Funimation users will not be able to keep purchased media after Crunchyroll merger

[FrostBittn]

Summary

Funimation made a post earlier today detailing the end of the service and what it's users can expect going forward. And unfortunately any previously purchased content will not be transferred to Crunchyroll

 

Quotes

Quote

 What is going to happen to my digital copies? 

 

We understand that you may have concerns about your digital copies from Funimation. These Digital copies available on Funimation were a digital access to the content available on the DVDs or Blu-rays purchased.

 

Please note that Crunchyroll does not currently support Funimation Digital copies, which means that access to previously available digital copies will not be supported. However, we are continuously working to enhance our content offerings and provide you with an exceptional anime streaming experience. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to explore the extensive anime library available on Crunchyroll.

 

My thoughts

They do offer the option to refund the subscription, but nothing is noted for refunding Digital Copies. It would make sense if not all content could be transferred over to Crunchyroll because licensing is a nightmare. But given how they worded it would be handled, "...previously available digital copies will not be supported", I have no hope for any content to transfer over. The worst part about this is the people that are most affected are the people that invested the most into the service. 

 

Sources

https://help.funimation.com/hc/en-us/articles/23103586580244-Funimation-End-of-services

[Lunar River]

it's times like this that i have exactly zero qualms about piracy.

 

x as a service will always be shit for the consumer.

[OhioYJ]

This stuff happens pretty often. It's why I basically don't make any digital purchases. The only exception I have is Steam..

[Donut417]

While I do pay for subscriptions for content. I would never buy a digital copy of a movie or TV show because the media companies are cunts. If you want to have a copy of Anime or any type of TV show or Movie your better just buying a DVD/Bluray. Build a Plex server and use that to stream it to your devices.

[BoomerDutch]

I subbed crunchyroll but their app suck so i get somewhere else and play it offline.

 

Technically not piracy right?

I paid

[leadeater]

 

 

Ah I remember when I:

• Subscribed and paid for Funimation Now
• Funimation Now blocked APAC and forced us over to AnimeLab
• AnimeLab discontinued and told to use Funimation Now
• Funimantion Now discontinued and told to use Crunchroll

All while losing access to content with every forced move.

[Thaldor]

39 minutes ago, leadeater said:

-snip-

I remember when Crunchyroll was blatantly stealing subs from fansub groups by cutting out the credits and starting to collect money from using their service like they were something more than a pirate site. Then they got couple garbage level publishers behind them and sued a ton of fansub groups because "ripping their subs" (even when it was vice versa in the first place).

 

And then there were the time of "ooops, didn't mean to do that" when some titles were first shown as "This title is only available to paying subscribers" and when you got the subscription "This title is not available in your country".

 

Then there were the upscaled titles which were... Let's just say 360p needs a bit more than just stretching to get into 720p.

 

Even still from some corners of the internet where I lurk I occasionally hear complaints about the quality of Crunchyroll subs and get giggles because their subs have sucked pretty much from the get go when they tried to be nice and not ripoff fansub groups.

 

Why am I not surprised they would be doing something like this too?

 

(My memory can be a bit hazy about a service which I am each time it comes up more surprised it's still a thing and even more surprised some people pay for that shit. So, I can be wrong in some points but there's a wild history when it comes to asshole named Crunchyroll.)

[leadeater]

1 hour ago, Thaldor said:

I occasionally hear complaints about the quality of Crunchyroll subs

Because they are bad, errors and missing letters occurs more than it should, this last 6 months worse than ever.

[jagdtigger]

Next in news: Crunchiroll crying about how pirates killing them..... X'D

[LAwLz]

6 hours ago, BoomerDutch said:

I subbed crunchyroll but their app suck so i get somewhere else and play it offline.

 

Technically not piracy right?

I paid

Technically still piracy. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Thaldor said:

I remember when Crunchyroll... 

Do you have a source for this? Because as I remember it, and I was really into fansubbing back in the day, was the other way around. People were surprised that for example HS had the exact same subtitles as Crunchyroll, but it was in fact HS that was ripping stuff from Crunchyroll. 

[starsmine]

10 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Technically still piracy. 

 

 

Do you have a source for this? Because as I remember it, and I was really into fansubbing back in the day, was the other way around. People were surprised that for example HS had the exact same subtitles as Crunchyroll, but it was in fact HS that was ripping stuff from Crunchyroll. 

wait people thought HS was subbing things? They were pretty open from the start it was ripping CR, hence why their subs were "horrible"

[starsmine]

as far as OP
am I understanding what the digital copies are wrong?

 

Quote

These Digital copies available on Funimation were a digital access to the content available on the DVDs or Blu-rays purchased.

These were not copies bought from funimation, but more like UV digital copies of content you physically purchased?
Look at me not give a single care if that's the case. You can rip your own physical copies somewhat trivially and have a better digital copy. 

[Thaldor]

9 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Do you have a source for this? Because as I remember it, and I was really into fansubbing back in the day, was the other way around. People were surprised that for example HS had the exact same subtitles as Crunchyroll, but it was in fact HS that was ripping stuff from Crunchyroll. 

We're talking about some really old stuff. Like this old:

 

https://www.forbes.com/2009/08/04/online-anime-video-technology-e-gang-09-japan.html?sh=618fab5f576a

 

Quote

Crunchyroll started out as an anime piracy site. In June 2006, three college pals from the computer science program at the University of California, Berkeley--the China-born chief executive, Kun Gao, and his friends Brandon Ooi and James Lin--launched the site for anime fans outside of Japan. The San Francisco trio named their new company after a sushi roll filled with crispy-fried tempura batter.

 

At first, the site featured unlicensed uploads of anime footage, subtitled in English by amateurs. Users could create their own profile pages with avatars, building a social network among the anime obsessed. "Anime has a rabid, young, tech-savvy fan base who love to watch video online," says David Pakman of venture capital firm Venrock, which backed the start-up in a $4 million funding round in December 2007.

 I would remember HS starting only after the great purge of CR when Bandai and Funimation were going against CR's then investor because CR was very publicly profiting from piracy. And I would remember HS even starting from the point that CR was rippingoff subgroups and they wanted to get something back by rippingoff CR.

[Ydfhlx]

 

Two things:

 

People call me crazy for buying physical copies of movies/songs.

 

It is morally correct to pirate if they taka away what you "bought". I'm sorry, but if they can take it away at any time, they should (edit: shouldn't obviously) be legally allowed to use the word "bought". Perhaps "rented without firm limit". People wouldn't buy that? Well, doesn't mean you can falsely adverise as buying something that clearly isn't.

[RejZoR]

When will people learn that digital goods are worthless? It's why I heavily endorse GOG, because they give you option to either use their GOG Galaxy client to manage games, but they also allow you to download offline installer that you can keep forever. And because all their games come without any DRM garbage, you can be assured they will work even when GOG is maybe gone in the future. It also ensures less compatibility issues in the future. I have had original games like Red Alert 2 and Tiberian Sun and they stopped working when I transitioned from Windows 98 to Windows XP because DRM drivers just didn't work in Windows XP. FOR ORIGINAL GENUINE GAME! I had to use NO-CD cracks to play game that I bought. That's where I started to heavily despise DRM and the way honest buyers get treated.

 

While Steam doesn't offer same level of comfort and insurance with zero DRM and offline installers, I have trust in Valve and Gaben to do the right thing when time might come and since they are still a private company with excellent standing, I'm not expecting Crunchyrolls scenario any time if ever. So, I'm kinda okay with it.

 

For music, I only use services that let me download MP3/FLAC and for movies, I frankly don't use any. Tried Netflix, HBO, SkyShowTime, Disney+ and they were all rubbish. Dumb regional restrictions, arbitrary streaming quality restrictions (Netflix's 720p bullshit in Firefox even with top plans), terrible PC apps, refusal to work on Linux despite DRM component use (SkyShowTime), I just gave up. Haven't watched any of the services for years at this point. In fact I don't even watch movies anymore as there is rarely anything good anyway. Whole industry is just so horribly anti consumer and absolutely terrible value.

[BoomerDutch]

3 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Technically still piracy. 

Then its their problem.

Because I'm not paying money and pain/suffer in order to use cruncyroll

[starsmine]

4 hours ago, Ydfhlx said:

 

Two things:

 

People call me crazy for buying physical copies of movies/songs.

 

It is morally correct to pirate if they taka away what you "bought". I'm sorry, but if they can take it away at any time, they should be legally allowed to use the word "bought". Perhaps "rented without firm limit". People wouldn't buy that? Well, doesn't mean you can falsely adverise as buying something that clearly isn't.

From the phrasing, this IS the physical copy that funimation just gives you a digital copy for free with. 
No one purchased digital versions. 
 

Quote

These Digital copies available on Funimation were a digital access to the content available on the DVDs or Blu-rays purchased.

Nothing is being lost here except for free cloud storage of your digital copy. You are not loosing your copy of the media. 

[Quackers101]

15 hours ago, OhioYJ said:

This stuff happens pretty often. It's why I basically don't make any digital purchases. The only exception I have is Steam..

for me its steam and google library/movies, although google might not have full control either but has more of an chance to stay around or maybe let us keep what is bought.

[Needfuldoer]

I don't care what the provider promises. Unless you're holding physical media in your hands, or you have a local digital copy that's completely unencumbered by DRM, consider that "purchase" a rental with no set end date that can be revoked at any time.

[Stahlmann]

4 hours ago, BoomerDutch said:

Then its their problem.

Because I'm not paying money and pain/suffer in order to use cruncyroll

Then pirate with a smile.

 

I have also stopped using Netflix and other movie streaming services and resorted to piracy. I don't need others saying I'm doing the right thing. I want to watch the movie but don't like the price they put on it. So i pirate it. Simple as that.

[starsmine]

4 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

I don't care what the provider promises. Unless you're holding physical media in your hands, or you have a local digital copy that's completely unencumbered by DRM, consider that "purchase" a rental with no set end date that can be revoked at any time.

Which.... owners are though. They are holding the physical copy in their hands.

Am I taking crazy pills here?

[Stahlmann]

7 hours ago, Ydfhlx said:

It is morally correct to pirate if they taka away what you "bought". I'm sorry, but if they can take it away at any time, they should be legally allowed to use the word "bought". Perhaps "rented without firm limit". People wouldn't buy that? Well, doesn't mean you can falsely adverise as buying something that clearly isn't.

You don't buy the data. You buy a license to use it. That's how they get around legislation like the one you suggest.

[Stahlmann]

5 minutes ago, starsmine said:

Which.... owners are though. They are holding the physical copy in their hands.

Am I taking crazy pills here?

If you have a physical copy without DRM restrictions, why is this a problem in the first place? I thought the problem we're talking about is revoking access to purely digital media that has been paid for.

[starsmine]

37 minutes ago, Stahlmann said:

If you have a physical copy without DRM restrictions, why is this a problem in the first place? I thought the problem we're talking about is revoking access to purely digital media that has been paid for.

From the phrasing, this is similar to those UV digital copies of movies you get when you buy a DVD or Bluray, just using Funimations own system. So yes it is revoking access to purely digital media that has been paid for. But its not taking away your DVD or Blu-ray that you can just rip on your own and put in your own storage devices.

But you PURCHASED a physical copy and got a digital copy (with DRM) as a bonus with that physical copy. 90% of people who buy the DVD's/Blu-rays don't even bother with the digital version. Its just there to be more convenient then ripping it yourself. 

https://www.funimation.com/digitalcopy/
 

Quote

A digital streaming version of episodes or movies included in a DVD or Blu-ray release. A Digital Copy can be added to My Library by entering the code found in the DVD or Blu-ray release.

 

Quote

UltraViolet is a free, cloud-based digital rights library for the movies and TV shows that you purchase or redeem at participating retailers. When you buy a movie or TV show that comes with an UltraViolet right from a retailer that you have linked to your UltraViolet Library, it's automatically added to your UltraViolet Library and you have options to stream it over the Internet and/or download it for offline viewing to a variety of devices.

In fact this literally IS an extension OF UV. But since UV service went down, Funimation want and made their own version of UV for the stuff they have a license to distribute. 

There was never some digital store front where you were buying digital versions of these shows here. It was just Funimation providing you with cloud versions if and only if you already owned disks (and were the first to use the provided code). 

[brownninja97]

People shouldnt be surprised by this, they are owned by Sony and they have a history of this sort of thing.