The internet is arguing over the best way to pirate Netflix's 'Bandersnatch'
The internet will always find a way.
Netflix's new choose-your-own-adventure style episode of Black Mirror, "Bandersnatch," has the online world abuzz with all the different storylines available for the viewer/player of the streaming digital experience.
Overlooked in the discussion regarding which breakfast cereal best kicks off the main character's day lies another probing question. How, exactly, does one pirate a show that has roughly 5 hours of total runtime spooled out over multiple non-linear scenes requiring a specially designed Branch Manager tool to access?
Fear not, internet pirates are on the case.
SEE ALSO:'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' doesn't work on Apple TV and users are furiousWhile some in media and online have speculated that the format of "Bandersnatch" would make it "more difficult to pirate," difficult does not equal impossible — a fact we are reminded of by a quick stroll to The Pirate Bay and Reddit.
On The Pirate Bay, a notorious torrenting site, we found numerous copies of the episode for download that addressed the specific problems inherent in illegally downloading a choose-your-own-adventure video in a variety of ways.
One file description, for example, explains that out of "the 250 available decision events, this is the default 68 choices Netflix have defined as the default 'linear' timeline." It lists a runtime of 1 hour, 33 minutes and 12 seconds, and seemingly just plays out as a straight film (for legal reasons we did not download the file). In other words, this iteration solves the aforementioned problem of different storylines by simply ignoring it.
Another pirated copy, listing a 5 hour and 12 minute runtime, suggests a different approach. With reports putting the total amount of all the final "Bandersnatch" footage combined at just over five hours, it would seem that this content pirate just decided to go ahead and upload everything as a single uninterrupted movie.
Choose your own boat.Credit: screenshot / the pirate bayHowever, that approach defeats the entire purpose of the thing. Seeing all possible outcomes, one after another, is not the same as making a specific choice and watching the ramifications of that choice unfold — a fact the true sophisticates of Reddit clearly understand.
A Reddit thread titled "Soo.... How the hell am I going to pirate Netflix' Bandersnatch?" asks if "there is a method of preserving the [episode's] interactivity" via a torrent file.
The top response as of this writing, which begins with "Have none of you used interactive porn?", ends just as poorly as it started: with a suggestion to use a flash player.
A different Reddit thread suggests a more technical approach: specially, using the MKV file format to create "editions, file linking and ordered chapters." A helpfully linked blog post explains that, if implemented correctly, these features "let the viewer choose between multiple 'angles' or versions of the video (said versions may or may not be in the same file)."
In other words, the necessary tech to pirate and view a fully interactive copy of "Bandersnatch" is already out there. Someone just has to make it happen. If the "Bandersnatch" format ever moves from gimmick to mainstream, you should expect custom-tailored pirating techniques to move with it.
Of course, you could always take the extremely lazy and technically unsophisticated approach of just watching the reported five distinct endings on YouTube. That or sign up for a Netflix account.
After all, in the end, you get to make your own choice as to how you'll watch "Bandersnatch" (if you watch it at all)...which seems fitting.
Featured Video For You
Admit it, you've watched almost all the shows on Netflix's most-binged list
-
U.S. Senators call on FTC to investigate the security of drivers' data从“对口援建”到“对口合作”援建亮点不断展现Physics Nobel goes to neutrino work by Kajita and McDonald.[Newsmaker] South Korean authorities, private preschools on collision courseEng name ODI, T20I squads for Aus seriesTrump says Japan's PM nominated him for Nobel Peace PrizeBest speaker deal: The Soundcore Motion 300 wireless speaker is 20% off at AmazonNK leader eyes image as reliable economic leaderThe Wonderful World of Christmas Trees'GTA 6' 2025 release date window confirmed by Rockstar Games
- ·I went to an offline dating event for singles. Here's how it went.
- ·Greenhouse gas concentrations hit highest level in human history
- ·Gmail gets big Gemini update: 3 new AI features, including 'CliffsNotes' for your inbox
- ·Best preorder deal: Buy a Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge laptop and get a free 50
- ·The Future of Tech: The Desktop PC
- ·100+国家、2000+品牌、10万+人次!一场餐饮业“风向标”盛会即将启幕
- ·Pope Francis met with gay couple before Kim Davis.
- ·Lampard asks for Chelsea fight after smash and grab United defeat
- ·Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Apple Watch Ultra: The Fenix wins big on battery life
- ·How mutual masturbation can help close the orgasm gap
- ·“健康快车”进片区 为旧城改造加把力
- ·North Korea speeds construction spree in Samjiyon
- ·应对高温 户外驿站送清凉
- ·Pakistan dethrone India as Kabaddi champs
- ·N. Korean leader thanks Vietnam for welcoming him
- ·Ham ice cream is the newest thing that no one asked for
- ·NCT member Taeil leaves band over sexual offense allegations
- ·Official: Trump
- ·Doctors Without Borders says U.S. may have committed war crime.
- ·Pompeo arrives in Vietnam for North Korea summit
- ·iPhone 16 Pro new color will reportedly be Desert Titanium
- ·Icelandic women walked out of work at 2:38 p.m. on a Monday for an important reason
- ·Best speaker deal: The Soundcore Motion 300 wireless speaker is 20% off at Amazon
- ·Greenhouse gas concentrations hit highest level in human history
- ·10 Big Misconceptions About Computer Hardware
- ·Samsung shades Apple with 'Creativity cannot be crushed' ad after iPad promo backlash
- ·Tesla considers adding a new ‘stuck detection' feature to Cybertruck. Here’s why.
- ·How mutual masturbation can help close the orgasm gap
- ·Adele threw an opulent 'Titanic' themed party for her 30th birthday
- ·从“对口援建”到“对口合作”援建亮点不断展现
- ·Best smart home deals this week
- ·Microsoft Copilot+ laptop deal: Get a free TV with purchase
- ·Trump says Japan's PM nominated him for Nobel Peace Prize
- ·How mutual masturbation can help close the orgasm gap
- ·By a technicality, August's full moon is blue. Here's why.
- ·Amazon deals of the day: M1 MacBook Air, 75