Definitely an interesting discussion.
I've never been one for downloading movies. I've probably gotten less than 10 ever, and I can think of at least 2 of those that I later bought. Not sure why I never got into that, but I do wonder if PC-connected TVs had been around back then if I would have.
Music I was big into when it was easy (Napster, early Kazaa/Morpheus) before the RIAA started seeding garbage tracks into all the services. That was one of their least stupid methods. Once iTunes and now Amazon/Google Play mp3 stuff came along, it just became easier to buy it than deal with Torrents or shady areas of the internet.
PC games used to be something I downloaded, but online multiplayer, steam sales, and generally lower prices have diminished that to almost nothing. I might get something for a 1 night lan party, but if I'm going to be playing it more than once I always buy it these days.
TV shows that are on channels I'm either paying for via Cable, or are broadcast free over the air, I basically feel no qualms finding them online to watch once. Downloading them to keep is less ok. I really miss MegaUpload and its sister MegaVideo for this, because you could pretty much type "[name of any TV show here] megavideo" into Google and find several quality copies you could stream in their flash player. Now I just curse any show that can't be legally watched on hulu, the network's website, or my cable's OnDemand service. When a TV show is impossible to legally obtain (at least right after airing) in certain countries, it does add some moral quandaries to this discussion. Not sure if Top Gear is on iTunes right after airing in the UK, but outside of that I haven't found anywhere... other than Final Gear's torrents.
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