OnlineTVRecorder

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OnlineTVRecorder
www.onlinetvrecorder.com
description A browser-based TV recorder
Registration required
languages German English
owner Internet TV AG

OnlineTVRecorder ( OTR ) is a web-based online service that has made the functionality of a video recorder available to registered users online since 2005 . The focus here is on German TV channels . The domain is registered in the Seychelles , the web servers are in the Czech Republic . Payments are made to TCU AG based in Koblenz and made via the we-love-tv.com service.

User status

The users are divided into the groups “Beginner” and “Premium User” and their use is preferred or restricted depending on the group. You can improve your status by using “Good Will Points” (GWP). Beginners can watch or download 10 programs per month, premium 120 programs. Both the US channels and the channels from Great Britain can only be viewed as a “premium user”. Furthermore, there are restrictions in terms of ease of use for “beginners”, for example “beginners” have to program each program individually in advance, while “premium users” can decide afterwards whether they should download the program or not. This means: When downgrading user state while all programs are available for download or viewing before the downgrade, but then must return all shipments individually be programmed or "status Premium" are used for the GWP.

The “premium status” must be paid monthly in GWP, whereby the number of GWP required for this has recently increased continuously (initially 50, then 60, since the beginning of 2015: 99, since 2019: 199), whereby the achievable GWP per The banner click was reduced at the same time (initially max 3 GWP to now 0.08 GWP). At the same time, the functionality for "beginners" has been reduced more and more. Since the beginning of 2015, access to the website has temporarily only been possible with “premium status”, as “beginners” are locked out as soon as “a large number of visitors” have visited the website.

OnlineTVRecorder emphasizes again and again that it should be possible to collect enough GWP for the “premium status” just by clicking on the banner (i.e. without making a deposit). In reality, however, all available banners would have to be clicked every day for approx. 4-8 months in order to collect enough GWP for 1 month of “premium status” so that a permanent “premium status” is only possible through deposits . Since 1 GWP corresponds to 1 cent for deposits, the “premium status” currently costs around 2 euros per month (as of June 2020). Discounts by booking several months are possible.

recording

After registration, the user can select programs that he would like to record. The selection is made via an electronic television program , via search or via a chargeable SMS . Members of the Premium Group can create a so-called wishlist , which is used to automatically record programs that meet certain criteria. For example, all episodes of a series or the entire television program can be recorded.

The programs are recorded by computers that receive the DVB-S signal via the Astra satellite. The recordings are 16 minutes longer than the actual length of the program because the recording starts six minutes before the program begins and lasts up to ten minutes after the program ends. This is to compensate for small program delays by the broadcasters. With the pooling stations, the recording starts five minutes before the start of the broadcast and ends five minutes after the broadcast ends.

It is also possible to use the “buddy system” to pass on your own recordings to up to five selected friends who have not programmed these programs. This is based on the legal framework of private copying .

Download

The recorded programs can be downloaded directly from the OTR servers ( GWPs are deducted for this during the day ). OTR also offers a "Happy Hour" (02:00 am to 06:00 am), in which this is free of charge, i.e. without deduction of points. The only requirement for this is that the charging process must also be completed within the Happy Hour, otherwise the additional data volume will be deducted via GWP (1 gigabyte costs 12 GWP; calculation is based on the volume). You can also download your recordings from privately operated mirrors or peer-to-peer networks free of charge, without deducting GWP. Since the files are encrypted, OTR assumes that they can be freely distributed without infringing on copyright. This means that the files are also offered directly by many German mirror sites without authentication.

Income is generated through banner advertising and (voluntary) payments from users, through which one can buy the respective status and thus also a fixed number of decodings of the files per status and month. Additional decodings can be acquired through early status extension. It is also possible to buy prioritized “download slots” in order to avoid the queue.

Decryption

Technical implementation

After downloading, the files must be decrypted by a decoder, unless the user has a premium account. The decoder requires an internet connection to transfer the password and key. This is to ensure that only those users receive a program that they programmed before the start of the broadcast, and that the character of the private recording is preserved.

Since 2010 it has been possible to download decrypted programs. The respective providing server checks the authorization of the downloading user using an authenticated download link.

End product

The decoded video file is an AVI file without DRM, compressed with the popular MPEG-4 codec DivX . For programs that are particularly in demand, the formats H.264 (in SD and partly in HD ), MP4 and the online stream are also offered.

As with real video recorders, the advertisements are also recorded. With tools like Cutassistant and OTR-Megaplayer , however, it can be automatically cut out or skipped during playback; the users exchange cutting lists for this purpose.

Good will points

In order to motivate OTR users to contribute as much as possible to the cost recovery of OTR - by clicking on the self-log-in banner and making payments - the system of "Good Will Points" (GWP) was introduced on March 15, 2007. GWPs serve as the “currency” of OTR. They can be used to classify the “Premium” group, which has advantages. B. switch off advertising on the website and do more decoding. In addition, you can buy certain additional services with GWPs, e.g. B. skip the download queue. You can also achieve your status through "Pay per click" (PPC).

In addition to the actions that contributed directly to OTR's cost recovery, the system also initially rewarded other user behavior, such as decoding, logging on to the website or the length of membership. However, these additional points have been gradually reduced.

The problem with the GWP system that was initially introduced was that it did not cover all of the costs incurred by OTR. Therefore, on March 28, 2008, a revised "GWP 2.0" rating system was introduced. This once again contained fewer options for acquiring GWPs without a deposit (e.g. banner clicks were paid less), and the calculation was more complicated, and a. by introducing an additional “score value” in addition to the GWP. After many complaints, the rules for version GWP 2.0 were changed several times.

In search of a system that is as understandable, fair and cost-effective as possible, GWP 3.0 came into effect on June 4, 2008. This system will also continue to be changed and adapted. The “Sponsor” group, previously located between “Beginner” and “Premium”, was abolished on June 4, 2009.

1 GWP corresponds to 1 cent for deposits.

Formats

In 4: 3 format recorded programs are DivX -codiert with a resolution of 576 × 432 pixels provided. Most currently commercially available DVD players can play this format . Programs that are broadcast in anamorphic 16: 9 are encoded with a resolution of 640 × 360 pixels (corresponds to an aspect ratio of 16: 9 for square pixels) in order to improve compatibility with DVD players that may contain an AVI - Display aspect ratio contained in file headers can usually not be read.

The 100 most programmed recordings per day are also offered in additional formats:

  • MP4 : 320 × 240 pixels with H.264 video and AAC audio codec, primarily intended for mobile devices. A "high quality" MP4 format is also available.
  • High-Quality (HQ): 720 × 576 pixels (full PAL resolution) with H.264 video up to 1200 kBit / s and MP3 audio codec with 192 kBit / s in the AVI or MP4 container.
  • HDTV (HD): The recorded resolution and frame rate are based on the broadcast; thus most German-language HD channels are recorded in 720p50 , Anixe , ServusTV and all American channels in 1080i . The image is encoded with the H.264 codec and variable bit rate in the AVI container, the audio track is in MP3 format at 224 kbps. An AC3 soundtrack that corresponds to the one broadcast by the broadcaster is offered as a separate file.

Channel

At present, programs from 88 stations can be recorded. Including 50 German, 13 US, 11 from Great Britain, 2 channels from France, 2 Russian and 4 channels from Poland.

The following programs are recorded in full from the programs of the German broadcasters: Das Erste , 3sat , Arte , BR Fernsehen , ARD-alpha , Comedy Central , One , hr-fernsehen , Kabel eins , KiKA , MDR Fernsehen , NDR Fernsehen , Nickelodeon , Phoenix , ProSieben , RTL Nitro , RTL II , Sat.1 , sixx , Super RTL , SWR TV , Tele 5 , VOX , WDR TV , ZDF , rbb TV , ZDFinfo , ZDFneo . Recordings in HD quality are made by all free HD channels, provided that there is enough programming.

The channels of the RTL Group will no longer be recorded due to a legal dispute with effect from January 14, 2019, decoding of the RTL recordings was only possible until January 31, 2019. The RTL broadcasting group has been recording again since March 4, 2019, with the exception of RTL Television itself.

Fixed U.S. broadcasters include: Bounce TV, CBS , LIVE WELL, NBC , NJN, NJN2, NYW ( FOX ), USPORTS, WNYE, WPIX and WWOR. Furthermore, the channels LATV, WNJU, WFUT and WXTV, which have a Spanish-language focus. The channels from Great Britain are: BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three , BBC Four , CBS Action , Channel 4 , CITV , E4 , Film4 , Five , Horror Channel, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 ( see: Independent Television ) and More4 . The French channels M6 , TF1 and W9 are also recorded.

Only the most frequently preprogrammed programs are recorded from the program of the so-called pooling channels. These include: Anixe , ARTE FR (French), BBC World News , Bibel TV , CNBC , CNN , ComedyCentral , Deluxe Music , Disney Channel (Germany) , DMAX , tagesschau24 , EinsPlus , ERF , Euronews , Eurosport 1 , gotv , iMusic , K-TV , MTV Germany , n-tv , ORF 2 Europe , ServusTV , Sport1 , TV5 Monde , TV Polonia , TVP Kultura , TVP Historia , TVP Info , TW1 , Welt

New channels are added as pooling channels according to user requirements if they are broadcast unencrypted via one of the Astra satellites at 19.2 ° East .

criticism

  • For users who refill their GWP account balance not through deposits, but rather through clicks on advertising, there may be risks from malware that is smuggled in via advertising providers. In April 2010, so-called Trojans were once again smuggled into OnlineTVRecorder by an advertising provider .
  • By excluding third party projects, such as a popular mirror and a search engine for the recordings, OTR came under criticism, especially in its own forum.
  • The protection of minors is not guaranteed. There is no functioning age control, so minors can watch programs that are unsuitable for them.
  • At the beginning of 2016, OTR changed the terms and conditions. From now on, premium users had to pay 5 cents per decoding if they did not have a premium account at the time of the television broadcast. However, OTR did not adequately communicate this change to the users, so that there were numerous complaints. The money was withdrawn from the balance without further notice. Many users didn't notice this until weeks later. OTR made improvements during the 1st quarter of 2016 and blocked the decoding of such recordings. Each user can remove the block himself in his or her account.
  • The new deposit system is handled by a third party. In Germany, VAT is paid directly when the credit is deposited. However, the purchase of premium status is no longer taxed. This means that the VAT is not due on a purchase, but when the credit is topped up. The deposit service we-love-tv.com asks the user before their first deposit for their place of residence in order to calculate the VAT and pay it correctly. However, the service points out that the data will not be checked. The user is thus tempted to choose his place of residence according to the value added tax.
  • According to current case law, the business concept is illegal. A final judgment from the Federal Court of Justice is still pending. In addition to online recorders, it also affects similar providers such as Save.TV and YOUTV .

Legal

The business concept of Shift TV , whose operator Netlantic GmbH is based in Unterföhring in Germany , was declared inadmissible by the Dresden Higher Regional Court for the recording of RTL and SAT1 (judgment of December 5, 2006, Az .: 14 U 1735/06 ).

On August 4, 2006, ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG obtained a judgment against OnlineTVRecorder at the Leipzig Regional Court. After the judgment of the Leipzig court, he was prohibited from storing, reproducing, making publicly available programs or transmitting them to third parties, as the broadcasting group announced. Later it turned out that the judgment was directed against the former owner of the domain. The company OnlineTVRecorder, on the other hand, takes the position that OTR is legal according to § 53 of the Copyright Act , according to which everyone has the right to a private copy (also made by third parties) as long as the copy is made available without financial consideration. OnlineTVRecorder also claims that everyone has the right to have recordings of TV programs made privately and to pass them on to third parties free of charge. The proprietary encryption tries to ensure that only broadcasts can be decoded which the user has previously ordered to be recorded.

The Federal Court of Justice passed a verdict on April 22, 2009 following a lawsuit brought by RTL Group against online video recorders for breach of copyright law (AZ: I ZR 216/06 ). The court found that commercial reproduction is generally a violation of copyright law, but is permitted in exceptional cases. It must be ensured that the commercial providers only record on a “personal video recorder” and that the content is not available to third parties. This applies to some browser-based services such as Save.TV , which see themselves reinforced in the judgment. RTL then applied for a revision of the judgment, whereupon the matter was referred back to the OLG Dresden; on July 12, 2011 this (AZ 14 U 801/07 ) confirmed the judgment of the Federal Court of Justice, according to which the service of a “personal video recorder” is generally permitted, provided the recordings are not made available to third parties. After this ruling, however, it is still unclear whether this service violates the broadcasters' broadcasting rights in the sense of an anti-competitive monopoly with the customer having to sign a contract; A decision by the German Patent and Trademark Office is expected on this.

On November 8, 2018, by order of the Koblenz District Court, a house search was carried out in the business premises of the OTR service provider TCU AG due to a lawsuit by the RTL Group. In mid-January 2019, OTR stopped recording channels from the RTL Group. A connection is not certain. Since March 4, 2019, the RTL broadcasting group has been recording again, with the exception of RTL Television itself.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Whois.com: onlinetvrecorder.com , as of January 7, 2017, accessed on January 14, 2017
  2. ↑ Whois Record for Onlinetvrecorder.com. Retrieved April 22, 2009 .
  3. ↑ OnlineTVRecorder-Wiki; Overlap as of January 15, 2011, accessed June 4, 2011
  4. ↑ Good Will Points. OnlineTVRecorder, March 27, 2009, accessed April 22, 2009 .
  5. ↑ What is PPC? OnlineTVRecorder, August 26, 2008, accessed April 22, 2009 .
  6. ↑ GWP 3, active since today, description. OnlineTVRecorder, June 4, 2008, accessed April 22, 2009 .
  7. ↑ It is no longer possible to convert donations into payments. OnlineTVRecorder, August 28, 2008, accessed April 22, 2009 .
  8. ↑ Change on June 4, 2009. OnlineTVRecorder, June 4, 2009, accessed on June 13, 2009 .
  9. ↑ Peter Stelzel-Morawietz: Record TV series on the Internet .
  10. ↑ OnlineTvRecorder.com. In: OnlineTvRecorder.com. Retrieved March 9, 2019 .
  11. ↑ OTR forum: Trojans on OTR or a mirror , as of April 24, 2010, accessed on June 4, 2011
  12. ↑ OTR Forum: No more links to MPS and OTS , as of February 6, 2010, viewed on June 4, 2011
  13. ↑ OTR forum: No more links to MPS and OTS (discussion) , as of February 6, 2010, accessed on June 4, 2011
  14. ↑ Discussion about "Changes from January 14th" In: www.otrforum.com. Retrieved August 25, 2016 .
  15. ↑ 19% VAT - non-transparent announcements. In: www.otrforum.com. Retrieved August 25, 2016 .
  16. ↑ ProSieben lets video recording service on a leash [2. Update]. In: Heise online. August 28, 2006, accessed April 22, 2009 .
  17. ↑ Federal Court of Justice on "Internet-based" video recorders. 2009, accessed April 22, 2009 .
  18. ↑ BGH: Not every TV broadcast may be recorded [update]. April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009 .
  19. ↑ Dresden Higher Regional Court clarifies legal dispute over online video recorders , Telemedicus, July 15, 2011.
  20. ↑ RTL versus Save.TV - online video recorders are not allowed to record RTL programs , SPON , July 14, 2011.
  21. ↑ TCU AG: Business operations of the company interrupted due to a search warrant , press release on Wallstreet Online , November 8, 2018.
  22. ↑ OTR.TH: Notes and announcements: From January 14, 2019, no recordings / streams from * RTL, VOX, N-TV, downloads until January 16 , January 14, 2019.
  23. ↑ OnlineTvRecorder.com. In: OnlineTvRecorder.com. Retrieved March 9, 2019 .

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