One Piece Illegally Posted, Official Simulcast Now Pulled

[Chris Beveridge]

One Piece was set to begin its simulcast via the FUNimation services tonight at 9PM but a snag has been hit due to someone posting it early from outside of FUNimation. FUNimation has spoken directly about the matter:

“As anime fans know, FUNimation Entertainment and Toei Animation had planned for the first ever online simulcast of the series ‘One Piece’ tonight at 9:00 pm CDT., just one hour after its premiere on Japan&rsquo...

More... (http://www.mania.com/one-piece-illegally-posted-official-simulcast-now-pulled_article_115373.html)

[zaldar]

can't say I am suprized. Maybe this will turn the fans against fansubbers but I doubt it.

[tuxpower]

Perhaps that's why I couldn't watch Eps 8 of FMA:B... all of the links to the eps were gone as of tonight (9:30pm EDT). Foo...

[something]

can't say I am suprized. Maybe this will turn the fans against fansubbers but I doubt it.
Er, more like turn people who wanted the stream against Toei and Funi for pulling it. Actually, more like drive some of the people who wanted the stream to download the fansubs instead. You can't "turn fans against fansubbers" because there's no monolithic entity called "the fansubber". And snagging a legal stream and sticking it on a tracker isn't even "fansubbing" anyway.

[Nana_fan]

Pretty pathetic that some people can't keep their panties on and have to poke and prod a website to try and watch a cartoon of all things before it's released.

It was going to be released for free anyway. Some anime fans just baffle the crap out of me.

[Chris Beveridge]

can't say I am suprized. Maybe this will turn the fans against fansubbers but I doubt it.
Er, more like turn people who wanted the stream against Toei and Funi for pulling it. Actually, more like drive some of the people who wanted the stream to download the fansubs instead. You can't "turn fans against fansubbers" because there's no monolithic entity called "the fansubber". And snagging a legal stream and sticking it on a tracker isn't even "fansubbing" anyway.

Maybe it'll turn some fans against fandom all the more. It's not fansubbing as you say, but it doesn't turn me against Toei or FUNi over it. Then again, I hear plenty of grousing about having to watch a 30 second ad that's front loaded on FUNi's streams as being a reason to not watch the official stuff and look for the fansubs.

[reboman]

can't say I am suprized. Maybe this will turn the fans against fansubbers but I doubt it.
Er, more like turn people who wanted the stream against Toei and Funi for pulling it. Actually, more like drive some of the people who wanted the stream to download the fansubs instead. You can't "turn fans against fansubbers" because there's no monolithic entity called "the fansubber". And snagging a legal stream and sticking it on a tracker isn't even "fansubbing" anyway.

Maybe it'll turn some fans against fandom all the more. It's not fansubbing as you say, but it doesn't turn me against Toei or FUNi over it. Then again, I hear plenty of grousing about having to watch a 30 second ad that's front loaded on FUNi's streams as being a reason to not watch the official stuff and look for the fansubs.

I don't know; while I personally have no interest in One Piece itself, I would imagine more people would put the blame on either Toei or Funimation. The people who are interested in the show would justly be frustrated by this sort of situation, and regardless of whether the following would be correct, it would seem easier to assign responsibility to a direct cause (the corporation removing the show) than a somewhat indirect cause (some nameless individual pirating it).

[zangetsu22]

This is why I don't like hardcore anime fans! The Weaboo facture complains so much and when Funi was giving them FREE subs streaming, some DOUCHE had to ruin it. I hope Funi finds the jerk.

[LordGeo]

Then again, I hear plenty of grousing about having to watch a 30 second ad that's front loaded on FUNi's streams as being a reason to not watch the official stuff and look for the fansubs.

Not to mention that you can just close those ads in about 1 second... Those complainers are just too lazy to move their mouses and click on an "X" in the top-right corner.

[zangetsu22]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn3WR-H9F5U

My video on this matter. I hope Funi doesn't lose the rights to One Piece Dubbed, or not get any Toei products like Sailor Moon.

[Betenoire]

Maybe it'll turn some fans against fandom all the more. It's not fansubbing as you say, but it doesn't turn me against Toei or FUNi over it. Then again, I hear plenty of grousing about having to watch a 30 second ad that's front loaded on FUNi's streams as being a reason to not watch the official stuff and look for the fansubs.

That's just messed up about people being upset over a 30 second add. Have these people watched TV or gone to a movie lately? I can understand those who can't skip the front loaded trailers on Funi disc because they have (or should have) paid for the discs. But a 30 second add for something free? :rolleyes:

This situation doesn't turn me against Funi or Toei, but it does make me question what Funi was thinking. Um, in case they missed it there are plenty of people in the anime fan community at large who's greatest joy is to either know something before everyone else and break news (or in this case an ep) early(or just play the "I know something you don't card"). One would think that something Funi has control over the distribution would be better locked up. Or pay someone to work the night shift and upload the ep. just before the start time or something. Seriously, they should know the crowd they are dealing with by now and that many of the people in said crowd have mad computer skills (though in this case it doesn't seem that mad skills were required).

[something]

Maybe it'll turn some fans against fandom all the more. It's not fansubbing as you say, but it doesn't turn me against Toei or FUNi over it.
Sure, you aren't going to hold it against them, but I doubt Funi/Toei were expecting you to. There will, though, be a lot of people out there who were hyped to watch this stream, and are now going to be sitting around going, "Hey, where the hell is my stream? They lied!" or "Well *I* didn't post the episode online, so why am *I* being punished?" or "Well if they're going to pull it I guess fansubs are my only choice after all, so much for legal streams!" or "Fine, I'll watch something else." What reaction, exactly, were Funi/Toei (ok, I'm sure this was entirely Toei's call but for the sake of argument) hoping for by pulling it? Where does it help their bottom line to abdicate to the fansubbers?

R1's got a good thing going with the number of shows being streamed in the past season or two. Whether or not the shows still get fansubbed or streamrips get uploaded is almost immaterial, because the real advantage is that they're getting shows out within days or hours of airing to many (not all, but many) of the eventual viewers with their name on it. They get to control the translation (few groups bother retranslating what's already been translated), and build a community/fanbase that is at least in part centered around their online communities and websites (e.g. Crunchyroll). This is important. Yeah, there are people who would rather not be part of those official communities for one reason or another, but that's not a big deal. What is, is that for the first time the rights holders have a North American presence connected to the initial viewing of a show.

If Funi/Toei were thinking straight, they'd go ahead with the simulcast. They can also do whatever they want to go after whoever snagged it, sure, whatever makes them happy. But to let that affect everyone who did care about the stream is just pointless at best, and more to the point it's ineffective because it's not like withholding the stream even closes off other routes of availability to the episodes!

Heck, here's the worst part: this hugely empowers the people who want to see them fail. Look at the reaction we got from this one incident! Imagine if the person who did it didn't even like One Piece. Actually, imagine if they hated One Piece and were hoping for this reaction. It's like someone who reacts to being insulted by running face first into the nearest wall. It sure makes the "I'm mad!" point loud and clear, but they're also eventually going to break their nose (and look pretty retarded in the process).

[Betenoire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn3WR-H9F5U

My video on this matter. I hope Funi doesn't lose the rights to One Piece Dubbed, or not get any Toei products like Sailor Moon.

I doubt Toei would pull DVD rights over this unless they could prove gross misconduct or that there was willful misconduct if for no other reason than right now Funi is the big dog in R1 and I don't know how many other alternatives Toei would have. Toei could kill the streaming rights, or delay the episodes getting into Funi's hands until after the eps aired in Japan and thus creating a delay. I see this as more likely.

And Toei was during the b odd in it's handling of Sailor Moon even years ago during the boom years. I doubt this incident could much change their policy on that title.

[Suwako Moriya]

Then again, I hear plenty of grousing about having to watch a 30 second ad that's front loaded on FUNi's streams as being a reason to not watch the official stuff and look for the fansubs.

I can't speak for others, but I definitely don't consider a 30 second ad to be the end of the word. Just so long as it's not like that case I had with another site where the only thing that actually loaded was the ad itself.

Perhaps it could be because I haven't been streaming that heavily from Funimation, but I haven't really experience that many (if any) instances of having to deal with a 30 second ad. Or maybe I'm simply just lucky?

In any case, I'm hoping that companies will continue the idea of legit streaming and streaming that's relatively close to the airing in Japan. As I'm growing to like the idea. Not that One Piece is one of the series I'm interested in watching this way.

[AdyHart]

Seems like some impatient person has really screwed it up for himself and all the other fans.
At first I thought Funi were overreacting to this but further thought showed me that Funimation are just in stopping the broadcast for the immediate future.
I bet Toei gave them a list of orders a mile long that they had to comply with to the letter to provide fans with something they were screaming for and having the stream hijacked is a major hiccup.
I have no doubts it will get all secured and sorted soon enough but the main problem seems that for some fans "right now" isnt quick enough for their anime fix and its a problem Funimation cant fix.

[kakugo]

Two words spring to mind. One of them is "ridiculous"... I'll let you guess the other. (Here's a hint: It rhymes with "plucking".)

Had the episode not been ripped and posted 24 hours before the show aired, it would have been ripped and posted 24 hours afterwards. Delaying the inevitable and "depriving" fans who were willing to watch the legal stream is only doing FUNi and Toei harm, while the fans who were following the show with or without FUNi and Toei's involvement will continue on their business as usual. I'm willing to wager most fans don't really care, as long as they get their anime.

I don't know if pulling the plug - if only for now - was FUNi or Toei's decision, but it was a lousy one either way. Prosecute the guy who posted the rip, fine. But why piss off your target audience in the meantime? It's not like the "other" major show FUNi's streaming can't be downloaded through alternate means, but that seemingly isn't stopping legions of fans from watching FUNi's legitimate release anyway.

[hikaru004]

Well the posting timeline potentially extends earlier. You need to search to see the extent of it.

[Knossos]

This is why I don't (or rather, choose not to) understand the mentality of some anime fans. I know that fans will do weird stuff for the sake of being fans, but why on Earth does anime have so much influence in some people's thinking?

This person knew the show was already going be released on the same day, yet they went and did what they did. I mean, to go through so much trouble just for one cartoon series is very sad, and it goes to show that some fans either have way too much time on their hands, or have their minds entirely consumed by anime.

[something]

This is why I don't (or rather, choose not to) understand the mentality of some anime fans. I know that fans will do weird stuff for the sake of being fans, but why on Earth does anime have so much influence in some people's thinking?
This person knew the show was already going be released on the same day, yet they went and did what they did. I mean, to go through so much trouble just for one cartoon series is very sad, and it goes to show that some fans either have way too much time on their hands, or have their minds entirely consumed by anime.
I think people are looking for the motivation in the wrong place. I'd put money on this not being some "impatient/consumed One Piece fan" at all. I bet anything it's someone who just hates Funimation, or rather more likely doesn't care one way or the other about Funimation and just did it because they could, and because some people naturally get a high from sticking their hands into things they know they're not supposed to touch.

I'd compare it to hacking, but given how easy it apparently was to get the ep "hacking" would be giving it too much credit. But the mentality is just the same, really. There's no significant benefit for someone in doing this, just the smug self satisfaction of knowing you did, and of seeing Toei and Funi (over)react and play right into the person's hands. I admit I don't share or even fully understand this mindset myself, but the basic concept isn't complicated.

Interpreting the whole debacle as "Oh look, fans aren't even satisfied with immediate, they want it before it's even scheduled to air!" is misunderstanding the situation. If the episode were not hijacked and had aired as scheduled, people would have been just as happy then as if they'd seen it a few hours later. And that interpretation also runs the risk of evolving into, "Thus fans are fundamentally unreasonable and we shouldn't bother to stream things at all", which would be an absolutely disastrous mindset for the anime industry to get trapped in.

[Xcandescent]

From all the scuttlebutt about the security (or lack thereof) surrounding the media on their server, FUNi shouldn't have been surprised by this at all.

Yes, the episode was "stolen", but watching the knee-jerk reaction by whoever called off the streams is almost worth it. It's tragi-comical. The basic idea of putting streams out there is to dry up the demand for said content from fansubbers, and make money while doing it. By cutting off said streams, FUNi/Toei/Fuji TV do neither.

It's like watching dinosaurs in a tar pit.

-XCN-

[Draneor]

Maybe it'll turn some fans against fandom all the more.

I don't think it's fandom so much as griefers--people who just do things for the lols. It doesn't matter if they like One Piece or even anime at all. It was there for them to take, post, and then sit back and laugh. I'm not saying it should be this way, of course.

[The Pirate Queen]

From what I understand - and this may be flawed and/or incomplete, I hardly have all the information - the decision to pull the episode had less to do with Funi/Toei than it did with Toei and the Japanese TV station they have a contract with.

[Mario1234567]

Hey FUNi I got some information for you……….
(Dude this is like trying to Catch Kira!)(Its like Death Note)
Anyway.

Mod Edit fansub link

Scroll down to Fansubbing groups then click see all, There they have every Fansubbing group in every country and in every Language if you click the name of the subbing group it will provide you with a link to there website. There are 42 Fansubbers in all.
Well I have helped I feel its my duty to help you guys are awesome you give there fans what they want and you listen to them and you guys are really doing a good job you don’t deserve this…

Mod Edit fansub link

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

Well I hope Funi catches the one(s) resposable and so we can get our streaming episodes of FMA and Phantom back. Im not a fan of One Piece but to all One Piece fans Im sorry to hear of this for you.

[The Great Bear]

From what I understand - and this may be flawed and/or incomplete, I hardly have all the information - the decision to pull the episode had less to do with Funi/Toei than it did with Toei and the Japanese TV station they have a contract with.

While I have no privileged information, this sounds far more likely than anything else mentioned.

Toei more than likely has an exclusive broadcast contract with Fuji TV, and the release of the episode before that initial broadcast might have resulted in a breach of contract between Toei and Fuji TV. Toei has to apologize to Fuji for allowing this to happen, even if it is the result of Funimation's less than stellar security.

The pulling of FMA:B is probably collateral damage, as Aniplex may have requested it until Funimation improves their security. While the digital release for that has a delay built in, none of us here would know how early Funi was actually getting the materials and placing them on their servers.

…

It's all well and good to bash Funi and Toei and say that "by pulling the streams, you're just going to drive fans to illegal means," and sure, sadly, many individuals will just go back to those methods, but that ignores that the situation is not entirely in Funimation's, or even Toei's hands. They have commitments to other companies, and those take precedence over fan desires.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

From what I understand - and this may be flawed and/or incomplete, I hardly have all the information - the decision to pull the episode had less to do with Funi/Toei than it did with Toei and the Japanese TV station they have a contract with.

While I have no privileged information, this sounds far more likely than anything else mentioned.

Toei more than likely has an exclusive broadcast contract with Fuji TV, and the release of the episode before that initial broadcast might have resulted in a breach of contract between Toei and Fuji TV. Toei has to apologize to Fuji for allowing this to happen, even if it is the result of Funimation's less than stellar security.

The pulling of FMA:B is probably collateral damage, as Aniplex may have requested it until Funimation improves their security. While the digital release for that has a delay built in, none of us here would know how early Funi was actually getting the materials and placing them on their servers.

…

It's all well and good to bash Funi and Toei and say that "by pulling the streams, you're just going to drive fans to illegal means," and sure, sadly, many individuals will just go back to those methods, but that ignores that the situation is not entirely in Funimation's, or even Toei's hands. They have commitments to other companies, and those take precedence over fan desires.
Well all that make total sense. I would like it if one of the FuniReps would if they have free time tell us directly what they can.

[The Great Bear]

I would like it if one of the FuniReps would if they have free time tell us directly what they can.

While it might seem counter-intuitive, while negotiations are going on behind the scenes (as they negotiate apologies and penalties that might have to be paid for the slip up), none of those involved may be able to issue a statement beyond the initial statement that we've had from Funimation. Once matters have been settled behind the scenes, we might get a follow up statement. Or not.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

OK then.

[DeadlyMessiah]

Hold up, what? Because of one person they are going to make the rest of us suffer? **** THEM THEN!!!! I thought the purpose of this was to get us to see it legally, and to convince us not to watch fansubs, not to say, "If there is a fansub, we are not going to show this." Sorry, but this is just childish. YOu don't make a promise to give fans the latest episode an hour after it premiered and then pull it because someone else did it first illegally. That makes me wonder if they truly had any intention of showing it.

[tablesalt]

Sorry, but this is just childish. YOu don't make a promise to give fans the latest episode an hour after it premiered and then pull it because someone else did it first illegally.

Fans have been whining for years that they should get everything free; and even when the companies do it, the fans still steal it. That's childish.

This is why I don't understand the entire 'digital distribution' trend of the anime industry. They can't win, they can't beat piracy, and they're leaving real customers behind in favor of chasing people that will never contribute.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

Hold up, what? Because of one person they are going to make the rest of us suffer? **** THEM THEN!!!! I thought the purpose of this was to get us to see it legally, and to convince us not to watch fansubs, not to say, "If there is a fansub, we are not going to show this." Sorry, but this is just childish. YOu don't make a promise to give fans the latest episode an hour after it premiered and then pull it because someone else did it first illegally. That makes me wonder if they truly had any intention of showing it.
That's the thing. This was made by Toei and Funimation has a contract with them thus they have no choice in the matter. To me the funsub war feels like a loosing one for the legit anime companies.

As for FMA goes like Great Bear said hopfuly the the pulling of it on funimation.com just precautionary and will be back up ASAP.

[The Great Bear]

This is why I don't understand the entire 'digital distribution' trend of the anime industry. They can't win, they can't beat piracy, and they're leaving real customers behind in favor of chasing people that will never contribute.

They're not actually chasing those people. They know well enough that they'll never get a cent out of the freeloaders.

But what they can do is have advertising supported streams (Crunchyroll, etc.) that will bring in a share of ad revenue, and by streaming things on their own website, companies such as Funimation hope (this is just my speculation, but I think it is grounded in reality) that people look around their site, happen upon other shows that they like, and possibly buy them. So, a form of marketing/advertising again.

What is the alternative? They just sit back and have unfettered fansubbing? From which they get nothing?

…

The only way to get rid of fansubs entirely is to make them obsolete and unnecessary. If all shows were provided on day and date release, perhaps on a one-hour delay even, with fast servers and decent quality, the "market" for fansubs would dry up overnight. Immediate simulcast with Japan would of course be superior, as no fansub group could even hope to achieve that.

At the moment, it appears that the content creators and distributors are still on the upward climb of the learning curve. Funi needs to take server security more seriously, and any other companies will have to do the same. If they get it right, and I hope they do get it right, then the game will be over.

[Draneor]

The only way to get rid of fansubs entirely is to make them obsolete and unnecessary. If all shows were provided on day and date release, perhaps on a one-hour delay even, with fast servers and decent quality, the "market" for fansubs would dry up overnight. Immediate simulcast with Japan would of course be superior, as no fansub group could even hope to achieve that.

The problem with streaming is it just results in people ripping the streams. Whether it be because of the "poor" video quality, because someone thinks they can improve the release, or just because they can. Hell, it's happening right now. Notwithstanding the rips, streaming so far hasn't even prevented or reduced fansubbing as far as I can tell.

I don't think there is anything the industry can do to eliminate it entirely. As long as the internet exists, online piracy will exist. That said, I do think streaming minimizes the impact and scope, so to speak.

[The Great Bear]

The problem with streaming is it just results in people ripping the streams. Whether it be because of the "poor" video quality, because someone thinks they can improve the release, or just because they can. Hell, it's happening right now. Notwithstanding the rips, streaming so far hasn't even prevented or reduced fansubbing.

That's right now. But in time, if the official streams get better in quality, are easy to access, and do everything most people want them to do…why would anyone download a rip of the official stream?

Of course, you're not going to stop people ripping the streams and loading them up on torrent sites. But the point to official streams is to make these people look foolish. I mean, if you can have immediate simulcasts where people here can see the show at the same exact time that it's being broadcast for the first time in Japan…why would you wait an hour just so you can download a torrent…of a rip of the official stream? What exactly would such a person be accomplishing?

The vast majority will migrate to the official streams, so long as they're easy to use and provide sufficient quality. What a few people do otherwise, well, who cares?

[Just Passing Through]

The only point left in ripping a stream is if a software player on your PC is better at rendering playback than the website... cough Crunchyroll cough

Incidentally, Phantom Ep 9 is back up on the Funi Portal now.

[Draneor]

That's right now. But in time, if the official streams get better in quality, are easy to access, and do everything most people want them to do…why would anyone download a rip of the official stream?

[...]

The vast majority will migrate to the official streams, so long as they're easy to use and provide sufficient quality. What a few people do otherwise, well, who cares?

Well, I hope that will be the case. I guess I take a more pessimistic outlook.

[The Great Bear]

The only point left in ripping a stream is if a software player on your PC is better at rendering playback than the website... cough Crunchyroll cough

That's an issue, but one that may become less important with improvements in technology. And it's also a YMMV issue. Some people don't really care too much about the quality. They just want good enough.

Well, I hope that will be the case. I guess I take a more pessimistic outlook.

It's not a matter of pessimism or optimism. The companies will have to adapt…or it's all going to come to an end.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

Incidentally, Phantom Ep 9 is back up on the Funi Portal now.
Well thank God for that at least.

[LelouchLamperouge]

Given it's all FUNimation's fault from the evidence I have seen, they deserve whatever comes to them. The only one who should be prosecuted is FUNimation.

Just stick to YouTube, Hulu and Crunchyroll. Forget about this Video Portal they have.

[Daimao Raki]

can't say I am suprized. Maybe this will turn the fans against fansubbers but I doubt it.
Er, more like turn people who wanted the stream against Toei and Funi for pulling it. Actually, more like drive some of the people who wanted the stream to download the fansubs instead. You can't "turn fans against fansubbers" because there's no monolithic entity called "the fansubber". And snagging a legal stream and sticking it on a tracker isn't even "fansubbing" anyway.

Maybe it'll turn some fans against fandom all the more. It's not fansubbing as you say, but it doesn't turn me against Toei or FUNi over it. Then again, I hear plenty of grousing about having to watch a 30 second ad that's front loaded on FUNi's streams as being a reason to not watch the official stuff and look for the fansubs.
Which is weird because the Japanese have ads on their stuff too...or do the fansubbers edit that out?

[Daichi]

I just heard the news..that sucks so much.

I wonder how this will affect the voyage releases.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

can't say I am suprized. Maybe this will turn the fans against fansubbers but I doubt it.
Er, more like turn people who wanted the stream against Toei and Funi for pulling it. Actually, more like drive some of the people who wanted the stream to download the fansubs instead. You can't "turn fans against fansubbers" because there's no monolithic entity called "the fansubber". And snagging a legal stream and sticking it on a tracker isn't even "fansubbing" anyway.

Maybe it'll turn some fans against fandom all the more. It's not fansubbing as you say, but it doesn't turn me against Toei or FUNi over it. Then again, I hear plenty of grousing about having to watch a 30 second ad that's front loaded on FUNi's streams as being a reason to not watch the official stuff and look for the fansubs.

Which is weird because the Japanese have ads on their stuff too...or do the fansubbers edit that out?
Yeah but with good video editing equipment you can take out stuff like ads. Of course they always have the ones that are displayed right after the opening theme plays.

[Daimao Raki]

Sorry, but this is just childish. YOu don't make a promise to give fans the latest episode an hour after it premiered and then pull it because someone else did it first illegally.

Fans have been whining for years that they should get everything free; and even when the companies do it, the fans still steal it. That's childish.

This is why I don't understand the entire 'digital distribution' trend of the anime industry. They can't win, they can't beat piracy, and they're leaving real customers behind in favor of chasing people that will never contribute.Anime companies need to look for a totally new audience cause these kids aren't worth Russian toilet paper.

[something]

The problem with streaming is it just results in people ripping the streams. Whether it be because of the "poor" video quality, because someone thinks they can improve the release, or just because they can. Hell, it's happening right now. Notwithstanding the rips, streaming so far hasn't even prevented or reduced fansubbing as far as I can tell.
By fansubbing, do you mean fansubbing, or just unauthorized posting of episodes online at all, whether they're fansubs or just streamrips? Because if you did mean actual fansubbing here, then it's hugely reduced it. For the shows getting legal streams, almost nobody is bothering to do a traditional from-scratch fansub. I can only think of one potential exception off the top of my head, though I'm sure there are at least a few more. But not many, because it'd be a waste of time.

If you meant the latter definition, then you're correct. The main thing that's happening now is what you mentioned, people taking the translation and improving the releases by putting it on much better quality raws. This is why streaming sites need to, more than anything, improve their video quality. That seems to me like priority #1. Some people will never use the legit streams of course simply because they're just used to their existing distribution channels, even when the legal alternative is just as free as the torrents. But for other people, streaming quality is often just really inferior, and playback is a lot bumpier than a download, or buffers forever, or both. I know I still can't get anything 720p to play at an acceptable level of smoothness from Crunchyroll, even with a paid account, even when I let the whole episode load ahead of time. And anything below the 720p encodes tends to look really bad - and sometimes still bumpy! I also tried Phantom a few times on Funi's site and never once got anything resembling an acceptable buffering time.

Technology should, eventually, solve these problems, or so I'd hope. But I'd also think there has to be more that can be done with current technology to improve the experience as well.

There's also the issue of being locked into the official web player for streaming. These tend to be very inflexible compared to the popular video payback software out there, which some people care about and others don't. Crunchyroll's is the best official one I've used so far, playback quality/speed notwithstanding, but some of them are really bad. I keep hoping that one day downloads become a primary option instead. If free streaming has made fansubbing largely unnecessary for the streamed shows, offering downloads would make streamrips largely unnecessary for those shows as well.

I mean, oh sure, it'd still happen, but there would be plenty of people who wouldn't bother with them, just as there are already plenty of people who don't bother with downloads if they can just watch on CR or Hulu or the Funi player.

Reading this thread, I'm seeing a lot of people, generally speaking, continuing to define "victory" in absolute terms. I.e., unless every single illegal file disappears from the internet, legit digital distro has failed. As long as even one fan is willing to bypass the legal methods, then screw it, "fandom" is evil. That's really not practical or even useful, though. It doesn't matter if fansubs exist. It doesn't matter if streamrips exist. What does matter is that increasingly more people, both fansub watchers and more importantly, new viewers are turning to legit distro methods.

How many people would be watching FMA: Brotherhood via a legit stream if there were no legit stream? Er, well, zero obviously! They would have had two realistic choices: Watch Fansubs, and Don't Watch. But Funi is now streaming FMA:B legally. How many people are watching FMA:B via a legit stream now? Well, I'm not sure actually, though it'd be cool to get numbers. But it's a lot more than zero! Heck... tens of thousands maybe? More?

That's what success is. Not scorched earth total eradication. Success is changing how the game is played and siphoning off existing viewers and giving new viewers a way to see shows they wouldn't have otherwise. Look at The Great Bear. He's now officially reviewing episodes of Saki - a show he wouldn't be watching at all if fansubs were the only option. He's a perfect example of the latter category.

The people who insist on looking at the number of viewers who don't use legit sources rather than the number of viewers who do are missing the important parts. That's not how you measure streaming's success.

[hikaru004]

Totally agree with something's post.

[Draneor]

By fansubbing, do you mean fansubbing, or just unauthorized posting of episodes online at all, whether they're fansubs or just streamrips?

I mean traditional fansubbing, and I had a couple shows in mind. I didn't check every show so I may have overstated my point.


The people who insist on looking at the number of viewers who don't use legit sources rather than the number of viewers who do are missing the important parts. That's not how you measure streaming's success.

When the majority of fandom hasn't adopted, I think it is important to look at how many aren't. Streaming is pointless if only the people watching are the people who would have bought the DVDs or watched it on TV. Personally, as I said earlier, I don't think illegal methods will ever go away. Streaming may reduce their scope and effect, but they'll always be around. Fans will always come up with a reason why they can't watch them. And as this incident shows, it only takes one person to fuck it up for the rest of us.

[something]

I mean traditional fansubbing, and I had a couple shows in mind. I didn't check every show so I may have overstated my point.
I obviously follow this stuff very closely, so I can easily confirm that the vast majority of releases for the streamed shows are (modified or straight) streamrips, not traditional fansubs.

When the majority of fandom hasn't adopted, I think it is important to look at how many aren't.
Do we actually have any idea what the relative numbers are? We're also still really early into this. I'd say the current season is the first one ever where a respectable percentage of the newly airing shows are available in some legal streaming form. And even then some really heavy hitters are conspicuously missing, like Haruhi 2009 and K-ON!

if only the people watching are the people who would have bought the DVDs or watched it on TV.
I don't think this is the situation at all, actually. You're missing the huge segment of fansub viewers who already *don't* download - they would rather just click a link and watch uploads to YouTube and similar video sharing sites. They're the easiest ones to transition over to legit channels, and they're definitely not the hardcore AOD DVD buyer.

[Mank]

Bleh, despite the fact that it's almost certainly legal nonsense that's causing this, the whole "punish the whole for the crime of one" annoys the heck out of me, and it's a little ridiculous to see at this scale (It would've been nice if they at least phrased it a little differently as well, so it at least SOUNDED a little more like "due to certain legal issues, we can no longer stream..." as opposed to "Somebody broke into our servers and @#$%ed the rest of you over. Blame them!"

[hikaru004]

Since it happened to 2 titles (OP, Requiem for the Phantom), it's not at all unreasonable to stop streaming and put a patch solution up and then restart streaming so as not to lose too much money. An overhaul to fully correct the problem would prob start later this week when the full IT staff of FUNi and any consultants are available.

Right now it could just be the on call staff that's available.

It's not "punishing the world for the crime of one" at all imo.

[Betenoire]

When the majority of fandom hasn't adopted, I think it is important to look at how many aren't. Streaming is pointless if only the people watching are the people who would have bought the DVDs or watched it on TV. Personally, as I said earlier, I don't think illegal methods will ever go away. Streaming may reduce their scope and effect, but they'll always be around. Fans will always come up with a reason why they can't watch them. And as this incident shows, it only takes one person to fuck it up for the rest of us.

Well some of this may cause Funi and any other legal site to look at it's self and see what the other sites offer that they don't some of it may also be due to the fact that the whole stream within X hours of Japan broadcast is relatively new. In that sense Funi is competing against an already established (though illegal) market. People are largely creatures of habit. They often continue to go to the same places until something comes along that creates a large enough improvement for them to make a change. And so the legal sources now have to figure out how to make a better experience for people. And do to some inherent limitations they have (namely licensing) they will probably never be able to compete with all the choices on an illegal site may carry, if the product is equal or better in quality and available much faster, they will slowly draw people to them who may then make the legal sites their regular place.

And yes, you'll never stamp out all illegal methods. There will be some who don't want to change either because of habit, the perception their old way is better (quality of video or translation or whatever) and those who just hate the company behind the site (Funi seems to have many detractors and I have yet to warm to CR myself despite their recent changes do to their origins) but most businesses don't measure success by the immediate eradication of their competition but by the growth of their business and in this case by marginalizing the illegal sites over time.

[Chris Beveridge]

Given it's all FUNimation's fault from the evidence I have seen, they deserve whatever comes to them. The only one who should be prosecuted is FUNimation.

Just stick to YouTube, Hulu and Crunchyroll. Forget about this Video Portal they have.

I've used hulu via the PS3 and it's horrid since full screen isn't really full screen. I gave up doing Crunchyroll via the PS3 most of the time because the buffer is terrible and it take 35 minutes to watch a 25 minute show. Other than the javascript on the Funimation portal (which means I can't change "pages" through the browser), their portal has been the best to me in terms of actually watching a show with no slowdowns, acceptable quality and a proper full screen presentation. I've made it through dozens of episodes in this format so far and I wouldn't use any other. In a lot of ways, I *can't* use any other.

[Fencedude]

I've used hulu via the PS3 and it's horrid since full screen isn't really full screen. I gave up doing Crunchyroll via the PS3 most of the time because the buffer is terrible and it take 35 minutes to watch a 25 minute show. Other than the javascript on the Funimation portal (which means I can't change "pages" through the browser), their portal has been the best to me in terms of actually watching a show with no slowdowns, acceptable quality and a proper full screen presentation. I've made it through dozens of episodes in this format so far and I wouldn't use any other. In a lot of ways, I *can't* use any other.

Crunchyroll is odd with the PS3.

I've found Hayate works almost perfectly (if I use the SD stream, since I'm on a 27'' CRT it looks perfectly fine) but Saki and Arashi don't work well even with the SD stream. Shangri-La has been hit and miss.

This is really stupid because there is no damn reason the PSFUCKING3, which is more powerful than my computer, should have a problem with a stupid flash stream.

Someone at Sony needs to look into their browser implementation and fix this.

[The Great Bear]

Someone at Sony needs to look into their browser implementation and fix this.

It's definitely the browser. Viewing it on Firefox on a Mac Mini (not the most powerful piece of computing equipment, and no dedicated video memory), it's fairly smooth and loads up well.

[joelgundam01]

Someone at Sony needs to look into their browser implementation and fix this.

Ugh! I wish Mozilla and Sony would team up and make a version of Firefox for the PS3.

[DeadlyMessiah]

So when is Funi actually going to put the episodes up like they promised?

[Fencedude]

So when is Funi actually going to put the episodes up like they promised?

When Toei lets them.

[Daimao Raki]

So when is Funi actually going to put the episodes up like they promised?

When Toei lets them.Knowing Toei, this could be never.

[Digital Boy]

This is why I don't like hardcore anime fans! The Weaboo facture complains so much and when Funi was giving them FREE subs streaming, some DOUCHE had to ruin it. I hope Funi finds the jerk.

God, I hate jerk wads who fuck things up for the rest of us

[Knossos]

This is why I don't (or rather, choose not to) understand the mentality of some anime fans. I know that fans will do weird stuff for the sake of being fans, but why on Earth does anime have so much influence in some people's thinking?
This person knew the show was already going be released on the same day, yet they went and did what they did. I mean, to go through so much trouble just for one cartoon series is very sad, and it goes to show that some fans either have way too much time on their hands, or have their minds entirely consumed by anime.
I think people are looking for the motivation in the wrong place. I'd put money on this not being some "impatient/consumed One Piece fan" at all. I bet anything it's someone who just hates Funimation, or rather more likely doesn't care one way or the other about Funimation and just did it because they could, and because some people naturally get a high from sticking their hands into things they know they're not supposed to touch.
Even if this may be the case, it still boggles the mind that someone can have so much hatred for a company -- one that merely releases entertainment products -- to do such a thing. If this was to be a reflection of what typically goes on in the anime fandom, then I would personally be embarrased about being a part of it.

Forgive me if it sounds like I'm out of touch with what goes on with the "otaku" fanbase or know about the politics that come about from all this, but the reaction that people from both sides are giving is something that makes outsiders roll their eyes in disbelief. What's the problem with losing the chance to watch one episode of one series when some of you have piles of other anime to watch or download? What's with the grudge and fixation against one company who, despite not pleasing everybody, is at least is trying to promote anime outside of Japan?

I guess these questions might sound too simplistic for a veteran fan, but it's something that I, and maybe other casual or non-anime fans would ask about all of this. If it had been a favorite show of mine that got pulled down instead, well, I'd survive by watching something else and simply hope that show gets another chance in the future.

But arguing about it seems like a waste of time to me. (Heck, almost four hundred posts on ANN about this sure makes it seem that anime fans have too much time on their hands.)

[tuxpower]

This is why I don't (or rather, choose not to) understand the mentality of some anime fans. I know that fans will do weird stuff for the sake of being fans, but why on Earth does anime have so much influence in some people's thinking?
This person knew the show was already going be released on the same day, yet they went and did what they did. I mean, to go through so much trouble just for one cartoon series is very sad, and it goes to show that some fans either have way too much time on their hands, or have their minds entirely consumed by anime.
I think people are looking for the motivation in the wrong place. I'd put money on this not being some "impatient/consumed One Piece fan" at all. I bet anything it's someone who just hates Funimation, or rather more likely doesn't care one way or the other about Funimation and just did it because they could, and because some people naturally get a high from sticking their hands into things they know they're not supposed to touch.

I think something hit it on the head concerning the reasons why this happened. Heck, being in the computer business for many years, I've seen less motivation to break into a server than that. In some cases (and not to slight Funimation's IT department - been there, done that guys), but all it takes is a vulnerability in the right area and BAM, you're in.

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised that only Phantom, OP and FMA:B were affected. As someone else stated earlier in the thread, perhaps their contracts had some sort of clause in them in case this happened. I'm sure the full-time IT staff are working on forensic analysis as I type this... I know if they were my servers, I would have been called in... One can blame Funi all they want, but I really feel for those guys right now...

[Betenoire]

Even if this may be the case, it still boggles the mind that someone can have so much hatred for a company -- one that merely releases entertainment products -- to do such a thing. If this was to be a reflection of what typically goes on in the anime fandom, then I would personally be embarrased about being a part of it.

I don't know that it is just fandom. People are always trying to hack different companies that they don't like. And listen to people talk about different things they despise and their reasoning and it is a far more prevalent condition in society than just the anime community.

Forgive me if it sounds like I'm out of touch with what goes on with the "otaku" fanbase or know about the politics that come about from all this, but the reaction that people from both sides are giving is something that makes outsiders roll their eyes in disbelief. What's the problem with losing the chance to watch one episode of one series when some of you have piles of other anime to watch or download? What's with the grudge and fixation against one company who, despite not pleasing everybody, is at least is trying to promote anime outside of Japan?

I guess these questions might sound too simplistic for a veteran fan, but it's something that I, and maybe other casual or non-anime fans would ask about all of this. If it had been a favorite show of mine that got pulled down instead, well, I'd survive by watching something else and simply hope that show gets another chance in the future.

But arguing about it seems like a waste of time to me. (Heck, almost four hundred posts on ANN about this sure makes it seem that anime fans have too much time on their hands.)

Part of the reason may be some dislike Funi, and some because expectations were set up and now are not meet. Some of this can be people who can't take disappointment and some is outrage that this legal way of doing things has been mucked up. Plus there is something to the fact that people may express themselves differently in a group, esp online, than they may in their day to day lives. If you want some fun, check some other websites that cover other societal events. There are things there that may make this seem tame. And 400 posts over how many people? One person, yeah that's a lot. 400 not so much. People respond to what they care about, but they are often not objective about those same things. I don't think using individ events to paint a group is really worthwhile. After all, not all anime fans belong here, to ANN or even have to post online.

And most outsiders to the anime community will likely never here of this anyway. It's not like there is some nut on TV carrying a sign at a sporting event bashing Funi (at least that I've ever seen. Almost every community has members whose actions frustrate or seem extreme to the rest of the members. The thing to do is to try to look at the whole and not just parts before deciding everyone is a nutter.

[Draneor]

Even if this may be the case, it still boggles the mind that someone can have so much hatred for a company -- one that merely releases entertainment products

It's the internet and the internet is serious business. It's not about anime--people are assholes. People do things online because they can.

[something]

Even if this may be the case, it still boggles the mind that someone can have so much hatred for a company -- one that merely releases entertainment products -- to do such a thing.
Well, like I said, I really doubt they actually "hate" Funimation, nor would that especially matter. It's more likely they did it because they could. What this is, is little different from trolling. It's dumb yes, but you're likely overestimating the amount of emotional investment the perpetrators have in this.

If this was to be a reflection of what typically goes on in the anime fandom, then I would personally be embarrased about being a part of it.
Of course this is not a "reflection of what typically goes on". It's getting a bit silly how people are extrapolating from this incident that it represents all anime fans. Most anime fans don't care one way or another about this sort of drama. They're just in it to watch anime, not get involved in all the politics.

What's the problem with losing the chance to watch one episode of one series when some of you have piles of other anime to watch or download? What's with the grudge and fixation against one company who, despite not pleasing everybody, is at least is trying to promote anime outside of Japan?
I'm not quite sure where you're getting this impression. Also, I'm not sure what having "piles of other anime" has to do with One Piece 403 or whatever episode it was. Whether or not someone can still watch the Funi stream of Phantom or Azumanga from their DVD backlog or Tayutama from fansubs doesn't say anything about One Piece. It's not like shows are interchangeable commodities.

But arguing about it seems like a waste of time to me. (Heck, almost four hundred posts on ANN about this sure makes it seem that anime fans have too much time on their hands.)
Any argument that ends with "they have too much time on their hands" is a bit hard to take seriously. If you don't think something is worth discussing, then don't discuss it. Others have different feelings and priorities - why not just ignore them? I doubt they're going to get on your case for not discussing it. And of course getting into long winded debates is hardly a specialty unique to anime fans. :sd: Anyone who has a strong interest in anything can spend a lot of time talking about it, especially in large online communities where there are lots of people to reply to and get replied to by. I mean, jeeze, just check the comments section of any large national/international news site.

[stfram]

Forgive me if it sounds like I'm out of touch with what goes on with the "otaku" fanbase or know about the politics that come about from all this, but the reaction that people from both sides are giving is something that makes outsiders roll their eyes in disbelief. What's the problem with losing the chance to watch one episode of one series when some of you have piles of other anime to watch or download?


Bet those same "outsiders that are rolling their eyes in disbelief" would be seriously pissed if a few minutes of a championship game got replaced by porn.

Or if 30 minutes of the 2-hour season finale of a show they've been watching religously wasn't broadcast.

Hell, it doesn't matter...they can turn on the radio and listen to the simulcast of the game, or just watch a different show, right? What's the big deal?

Funi screwed up their security arrangements, Toei is a overly paranoid company that still can't seem to grasp reality, and this "press release" just made a mountain out of a molehill by saying "We're taking our ball and going home!"

They should have quietly continued the stream, and worked out the server-side security hole, rather than essentially blaming the fans of the show for their screwup. Both Toei and Funi are run by grownups, right?

[Consignia]

Someone at Sony needs to look into their browser implementation and fix this.

Ugh! I wish Mozilla and Sony would team up and make a version of Firefox for the PS3.

This isn't a particular issue with the browser, rather a poor implementation of flash (not that there are many good ones). What would be great idea, in my opinion, would to be bypass the browser completely, and release a crunchyroll app for the PS3. Then all this flash business can be done away with, and all streams can be manually handled and decoded with more sensible buffering, perhaps even set up stuff like playlists. It'd also be a hell of a lot easier to navigate through. The crunchyroll site isn't best designed in the first place, but going through the PS3 was a bit of a nightmare for me.

None of this likely to happen, of course, not when Sony's wants all video to be done through it's video store, and no real opportunity to develop 3rd party apps. A more robust implementation of flash would be nice, though.

[zangetsu22]

1. About the last comment, I take that back. I should not be talking about Religion here. Sorry. Forgive me, people.
2 Is there any news about Stream?

[stfram]

None of this likely to happen, of course, not when Sony's wants all video to be done through it's video store, and no real opportunity to develop 3rd party apps. A more robust implementation of flash would be nice, though.

Won't happen on the 360 either, since MS wants all video to be done through their own store as well. :sweat:

Perhaps Crunchyroll could link up with Tversity, which works great with both platforms...? Of course, that would require a PC to be running as well, so not a perfect solution.

[stfram]

2 Is there any news about Stream?

The million dollar question. :)

Perhaps this is a convenient way for Toei to get out of an agreement they weren't thrilled about to begin with.

[james_039]

The million dollar question. :)

Perhaps this is a convenient way for Toei to get out of an agreement they weren't thrilled about to begin with.

If that was a motivating factor in Toei's reaction, one can only hope they have plans to continue relations with other properties, DVD rights, etc.

It is bad for everyone if Toei decides to crawl into a corner and hide with all their properties.

[Xcandescent]

It's not "punishing the world for the crime of one" at all imo.But that's EXACTLY how the press release was worded -- which was RETARDED, BTW. So much for PR.

-XCN-

[TAS]

I don't know that it is just fandom. People are always trying to hack different companies that they don't like. And listen to people talk about different things they despise and their reasoning and it is a far more prevalent condition in society than just the anime community.



I don't think it was hate, or fandom so much as a warz kiddy. Like the early leak of the latest Sims game, it's all about posting something first.

You should never put something on a web server that you don't want people to see. It should be on a different server with no access from the internet then it can be uploaded to the web server when you want people to see it in a few seconds.

[ragnar]

Someone at Sony needs to look into their browser implementation and fix this.

Ugh! I wish Mozilla and Sony would team up and make a version of Firefox for the PS3.

This isn't a particular issue with the browser, rather a poor implementation of flash (not that there are many good ones). What would be great idea, in my opinion, would to be bypass the browser completely, and release a crunchyroll app for the PS3. Then all this flash business can be done away with, and all streams can be manually handled and decoded with more sensible buffering, perhaps even set up stuff like playlists. It'd also be a hell of a lot easier to navigate through. The crunchyroll site isn't best designed in the first place, but going through the PS3 was a bit of a nightmare for me.

None of this likely to happen, of course, not when Sony's wants all video to be done through it's video store, and no real opportunity to develop 3rd party apps. A more robust implementation of flash would be nice, though.

Actually, since the PS3 uses a version of Linux, the Yellow Dog version I believe, couldn't some Linux programmer take a video program that is already available and open source, like VLC, develop it to work with the PS3, then put it up on Sourceforge and other open source websites? Since there are so many PS3s out there now, it would seem to make sense, and it would fit in with Sony's plan to make the PS3 the center of a home entertainment system.

[LenMiyata]

Someone at Sony needs to look into their browser implementation and fix this.

Ugh! I wish Mozilla and Sony would team up and make a version of Firefox for the PS3.

This isn't a particular issue with the browser, rather a poor implementation of flash (not that there are many good ones). What would be great idea, in my opinion, would to be bypass the browser completely, and release a crunchyroll app for the PS3. Then all this flash business can be done away with, and all streams can be manually handled and decoded with more sensible buffering, perhaps even set up stuff like playlists. It'd also be a hell of a lot easier to navigate through. The crunchyroll site isn't best designed in the first place, but going through the PS3 was a bit of a nightmare for me.

None of this likely to happen, of course, not when Sony's wants all video to be done through it's video store, and no real opportunity to develop 3rd party apps. A more robust implementation of flash would be nice, though.

Actually, since the PS3 uses a version of Linux, the Yellow Dog version I believe, couldn't some Linux programmer take a video program that is already available and open source, like VLC, develop it to work with the PS3, then put it up on Sourceforge and other open source websites? Since there are so many PS3s out there now, it would seem to make sense, and it would fit in with Sony's plan to make the PS3 the center of a home entertainment system.
Grumble Grumble Grumble

But remember, the PS3 is not 'Open Source', it's a proprietary closed platform. No doubt that trying to load something from Sourceforge onto a PS3 would violate and void the warrenty...

[Quarkboy]

Someone at Sony needs to look into their browser implementation and fix this.

Ugh! I wish Mozilla and Sony would team up and make a version of Firefox for the PS3.

This isn't a particular issue with the browser, rather a poor implementation of flash (not that there are many good ones). What would be great idea, in my opinion, would to be bypass the browser completely, and release a crunchyroll app for the PS3. Then all this flash business can be done away with, and all streams can be manually handled and decoded with more sensible buffering, perhaps even set up stuff like playlists. It'd also be a hell of a lot easier to navigate through. The crunchyroll site isn't best designed in the first place, but going through the PS3 was a bit of a nightmare for me.

None of this likely to happen, of course, not when Sony's wants all video to be done through it's video store, and no real opportunity to develop 3rd party apps. A more robust implementation of flash would be nice, though.

Actually, since the PS3 uses a version of Linux, the Yellow Dog version I believe, couldn't some Linux programmer take a video program that is already available and open source, like VLC, develop it to work with the PS3, then put it up on Sourceforge and other open source websites? Since there are so many PS3s out there now, it would seem to make sense, and it would fit in with Sony's plan to make the PS3 the center of a home entertainment system.

No, not really.

The problem with the PS3 isn't the OS, it's the hardware. Specifically the Cell processor, which is a risc based architecture designed for fast parallel floating point processing and not your standard x86 processor type things.
Specifically the cell processor in the PS3 has 8 SPEs (like the cores on recent intel chips, sort of), but those cores are mainly for doing numerical manipulations and there's another part of the chip that controls them all, etc...
In other words, the cell chip can be blazingly fast, but only if you program in such a way and compile in such as way that your processing is parralellized intelligently. This is not easy to do, especially with a complicated program like flash.

Even if you took a linux code base and compiled it for PS3 linux, it wouldn't be any faster because it'd likely only use 1/8 of the processor's power (which is only something like 1 Ghz).

[Consignia]

No, not really.

The problem with the PS3 isn't the OS, it's the hardware. Specifically the Cell processor, which is a risc based architecture designed for fast parallel floating point processing and not your standard x86 processor type things.
Specifically the cell processor in the PS3 has 8 SPEs (like the cores on recent intel chips, sort of), but those cores are mainly for doing numerical manipulations and there's another part of the chip that controls them all, etc...
In other words, the cell chip can be blazingly fast, but only if you program in such a way and compile in such as way that your processing is parralellized intelligently. This is not easy to do, especially with a complicated program like flash.

Even if you took a linux code base and compiled it for PS3 linux, it wouldn't be any faster because it'd likely only use 1/8 of the processor's power (which is only something like 1 Ghz).

It's not as much as a problem as you make it out to be. The fact it's RISC is neither here nor there. The speed of a single core isn't really too much of a blocker either, 1 Ghz is plenty for most applications, which remember, it will have to itself, with little time slicing and a good OS behind it. The problem here is the implementation, which is just a quick and nasty port. As I mentioned earlier, there are quite lot of terrible flash implementations of flash, because frankly it's poorly designed piece of software for it's ubiquity. Which is why I suggested by-passing it completely.

[stfram]

But remember, the PS3 is not 'Open Source', it's a proprietary closed platform. No doubt that trying to load something from Sourceforge onto a PS3 would violate and void the warrenty...

Shockingly enough, that's not correct. You would think it would be, but...

Details on the "Install other OS" option in the PS3 settings menu:

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=1620723


You can install ANY linux distro on your PS3 as long as it has a PowerPC build.

Here's a small list of the Linux distros which run on PowerPC (PPC)
Ubuntu
Fedora Core
SUSE (Paid) / openSUSE (Free)
Gentoo
YellowDog

[LenMiyata]

But remember, the PS3 is not 'Open Source', it's a proprietary closed platform. No doubt that trying to load something from Sourceforge onto a PS3 would violate and void the warrenty...

Shockingly enough, that's not correct. You would think it would be, but...

Details on the "Install other OS" option in the PS3 settings menu:

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=1620723


You can install ANY linux distro on your PS3 as long as it has a PowerPC build.

Here's a small list of the Linux distros which run on PowerPC (PPC)
Ubuntu
Fedora Core
SUSE (Paid) / openSUSE (Free)
Gentoo
YellowDog


But to quote the Sony PS3 warrenty
THIS WARRANTY SHALL NOT APPLY IF THIS PRODUCT (A) IS USED WITH PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THIS PRODUCT;
So how many alternate OS have actually been certified by Sony for use on the PS3???

http://www.us.playstation.com/support/warranties/ps3

[Betenoire]

From ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2009-06-05/funimation-discusses-leaked-episodes) Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga speaks with them about the leaked episode and the impact on the future of streaming.

[stfram]

So how many alternate OS have actually been certified by Sony for use on the PS3???


Pretty much irrelevent, for the reasons below:

1. With the PS3, I'd think that anyone playing around with alternate OS's would firstly swap the hdd out for a bigger model that can be properly partitioned.

2. Given that the quote came from the official Sony PS3 forum, I'd expect that any Sony moderator would step in and edit any post, or warn users that gave advice regarding linux distributions that could harm a ps3.

3. Why did Sony put that option there to begin with? :)

I actually used that argument with their tech support when I buggered the super-soft screws (WAY overtightened) that held the original 60gb hdd in the PS3 drive tray.

"If you guys didn't intend for owners to swap the hdd out, why does the user manual, on page XX, give the exact procedure on how to do so?"

They couldn't argue with that, so they agreed to send me a replacement tray and screws under warranty.

[stfram]

From ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2009-06-05/funimation-discusses-leaked-episodes) Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga speaks with them about the leaked episode and the impact on the future of streaming.

Now that is the statement that they should have originally released.

Sounds like Funi's PR department needs to follow the Truman model of sending out press releases: wait 24 hours and then look at what you wrote, then revise it and send it. :)

It's also interesting that they got hacked before, but apparently never noticed the magnitude?

[Betenoire]

It's also interesting that they got hacked before, but apparently never noticed the magnitude?

Or didn't care enough because the Japanese licensor never noticed. Though they sure did notice this time. :sd:

We have identified the person(s) who we believe is responsible for the downloading and subsequent distribution of this episode. Regardless of the means by which they gained access to the files, the person(s) responsible understood that they were stealing the file and that it was wrong to do so. We do intend to pursue legal action. Possible translation: "Yes, we left the front door unlocked and ajar but it's still burglary and we're going to press charges against the person who robbed the place blind."

[LenMiyata]

So how many alternate OS have actually been certified by Sony for use on the PS3???


Pretty much irrelevent, for the reasons below:

1. With the PS3, I'd think that anyone playing around with alternate OS's would firstly swap the hdd out for a bigger model that can be properly partitioned.

2. Given that the quote came from the official Sony PS3 forum, I'd expect that any Sony moderator would step in and edit any post, or warn users that gave advice regarding linux distributions that could harm a ps3.

3. Why did Sony put that option there to begin with? :)

I actually used that argument with their tech support when I buggered the super-soft screws (WAY overtightened) that held the original 60gb hdd in the PS3 drive tray.

"If you guys didn't intend for owners to swap the hdd out, why does the user manual, on page XX, give the exact procedure on how to do so?"

They couldn't argue with that, so they agreed to send me a replacement tray and screws under warranty.
Grumble Grumble Grumble

Sony put the option in there to allow Academic researchers to demonstrate the power of the PS3 hardware, (which Sony could then claim bragging rights for...) Just recently, a paper has been published which claimed that a network cluster of 40 PS3 were able to break a X.509 Certificate (used to verify digital signatures in E-Commerce) in less then a week! This alternate OS installation option was not intended to be used by the general user...

Keep in mind that Sony uses the razor blade economic model with the PS3. The hardware is actually sold for a loss, hoping that the sales of licensed games will result in a long term profit. (Up to now, the PS3 division still has not reported a profit) Sony support will probably make minor exceptions to keep from pissing off its user base, but if push comes to shove, Sony is not going to subsidize the development of some other OS platform that it's not going to make a profit from...

[stfram]

Saw this on Anime AICN:

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/node/41318


FUNimation suspended the streaming of One Piece and Full Metal Alchemist, but resumed Full Metal Alchemist with episode 9 on June 4th. The Fullmetal Alchemist had been posted online with a FUNimation watermark, but because the episode had already air in Japan, the post is believed to be a hoax.


It's interesting indeed that someone would seemingly go through the trouble to fake a watermark in order to embarrass a company.

That's messed up right there. That also implies that Funi is going to be warding off attack after attack on their servers now, since folks are going to try to screw with them just for notoriety.

[something]

That also implies that Funi is going to be warding off attack after attack on their servers now, since folks are going to try to screw with them just for notoriety.
Yep. Regardless of whose decision it was, this just shows that making a big deal out of it was the absolute worst thing that they could possibly have done. Now they've gone and made it even more fun for their trolls than it was before. :sd:

[TAS]

"<cite class="e company">FUNimation</cite> will not upload a video file until minutes before the video is expected to go live."

They are getting smart, that's the only way to be sure it will not leak before your ready to release it.

[O-chan]

"<cite class="e company">FUNimation</cite> will not upload a video file until minutes before the video is expected to go live."

They are getting smart, that's the only way to be sure it will not leak before your ready to release it.

Well yeah, even if they run into problems it's a lot worse when it leaks online BEFORE the Japanese release.

O-chan