Paidcontent ponders the Lost paradox, AKA why people download shows when they can get them for free off of Hulu or Youtube. It all comes down to what we’ve always known: the TV industry is doing a crappy job of providing more consumer-friendly products than piracy does:
Hard-core fans want an archive that’s easily accessible, high resolution, and they know won’t disappear—features that right now, only piracy offers. iTunes files can only be stored on one machine, and from the vantage point of a true fan (who wants a library of full seasons) DVRs fill up quickly. Sure, DVDs are an option—but they’re getting less convenient every year in the face of digital options, and clearly won’t be compatible with the devices of the next generation, like smartphones and tablets. The fans of today—the kind of fans who would want to collect a whole season’s worth of episodes—feel entitled to a TV archive that’s “high resolution, easily stored, [and] portable,” writes De Kosnik. Can entertainment companies honestly say the legal options available today meet those criteria?