> My problem is region locking, if I can't access the content in any way without potentially purchasing a very expensive TV package, I'm left with only one choice.

Do you mean that literally? Because I'd think buying physical copies, or forgoing access, would also be options.

Have you ever had your content region locked? Wanting to watch something but can't because of where you live? What if you're half way through a series and a company rips away access to your country? Do you just shrug and 'forgo' your access?

Some programs aren't available on DVD in my region. But I suppose DVD players are cheap, so people can just buy one per region.

... Or does piracy sound like a better experience?

It probably comes down one's personal ethics, views about civic virtue, etc.

I want my neighbor's pile of firewood. They probably wouldn't miss one or two logs, but I have other reasons for not taking any.

I'm not trying to persuade anyone that my view is correct, I'm just saying that I think this is one aspect of how different people approach the question of how to obtain digital entertainment.

The "piracy==stealing" argument doesn't work here. I don't doubt you'd make a copy of your neighbor's pile of firewood if you coveted it.

Yeah, it was a flawed example for sure. All of the other examples I could think of at the time seemed like they'd be inflammatory in various ways.

What does your personal ethics say about paying somebody to build a system that prohibits certain kinds of people from receiving certain kinds of information? Even if a trickle of that money makes it to the artist, doesn't that seems like a technology that's ripe for abuse?

Physical copies (Blu-rays especially) are heavily region locked. A Japanese region coded Blu-ray won't play on an EU coded player, unless you're able to flash the firmware to unlock it. And a lot of Japanese movies, especially classic films, never get a Europe release.

Is it hard to find a non region locked player nowadays?

Back in the days when I was living in Switzerland, the DVD players there weren't region locked so a number of french, italian or german people would just drive to Switzerland and buy their DVD player there. No idea if it applies to Blueray as well, I never owned a Blueray player.