No worries..

1) The use of Perfect Dark got much more widepsread (an anonymized P2P network where you can’t see what you’re downloading from who)

2) The dedicated fansub groups started organizing the use of self-captured digital broadcasts in MPEG-2 transport streams (or short “TS” sources in subber lingo).

However, since fansubbers were forced to get 2) organized, it also came along with a dramatic visual quality increase. In other words, since nowadays normal 1280×720 fansub releases based on TS look much better than commercial DVDs, there are even fewer reason to buy DVDs anymore.

I’d call the Share crackdown “Operation Foot Bullet”

I agree, we really should see more sites like Crunchyroll (although the poor quality of some, but not all, of their subs will turn away some fans). I really like what Viz is doing with streaming Inuyasha: The Final Act on Hulu for free within a few hours after the new episode airs in Japan. More than paying a monthly fee, I would definitely put up with a few commercials if I could watch anime legally on the same day the new episode airs in Japan. Then I would be previewing anime the same way fans in Japan watch it on TV with commercials before they decide to buy the DVDs.

@ psgels

That’s interesting. But Share is just one of many ways people can upload raws. Until we see the same kind of action against a variety of other online means, I don’t think much will change.

I know Crunchyroll isn’t perfect, but to me it’s a good middle ground between watching illegal subs and buying expensive anime DVDs. The licenseholders’ rights are preserved, and they and the distributor make some profit off of the product. And fans can legally see the anime they want to see, for a small cost. I’m glad to be a Crunchyroll paid subscriber, but even the fans who watch anime for free on Crunchyroll are reinforcing the POV that legal and licensed streaming subs are a viable alternative.

It amazes me that Japanese creators/producers and American distributors haven’t yet established more middle-ground solutions for this problem. For example, I’m watching Miracle Train on Crunchyroll right now. My $6.95/month supports the Miracle Train creators/distributors. It is, frankly, not a great series and there’s no way I would buy the DVDs. I just want to watch it – not own it. The series I really, really like, I either buy or put on my to-buy list. For everything else, a streaming subscription service like Crunchyroll – either paid subscription or supported by ads – makes the most sense.