OT - media streaming in Canada

[lizabu]

I know it's off topic however we have a lot of Canadians here that may be in the know. Lately I have noticed that many people I know have media streaming devices and they seem to be able to watch new movies and any tv show. When I ask about these devices they get kind of vague which makes me think that perhaps they are doing something illegal. My sister told me that my cousin uses a Galaxy box which is available at Best Buy so I went to their website and could not see a device called a galaxy box. I'm confused. Could someone in the know fill me in on streaming boxes in Canada and which are the best ones and what kind of content could you expect to find and is it legal or are there legal vs illegal versions. Thank you.

 

[fan1080]

We have an Android Box, just got it at Christmas.

We can watch any movie or TV show, including new movies and shows, but many times the latest are not very good quality, and sometimes not in English. Once a movie has been released on DVD, the better quality usually shows up in short order.

Right now, they are not illegal in Canada, but there are a lot of rumors going around about how long that will last.

I really enjoy ours so far, but they can also be a bit frustrating because they are dependent on the quality of internet connection you have, and the quality of the streaming connections found.

If you search youtube you'll find plenty of info.

Good luck

 

[bankr63]

We have an Android Box, just got it at Christmas.

We can watch any movie or TV show, including new movies and shows, but many times the latest are not very good quality, and sometimes not in English. Once a movie has been released on DVD, the better quality usually shows up in short order.

Right now, they are not illegal in Canada, but there are a lot of rumors going around about how long that will last.

I really enjoy ours so far, but they can also be a bit frustrating because they are dependent on the quality of internet connection you have, and the quality of the streaming connections found.

If you search youtube you'll find plenty of info.

Good luck

Yes, the Android TV boxes (really more like a dongle than a box) are not illegal, and never are likely to be illegal. They are basically a stripped down version of Android (the cell phone/tablet operating system) running on a small computing device that is optimised for TV (video processing). Another way of looking at the device would be a more "open source" version of the ChromeCast where you get to choose what software you load. We own one (both Android TV and ChromeCast actually) and use them regularly. There is nothing illegal about the device itself, just as there is nothing illegal about owning a computer, but you can do illegal things with the device.
What can become illegal (not criminally, generally copyright infringement which is more of a civil offence) is what software you load onto it and what content you access from it. These devices run Netflix, and if you have an account you are totally on the up-and-up. There are other software/services that charge for the material you access that are legal. Watching YouTube videos is generally legal (since infringing material is pulled down pretty quickly). Where you start to infringe and cross the line is loading applications that stream privately recorded current TV or movie content from public (generally offshore) servers. The reason the quality is lousy is because folks are recording off air at home and posting online without any respect to copyright law.
So, it can be a great adjunct to your cable provider (I have an extremely limited package of local channels only from my cable provider), and used judiciously and properly is totally above board. But if you choose to stream content that is effectively pirated (the producer and artists receive no compensation), then you are liable for related fines and penalties. The folks who sell these devices are very circumspect about how they present this, but a close reading of their terms will show they absolve themselves of all responsibility for what you choose to download and view. There is little prosecution of this in Canada at this time, but with the advent of the "Notice and Notice" legislation, that is starting to change. It really comes down to a morality question, and like speeding in your car, a consideration of "don't do the crime if you can't pay that fine".

 

[fan1080]

Yes, the Android TV boxes (really more like a dongle than a box) are not illegal, and never are likely to be illegal. They are basically a stripped down version of Android (the cell phone/tablet operating system) running on a small computing device that is optimised for TV (video processing). Another way of looking at the device would be a more "open source" version of the ChromeCast where you get to choose what software you load. We own one (both Android TV and ChromeCast actually) and use them regularly. There is nothing illegal about the device itself, just as there is nothing illegal about owning a computer, but you can do illegal things with the device.
What can become illegal (not criminally, generally copyright infringement which is more of a civil offence) is what software you load onto it and what content you access from it. These devices run Netflix, and if you have an account you are totally on the up-and-up. There are other software/services that charge for the material you access that are legal. Watching YouTube videos is generally legal (since infringing material is pulled down pretty quickly). Where you start to infringe and cross the line is loading applications that stream privately recorded current TV or movie content from public (generally offshore) servers. The reason the quality is lousy is because folks are recording off air at home and posting online without any respect to copyright law.
So, it can be a great adjunct to your cable provider (I have an extremely limited package of local channels only from my cable provider), and used judiciously and properly is totally above board. But if you choose to stream content that is effectively pirated (the producer and artists receive no compensation), then you are liable for related fines and penalties. The folks who sell these devices are very circumspect about how they present this, but a close reading of their terms will show they absolve themselves of all responsibility for what you choose to download and view. There is little prosecution of this in Canada at this time, but with the advent of the "Notice and Notice" legislation, that is starting to change. It really comes down to a morality question, and like speeding in your car, a consideration of "don't do the crime if you can't pay that fine".

Agreed.

And is pretty much what I said, in 1 million fewer words......

 

[lizabu]

Thanks to both of you. I have an Apple TV and didn't want to end up with pretty much the same thing. The content I hear about others viewing make it tempting to explore further and at the same time I don't want to do anything illegal. I will have to look into an Android box.

 

[star72232]

We use a Raspberry Pi with Kodi to stream Twitch, YouTube, TVO Kids, etc. It also is how we access our antenna and over-the-air programming. It's basically an Android box, but homemade.

The box itself isn't illegal, but some streaming apps that are installed on them are. If you are streaming sports, TV shows as they air, etc, chances are it is, if not actually illegal, a very grey area. We only use the Kodi software with the Kodi-supported apps. All legal. But, we can't get live TV (other than from our antenna), sports, etc.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts.....

• not all Android boxes are the same
  • some come with more stronger processors to render better images than then the cheaper ones
  • there's 1080 and then there's 4K boxes
  • some Android TV boxes come pre-configured, most are NOT.... especially the cheap ones to get around the liability issues
• if you visit your local home/trade shows... you might see a vendor demoing their Android TV product. Again you get what you pay for.
• if you don't want to waste money on a box.... you can download Kodi onto your computer. However, once you have Kodi.... you need to know what you are doing to configure the add-on's. Just like on those Android TV boxes.
• as mentioned content quality varies...
  • is it HD, or much less?
  • is it surround sound, stereo, or mono
• it's not as friendly as your TV cable package
• watch out for high data consumption that can impact your package. Consider buying shares on internet providers!
• http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/android-box-streaming-1.3455524
• http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...-boxes-over-copyright-claims/article30401979/

 

[ccudmore]

Here's another in-depth article on them: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ida-mahmoudi/tv-box-streaming_b_10593612.html

Although the boxes themselves are not illegal, the issue is that most of them are loaded with software that is. They facilitate you in the performance of an illegal act (watching copyrighted material without paying the copyright fees). Like Napster, Pirate Bay and their like before them I'm sure it will be a matter of time before these services are either shut down or the copyright holders starting using the legal powers they already have to start sending massive bills to people who are tracked as downloading copyrighted music (current fines are up to $5000 for non-commercial use): http://globalnews.ca/news/1752246/new-regulations-about-illegal-downloading-go-into-effect/

So bottom line is, buy one if you want to use the software that doesn't do illegal downloads. But if you do use them to watch copyrighted material, be willing to eventually face the consequenses.