I can see not giving shows a long leash if you're pressed for time.
But if you're pressed for time why are you even watching the first episode? If you've got enough time that you're in the market for a new show, then any show you decide to give a chance to should get more than one or two episodes.
And fuck HBO Go. Until they get it on Xbox Live, at least. I can't get the framerate sync'd on my HTPC, so I get little frame jumps that drive me crazy, and they don't have an app on my tablet (presumably because of iPad exclusivity)...which wouldn't matter anyway, since I probably wouldn't be able to HDMI mirror it regardless. Worthless bullshit.
Meh, I generally give a show a full season to at the very least show me potential before I write it off myself, but to each his own.
Yeah, I'll often give a full season, or at least half a season. I figure if after half a season I'm not warmed up to the idea of the show, and can't see where a season or two of improvement will take it, I'll bail.
I am a harsh and unforgiving man and if I don't like you after an episode or two I'm going to give up on you.
Sorry Battlestar Galactica, How I Met Your Mother, Community, Dead Wood, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead, if you guys are worth watching I guess I'll never know.
this is like deciding on a movie in the first five minutes
or a game after the first level
Serial fiction. It's meant to be consumed in episodes. Each episode should lead you to want to see the next episode. Writers know this. This is why they try to make pilots great.
A movie is meant to be consumed in one go.
I can understand giving a show more than one or two episodes, but insisting that people are stupid for not doing so is goosery. Yes, shows can get considerably better, but laying the blame on the viewer for not enjoying the product is silly. That's the production's job. Get asses in the seats every week.
People decide to avoid stuff all the time, or have you not decided to skip a movie, game, book, or TV shows after a demo, trailer, or excerpt?
I can see not giving shows a long leash if you're pressed for time.
But if you're pressed for time why are you even watching the first episode? If you've got enough time that you're in the market for a new show, then any show you decide to give a chance to should get more than one or two episodes.
And fuck HBO Go. Until they get it on Xbox Live, at least. I can't get the framerate sync'd on my HTPC, so I get little frame jumps that drive me crazy, and they don't have an app on my tablet (presumably because of iPad exclusivity)...which wouldn't matter anyway, since I probably wouldn't be able to HDMI mirror it regardless. Worthless bullshit.
I just can't see a good reason for HBO not to offer a PS3 channel for $15 a month except for cable contracts, and possibly being a loss leader for cable. When the NFL did the Sunday Ticket for PS3, I gladly paid the 84.99 a month for it. Perhaps they don't see much pickup in viewers that justify platform development/licensing/changing business model, but if that's the case, why HBO Go?
I am a harsh and unforgiving man and if I don't like you after an episode or two I'm going to give up on you.
Sorry Battlestar Galactica, How I Met Your Mother, Community, Dead Wood, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead, if you guys are worth watching I guess I'll never know.
this is like deciding on a movie in the first five minutes
or a game after the first level
Hmm, not really. If you spend 90 minutes watching a TV show (2-4 episodes depending on the format) and you're not enjoying it, that's like watching nearly an entire movie. If a full TV series is 40 hours long, it shouldn't follow the same overall structure as a 2 hour movie where it's slow to build up for the first 50% or something.
I tend to not be interested in TV shows overall due to their length, and the ambiguous formatting. Is there an arc? Is there an ending? I love movies, so it's not that I'm anti-screen, and I don't think that TV is a terrible plague. I just fall comfortably in the category of not liking tv shows.
you aren't giving the show any time, though.
you're asking it, in one episode, to do a lot.
I'm just saying, you're gonna miss a lot of good tv that way. the list above is complete proof that what I'm saying is true.
I am a harsh and unforgiving man and if I don't like you after an episode or two I'm going to give up on you.
Sorry Battlestar Galactica, How I Met Your Mother, Community, Dead Wood, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead, if you guys are worth watching I guess I'll never know.
this is like deciding on a movie in the first five minutes
or a game after the first level
Serial fiction. It's meant to be consumed in episodes. Each episode should lead you to want to see the next episode. Writers know this. This is why they try to make pilots great.
A movie is meant to be consumed in one go.
I can understand giving a show more than one or two episodes, but insisting that people are stupid for not doing so is goosery. Yes, shows can get considerably better, but laying the blame on the viewer for not enjoying the product is silly. That's the production's job. Get asses in the seats every week.
People decide to avoid stuff all the time, or have you not decided to skip a movie, game, book, or TV shows after a demo, trailer, or excerpt?
hah, I never called anyone stupid
it's making a judgement too fast, in my opinion. as I just said, the list of shows he has skipped is proof that it's a mistake.
obviously I make decisions based on trailers and demos. if I've seen enough from those to actually go in on the show/game/movie, I wouldn't quit after the first episode (which is similar to the opening of a movie in that our main goal is finding out WHO we are watching, WHERE they are, and WHAT they will be doing, far far less so about having a 100% solid episode. most pilots are not among the best eps in a series)
Have you guys noticed that Netflix hasn't made any major content acquisitions in... forever? Not since they added all the Star Treks?
Is there anything on the horizon beyond their original programming?
What's left for them to get? They've got most everything on DVD, it's just the gradual shift up to instant watch that's taking forever.
Their content selection is impressive. The only online provider that comes close is You Tube. Amazon splits the content up too much into separate packages and their format is terrible for streaming selection.
Have you guys noticed that Netflix hasn't made any major content acquisitions in... forever? Not since they added all the Star Treks?
Is there anything on the horizon beyond their original programming?
What's left for them to get? They've got most everything on DVD, it's just the gradual shift up to instant watch that's taking forever.
Well, that's what I meant. There haven't been any major content additions to their digital selection since the summer, while Starz is set to go very soon (unless that's changed?).
it's making a judgement too fast, in my opinion. as I just said, the list of shows he has skipped is proof that it's a mistake.
obviously I make decisions based on trailers and demos. if I've seen enough from those to actually go in on the show/game/movie, I wouldn't quit after the first episode (which is similar to the opening of a movie in that our main goal is finding out WHO we are watching, WHERE they are, and WHAT they will be doing, far far less so about having a 100% solid episode. most pilots are not among the best eps in a series)
My forgiveness on the accusation, it's something I've seen in many places that gets my ire up.
I agree with the final premise (many series have uneven first episodes or first seasons), I just disagree with the idea that it's the viewer's fault for not giving enough to the show. Especially after having it drilled into me in every screenwriting and creative writing class that you have to catch the viewer from the first sentence. That doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be the best, but it does mean that it needs to give them reasons to keep going. The idea is that you present your beginning in a form that will entice the viewer, hence the reason some shows get longer pilots. DC ran into this with its recent relaunch; many will only give a comic one issue to provide itself, despite that being (at least) a fourth of the first arc. So the kickoff needed to be worthwhile, and some titles failed on that metric.
Well, that's what I meant. There haven't been any major content additions to their digital selection since the summer, while Starz is set to go very soon (unless that's changed?).
Content providers are busy trying to make their own streaming portals or grab the top licensing dollar if I had to guess. It was much easier for Netflix when streaming first started.
I am a harsh and unforgiving man and if I don't like you after an episode or two I'm going to give up on you.
Sorry Battlestar Galactica, How I Met Your Mother, Community, Dead Wood, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead, if you guys are worth watching I guess I'll never know.
You gave up on BSG after only an episode or 2? The hell?
After the miniseries I felt no connection to the characters and no strong desire to continue
Out of morbid curiosity, what do you find appealing? Because you just shot down a lot of good series.
And yeah, most shows take more than a couple episodes to find their feet.
Twin Peaks, Arrested Development, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cowboy Bebop, and the first three seasons of new Doctor Who are all great. And they all have good first episodes, except Buffy. I only stuck out Buffy because of Firefly.
(I'll add that I'm a Seinfeld fan, and I'm not sure if I've ever seen any episodes from Seinfeld's first season. Also the Community and HIMYM episodes I saw weren't from the beginning of the series.)
I gotta know: which episodes from Community did you watch? Was one of them 'Modern Warfare', because one of them really should have been 'Modern Warfare'.
I'm not gonna change my position but I didn't think of it as putting it on the viewer, but it is at least somewhat.
No problem. That's how a good discussion should go. Calm disagreement, but understanding.
I'm mostly just hoping Netflix nets more semi-live television shows. Stuff occasionally ends up on streaming like that, but not enough shows. As it is, you need Hulu Plus in tandem to really clean up.
The thing though, is that shows evolve sometimes. Sometimes they evolve terribly (I'm looking at you, walking dead), but others it's for the best. BSG is a great example. I hated the first episode, actually... too plodding. But by the 3rd I was hooked, and ended up buying the whole thing in a complete series. Of course, I let shows pass me by during the first run (like LOST, BSG, etc.) But if the show's already over, give it a few episodes. The best thing is that there's no waiting to see if it gets better or not.
0
Options
ThomamelasOnly one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered Userregular
The thing though, is that shows evolve sometimes. Sometimes they evolve terribly (I'm looking at you, walking dead), but others it's for the best. BSG is a great example. I hated the first episode, actually... too plodding. But by the 3rd I was hooked, and ended up buying the whole thing in a complete series. Of course, I let shows pass me by during the first run (like LOST, BSG, etc.) But if the show's already over, give it a few episodes. The best thing is that there's no waiting to see if it gets better or not.
I'm not arguing that's not the case. But that's not necessarily the viewer's problem. People are different. I'm willing to give a series a good 5 episodes, but I'm also willing to completely walk away if two or three episodes in a row lose me. But if a user decides after episode one that a show is not for them, that's because episode one gave them that impression. It could get worse for all the users knows, at which point they're wasted time.
The number of episodes needed before you stay with or leave a show is a personal benchmark. For me it's five, for you it could be ten. For some it's one. But the reality of the situation is its the production crew's job to create a show that entertains the largest number of people every single episode. Each episode should make the viewer want to see the next one. If it doesn't, the failing is on the production crew, not the viewer. There may be some viewers the crew doesn't care about, but that's a creative or business-led decision on their part. Has nothing to do with the viewer.
That's also the major problem with HBO's business model. HBO produces content that may be worth $15 a month, but nothing is worth paying the extra $80 to the cable company just to be able to pay that $15.
I agree. I don't doubt they'll eventually change their plan. But for now it makes perfect business sense.
I would pay 15 a month to add this functionality to Netflix.
That's also the major problem with HBO's business model. HBO produces content that may be worth $15 a month, but nothing is worth paying the extra $80 to the cable company just to be able to pay that $15.
I agree. I don't doubt they'll eventually change their plan. But for now it makes perfect business sense.
I would pay 15 a month to add this functionality to Netflix.
I'd wager Comcast currently is paying more for them to not.
I normally like to give shows a fair shot, but I have no regrets about watching only one episode of American Horror Story.
Ive heard its good, but Ive admittedly given it no shots.
Does Netflix still limit you to the number of devices that can access it? Is that limit at the same time?
I believe they still do, yes, and I think they even lowered it (used to be one per disk plus one, now it's just a flat two, IIRC). But it's concurrent devices, not total.
As for American Horror Story, I thought it was surprisingly good, though I went in with low expectations.
And few serials are going to be able to build up enough in a single pilot episode to really impress. That's the nature of the beast. Those shows tend to improve over time as the story, backstory, and characters progress. A more episodic show might have an easier time of it, since that's more "did you like this episode? want to watch at least a hundred more like it?"
mcdermott on
0
Options
JuliusCaptain of Serenityon my shipRegistered Userregular
I am a harsh and unforgiving man and if I don't like you after an episode or two I'm going to give up on you.
Sorry Battlestar Galactica, How I Met Your Mother, Community, Dead Wood, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead, if you guys are worth watching I guess I'll never know.
this is like deciding on a movie in the first five minutes
or a game after the first level
Serial fiction. It's meant to be consumed in episodes. Each episode should lead you to want to see the next episode. Writers know this. This is why they try to make pilots great.
A movie is meant to be consumed in one go.
I can understand giving a show more than one or two episodes, but insisting that people are stupid for not doing so is goosery. Yes, shows can get considerably better, but laying the blame on the viewer for not enjoying the product is silly. That's the production's job. Get asses in the seats every week.
People decide to avoid stuff all the time, or have you not decided to skip a movie, game, book, or TV shows after a demo, trailer, or excerpt?
I would agree with you but he listed Community as a show he gave up on so his opinion is obviously wrong.
0
Options
AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
BSG, Deadwood, Mad Men, and Community are literally some of the finest examples of longform narrative in the entire history of television.
I'd hate to say that I didn't have it in me to give those a chance.
Deadwood was seriously amazing television. I'm literally stunned for a moment or two everytime I come across someone who didn't like it.
Oh and to the guy who said they didn't like HIMYM after seeing a couple of episodes that weren't the first episodes? Try it again but from the beginning. It's very long in the story arc department and I can think of a huge number of jokes and situations that make far less sense if you haven't been with it from tbe beginning.
0
Options
Linespider5ALL HAIL KING KILLMONGERRegistered Userregular
I saw something genuinely weird on Netflix last night. I just went scrounging on my PS3 and turned up something entitled "Maple: The Elephant's Dream." The description read THIS IS A TEST TITLE.THIS IS A TEST TITLE.THIS IS A TEST TITLE...
You get the drift.
What followed was an 11 minute nonsensical little venture in
which a man's hand caresses a stream of water running from a fountain, along with the same guy doing backflips, running through trees, doing a somewhat passable moonwalk with a laptop, reciting Shakespeare poorly,
and some juggling.
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be some kind of streaming test for Netflix that the company plays in different areas to test image quality/sound syncing/whatever, but at the same time, it has an odd, The Ring-like quality because of how it doesn't outright explain anything about what it is or what it's doing on Netflix, and doesn't have any sort of screen capture thumbnail either. Plus, you know, that special description.
Sounds ripe for the beginning of some kind of Netflix-tinted creepypasta or something. Anybody ever seen something on Netflix that wasn't a movie, a show, a documentary, and had no credits? I'm oddly intrigued in spite of knowing it's pointless, just because it bucks the format it exists in.
I saw something genuinely weird on Netflix last night. I just went scrounging on my PS3 and turned up something entitled "Maple: The Elephant's Dream." The description read THIS IS A TEST TITLE.THIS IS A TEST TITLE.THIS IS A TEST TITLE...
You get the drift.
What followed was an 11 minute nonsensical little venture in
which a man's hand caresses a stream of water running from a fountain, along with the same guy doing backflips, running through trees, doing a somewhat passable moonwalk with a laptop, reciting Shakespeare poorly,
and some juggling.
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be some kind of streaming test for Netflix that the company plays in different areas to test image quality/sound syncing/whatever, but at the same time, it has an odd, The Ring-like quality because of how it doesn't outright explain anything about what it is or what it's doing on Netflix, and doesn't have any sort of screen capture thumbnail either. Plus, you know, that special description.
Sounds ripe for the beginning of some kind of Netflix-tinted creepypasta or something. Anybody ever seen something on Netflix that wasn't a movie, a show, a documentary, and had no credits? I'm oddly intrigued in spite of knowing it's pointless, just because it bucks the format it exists in.
Speaking of HBO, is there any way to get Boardwalk Empire Season 2 playing at HD on my TV? Does HBO Go do that? I don't want to buy a Tivo and pay monthly. If only HBO sold episodes on the PS3 like every other sensible network does.
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Oh, if you aren't on a cable provider that features HBO OnDemand that's different. But to my knowledge many, like Comcast, will let you browse through HBO's backlog through a modern set-top box.
Though perhaps the OnDemand selection is more limited than HBO Go? I don't know, like I said I just have an HTPC.
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Oh, if you aren't on a cable provider that features HBO OnDemand that's different. But to my knowledge many, like Comcast, will let you browse through HBO's backlog through a modern set-top box.
Though perhaps the OnDemand selection is more limited than HBO Go? I don't know, like I said I just have an HTPC.
Hmm, I'm on DirectTV. We usually get HBO for when Game of Thrones comes on so I guess I'll check if we have HBO OnDemand then. Thanks.
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Oh, if you aren't on a cable provider that features HBO OnDemand that's different. But to my knowledge many, like Comcast, will let you browse through HBO's backlog through a modern set-top box.
Though perhaps the OnDemand selection is more limited than HBO Go? I don't know, like I said I just have an HTPC.
Yeah, the OnDemand stuff is fairly limited. Theyll sometimes, depending on channel, throw up entire seasons before the next season is about to start (I know Showtime does this, I think HBO might do it with its big shows), but most of the time its just the last couple of episodes.
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Oh, if you aren't on a cable provider that features HBO OnDemand that's different. But to my knowledge many, like Comcast, will let you browse through HBO's backlog through a modern set-top box.
Though perhaps the OnDemand selection is more limited than HBO Go? I don't know, like I said I just have an HTPC.
Hmm, I'm on DirectTV. We usually get HBO for when Game of Thrones comes on so I guess I'll check if we have HBO OnDemand then. Thanks.
Well, if you resubscribe when Game of Thrones starts up again you can always just access HBO Go then since itll be included in your montly HBO fee.
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Oh, if you aren't on a cable provider that features HBO OnDemand that's different. But to my knowledge many, like Comcast, will let you browse through HBO's backlog through a modern set-top box.
Though perhaps the OnDemand selection is more limited than HBO Go? I don't know, like I said I just have an HTPC.
Hmm, I'm on DirectTV. We usually get HBO for when Game of Thrones comes on so I guess I'll check if we have HBO OnDemand then. Thanks.
Well, if you resubscribe when Game of Thrones starts up again you can always just access HBO Go then since itll be included in your montly HBO fee.
How do I use that on my TV, though? I want to watch Boardwalk at the best quality I can on my TV, not the computer.
0
Options
AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
Oh and to the guy who said they didn't like HIMYM after seeing a couple of episodes that weren't the first episodes? Try it again but from the beginning. It's very long in the story arc department and I can think of a huge number of jokes and situations that make far less sense if you haven't been with it from tbe beginning.
Actually, I disagree. The first season suffers largely from being overly cartoony as well as having way too much emphasis on the limp noodle character of Ted. Then again, I don't think the show is nearly as good as many people do, and it certainly doesn't hold a candle to any of the old NBC "Must See TV" multi-camera/laughtrack sitcoms of the Nineties, like Friends, Frasier, and Seinfeld.
I chalk up the success of HIMYM to its decent cast and chemistry and the lack of better comprable competition. There are very few other multi-cam sitcoms right now, almost all of them are on CBS anyway, and the only two that strongly pander to the 18-35 demographic are this show and BBT.
Supposedly HBO Go does HD, though it never detects that level of quality on my HTPC. But to have HBO Go, you have to have HBO, which means you have to have cable, at which point you'd have access to it anyway through whatever box you've got. The only reason you'd need HBO Go to get it on your TV is if you have an HTPC in lieu of a cable box (like me).
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Oh, if you aren't on a cable provider that features HBO OnDemand that's different. But to my knowledge many, like Comcast, will let you browse through HBO's backlog through a modern set-top box.
Though perhaps the OnDemand selection is more limited than HBO Go? I don't know, like I said I just have an HTPC.
Hmm, I'm on DirectTV. We usually get HBO for when Game of Thrones comes on so I guess I'll check if we have HBO OnDemand then. Thanks.
Well, if you resubscribe when Game of Thrones starts up again you can always just access HBO Go then since itll be included in your montly HBO fee.
How do I use that on my TV, though? I want to watch Boardwalk at the best quality I can on my TV, not the computer.
If your desktop/laptop had HDMI out, all you need is an HDMI cable (assuming your tv has a HDMI port), if your computer/laptop has DVI out, you can do DVI to DVI (if your tv has DVI) and then also hook up the speaker out/headphones port to your tv (they sell Left/Right splitters so you can use the headphone port and get stereo sound). If one has DVI and the other has HDMI, then you need an HDMI/DVI adapter and the aforementioned sound cable. If you can only do VGA, then its the same as hooking up your computer/laptop via DVI. If you have a Mac, you may need to buy a DisplayPort adapter.
Posts
Meh, I generally give a show a full season to at the very least show me potential before I write it off myself, but to each his own.
Serial fiction. It's meant to be consumed in episodes. Each episode should lead you to want to see the next episode. Writers know this. This is why they try to make pilots great.
A movie is meant to be consumed in one go.
I can understand giving a show more than one or two episodes, but insisting that people are stupid for not doing so is goosery. Yes, shows can get considerably better, but laying the blame on the viewer for not enjoying the product is silly. That's the production's job. Get asses in the seats every week.
People decide to avoid stuff all the time, or have you not decided to skip a movie, game, book, or TV shows after a demo, trailer, or excerpt?
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
I just can't see a good reason for HBO not to offer a PS3 channel for $15 a month except for cable contracts, and possibly being a loss leader for cable. When the NFL did the Sunday Ticket for PS3, I gladly paid the 84.99 a month for it. Perhaps they don't see much pickup in viewers that justify platform development/licensing/changing business model, but if that's the case, why HBO Go?
Is there anything on the horizon beyond their original programming?
you aren't giving the show any time, though.
you're asking it, in one episode, to do a lot.
I'm just saying, you're gonna miss a lot of good tv that way. the list above is complete proof that what I'm saying is true.
What's left for them to get? They've got most everything on DVD, it's just the gradual shift up to instant watch that's taking forever.
hah, I never called anyone stupid
it's making a judgement too fast, in my opinion. as I just said, the list of shows he has skipped is proof that it's a mistake.
obviously I make decisions based on trailers and demos. if I've seen enough from those to actually go in on the show/game/movie, I wouldn't quit after the first episode (which is similar to the opening of a movie in that our main goal is finding out WHO we are watching, WHERE they are, and WHAT they will be doing, far far less so about having a 100% solid episode. most pilots are not among the best eps in a series)
Their content selection is impressive. The only online provider that comes close is You Tube. Amazon splits the content up too much into separate packages and their format is terrible for streaming selection.
Well, that's what I meant. There haven't been any major content additions to their digital selection since the summer, while Starz is set to go very soon (unless that's changed?).
My forgiveness on the accusation, it's something I've seen in many places that gets my ire up.
I agree with the final premise (many series have uneven first episodes or first seasons), I just disagree with the idea that it's the viewer's fault for not giving enough to the show. Especially after having it drilled into me in every screenwriting and creative writing class that you have to catch the viewer from the first sentence. That doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be the best, but it does mean that it needs to give them reasons to keep going. The idea is that you present your beginning in a form that will entice the viewer, hence the reason some shows get longer pilots. DC ran into this with its recent relaunch; many will only give a comic one issue to provide itself, despite that being (at least) a fourth of the first arc. So the kickoff needed to be worthwhile, and some titles failed on that metric.
Content providers are busy trying to make their own streaming portals or grab the top licensing dollar if I had to guess. It was much easier for Netflix when streaming first started.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
I'm not gonna change my position but I didn't think of it as putting it on the viewer, but it is at least somewhat.
I gotta know: which episodes from Community did you watch? Was one of them 'Modern Warfare', because one of them really should have been 'Modern Warfare'.
Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky
No problem. That's how a good discussion should go. Calm disagreement, but understanding.
I'm mostly just hoping Netflix nets more semi-live television shows. Stuff occasionally ends up on streaming like that, but not enough shows. As it is, you need Hulu Plus in tandem to really clean up.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
The CBS/CW content acquisition was fairly recent. And they should get access to Summit's library via their deal with Epix.
I'm not arguing that's not the case. But that's not necessarily the viewer's problem. People are different. I'm willing to give a series a good 5 episodes, but I'm also willing to completely walk away if two or three episodes in a row lose me. But if a user decides after episode one that a show is not for them, that's because episode one gave them that impression. It could get worse for all the users knows, at which point they're wasted time.
The number of episodes needed before you stay with or leave a show is a personal benchmark. For me it's five, for you it could be ten. For some it's one. But the reality of the situation is its the production crew's job to create a show that entertains the largest number of people every single episode. Each episode should make the viewer want to see the next one. If it doesn't, the failing is on the production crew, not the viewer. There may be some viewers the crew doesn't care about, but that's a creative or business-led decision on their part. Has nothing to do with the viewer.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
I would pay 15 a month to add this functionality to Netflix.
I'd wager Comcast currently is paying more for them to not.
Ive heard its good, but Ive admittedly given it no shots.
Does Netflix still limit you to the number of devices that can access it? Is that limit at the same time?
I believe they still do, yes, and I think they even lowered it (used to be one per disk plus one, now it's just a flat two, IIRC). But it's concurrent devices, not total.
As for American Horror Story, I thought it was surprisingly good, though I went in with low expectations.
And few serials are going to be able to build up enough in a single pilot episode to really impress. That's the nature of the beast. Those shows tend to improve over time as the story, backstory, and characters progress. A more episodic show might have an easier time of it, since that's more "did you like this episode? want to watch at least a hundred more like it?"
I would agree with you but he listed Community as a show he gave up on so his opinion is obviously wrong.
I'd hate to say that I didn't have it in me to give those a chance.
Oh and to the guy who said they didn't like HIMYM after seeing a couple of episodes that weren't the first episodes? Try it again but from the beginning. It's very long in the story arc department and I can think of a huge number of jokes and situations that make far less sense if you haven't been with it from tbe beginning.
You get the drift.
What followed was an 11 minute nonsensical little venture in
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be some kind of streaming test for Netflix that the company plays in different areas to test image quality/sound syncing/whatever, but at the same time, it has an odd, The Ring-like quality because of how it doesn't outright explain anything about what it is or what it's doing on Netflix, and doesn't have any sort of screen capture thumbnail either. Plus, you know, that special description.
Sounds ripe for the beginning of some kind of Netflix-tinted creepypasta or something. Anybody ever seen something on Netflix that wasn't a movie, a show, a documentary, and had no credits? I'm oddly intrigued in spite of knowing it's pointless, just because it bucks the format it exists in.
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Maple-Elephant-s-Dream/70225205
Yeah, but wouldn't I need Tivo to get the Season 2 episodes from on demand and then play them when I want? Or does HBO air re-runs of the episodes at good times of day?
Oh, if you aren't on a cable provider that features HBO OnDemand that's different. But to my knowledge many, like Comcast, will let you browse through HBO's backlog through a modern set-top box.
Though perhaps the OnDemand selection is more limited than HBO Go? I don't know, like I said I just have an HTPC.
Hmm, I'm on DirectTV. We usually get HBO for when Game of Thrones comes on so I guess I'll check if we have HBO OnDemand then. Thanks.
Yeah, the OnDemand stuff is fairly limited. Theyll sometimes, depending on channel, throw up entire seasons before the next season is about to start (I know Showtime does this, I think HBO might do it with its big shows), but most of the time its just the last couple of episodes.
Well, if you resubscribe when Game of Thrones starts up again you can always just access HBO Go then since itll be included in your montly HBO fee.
How do I use that on my TV, though? I want to watch Boardwalk at the best quality I can on my TV, not the computer.
Actually, I disagree. The first season suffers largely from being overly cartoony as well as having way too much emphasis on the limp noodle character of Ted. Then again, I don't think the show is nearly as good as many people do, and it certainly doesn't hold a candle to any of the old NBC "Must See TV" multi-camera/laughtrack sitcoms of the Nineties, like Friends, Frasier, and Seinfeld.
I chalk up the success of HIMYM to its decent cast and chemistry and the lack of better comprable competition. There are very few other multi-cam sitcoms right now, almost all of them are on CBS anyway, and the only two that strongly pander to the 18-35 demographic are this show and BBT.
If your desktop/laptop had HDMI out, all you need is an HDMI cable (assuming your tv has a HDMI port), if your computer/laptop has DVI out, you can do DVI to DVI (if your tv has DVI) and then also hook up the speaker out/headphones port to your tv (they sell Left/Right splitters so you can use the headphone port and get stereo sound). If one has DVI and the other has HDMI, then you need an HDMI/DVI adapter and the aforementioned sound cable. If you can only do VGA, then its the same as hooking up your computer/laptop via DVI. If you have a Mac, you may need to buy a DisplayPort adapter.