myself-- I’ll see if I can make that work
Not sure if this is helpful but I’ve used this site for my srt for rough translations
Oh, that looks promising, thanks. Free translators like google and such have a character limit so I couldn’t just copy paste the whole file.
Try https://github.com/morpheus65535/bazarr
Bazarr is a companion application to Sonarr and Radarr. It manages and downloads subtitles based on your requirements. You define your preferences by TV show or movie and Bazarr takes care of everything for you.
How does it find subs if no one’s created the sub file? Does it auto translate them from the original language?
No*. You can add providers which will automatically check for and download (all of) the available subtitles and it can automatically check for new and updated ones so that you don’t need to. It can also do synchronization and modifications like fixing uppercase and OCR. It greatly reduces the amount of work that you have to do.
*I just checked the OpenSubtitles.com provider and it has an option for AI translated subtitles in search results.
I cant, i share an account with my mom :(
I spun up a Plex server for myself, built a NAS, then started inviting friends and family. If I can get multiple users to drop their subs, I’ll be making a larger impact. Fuck streaming subscriptions, I’m pirating content until I die. Now I can pirate for multiple users 🏴☠️
I share my jellyfin with my mom
Must go through a lot of batteries.
But they’re actually producing good stuff lately. I’ve watched more Netflix originals this year than I have in the past 10.
You can pirate, or if you want to do it the “right” way, you can sign up when there’s something you want to watch and cancel when there isn’t.
its like they want you to turn to piracy
Plot twist! Now the pirate pay costs subscription fees, and is owned by Netflix!!! Ohhhhh, what a twist!
Guess people are gonna have to sail the seven seas.
This is no big deal because Windows users are used to ads. Sorry feeling snarky.
A quick reminder : you don’t need to watch Netflix.
“What killed streaming?” - article from 2026
“millennials are killing the streaming industry”
The next season of Bridgerton is cancelled because you selfish millennials wouldn’t drink your verification cans
Actually, that’s probably the one excuse that wouldn’t fly. The only company that cancels more stuff randomly and with no reason than Netflix is Google.
All of the major broadcast networks have always canceled stuff as fast as Netflix, maybe faster since they sometimes cancel shows before the first season has completed airing.
Yes, but they had the veneer of “low ratings” to hide behind. Netflix cancels their content with no warning and no explanation.
Netflix has a more accurate picture of their user ratings for shows than Nielsen ever provided cable companies…
People have been making this comment for so long, with every anti-consumer change, and it’s never been true.
Killing VPN usages didn’t do it, canceling shows didn’t do it, the splintering of offerings across multiple platforms didn’t do it, killing password sharing didn’t do it, raising prices didn’t do it, including an advertising tier didn’t do.
And this will not do it.
Hell, this is barely going to tweak the dial. The overwhelming majority of people don’t watch Netflix on the desktop app, why should they fear kick back from the few that do? All they’ll say is the mobile versions will still let you download (because those file systems are sealed away from the user).
Consumers will accept anything if there’s no where else to get what they want. It’s why the “free market” has no power in the tech space: consumers are so addicted to their chosen platforms, apps, devices, and services that they will accept literally anything before they entertain the idea of using anything else.
That’s partially why enshitification is getting so bad: there’s no punishment for it. Users will not move.
Not enough uses for sure. I canceled all the shitty ones once they implemented these stupid as fuck changes.
It’s ads while I’m paying that would do it for sure for me. I think I pay $24 a month. About to go back to sailing the high seas regardless. Their content has been lacking for quite a while.
It’s sort of like “Going All-In works everytime. Until it doesn’t”
Yup. Just surprised Pikachu faces all around at Netflix. “But we were assured by our marketing department that customers would just pay any amout we wanted!”
Greed, same as everything else
Install an android emulator. Problem solved.
Start pirating again. Problem solved.
Make your own movies and shows. Problem solved.
Start a company, get rich, buy Netflix, problem solved.
Stop watching stuff, do something else. Problem solved.
Found a secret society, infiltrate politics worldwide, stir chaos and destruction, let the world burn and built a new Netflix from the world’s ashes where you still can download stuff. Problem solved.
See? It’s not that hard!
(In case it wasn’t clear, I am joking.)
Best comment so far
These companies are gonna complain about piracy being so rampant while making their service so awful that piracy becomes a better choice
As they always did and continue to do in all businesses.
Look at food prices: Supermarket - We’re raising prices on 95% of items by 200-300%. People: Steal because they can’t afford basic food Supermarket: Shocked pikachu face
Supermarket: Shocked pikachu face
Actually, supermarkets typically factor theft and other types of damages (ex. product broke in transit, came open, etc.) into their projected sales.
Oh yeah? I didn’t know that (not sure why you were downvoted for stating a fact, people are weird here)
the televisionification (good grief, what?) of the internet is truly one of the most monstrous and monumental failures of creativity the world has ever seen.
Cramming this square peg into that round hole no matter the fucking consequences
nothing matters but money, right? (kys pos)
Netflix living long enough to become the villain I see
I got Netflix stock, and i can tell you guys that stock is just going up and up.
People rly are fking stupid
Yep, it’s why everyone is raising prices, introducing ads and stopping password sharing, Netflix was the case that proved it works, there was a dip but now they have more users than before it.
Pirated movies don’t have this problem.
I’m just saying, ruin your own service, and lose to pirates who can provide a better one for free.
Yeah, Plex downloads work fine still, on all devices.
Lol downloads is the one thing that definitively does not work for Plex
I’m laughing in Plex
