-Piracy, Netflix, NBN: Everything you need to know about technology this year so far-

[Jaguar]

How’s piracy going?

Piracy has been a huge topic of 2015, with new legislation and landmark legal cases.
In June, the government passed a controversial website blocking law to much criticism.

Both the government and the opposition in the Senate supported the new law, which would effectively introduce an “internet filter” across the country.
The new bill allows copyright holders such as record labels, film studios and video game publishers to apply to the Federal Court for all Australian internet providers to block overseas websites that facilitate piracy.

The rights holders must show proof that the sites’ sole purpose is to host and supply copyrighted material illegally before they are blocked. This means that sites like The Pirate Bay and illegal sports streaming site SportStream.tv will likely be some of the first to go. We haven’t seen any sites blocked as of yet, but expect to see them soon.

The landmark case of Dallas Buyers Club v iiNet has all but ended last week too, when the Federal Court slapped a hefty $600,000 bond onto DBC if they wish to pursue downloaders. This is looking to be a big deterrent, because of those 4000+ people

Has anything happened with the NBN?

Sadly, not much at all. It’s still a big old bundle of disappointment, with the government continuing to roll out its multi-technology broadband network. 

The aim is still for all Aussies to have a minimum speed connection of 25Mbps by 2020, despite the fact that the USA has deemed 25Mbps the bare minimum for an internet connection to be classified as broadband.

Good news for regional users though, the first of the new NBN satellites will be launching in October, allowing for faster and cheaper broadband for those in remote areas.

Setting up a streaming service

2015 has been the year that streaming services have taken off. So what are your options and how do you set them up?

The first name that will come to most people’s lips is Netflix, the US giant that launched here in March. It’s also the easiest service to access and sign up to, with apps on every device you could possibly want to watch a TV show or movie on, including your smart TV, video game console, iPad and phone.

Signing up is as easy as going onto their website and filling in the form for a free 30 day trial, after which you select which plan you would like to continue on with. 

Those plans start at $8.99, which allows you to watch Netflix on one device at a time, the next tier is $11.99 which lets you watch in HD and on 2 devices at a time, and the most expensive $14.99 tier lets you watch Netflix on up to 4 devices at a time and in Ultra HD.

If it’s just for yourself or you and your partner, the mid-range $11.99 tier is all you need, unless you are one of the lucky few with NBN, then you might think about the premium subscription that gives you Ultra HD access.

Local offerings include Foxtel’s Presto, Stan and the struggling Quickflix. Presto and Stan arguably have the best offering of TV shows and movies, but both have horrible device support and their web browser interface is dreadful. 

Still, if you’re after the best selection of content, they both have 30 day free trials and sign up is dead easy on their websites.

What about streaming music services?

There’s no denying that music streaming services are the way of the future for the industry. 

They provide an all you can eat buffet of just about any song you can think of for around $10 a month. The industry leader right now is Spotify, which offers both a paid tier for $11.99 or a free tier with ads. 

Apple made a splash earlier in the year with Apple Music, which is challenging Spotify with its Taylor Swift filled library and Dr Dre filled radio station. 

The library on offer is good and so is the interface, however loyal Spotify fans aren’t swapping over due to its lack of great situational playlists.