Love how you just summed up (in my mind) the reasons for Netflix's success.

Really glad that the market really played its role by providing customers with a near-perfect (Netflix's library is inconsistent to say the least) viewing experience.

This is exactly why I pirate what I bought when I want to rewatch it. Torrents are superior in every way so those box sets usually sit on the shelves gathering dust.

I don't know why media companies insist on punishing paying customers.

Investing in new infrastructure and a changing market is more expensive than talking to a few Senators and buying off the shelf DRM solutions

> "You first get the traditional FBI warnings (that as a non US citizen doesn't apply to me)"

Many have acted upon that belief and lived to regret it. The US has a surprisingly long reach when it comes to punishing what it considers illegal trafficking.

On my legit DVD copy of 'Mulholland Dr.' by David Lynch the entire main film is one continuous video and you cannot skip, fast forward or jump to a particular scene, so you have to watch the whole thing end to end. The directors notes that come with the DVD say this is because he wanted to limit the way people experience the film.

First thing I did was rip it and remove the restriction. Imagine if you bought a film and it refused to play on any screen less than 32" wide...

You sure? I believe he intentionally did not put in scene breaks but regular old fast-forward still worked.

If you're right, it's an interesting example of "artistic" DRM that is not related to copyright enforcement. Can anyone think of any others?