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Porn Users Forum » Rip off of the year
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12-24-16  06:00am - 2877 days Original Post - #1
Otrivine (0)
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Posts: 54
Registered: Aug 28, '16
Rip off of the year

Dear Porn Users Members,

Today I signed up for Digital Playground. I signed up for a three month subscription at € 59,99. I assumed this was a full membership to this website. After I logged in I could only download picture galleries. The movies are streaming only. I contacted support and was informed that for the price I signed up I only had a basic account. If I want to download movies I have to pay an additional monthly fee of 29,99 €. What a rip off is this??? Never ever did I have this problem. Paying for a full membership at any website I ever subscribed to was streaming as well as full download. I will cancel my account immediately and never ever will I signup to this malicious website again. At signup it was never mentioned that the price I paid was for streaming only.

Merry Christmas to the staff and all members.

Kind regards.

12-24-16  09:03am - 2877 days #2
merc77 (0)
Disabled User

Posts: 291
Registered: Apr 17, '16
Many sites are starting to do that (streaming only with downloads costing much more). They should make it explicit on the membership page when you join. Some do, but many don't and let you find out after you've spent your money.

I look for the word downloads and if I don't see it I contact the site and ask. "Dogs think people are Gods. Cats don't as they know better." - Kedi (2016)

Dogs have masters; Cats have staff.

12-24-16  09:33am - 2877 days #3
lk2fireone (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,618
Registered: Nov 14, '08
Location: CA
A few points to mention:

1. Make sure that your membership privileges continue after you cancel your membership.
Some sites block you from access once your membership is cancelled.

2. You got ripped off. I agree. But you have already paid your money. So use this site as much as possible, to get whatever value you can from the site.
Try to download any of the picture galleries you want.


3. There are software programs available (free and paid) that allow you to download streaming videos. I've never used them. Maybe you can try some free ones, that can give you a decent copy of the streaming videos.

Just some suggestions.

But thanks for the thread. It helps other PU members avoid this site.

12-24-16  10:39am - 2877 days #4
pat362 (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,575
Registered: Jan 23, '07
Location: canada
I want to first say that I'm sorry for your problem. Now my below statement has less to do with picking on you and more to do with being an important piece of advice that every visitor to PU and TBP should take to heart prior to joining any site now and forever and ever.

Here Goes:

****Please read the most recent reviews and comments prior to joining any site that happens to be advertised on TBP/PU and Rabbit's site***

I don't think you did that because it's quite clear on TBP's June 13 2016 TBP review that the people(assholes) who manage the DP site offer streaming only content unless you pay a premium price. In fact their entire price scheme is kind of fucked up. The TBP/PU one month membership price is 17.95$ while the 3 month one is 59.95$. If my math is accurate than it's cheaper to join once every month than to buy a 3 month membership. You save about 10$ by simply re-joining each month. Now I'll finish my post by saying that one of my biggest pet peeves and the main reason why I never joined DP is that they were always a streaming only site. It's only since Mindgeek bought them that they changed their policy. Of course one of the reasons is that Mindgeek pretty much gutted the company to the point where they don't really have contract stars anymore and don't do big budget porn movies. Long live the Brown Coats.

12-24-16  04:22pm - 2877 days #5
bibo (0)
Suspended

Posts: 179
Registered: Sep 16, '10
Location: GER
Pat362 is spot on here. Whenever I'm thinking of joining a site, I *always* read the PU/TBP reviews before doing so. That's the point of a site like this. DP's streaming policy has been a known issue for years, so it is not exactly a rip off.

That being said, lk2 mentioned that it is possible to download the content via download managers. I'm really curious about the legal side here, because I'd consider this a grey area. If a site is offering streaming-only and you are downloading their streams... is that really a legal issue?

12-24-16  07:51pm - 2877 days #6
Drooler (0)
Disabled User



Posts: 1,831
Registered: Mar 11, '07
Location: USA
Originally Posted by bibo:


Pat362 is spot on here. Whenever I'm thinking of joining a site, I *always* read the PU/TBP reviews before doing so. That's the point of a site like this. DP's streaming policy has been a known issue for years, so it is not exactly a rip off.

That being said, lk2 mentioned that it is possible to download the content via download managers. I'm really curious about the legal side here, because I'd consider this a grey area. If a site is offering streaming-only and you are downloading their streams... is that really a legal issue?


It could be a legal issue. If the terms and conditions of the site forbid using software to save streamed content, it could be considered a breach of contract. I'm no lawyer, but I'd consider that possibility. I wanted something new, so I left England for New England.

12-25-16  02:59am - 2877 days #7
exotics4me (0)
Active User



Posts: 664
Registered: Jan 12, '07
Location: USA
Originally Posted by bibo:



That being said, lk2 mentioned that it is possible to download the content via download managers. I'm really curious about the legal side here, because I'd consider this a grey area. If a site is offering streaming-only and you are downloading their streams... is that really a legal issue?


I had an experience with this a few years ago. I'm sure there could be a legal issue, but what happened to me was I captured the streams, everything looked perfect. The captured streams played just like downloaded videos. Then when my membership ran out, the captured streams stopped working. I contacted their webmaster. He told me he understood members wanted downloads instead of trying to stream, so he allows the downloads, but embeds DRM in the streams that stop the videos from working after your membership has expired. My first time I jacked off, I thought I'd invented it. I looked down at my sloppy handful of junk and thought, This is going to make me rich. - Chuck Palahniuk

12-25-16  10:26am - 2876 days #8
pat362 (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,575
Registered: Jan 23, '07
Location: canada
^So basically you can't actually download to save for later so much as download to speed the streaming of the videos.

That's the kind of info that is crucial in reviews of so-called streaming only sites because others might think like you and be very surprised the day after their membership runs out and they want to watch a saved streaming video. Long live the Brown Coats.

12-25-16  05:28pm - 2876 days #9
Colm4 (0)
Active User



Posts: 117
Registered: Sep 22, '07
Location: Holland
That's the first time I hear about drm in streaming movies. Should be easy to check right? Like put the movie on an external harddrive and try to play it on your tv?

I recently joined a streaming site and just download the vids with a simple firefox addon. Then edit the movie (to remove the 10 second site logos at the start and end) and then put it on an external drive.
I also wonder if it's legal or if I could even mention it in a review on this site.

12-26-16  04:23am - 2875 days #10
bibo (0)
Suspended

Posts: 179
Registered: Sep 16, '10
Location: GER
Originally Posted by Colm4:


I recently joined a streaming site and just download the vids with a simple firefox addon. Then edit the movie (to remove the 10 second site logos at the start and end) and then put it on an external drive.
I also wonder if it's legal or if I could even mention it in a review on this site.


It is not exactly a secret that downloading streams is possible these days. All it takes is one google search.

But even if circumventing the stream-only restriction via download add on's is legally delicate, it doesn't stop here.
What if you do not actually download the stream, but create a screen capture? Not that this is in any way practical or anything, but the legal aspect is interesting. Edited on Dec 26, 2016, 04:55am

12-26-16  12:17pm - 2875 days #11
jook (0)
Active User



Posts: 325
Registered: Dec 22, '13
Location: jersey city
AS for the legalities, I couldn't care less. It's no different than the late 90s and early '00s with music. Remember Napster (before it became legit) and Kazaa? Just like attaching all sorts of rules to legitimately purchasing music didn't work and only got people pissed off, it doesn't work with videos. To this day, I'm still pissed at Apple for being among the last holdouts to DRM and music and I never buy from iTunes. Then again, Apple has a fistful of my money from their other products, sigh.

Having said that, I don't download streaming movies. It seems like a PITA. The only programs I know of require that you stream the video to the software. A 20 minute video takes 20 minutes to download. Unless I've come across the wrong software.

12-26-16  12:27pm - 2875 days #12
exotics4me (0)
Active User



Posts: 664
Registered: Jan 12, '07
Location: USA
Originally Posted by pat362:


^So basically you can't actually download to save for later so much as download to speed the streaming of the videos.

That's the kind of info that is crucial in reviews of so-called streaming only sites because others might think like you and be very surprised the day after their membership runs out and they want to watch a saved streaming video.


Right pat, the webmaster went through a long explanation about how he was doing everyone a favor by allowing us to capture the stream so it was always there (as long as we kept a membership) to watch without having to use up bandwith each time to stream it.

The site was Kiara Mia, a model, to my knowledge, that has gone off the deep end these days. I think it was my lowest rated site I've ever reviewed. My first time I jacked off, I thought I'd invented it. I looked down at my sloppy handful of junk and thought, This is going to make me rich. - Chuck Palahniuk

12-27-16  05:33am - 2874 days #13
rearadmiral (0)
Active User

Posts: 1,453
Registered: Jul 16, '07
Location: NB/Canada
I usually don't mention this here as I wonder if it might run afoul of the rules, but since others have noted it I'll weigh in.

Internet Download Manager is a payware download manager that captures most streams. I've had a membership at Digital Playground and it captured those though the way the site is set up it would often capture the whole movie rather than just the scene I wanted. I presume that even IDM and other capture software can be blocked so it's probably best to see if your software can capture any preview videos before joining.

12-27-16  01:20pm - 2874 days #14
Monahan (0)
Active User



Posts: 348
Registered: Jan 17, '07
Location: SF Valley, CA
Originally Posted by bibo:


It is not exactly a secret that downloading streams is possible these days. All it takes is one google search.

But even if circumventing the stream-only restriction via download add on's is legally delicate, it doesn't stop here.
What if you do not actually download the stream, but create a screen capture? Not that this is in any way practical or anything, but the legal aspect is interesting.

The discussion of the legality of downloading streaming only material reminds me of the good old days of VHS rentals where porn producers couldn't be bothered employing copy protection so folks could dub over the "good stuff" via a second VCR with no difficulty.

Similar protection is currently available to the websites that offer stream only stuff but the cost to the site apparently makes it not worth the trouble.

12-27-16  08:37pm - 2874 days #15
malikstarks (0)
Active User

Posts: 108
Registered: Nov 19, '07
Location: Florida
I never knew of this practice by DP, sounds ridiculous, good thing i know now as I was actually considering a membership at one point.

You know it's estimated that only 11% of porn consumers actually pay for their content. Considering this, you'd think these companies would be bending over backward to please the paying customers instead of nickle-and-diming (and sometimes worse).

12-27-16  08:39pm - 2874 days #16
malikstarks (0)
Active User

Posts: 108
Registered: Nov 19, '07
Location: Florida
What program do you use to edit movies Colm4?

12-28-16  05:19pm - 2873 days #17
pat362 (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,575
Registered: Jan 23, '07
Location: canada
Originally Posted by malikstarks:


You know it's estimated that only 11% of porn consumers actually pay for their content. Considering this, you'd think these companies would be bending over backward to please the paying customers instead of nickle-and-diming


1-Just because someone is part of the 11% paying for it doesn't mean that he isn't above re-selling the material he legally paid for by uploading it on sites where you get credits for doing that.

2-In this instance the site in question did not nickel and dime the OP because he had all the tools at his disposal and did not use them. They would have either saved him some hard earned cash or serious annoyance.

3-These days you can get access to most porn sites for a fraction of the cost these same sites would have charged just a few years ago. Although I would be thrilled to believe that they do this because business is amazing but sadly I think that they do it because they would rather make significantly less money than to make none and go out of business. Long live the Brown Coats.

12-28-16  10:39pm - 2873 days #18
malikstarks (0)
Active User

Posts: 108
Registered: Nov 19, '07
Location: Florida
Originally Posted by pat362:


1-Just because someone is part of the 11% paying for it doesn't mean that he isn't above re-selling the material he legally paid for by uploading it on sites where you get credits for doing that.

2-In this instance the site in question did not nickel and dime the OP because he had all the tools at his disposal and did not use them. They would have either saved him some hard earned cash or serious annoyance.

3-These days you can get access to most porn sites for a fraction of the cost these same sites would have charged just a few years ago. Although I would be thrilled to believe that they do this because business is amazing but sadly I think that they do it because they would rather make significantly less money than to make none and go out of business.


Good Points, I am sympathetic to the plight of porn producers and performers these days. In fact I made a thread about piracy a few years back. I will say though that I still think this practice by DP is a little shady at least on the surface. I'd say most of the members that sign up don't know much about porn review sites in general. Not to mention someone still had to get burned in order to post an accurate review in the first place. That said maybe I should read the T&C or at least see how the site advertises before I totally condemn it.

12-30-16  05:18am - 2871 days #20
Otrivine (0)
Active User

Posts: 54
Registered: Aug 28, '16
First of all thanks for all the comments so far on this topic. Please know that I really appreciate the feedback regarding this topic. Indeed one should check reviews, the T&C of the content provider and in case of doubt contact the website. I've read the review comments on PU before joining and honestly I found them a bit confusing. The only way of contacting DP seems via their billing companies. I haven't found a direct link to contact DP directly rather than to go via their billing companies. With all due respect to porn lovers who prefer the system of streaming over downloading. I always joined websites which offer download. I want to download the content that I like because IMHO after all I pay for it. What I download is for my personal collection. I don't share my collection, I don't upload my collection, I don't burn my collection to media. I do respect the fact that the porn, music and movie industry lost tremendous amounts of money due to illegal downloads, distribution of illegal content, etc,... However as a honest person I feel punished now for those who are involved in illegal download and distribution of copyrighted materials. I was however convinced by paying € 55,99 for three months of membership that it would allow me to download content. I honestly didn't see any warning that it only would allow me to stream the content. If we make a little calculation : € 55,99 for three months basic membership + 3x € 29,99 to allow three months of download makes a total of € 149,96. For this price I probably have a full year of membership at many other porn websites download included. Take Brazzers one year membership : € 119,88, Evil Angel one year : € 139,95, Private : € 149,95 to give a few examples and all these websites offer full download of their content. I'm sorry but where is this leading to? If this will be the future way of doing business in the porn industry I will never ever join a website again. Next time I'll join a website I will be a lot more careful before joining because I learned a valuable lesson. Edited on Dec 30, 2016, 05:37am

12-30-16  08:15am - 2871 days #21
pat362 (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,575
Registered: Jan 23, '07
Location: canada
Originally Posted by malikstarks:


Good Points, I am sympathetic to the plight of porn producers and performers these days. In fact I made a thread about piracy a few years back. I will say though that I still think this practice by DP is a little shady at least on the surface


Don't get me wrong. I also think that what DP is doing is borderline crooked because not everyone is going to stop and think before joining the site or is even aware of sites like TBP/PU and therefore don't know that it's a sort of pseudo-streaming only site but all of these things should not make it morally acceptable for anybody to steal the content that sites had to fork over large sums of money to produce. Long live the Brown Coats.

01-01-17  04:41am - 2869 days #22
Colm4 (0)
Active User



Posts: 117
Registered: Sep 22, '07
Location: Holland
Originally Posted by malikstarks:


What program do you use to edit movies Colm4?

I use AVS Video converter. They also have an editor, but I have to convert most downloads so they play on my media player.
Very easy to use. Can even edit out a single second if I want to.

It's a pay program, but you get a lifetime 'membership' to all their products and updates for that.

01-01-17  08:35am - 2869 days #23
pat362 (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,575
Registered: Jan 23, '07
Location: canada
Originally Posted by Otrivine:


First of all thanks for all the comments so far on this topic. If we make a little calculation : € 55,99 for three months basic membership + 3x € 29,99 to allow three months of download makes a total of € 149,96. For this price I probably have a full year of membership at many other porn websites download included. Take Brazzers one year membership : € 119,88, Evil Angel one year : € 139,95, Private : € 149,95 to give a few examples and all these websites offer full download of their content. I'm sorry but where is this leading to? If this will be the future way of doing business in the porn industry I will never ever join a website again. Next time I'll join a website I will be a lot more careful before joining because I learned a valuable lesson.


Although the no download is already a bad thing. The fact that you were charged in Euro's is far more troubling. If there is one thing that would piss me off would be if I got charged more for the same content as say someone in North America because I happen to live in Europe. At least when I join a US site from Canada. All I have to worry is the exchange rate. Most European sites don't charge me in Euro's. The cost is usually in US dollars. Long live the Brown Coats.

01-01-17  09:15am - 2869 days #24
elephant (0)
Active User



Posts: 583
Registered: Jan 11, '07
Yeah it pisses me off Pat for sure, there was a time when a $30 site would cost £18 now its so much more expensive for UK, don't know much about the rest of Europe but paying so much more for the same product certainly makes me think and question is it really worth it and before I used to risk a site now much more careful. "Women are like tricks by sleight of hand, Which, to admire, we should not understand." WILLIAM CONGREVE

01-01-17  09:48am - 2869 days #25
PinkPanther (0)
Active User



Posts: 1,136
Registered: Jan 08, '07
Location: Oakland, CA
Originally Posted by elephant:


Yeah it pisses me off Pat for sure, there was a time when a $30 site would cost £18 now its so much more expensive for UK, don't know much about the rest of Europe but paying so much more for the same product certainly makes me think and question is it really worth it and before I used to risk a site now much more careful.


Interesting - with few exceptions, sites in the US are getting increasingly less expensive.

As to DP - they were always streaming-only. They have actually become a good deal more liberal in allowing members that have been around for awhile the ability to download all but the newest vids. It's hard to agree that they are the Ripoff of the Year in 2016 when they have been streaming-only for so many years.

It will be interesting to see what 2017 has in store for the world of porn with Trump and his cabal of thieves, predators, and christian fascists.

01-01-17  12:42pm - 2869 days #26
lk2fireone (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,618
Registered: Nov 14, '08
Location: CA
I went to Europe from the US on a tour of several countries in the 1990s.
What surprised me was that I was charged a higher rate when the tour stopped at some European countries for food.
A can of Coke or a sandwich was charged a higher price for me (and the other members of the tour) than what was charged for the locals.

I thought it was unfair. But that's what happened.

So this is a practice that has been going on for a very long time.

01-01-17  02:04pm - 2869 days #27
tangub (0)
Active User



Posts: 132
Registered: Feb 03, '10
Location: UK
Originally Posted by elephant:


Yeah it pisses me off Pat for sure, there was a time when a $30 site would cost £18 now its so much more expensive for UK, don't know much about the rest of Europe but paying so much more for the same product certainly makes me think and question is it really worth it and before I used to risk a site now much more careful.




I've also noticed a sharp increase in the prices here lately which I suppose is due to the fact that since we voted for Brexit the value of our currency has plummeted something like 20% against the US Dollar.

01-01-17  02:17pm - 2869 days #28
Otrivine (0)
Active User

Posts: 54
Registered: Aug 28, '16
IK2fireone. I'm European and please let me tell you this. Before the Euro was officially introduced as the new currency every European country had its own specific currency. In the mid 80's I was stationed in Germany and I could choose to pay in my own local currency or in German Marks. In the German garrisons I served the majority of pubs, cafés , restaurants, shops, etc.,.. accepted our currency. However they always charged a little more just to make sure they wouldn't make any loss when they went to the bank to exchange the foreign currency back to German Marks... IMHO and I might be wrong the reason why us Europeans have to pay more to join a website outside of Europe might have something to do with charging international taxes to customers outside the USA, Canada, or any other none European Country ... I once bought a software bundle (electronic download) from an American company via their website. I noticed the price on their website (€ 56) but once I clicked on checkout € 11,76 was charged as Tax. So in the end I paid € 67,76 instead of € 56. Depending with which currency you have paid during your European trip I'm a bit surprised that they would charge you more then the locals??? Certainly if you paid your bill cash in local currency?? Edited on Jan 01, 2017, 02:24pm

01-02-17  06:03am - 2868 days #29
lk2fireone (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,618
Registered: Nov 14, '08
Location: CA
Otrivine, when I went on my European tour, I converted US dollars into local currency for each country that I visited.
So I was paying in local currency, for the food and drinks I ate at each country's stops.
But I will still charged a higher price for the food and drinks, than what the locals were paying. As were the other members of my tour group.
I don't know if the tour owner got a kickback on what we spent, but it was not a question of using US dollars to pay for items, since I was using local currency.
I didn't ask for a reason why the prices were different for non-local customers (myself) and local customers.

This applied to stops where the food and drinks were not included in the tour package. And where we stopped as part of the tour.

When we went separately, to visit places, we were not charged higher prices. It was only when we stopped as a tour group at places that we were charged higher prices.
So going as a tour group made us easy to identify.

So it was not a matter of currency conversion.
I don't know if it was a deal the tour company made with the food places we stopped at. Or what the reason was for the price difference.

I do remember I thought it was strange that a can of Coca Cola cost me more than what the locals paid. But I accepted it as part of the tour price.

And yes, this was long before the Euro currency, where every country had it own currency.

01-02-17  04:13pm - 2868 days #30
malikstarks (0)
Active User

Posts: 108
Registered: Nov 19, '07
Location: Florida
Originally Posted by Colm4:


I use AVS Video converter. They also have an editor, but I have to convert most downloads so they play on my media player.
Very easy to use. Can even edit out a single second if I want to.

It's a pay program, but you get a lifetime 'membership' to all their products and updates for that.


Hmm, well I only have a handful of vids I wish to edit, but I'll look into it nonetheless, thanks.

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