iTunes: $3 per episode x 11 episodes = $33.
DVD: $38 @ JB HiFi.

The iTunes version must be watched with either iTunes, Quicktime or an iPod. DVD can be watched on your TV.

iTunes version cannot be on-sold to anyone else. It can not be given to anyone as a gift. If your computer crashes, it's gone.

The DVD version includes extras, and can be sold second-hand.

Don't get me wrong, I love that iTunes sells TV, it's just way too expensive when compared to the legitimate physical product.

Perhaps that is the fault of cheap TV-on-DVD seasons...

You could argue that the extra cost is instant gratification tax. But you must remember, they're competing with free.

I still put forward the idea of fans subscribing to their favourite TV show. Or rather, they commit to buy the DVD. To pre-purchase it. Then, for providing the money up front, they get the right to download it for free.

It could really work.

Further, I suggest the best punishment for internet TV (and music) piracy would be for the infringer to be forced to purchase the products they have downloaded. It's fair, it's good for the economy, and it subtly forces content that isn't available for purchase to be released.

Everyone wins.

Oh yeah, and the entire series of Monkey on DVD for $95.99. 52 episodes. That's $1.85 per episode (ignoring the bonus content and the fact you can use it and resell it), which is coincidently almost exactly the cost per song on iTunes.

Compete with that.

iiNet have been provided with lists of IP addresses, times and content that have been downloaded by their users. iiNet have been forwarding this information to the Australian Federal Police (who are apparently in the same building)... who have been doing nothing with it. They have not been forwarding the letters to their users (the core of the complaint).

Why iiNet (5% of market) and not Telstra or Optus (most of the market)? Optus have apparently been forwarding their users and in some cases, cutting off users. Telstra have lots of lawyers, and have legitimate TV sales as part of their BigPond product.

In an interesting and related side issue... VicRoads has recently been in trouble for privacy violations for passing on registered driver information to private parking companies so the companies can forward on infringement notices. I leave you to join those dots.

Perhaps a little stupidly, those suing iiNet have said that they are "not interested in going after individual downloaders". Yet.

So, your ISP is being sued for piracy. What do you do if you want to watch your TV?

• Wait for your favourite show to be on free-to-air and somehow managed to either catch it when it's on or set your VCR/PVR to record it. You get the joy of ads, mixed with the "rush" of guessing the schedule changes. If you miss it, too bad, see below.
• Wait for your favourite show to be released on DVD. Buy it for about $30 and watch it at your leisure. Remember to remove yourself from fandom in the meantime to avoid spoilers.
• As per above but hire the TV show from your local video library.
• Buy it on iTunes an episode at time (about $3 per ep), thus costing yourself a heap of time (to rip/convert to a format you can use) and more money than buying the DVD, in worse quality, just so you can skip the ads. Assuming the show you want is on iTunes, which it isn't.

I go for the DVD option. The studios get the money and can keep making TV, but the TV stations still get punished for their stupid schedules. And you get an actual product you can on-sell second-hand to offset the cost.

Everyone wins.

For that money I could get Tivo and setup an excellent wireless network and still have easily $1000 left over, which I could spend on a Nintendo Wii with all the extras and still have $500 left over, which I could spend on two 1Tb hard drives and still have $100 left over which I could spend on the extra insurance to cover it all.

$2000 is a lot of money.

My current computer, which is perfect except sometimes it refuses to turn on, and won't play any modern (or even semi-modern) games, was bought way back in Feb 2003. Almost six years with no upgrades is a pretty good run for a PC.