Tretakoff Musings
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
I Wanna See Starz...Oh, I Can?
Interesting news today, out of Netflix and Starz (courtesy of CrunchGear) that might actually make Netflix's streaming service more compelling. Netflix, as the name might imply, has always been focused on delivering content over the web. They launched their streaming service last year, which was greeted with a universal yawn, primarily because of the paucity of content. Earlier this year, they stepped up the game, announcing a $99 Roku box that allowed you to connect directly to your TV and watch streamed Netflix content on the big screen. Interesting, but same content issues.
Today, they announced a two pronged approach, courtesy of Starz. First, Starz premium movies will now be available to stream on Netflix. This means that titles like the Pirates of the Carribean series, and other recent blockbusters, will now be available to watch on your computer or TV, instantly, at no additional costs. Second, and here's where it gets very interesting, they now will stream Starz's live feed directly. Now, look at that move: premium movie content, streamed, included in your Netflix membership. Combine that with the Roku box, and you have a legitimate challenger to cable and satellite.
I've often contemplated chucking cable, repurposing a PC into a tuner/DVR, hook it up to a digital tuner box to get HD network content free, over the air. The downside has been the hodgepodge of video sources I'd need to connect to to get my desired content: the tuner for the network shows; Hulu for some cable programming; Netflix for others. But if Netflix could expand this relationship to include the Big Three (Showtime, HBO, and Starz), and upgrade the Roku box to HD, we might have a seriosu contender for the battle for the living room. My bet is gonna be on Amazon to respond with a hardware and partnership announcement to do just that.
Interesting news today, out of Netflix and Starz (courtesy of CrunchGear) that might actually make Netflix's streaming service more compelling. Netflix, as the name might imply, has always been focused on delivering content over the web. They launched their streaming service last year, which was greeted with a universal yawn, primarily because of the paucity of content. Earlier this year, they stepped up the game, announcing a $99 Roku box that allowed you to connect directly to your TV and watch streamed Netflix content on the big screen. Interesting, but same content issues.Today, they announced a two pronged approach, courtesy of Starz. First, Starz premium movies will now be available to stream on Netflix. This means that titles like the Pirates of the Carribean series, and other recent blockbusters, will now be available to watch on your computer or TV, instantly, at no additional costs. Second, and here's where it gets very interesting, they now will stream Starz's live feed directly. Now, look at that move: premium movie content, streamed, included in your Netflix membership. Combine that with the Roku box, and you have a legitimate challenger to cable and satellite.
I've often contemplated chucking cable, repurposing a PC into a tuner/DVR, hook it up to a digital tuner box to get HD network content free, over the air. The downside has been the hodgepodge of video sources I'd need to connect to to get my desired content: the tuner for the network shows; Hulu for some cable programming; Netflix for others. But if Netflix could expand this relationship to include the Big Three (Showtime, HBO, and Starz), and upgrade the Roku box to HD, we might have a seriosu contender for the battle for the living room. My bet is gonna be on Amazon to respond with a hardware and partnership announcement to do just that.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Watch. Like. BUY.
About a decade ago, I was running the new media ventures of a large specialty electronics and gifts company. While the web was my primary focus, I still experimented with a few offbeat ideas. One was from the country's largest cable company: they wanted to introduce one-click buying of items that were featured in certain television shows.
It worked like this: the cable company would get advance viewings of upcoming episodes of popular shows. They would then look for products in the shows, and find retailers who sold them. Then, after making deals with people like me, when the show actually ran, there would be a little pop-up on screen, inviting you to buy the item for $X, and it would be billed to your cable bill, and sent to the house where your cable service was. Thus, you'd be watching an episode of Friends, and see a cool stereo; the pop-up would come up, and with one click of the remote, you could have Ross and Rachel's very own jukebox. Slick, huh? Of course, it never happened or worked; don't ask me why.
Well, Tivo's looking for more revenue, so, like a bad rerun of an old mummy movie, or DIVX, this idea has returned from the dead. Leveraging their Amazon partnership for Unbox (now Amazon On Demand), Tivo has announced a way to allow people to use their remote to buy the items they see featured in a program, even a live one. Helpfully, the New York Times points out "...if a viewer chooses to buy an advertised item during a broadcast, TiVo records the rest of the program so the viewer can easily return to it after the purchase. TiVo users will also be able to save their intended purchases in their Amazon account and return to the site later to complete the transaction."
For Tivo's sake, I hope this works. They need a silver bullet, as being slaves to DirecTV or Comcast clearly ain't doing it. Here's to hoping good old fashioned capitalism saves them and makes them ubiquitous.
It worked like this: the cable company would get advance viewings of upcoming episodes of popular shows. They would then look for products in the shows, and find retailers who sold them. Then, after making deals with people like me, when the show actually ran, there would be a little pop-up on screen, inviting you to buy the item for $X, and it would be billed to your cable bill, and sent to the house where your cable service was. Thus, you'd be watching an episode of Friends, and see a cool stereo; the pop-up would come up, and with one click of the remote, you could have Ross and Rachel's very own jukebox. Slick, huh? Of course, it never happened or worked; don't ask me why.
Well, Tivo's looking for more revenue, so, like a bad rerun of an old mummy movie, or DIVX, this idea has returned from the dead. Leveraging their Amazon partnership for Unbox (now Amazon On Demand), Tivo has announced a way to allow people to use their remote to buy the items they see featured in a program, even a live one. Helpfully, the New York Times points out "...if a viewer chooses to buy an advertised item during a broadcast, TiVo records the rest of the program so the viewer can easily return to it after the purchase. TiVo users will also be able to save their intended purchases in their Amazon account and return to the site later to complete the transaction."For Tivo's sake, I hope this works. They need a silver bullet, as being slaves to DirecTV or Comcast clearly ain't doing it. Here's to hoping good old fashioned capitalism saves them and makes them ubiquitous.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
So Long Costas; Hello JB!
Good news today on the new cast of Inside The NFL, now on Showtime. Replacing Bob Costas, Dan Marino, and Cris Carter are Phil Simms and James Brown; Chris Collinsworth will be the lone holdover. I'm so happy to see JB in a non-CBS environment. He was the glue of the Fox pregame show for many years; it ain't the same without him. I'll miss Costas' no holds barred approach, but JB, you had me at hello.
Good news today on the new cast of Inside The NFL, now on Showtime. Replacing Bob Costas, Dan Marino, and Cris Carter are Phil Simms and James Brown; Chris Collinsworth will be the lone holdover. I'm so happy to see JB in a non-CBS environment. He was the glue of the Fox pregame show for many years; it ain't the same without him. I'll miss Costas' no holds barred approach, but JB, you had me at hello.Saturday, June 21, 2008
Running Out Of Gas
Years ago, a fledgling cable network, The Discovery Channel, was desperate to draw viewers. Their traditional focus of science-based programming was only getting the PBS-crowd, and not even as many, so they expanded their breadth by moving into the occasional documentary. In one, they followed a father and son in upstate New York who were making a family go of building custom motorcycles. The documentary focused on the mix of combustible personalities, how hard it was for family to work together, but how they overcame differences and leveraged their individual strengths to produce a uniquely American piece of craftsmanship. It was a hit, and the network jumped on it, turning the profile into a full series, American Chopper.
What made the series work in the early years were the absolutely climactic battles between Paul Jr., who's innovative designs and creative focus were breathtaking, and Paul Sr., who overcame personal demons to forge a business, but longed to marry his metalworking talent with his joy of motorcycles. The results were amazing bikes: pieces of art, in a forged iron power. The bikes continued to be amazing, and quickly overtook the show as the prime focus. We followed the family as they moved from the basement of their house to a workshop, then a larger one, and larger, and larger, and their talents became even more in demand. The staff grew and grew, and the characters became even more refined. The show was easily the most popular on basic cable, so much so that Discovery recently moved it to their sister network, TLC, to help draw viewers there, as Discovery has now grown to be a staple of cable entertainment.
Take a look at some of the early bikes:
Arguably Orange County Chopper's signature bike, this Firebike was built as a tribute to the firemen in 9/11. The details were stunning: specially machined parts to resemble a fireman's air tank and a hydrant; actual rivets from the World Trade Center; a fuel tank that evokes the classic fire engine. It was a celebration of creativity, tribute, and memorial, all in one.
The Comanche bike, designed to evoke a motorcycle version of the military's Comanche attack helicopter. Note the specially machined wheels as helicopter blade, the unique shape of the tank to match the canopy, and the all-business design that screams military.
Built for the Caterpillar corporation, this bike expresses the very best Paul Jr. can design for a corporate client. It uses all of the signature Cat lines, adds a powerful touch, and accents it with little elements, like the special exhaust with the flapper on top.
In short, these bikes were, and remain, massively talented expressions of creativity. You can see all of the ones in the show's history at their site, and many are brought on tour or on display in their gift shop. Yes, they have now grown so popular and so large, that they not only operate their own production line of bikes, but a massive retail emporium to celebrate their now-familiar iconic logo. They have worked so hard, and have been rewarded by a growing fan base and extraordinary popularity.
It is, therefore, so sad to see this talent start to run out. As the money and fame has crept in, it's been clear that the company's signature custom bikes have been...well, uninspired. I know, it's easy to criticize, and I could hardly do any of the work they routinely undertake, but the general malaise in the designs over the last year has been disheartening. It came to a head for me tonight, with the viewing of the show on the New York Giants tribute bike.
You see, Paul Jr. has felt frustrated in his creative process by the review cycles of corporate clients. As they open up their new world HQ, Paul Sr. gets the OK by the NFL's New York Giants to create a tribute bike. Unlike the recent corporate bikes, Paul Jr. has total creative control here, and the bike will not need to be road-legal. Instead, he gets to fire up those creative juices to design a kick-ass bike for his favorite team, and celebrate their recent championship.
This was the result, unveiled to great fanfare with a panoply of fans and Giants, at their new OCC megaplex. And I was never so sad for them. This bike represents how far from creative grace they have fallen. Remember, there were no rules, no restrictions imposed, and this was intentionally built as a showpiece bike. You're probably shaking your head, wondering what my problem is: after all, it's a cool Giants bike, right? I mean, look at the cool goalposts on the back; the football headlight. And you can't even see the gas tank that becomes a football helmet. It screams Giants, no?
No.
Want proof? Ok, take a good look at that bike. Got it?
Now picture it in the silver and blue of my own Dallas Cowboys. Or the red and gold of the San Francisco 49ers. Or, horror of horrors, picture even the same colors you see, but it branded as the upstart Houston Texans. See what I mean? There is absolutely nothing in the design of this bike that makes it a New York Giants bike. Nothing.
We're talking about a team that has three Superbowl trophies; a team with 20 Hall of Fame players like Lawrence Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, and Frank Gifford. This is, in short, a team that does not lack for uniquely iconic pieces of history. And absolutely none of it is in this bike. In the show, we learned Paul Jr. wanted to manufacture some risers for the handlebars; why not make them resemble the three Vince Lombardi trophies of their Superbowls? The goalposts are a nice touch; you couldn't get the Giants to perhaps help you locate some of the actual metal from previous goalposts from the stadium? Even a simple act of carving into the rear fender some of the key inspirational expressions the team rallied around in this year's improbable championship run would lend a sense of permanence and personality to this bike.
It's sad to see a great musician try to recapture the hits of youth on stage. It's depressing to see a great filmmaker try to make a sequel to an earlier blockbuster (ahem...Indiana Jones?). It is clearly as sad for me to see such an incredible talent, so vividly demonstrated for a national audience, being either squandered or lost. But what made it worse to me was when I started this blog post. I had been thinking that this chopper could be easily repainted for any team you want. In fact, I argue that, had the episode that introduced this chopper been presented as a new limited-production model for their new production line of bikes, I would have been very impressed. But both Teutels (Paul Jr. and Paul Sr.) made a point of saying this was allowing them to take the gloves off, to get fired up, and to deliver a project they had the passion for. So I headed over to their site to get some graphics for this post. And I found this:
Yep, OCC does precisely this for both the NBA and the NHL. Want your favorite team? No problem; they can make it in a jiffy.
Please, don't get me wrong: I do not begrudge these men the rewards they justly deserve for their hard work. But not only to be so disappointed with the efforts for a "custom" chopper for a team they supposedly have an emotional bond with, but to find out that the whole bike may well have been a proof of concept for a sales pitch to the NFL to let OCC expand to their roster of teams, as well...that's just plain exploitative. So, my choices are to judge their motives pure and their creative skills vastly waning, or their motives more commercial and their treatment of the viewer/fan as callous. The lesser of two pains, indeed.
Years ago, a fledgling cable network, The Discovery Channel, was desperate to draw viewers. Their traditional focus of science-based programming was only getting the PBS-crowd, and not even as many, so they expanded their breadth by moving into the occasional documentary. In one, they followed a father and son in upstate New York who were making a family go of building custom motorcycles. The documentary focused on the mix of combustible personalities, how hard it was for family to work together, but how they overcame differences and leveraged their individual strengths to produce a uniquely American piece of craftsmanship. It was a hit, and the network jumped on it, turning the profile into a full series, American Chopper.What made the series work in the early years were the absolutely climactic battles between Paul Jr., who's innovative designs and creative focus were breathtaking, and Paul Sr., who overcame personal demons to forge a business, but longed to marry his metalworking talent with his joy of motorcycles. The results were amazing bikes: pieces of art, in a forged iron power. The bikes continued to be amazing, and quickly overtook the show as the prime focus. We followed the family as they moved from the basement of their house to a workshop, then a larger one, and larger, and larger, and their talents became even more in demand. The staff grew and grew, and the characters became even more refined. The show was easily the most popular on basic cable, so much so that Discovery recently moved it to their sister network, TLC, to help draw viewers there, as Discovery has now grown to be a staple of cable entertainment.
Take a look at some of the early bikes:
Arguably Orange County Chopper's signature bike, this Firebike was built as a tribute to the firemen in 9/11. The details were stunning: specially machined parts to resemble a fireman's air tank and a hydrant; actual rivets from the World Trade Center; a fuel tank that evokes the classic fire engine. It was a celebration of creativity, tribute, and memorial, all in one.The Comanche bike, designed to evoke a motorcycle version of the military's Comanche attack helicopter. Note the specially machined wheels as helicopter blade, the unique shape of the tank to match the canopy, and the all-business design that screams military.Built for the Caterpillar corporation, this bike expresses the very best Paul Jr. can design for a corporate client. It uses all of the signature Cat lines, adds a powerful touch, and accents it with little elements, like the special exhaust with the flapper on top.In short, these bikes were, and remain, massively talented expressions of creativity. You can see all of the ones in the show's history at their site, and many are brought on tour or on display in their gift shop. Yes, they have now grown so popular and so large, that they not only operate their own production line of bikes, but a massive retail emporium to celebrate their now-familiar iconic logo. They have worked so hard, and have been rewarded by a growing fan base and extraordinary popularity.
It is, therefore, so sad to see this talent start to run out. As the money and fame has crept in, it's been clear that the company's signature custom bikes have been...well, uninspired. I know, it's easy to criticize, and I could hardly do any of the work they routinely undertake, but the general malaise in the designs over the last year has been disheartening. It came to a head for me tonight, with the viewing of the show on the New York Giants tribute bike.
You see, Paul Jr. has felt frustrated in his creative process by the review cycles of corporate clients. As they open up their new world HQ, Paul Sr. gets the OK by the NFL's New York Giants to create a tribute bike. Unlike the recent corporate bikes, Paul Jr. has total creative control here, and the bike will not need to be road-legal. Instead, he gets to fire up those creative juices to design a kick-ass bike for his favorite team, and celebrate their recent championship.
This was the result, unveiled to great fanfare with a panoply of fans and Giants, at their new OCC megaplex. And I was never so sad for them. This bike represents how far from creative grace they have fallen. Remember, there were no rules, no restrictions imposed, and this was intentionally built as a showpiece bike. You're probably shaking your head, wondering what my problem is: after all, it's a cool Giants bike, right? I mean, look at the cool goalposts on the back; the football headlight. And you can't even see the gas tank that becomes a football helmet. It screams Giants, no?No.
Want proof? Ok, take a good look at that bike. Got it?
Now picture it in the silver and blue of my own Dallas Cowboys. Or the red and gold of the San Francisco 49ers. Or, horror of horrors, picture even the same colors you see, but it branded as the upstart Houston Texans. See what I mean? There is absolutely nothing in the design of this bike that makes it a New York Giants bike. Nothing.
We're talking about a team that has three Superbowl trophies; a team with 20 Hall of Fame players like Lawrence Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, and Frank Gifford. This is, in short, a team that does not lack for uniquely iconic pieces of history. And absolutely none of it is in this bike. In the show, we learned Paul Jr. wanted to manufacture some risers for the handlebars; why not make them resemble the three Vince Lombardi trophies of their Superbowls? The goalposts are a nice touch; you couldn't get the Giants to perhaps help you locate some of the actual metal from previous goalposts from the stadium? Even a simple act of carving into the rear fender some of the key inspirational expressions the team rallied around in this year's improbable championship run would lend a sense of permanence and personality to this bike.
It's sad to see a great musician try to recapture the hits of youth on stage. It's depressing to see a great filmmaker try to make a sequel to an earlier blockbuster (ahem...Indiana Jones?). It is clearly as sad for me to see such an incredible talent, so vividly demonstrated for a national audience, being either squandered or lost. But what made it worse to me was when I started this blog post. I had been thinking that this chopper could be easily repainted for any team you want. In fact, I argue that, had the episode that introduced this chopper been presented as a new limited-production model for their new production line of bikes, I would have been very impressed. But both Teutels (Paul Jr. and Paul Sr.) made a point of saying this was allowing them to take the gloves off, to get fired up, and to deliver a project they had the passion for. So I headed over to their site to get some graphics for this post. And I found this:
Yep, OCC does precisely this for both the NBA and the NHL. Want your favorite team? No problem; they can make it in a jiffy. Please, don't get me wrong: I do not begrudge these men the rewards they justly deserve for their hard work. But not only to be so disappointed with the efforts for a "custom" chopper for a team they supposedly have an emotional bond with, but to find out that the whole bike may well have been a proof of concept for a sales pitch to the NFL to let OCC expand to their roster of teams, as well...that's just plain exploitative. So, my choices are to judge their motives pure and their creative skills vastly waning, or their motives more commercial and their treatment of the viewer/fan as callous. The lesser of two pains, indeed.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Back Inside
the_NFL_logo.jpg)
Good news today for NFL Films fans like me. Courtesy of the always-entertaining MJD, word comes that the venerable Inside The NFL that has aired on HBO almost since its inception, has risen from the dead. For those that were not aware, this past season was the last of the highlight show's long run, leaving Dan Marino, Bob Costas, Cris Carter, and Chris Collinsworth out of a job. Of course, they had those cushy Sunday morning gigs to fall back on, and Costas is practically his own brand by now, so not too many tears. But Showtime wisely recognized the built-in audience, and swept in to revive it.
No word yet if the staff is back, too, but one can hope that the NFL Films staff members that were laid off as a result of HBO's earlier decision will be back. How about it, Dan? Kick in a little of that salary?
Good news today for NFL Films fans like me. Courtesy of the always-entertaining MJD, word comes that the venerable Inside The NFL that has aired on HBO almost since its inception, has risen from the dead. For those that were not aware, this past season was the last of the highlight show's long run, leaving Dan Marino, Bob Costas, Cris Carter, and Chris Collinsworth out of a job. Of course, they had those cushy Sunday morning gigs to fall back on, and Costas is practically his own brand by now, so not too many tears. But Showtime wisely recognized the built-in audience, and swept in to revive it.No word yet if the staff is back, too, but one can hope that the NFL Films staff members that were laid off as a result of HBO's earlier decision will be back. How about it, Dan? Kick in a little of that salary?
Monday, April 21, 2008
Frakking Bastards
Comcast adding SciFi to their HD lineup: good. Ability to watch the last season of Battlestar Galactica in HD: great. Comcast compressing the HD signal to the point of my DVR acting like it's had too much caffeine in trying to keep up with the compressed signal: Bad. Comcast once again admitting that they throttle bandwidth, but refusing to tell anyone why or under what standards they apply it to: Horrific.
You'd think they would learn, as they are facing $100 million in fines from the FCC on their broadband throttling. But messing with people's HDTV? I can see a big boost for Verizon, AT&T, and DirecTV...
Comcast adding SciFi to their HD lineup: good. Ability to watch the last season of Battlestar Galactica in HD: great. Comcast compressing the HD signal to the point of my DVR acting like it's had too much caffeine in trying to keep up with the compressed signal: Bad. Comcast once again admitting that they throttle bandwidth, but refusing to tell anyone why or under what standards they apply it to: Horrific.You'd think they would learn, as they are facing $100 million in fines from the FCC on their broadband throttling. But messing with people's HDTV? I can see a big boost for Verizon, AT&T, and DirecTV...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
In Praise Of Hulu
I'm usually one of the first people to simply roll my eyes at the efforts of traditional broadcast media companies to adapt to the new paradigms of online penetration. Witness the debacle of various networks as they hemmed and hawed about putting their shows on iTunes, only to pull them off over perceived pricing disputes. Or watching movie studios and television networks turn on their ardent consumers who would gladly pay to watch their content on alternate devices (iPods, laptops, etc.) by suing them. I have been patently disgusted with the 19th century approaches most have taken in the past, so months ago when I read that NBC and Fox were planning to respond to the constant "piracy" of having their shows show up on YouTube by building an online site dedicated to video streaming, I snorted in derision, and passed it off as another lame attempt to convince less knowledgeable viewers that they truly were "cutting edge."
Ok, I can admit it: I was dead wrong.
Hulu.com is the result of this effort, and I have to say after a couple of months of use, I am absolutely floored. Let's start with the basics: it not only offers all of the current episodes of the major TV shows from both networks, but is stocked with classic series, to boot. Miss Studio 60? Got 'em. Hankering for a little 1980's TV? Check out Airwolf and the A-Team. How about catching up on those series that everyone's been talking about, but you missed the start of, so you don't want to come in halfway? Say hello to Heroes and Battlestar Galactica. I mean, the list goes on and on. And it doesn't stop with TV: movies, movies, movies. The Usual Suspects, Dude, Where's My Car...impressive selection.
The streaming is flawless. I don't know how they do it, but it starts playing instantly, and none of the dreaded buffering that plagues YouTube. The interface is elegant, simple and functional: from the concept of "lowering the lights" to darken everything else on the page, to perfect positioning. And the full screen is amazing. Hear me out: most sites, when they stream video, you go full screen, and you might as well be looking at a Roy Lichtenstein painting, with pixels the size of baseballs. Hulu somehow gets it at even better than broadcast quality.
Let's talk ads. Obviously, this has got to be paid for, right? So Hulu inserts ads at logical points of the stream. On TV shows, when the commercial break happens; movies, at scene transitions. The ads are usually what drives me away from streaming, but here, they are extremely well done: not more than 30 seconds, with a counter indicating when the ad will be over. And the ads are actually good: non-intrusive, rich in quality. I can say I have watched more ads on Hulu in the last 2 months than I have watched on TV in the last 2 years (my DVR lets me skip them all). Even better, Hulu is experimenting on ads: on some shows, they will start by giving you an option to watch the show with the inserted ads, or choose to watch a 2 minute movie preview to start, eliminating all ads. It's your choice. Very cool.
Now, why would you use this? First, most TV's being sold now are flatscreens: LCD or Plasma. They are, essentially, big computer monitors that you can plug your desktop or laptop in. In our kitchen, we got a flascreen. Comcast came out, couldn't figure out how to get the TV wired up on the wall we have it without draping wires all over the kitchen. Instead, I opted to pick up a small HP Windows Media Center desktop, popped in a WiFi adaptor, and voila. At first, I was watching shows I had downloaded (ahem), but quickly realized what a pain that was. I added a SlingBox to watch our cable/DVR in the kitchen, and while it works well, it has some occasional connectivity issues. I'd tried streaming some video from ABC.com and Fox, but the quality was not there, and their "players" were buggy. Hulu was a hail Mary, and it paid off like a perfect Doug Flutie pass.
They've added a number of new features since exiting beta, such as favorite subscriptions, and a community function, but the core is still as good as ever. The major complaint about Hulu has been the scattershot depth of content. For instance, we just started watching Hell's Kitchen on Hulu, but they only have episodes from this season, not the previous 3. They claim to be importing new content as fast as they can, and they have already sold out of online ad inventory from their advertisers, so I'm prepared to say it looks like a bright Hulu future.
Ok, I can admit it: I was dead wrong.
Hulu.com is the result of this effort, and I have to say after a couple of months of use, I am absolutely floored. Let's start with the basics: it not only offers all of the current episodes of the major TV shows from both networks, but is stocked with classic series, to boot. Miss Studio 60? Got 'em. Hankering for a little 1980's TV? Check out Airwolf and the A-Team. How about catching up on those series that everyone's been talking about, but you missed the start of, so you don't want to come in halfway? Say hello to Heroes and Battlestar Galactica. I mean, the list goes on and on. And it doesn't stop with TV: movies, movies, movies. The Usual Suspects, Dude, Where's My Car...impressive selection. The streaming is flawless. I don't know how they do it, but it starts playing instantly, and none of the dreaded buffering that plagues YouTube. The interface is elegant, simple and functional: from the concept of "lowering the lights" to darken everything else on the page, to perfect positioning. And the full screen is amazing. Hear me out: most sites, when they stream video, you go full screen, and you might as well be looking at a Roy Lichtenstein painting, with pixels the size of baseballs. Hulu somehow gets it at even better than broadcast quality.
Let's talk ads. Obviously, this has got to be paid for, right? So Hulu inserts ads at logical points of the stream. On TV shows, when the commercial break happens; movies, at scene transitions. The ads are usually what drives me away from streaming, but here, they are extremely well done: not more than 30 seconds, with a counter indicating when the ad will be over. And the ads are actually good: non-intrusive, rich in quality. I can say I have watched more ads on Hulu in the last 2 months than I have watched on TV in the last 2 years (my DVR lets me skip them all). Even better, Hulu is experimenting on ads: on some shows, they will start by giving you an option to watch the show with the inserted ads, or choose to watch a 2 minute movie preview to start, eliminating all ads. It's your choice. Very cool.
Now, why would you use this? First, most TV's being sold now are flatscreens: LCD or Plasma. They are, essentially, big computer monitors that you can plug your desktop or laptop in. In our kitchen, we got a flascreen. Comcast came out, couldn't figure out how to get the TV wired up on the wall we have it without draping wires all over the kitchen. Instead, I opted to pick up a small HP Windows Media Center desktop, popped in a WiFi adaptor, and voila. At first, I was watching shows I had downloaded (ahem), but quickly realized what a pain that was. I added a SlingBox to watch our cable/DVR in the kitchen, and while it works well, it has some occasional connectivity issues. I'd tried streaming some video from ABC.com and Fox, but the quality was not there, and their "players" were buggy. Hulu was a hail Mary, and it paid off like a perfect Doug Flutie pass.
They've added a number of new features since exiting beta, such as favorite subscriptions, and a community function, but the core is still as good as ever. The major complaint about Hulu has been the scattershot depth of content. For instance, we just started watching Hell's Kitchen on Hulu, but they only have episodes from this season, not the previous 3. They claim to be importing new content as fast as they can, and they have already sold out of online ad inventory from their advertisers, so I'm prepared to say it looks like a bright Hulu future.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Decrypting the NFL
Just a quick link to a website that shows all of the NFL games every week, and what markets will see what games. After last week's trek to Petaluma to take in the Dallas-New England Armageddon, I definitely have a new appreciation for A) good sports bars with good food, friendly service and fun (not Raider-like) fans; B) the value of DirecTV's Sunday Ticket; and C)the frustration of the fan who can't figure out what game is on where.
Now, where will I watch my Cowboys bounce back against the Vikings?
Just a quick link to a website that shows all of the NFL games every week, and what markets will see what games. After last week's trek to Petaluma to take in the Dallas-New England Armageddon, I definitely have a new appreciation for A) good sports bars with good food, friendly service and fun (not Raider-like) fans; B) the value of DirecTV's Sunday Ticket; and C)the frustration of the fan who can't figure out what game is on where.Now, where will I watch my Cowboys bounce back against the Vikings?
Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, TV
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Tretakoff vs. Tretakoff
Yep, today's the big game. My beloved and undefeated Dallas Cowboys play host to my hometown (and also undefeated) New England Patriots. Tom Brady vs. Tony Romo. Randy Moss vs. Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones vs. Robert Kraft. All amazing matchups, but none compares to the biggest blood feud: Amy vs. Me. Yep, my wife has blossomed into a full out Pats fan, and we're going to the nearest sports bar to watch the battle unfold. Why? In the Bay Area, the biggest game of the season thus far is trumped by the Raiders vs. the Chargers.
As part of NBC's whopping $3.6 billion dollar contract with the NFL for Sunday Night Football, NBC wisely got a concession out of the NFL: "flex" scheduling to allow them to select the best game for the Sunday Night national audience. So why are we not enjoying the "Highlander" ("There can be only one") game in the comfort of our own home? Alas, flex scheduling does not start for 6 more weeks. NBC has to be grinding their teeth at this, while bar owners and DirecTV Sunday Ticket customers must be gleefully chortling at their good fortune.
So, tomorrow at 1, feel free to watch that ticker for the updates. While the Boys leads the series against the Pats (7-1, since 1971), opinions are divided on the outcome here. New England clearly is loaded on offense, and has a big chip on their shoulder this season, after losing last year's AFC Championship game to their arch-rivals, the eventual Superbowl champion Colts, and being accused of cheating in the first week of this season. Dallas has the #2 offense in the league, and Romo has proven he's a genuine star, but his 5 interception performance last Monday night has to have him rattled. Dallas is clearly primed for the upset, but ESPN put the game through Madden 08 simulations, and predicts Brady comes through in Big D.
In any case, at the end of the night, one team will no longer be undefeated, and this may indeed be a preview of the Superbowl...or a divorce. :-)
All I have to say is...How 'bout them Cowboys?
Yep, today's the big game. My beloved and undefeated Dallas Cowboys play host to my hometown (and also undefeated) New England Patriots. Tom Brady vs. Tony Romo. Randy Moss vs. Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones vs. Robert Kraft. All amazing matchups, but none compares to the biggest blood feud: Amy vs. Me. Yep, my wife has blossomed into a full out Pats fan, and we're going to the nearest sports bar to watch the battle unfold. Why? In the Bay Area, the biggest game of the season thus far is trumped by the Raiders vs. the Chargers. As part of NBC's whopping $3.6 billion dollar contract with the NFL for Sunday Night Football, NBC wisely got a concession out of the NFL: "flex" scheduling to allow them to select the best game for the Sunday Night national audience. So why are we not enjoying the "Highlander" ("There can be only one") game in the comfort of our own home? Alas, flex scheduling does not start for 6 more weeks. NBC has to be grinding their teeth at this, while bar owners and DirecTV Sunday Ticket customers must be gleefully chortling at their good fortune.
So, tomorrow at 1, feel free to watch that ticker for the updates. While the Boys leads the series against the Pats (7-1, since 1971), opinions are divided on the outcome here. New England clearly is loaded on offense, and has a big chip on their shoulder this season, after losing last year's AFC Championship game to their arch-rivals, the eventual Superbowl champion Colts, and being accused of cheating in the first week of this season. Dallas has the #2 offense in the league, and Romo has proven he's a genuine star, but his 5 interception performance last Monday night has to have him rattled. Dallas is clearly primed for the upset, but ESPN put the game through Madden 08 simulations, and predicts Brady comes through in Big D. In any case, at the end of the night, one team will no longer be undefeated, and this may indeed be a preview of the Superbowl...or a divorce. :-)
All I have to say is...How 'bout them Cowboys?
Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, TV, Video Games
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Tivo FINALLY coming to Comcast in August
With the unbelievable noise that is the iPhone, an important news item slipped out unnoticed, except by the good folks at Ars Technica: Tivo is FINALLY coming to the Comcast DVR's, over a year after it was first announced. The best part of this is this quote:
Comcast, I'm hereby DEMANDING I be in one of those select areas. I want my Tivo Comcast DVR before Heroes and Lost start again!
Our long national cable nightmare for cheap(er) DVR's may finally be on the verge of ending.
With the unbelievable noise that is the iPhone, an important news item slipped out unnoticed, except by the good folks at Ars Technica: Tivo is FINALLY coming to the Comcast DVR's, over a year after it was first announced. The best part of this is this quote:"Comcast DVRs based on the TiVo software should be ready in select areas as early as August."
Comcast, I'm hereby DEMANDING I be in one of those select areas. I want my Tivo Comcast DVR before Heroes and Lost start again!
Our long national cable nightmare for cheap(er) DVR's may finally be on the verge of ending.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Studio 60: RIP
Alas, the rumors are true. While Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip was a welcome addition to my DVR, NBC clearly felt there were not enough like me. As a result, while spared the ignominious end of outright cancellation, the show has not been renewed by NBC. Sure, it gives the outside chance that another network could pick it up (CBS? Hell, how about the UPN/WB merged channel?), but it's not likely.
The good news is that, as it is not officially cancelled, the rest of this season's episodes continue to air. And it's interesting: as with all Aaron Sorkin shows, it takes a little while for the cast to gel. They are just starting to, and the results are the trademark banter and repartee that don't seem forced anymore, or just a rehash of West Wing. Nonetheless, I will savor the great chemistry of the key players (whoever thought I would actually like Amanda Peet?), and see the show off into the Sunset Strip, with the hopes of seeing it, a la Deadwood, sometime in the future.
Alas, the rumors are true. While Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip was a welcome addition to my DVR, NBC clearly felt there were not enough like me. As a result, while spared the ignominious end of outright cancellation, the show has not been renewed by NBC. Sure, it gives the outside chance that another network could pick it up (CBS? Hell, how about the UPN/WB merged channel?), but it's not likely.The good news is that, as it is not officially cancelled, the rest of this season's episodes continue to air. And it's interesting: as with all Aaron Sorkin shows, it takes a little while for the cast to gel. They are just starting to, and the results are the trademark banter and repartee that don't seem forced anymore, or just a rehash of West Wing. Nonetheless, I will savor the great chemistry of the key players (whoever thought I would actually like Amanda Peet?), and see the show off into the Sunset Strip, with the hopes of seeing it, a la Deadwood, sometime in the future.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Frak Me: The Cylons Finally Won
Battlestar Galactica (the current, SciFi Channel version, not the original ABC series) is jumping off into the end of its flight. Next season will be the last of the successful remade series, according to its producers, as they feel "This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end."
As an incredible fan of the original series (I own the boxed DVD set: the Cylon holographic eye box is the best - thanks Lani & Pete!), I greeted the remake with a large degree of disgust and trepidation (Starbuck is a woman? Cylons look human?). I was amazed to find that it was incredible, with breathtaking effects, great storyline, and a gritty realism that few science fiction series have ever pulled off. I was hooked.
Over the last seasons, however, I have been more and more turned off by the storylines: clearly, Ronald Moore (formerly of Star Trek TNG, etc.) was trying to make the series parallel current events. Occupations and their resistance, how to deal with terrorism, religious fundamentalism...all were getting pushed on the viewer with a ham handed approach that was uncomfortable. I am still addicted to Ron Moore's amazing podcasts, however: it's like having a commentary track on a DVD for every episode, with some great behind the scenes info. Complicated by bizarre scheduling, looooong hiatuses followed by short bursts of episodes, it was always an exercise in patience. In short, the series has had its ups and downs, but is still one of the better ones on TV, and easily the best sci-fi one.
With the upcoming last season, I can look forward to the larger focus of dealing with the Colonists exile, and the resolution of the human-Cylon relationship. Ron Moore has already hinted at TV movies to cover some of the more interesting aspects of the universe (the original Cylon war, for instance?), so I doubt it will completely be gone. I am sad to see it go, but I will be glad the end might focus the producers on delivering that same riveting, tightly scripted show that won over this Lorne Greene-Dirk Benedict fan. What will Richard Hatch do for another 20 years now? :-)
Battlestar Galactica (the current, SciFi Channel version, not the original ABC series) is jumping off into the end of its flight. Next season will be the last of the successful remade series, according to its producers, as they feel "This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end." As an incredible fan of the original series (I own the boxed DVD set: the Cylon holographic eye box is the best - thanks Lani & Pete!), I greeted the remake with a large degree of disgust and trepidation (Starbuck is a woman? Cylons look human?). I was amazed to find that it was incredible, with breathtaking effects, great storyline, and a gritty realism that few science fiction series have ever pulled off. I was hooked.
Over the last seasons, however, I have been more and more turned off by the storylines: clearly, Ronald Moore (formerly of Star Trek TNG, etc.) was trying to make the series parallel current events. Occupations and their resistance, how to deal with terrorism, religious fundamentalism...all were getting pushed on the viewer with a ham handed approach that was uncomfortable. I am still addicted to Ron Moore's amazing podcasts, however: it's like having a commentary track on a DVD for every episode, with some great behind the scenes info. Complicated by bizarre scheduling, looooong hiatuses followed by short bursts of episodes, it was always an exercise in patience. In short, the series has had its ups and downs, but is still one of the better ones on TV, and easily the best sci-fi one.
With the upcoming last season, I can look forward to the larger focus of dealing with the Colonists exile, and the resolution of the human-Cylon relationship. Ron Moore has already hinted at TV movies to cover some of the more interesting aspects of the universe (the original Cylon war, for instance?), so I doubt it will completely be gone. I am sad to see it go, but I will be glad the end might focus the producers on delivering that same riveting, tightly scripted show that won over this Lorne Greene-Dirk Benedict fan. What will Richard Hatch do for another 20 years now? :-)
Labels: TV
Saturday, March 24, 2007
March Musings
Just a random post to share, of some great tidbits.
- I always like to use this blog to share the new and cool online applications I find. Well, today I've found a blog that does nothing but this: I bring you MakeUseOf, a directory/blog of some of the coolest sites on the web for free things to make your life interesting. Although the visual style is closer to a wiki than a blog, it definitely offers a great, constantly updating collection of some of the more interesting sites that provide useful services to the consumer. Think Original Signal without the (ahem) noise.
- Yahoo has released version 4 of Yahoo Widget Engine, promising less memory hogging, and new mini-docking, to allow your widgets to be displayed in an intuitive collection, for neatness. It also introduces a drag and drop upload widget for Flickr, as well as support for just about all old widgets. Seems like a worthy download, and is definitely sucking less of my precious resources.
- Speaking of Flickr, they migrated everyone to a required Yahoo account this month. I have no objections to this, but the tool they have to merge an existing Yahoo account with your Flickr account definitely needs work: it kept getting confused. C'mon, guys...QA this stuff if you are going to require it's use.
- Looking for some new ringtones or audio clips? Check out Entertonement for a HUGE collection of freebies. Best of all, they have search and browse, and some really cool ones, such as the ticking clock for 24, or various TOS Star Trek clips. Movies, music, TV, commercials, sports, video games...they have them all.
- Need a logo, or a great stylized text image? Check out the venerable CoolText for the ability to create like a pro, for free.
- Yes, the Jawbone arrived, and is as good as advertised. Controls are a bit cryptic, but it completely eliminates background noise to the people you call. Got a convertible, or like to drive with the windows open? This is your headset. Style is ultra cool, noise reduction is simply the best, volume is just OK. Bonus: charger is USB based, so you can always get a charge from your laptop: no need to lug that AC adaptor around on your trips.
More as I think to write...
- I always like to use this blog to share the new and cool online applications I find. Well, today I've found a blog that does nothing but this: I bring you MakeUseOf, a directory/blog of some of the coolest sites on the web for free things to make your life interesting. Although the visual style is closer to a wiki than a blog, it definitely offers a great, constantly updating collection of some of the more interesting sites that provide useful services to the consumer. Think Original Signal without the (ahem) noise.- Yahoo has released version 4 of Yahoo Widget Engine, promising less memory hogging, and new mini-docking, to allow your widgets to be displayed in an intuitive collection, for neatness. It also introduces a drag and drop upload widget for Flickr, as well as support for just about all old widgets. Seems like a worthy download, and is definitely sucking less of my precious resources.- Speaking of Flickr, they migrated everyone to a required Yahoo account this month. I have no objections to this, but the tool they have to merge an existing Yahoo account with your Flickr account definitely needs work: it kept getting confused. C'mon, guys...QA this stuff if you are going to require it's use.
- Looking for some new ringtones or audio clips? Check out Entertonement for a HUGE collection of freebies. Best of all, they have search and browse, and some really cool ones, such as the ticking clock for 24, or various TOS Star Trek clips. Movies, music, TV, commercials, sports, video games...they have them all.- Need a logo, or a great stylized text image? Check out the venerable CoolText for the ability to create like a pro, for free.
- Yes, the Jawbone arrived, and is as good as advertised. Controls are a bit cryptic, but it completely eliminates background noise to the people you call. Got a convertible, or like to drive with the windows open? This is your headset. Style is ultra cool, noise reduction is simply the best, volume is just OK. Bonus: charger is USB based, so you can always get a charge from your laptop: no need to lug that AC adaptor around on your trips.
More as I think to write...
Labels: blogs, cell phones, commercials, free, fun, gadgets, Software, Star Trek, TV, Video Games, Web 2.0, widgets, Yahoo
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Set your Remote on Stun
In case you hadn't known, I'm kind of a Trek fan. I got hooked on rerun of The Original Series (TOS), then, after being skeptical, got completely pulled into The Next Generation (TNG); TNG is still exceptional, and I could watch an episode any day or time. Deep Space Nine (DS9) kind of lost me, but Leslie turned me on to just how great the last season was. Voyager (VOY) was a bit aimless, but rediscovered that TNG vibe towards the end. Enterprise? Oooh boy. They should have stuck with the movies.
However, who has not wanted to point their remote at the TV and watch the bolt of energy fly out from it? Well, combine your TOS Star Trek Phaser and your boob tube control habits to get this killer remote. I actually have a TNG one from my old Sharper Image days, complete with sound effects, but this looks to be a bit more comprehensive.
And be on the lookout for the new J.J. Abrams TOS movie prequel next year. Lost meets Star Trek? Count me in!
However, who has not wanted to point their remote at the TV and watch the bolt of energy fly out from it? Well, combine your TOS Star Trek Phaser and your boob tube control habits to get this killer remote. I actually have a TNG one from my old Sharper Image days, complete with sound effects, but this looks to be a bit more comprehensive.And be on the lookout for the new J.J. Abrams TOS movie prequel next year. Lost meets Star Trek? Count me in!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
FutureCar: I Want One Now
Not sure if you have been catching it, but the Discovery Channel has been running a miniseries, FutureCar. I'm not all that keen on the editing, as they spend about 2 minutes on each cool car concept, then spend 10 minutes on a hydrogen powered go kart time trial. However, there was one car that looks to be on the cusp of reality that makes it all worth it: the VentureOne.
3 wheels. Cockpit style seating. Hybrid technology. All look spacey and futuristic. But here's the kicker: it leans into turns, up to 45 degrees! That makes driving this thing a combination of motorcyle, car...and plane. See, it takes the best of what I love about my all-wheel drive Outback Sport to a whole new level. The video section of the site really says it all: "This thing is so much fun to drive...it should have guns, or missles on it! I want to dogfight!"
Rumor is, the VentureOne (the evolution of the Carver One featured in FutureCar and the videos) will come in at less than $20K and comarketed with BMW, who made small fun transport a success with the reintroduction of the Mini Cooper. At a range of 350 miles per tank, max speeds in excess of 100 mph, and the feel of "flying the road," not to mention a removable top, I'm so there. Not to mention the parking benefits!
3 wheels. Cockpit style seating. Hybrid technology. All look spacey and futuristic. But here's the kicker: it leans into turns, up to 45 degrees! That makes driving this thing a combination of motorcyle, car...and plane. See, it takes the best of what I love about my all-wheel drive Outback Sport to a whole new level. The video section of the site really says it all: "This thing is so much fun to drive...it should have guns, or missles on it! I want to dogfight!"Rumor is, the VentureOne (the evolution of the Carver One featured in FutureCar and the videos) will come in at less than $20K and comarketed with BMW, who made small fun transport a success with the reintroduction of the Mini Cooper. At a range of 350 miles per tank, max speeds in excess of 100 mph, and the feel of "flying the road," not to mention a removable top, I'm so there. Not to mention the parking benefits!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Speaking of Apple and Superbowl weekend...
While this year's Superbowl is not a major attraction for me (Colts vs. Bears? Yawn.), I am looking forward to the commercials. The buzz is that Apple has a special commercial planned this year, possibly Beatles-related, so that's will be the Easter egg I'm hunting for.
These commercials have become amazing, in their technical detail, their story, and their originality. For instance, I give you Michael Jordan, king of the commercial/sports pitchmen. Already a legend in basketball, sports, clothes, and commercials ("Gotta be the shoes" "Nothing but net"), Gatorade produced this stunning Superbowl commercial for his last major appearance, entitled simply 23 vs. 29:
Some commercials have used famous directors, of course, but never made it to the screen, even for the Superbowl. Take this absolutely brilliant Spike Jonze-directed Gap masterpiece:
However, this year's hype king is also the master of the Superbowl commercial. Let's not forget: it was Apple who brought the idea of the Superbowl commercial to the mainstream as a pop-culture icon, with the original, Ridley Scott's 1984. I leave you with the iconic genius of pop culture it is:
These commercials have become amazing, in their technical detail, their story, and their originality. For instance, I give you Michael Jordan, king of the commercial/sports pitchmen. Already a legend in basketball, sports, clothes, and commercials ("Gotta be the shoes" "Nothing but net"), Gatorade produced this stunning Superbowl commercial for his last major appearance, entitled simply 23 vs. 29:
Some commercials have used famous directors, of course, but never made it to the screen, even for the Superbowl. Take this absolutely brilliant Spike Jonze-directed Gap masterpiece:
However, this year's hype king is also the master of the Superbowl commercial. Let's not forget: it was Apple who brought the idea of the Superbowl commercial to the mainstream as a pop-culture icon, with the original, Ridley Scott's 1984. I leave you with the iconic genius of pop culture it is:
Monday, January 08, 2007
Tivo...almost on my Comcast DVR!
So close, I can almost taste it. Today, at CES, Comcast finally demo'ed Tivo on their DVR. As I have this miserable piece of crap excuse for a box, with it's sluggish UI and hit or miss recording ability, I miss my Tivo every day. Will I be willing to pay a few bucks more a month for Tivo's UI, reliability, and great features on my already bloated Comcast box?
YES.
Now, when's the date? Rumor is, I'll be able to update the existing box instead of getting a new one. Seems unlikely, as Tivo's Thumbs Up/Down buttons aren't on the Comcast remote. Still, I'll keep you posted!
So close, I can almost taste it. Today, at CES, Comcast finally demo'ed Tivo on their DVR. As I have this miserable piece of crap excuse for a box, with it's sluggish UI and hit or miss recording ability, I miss my Tivo every day. Will I be willing to pay a few bucks more a month for Tivo's UI, reliability, and great features on my already bloated Comcast box?YES.
Now, when's the date? Rumor is, I'll be able to update the existing box instead of getting a new one. Seems unlikely, as Tivo's Thumbs Up/Down buttons aren't on the Comcast remote. Still, I'll keep you posted!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Joss Whedon: This Generation's Gene Roddenberry
I just finished watching all the episodes of Firefly, Joss Whedon's "Western in Space," and was surprised at how enjoyable it was. Whedon, if you don't know, is the man who brought Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel to the small screen, but also has written some surprising big screen diversities, including Toy Story and Alien Resurrection (Alien 4). Firefly was supposed to be his big dream, but it lasted only 13 episodes before Fox canceled it.
Like another famous science fiction series that was canceled before it's time, Firefly inspired fans who loved the universe and characters, who are passionate about the show. How passionate? They staged a letter writing campaign to save it, which briefly worked. They held conventions, wrote episodes, and generally made a ruckus enough to convince 20th Century Fox to allow Whedon to make a movie follow up, Serenity. Unfortunately, like the series, it too failed to be a commercial success. The story should have ended there; it didn't.
Take the last 24 hours. A major open-source platform for online Multiplayer games announced it's releasing a new "universe," set in the Firefly world. Having watched the series, I will say this is masterful: the complex universe Whedon created is a mix of Western, Chinese, and traditional sci-fi, and he barely scratched the surface. In fact, the unfolding universe was as much a character as the rest of the actors, and deserves to harness the power of the fan's imagination this way.
And speaking of the actors, the "Browncoats," as Firefly fans tend to call themselves (a reference to the rebellious group some of the major characters were part of) were set to have their annual convention today...only to find the company that put it together essentially took the 500 people who prepaid their $75 each...and vanished. Another injustice to these passionate fans, and another tragic tale, right? Wrong. Tonight, as the morose fans huddled for mutual frustration in the hotel's bar, the actors from the show came down and joined them. Hell, they may still be there, as of this post. Folks, that's complete and utter class: these actors, who were only together for a short time, really feel the love, and are giving back. Kudos, and bravo.
The show itself was good: rich and nuanced. sure, it had a bit of hokeyness (that "Western in space" is just not sustainable), and some weaknesses, but it is a fine show, worthy of these fans' respect. Some of it was groundbreaking: the camera and effects work are clearly what's influenced the breakout hit, Battlestar Galactica. And the writing was top notch: character consistency, all the way. I do recommend watching it, if only to understand what these fans saw in it.
Clearly, like Star Trek, this is a show that went before its time, and the parallels are eerie. Show was canceled because it was not a commercial success, yet the fans make it live on. Conventions keep springing up. A movie version was made, but the first one was also not a commercial success. Now, look at Trek, years later: 8 films, 4 spinoff series, countless video games (see my wish list), books and more. Hell, there are even movies about the fans!
Joss Whedon clearly knows how to write a good series, and I will not be surprised if Firefly will live on, maybe as another film, after the success of the MMORPG and the DVD sales, etc. Joss Whedon, this generation's Roddenberry. Me, I'm off to add Serenity to my Netflix queue.
I just finished watching all the episodes of Firefly, Joss Whedon's "Western in Space," and was surprised at how enjoyable it was. Whedon, if you don't know, is the man who brought Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel to the small screen, but also has written some surprising big screen diversities, including Toy Story and Alien Resurrection (Alien 4). Firefly was supposed to be his big dream, but it lasted only 13 episodes before Fox canceled it.Like another famous science fiction series that was canceled before it's time, Firefly inspired fans who loved the universe and characters, who are passionate about the show. How passionate? They staged a letter writing campaign to save it, which briefly worked. They held conventions, wrote episodes, and generally made a ruckus enough to convince 20th Century Fox to allow Whedon to make a movie follow up, Serenity. Unfortunately, like the series, it too failed to be a commercial success. The story should have ended there; it didn't.
Take the last 24 hours. A major open-source platform for online Multiplayer games announced it's releasing a new "universe," set in the Firefly world. Having watched the series, I will say this is masterful: the complex universe Whedon created is a mix of Western, Chinese, and traditional sci-fi, and he barely scratched the surface. In fact, the unfolding universe was as much a character as the rest of the actors, and deserves to harness the power of the fan's imagination this way.
And speaking of the actors, the "Browncoats," as Firefly fans tend to call themselves (a reference to the rebellious group some of the major characters were part of) were set to have their annual convention today...only to find the company that put it together essentially took the 500 people who prepaid their $75 each...and vanished. Another injustice to these passionate fans, and another tragic tale, right? Wrong. Tonight, as the morose fans huddled for mutual frustration in the hotel's bar, the actors from the show came down and joined them. Hell, they may still be there, as of this post. Folks, that's complete and utter class: these actors, who were only together for a short time, really feel the love, and are giving back. Kudos, and bravo.
The show itself was good: rich and nuanced. sure, it had a bit of hokeyness (that "Western in space" is just not sustainable), and some weaknesses, but it is a fine show, worthy of these fans' respect. Some of it was groundbreaking: the camera and effects work are clearly what's influenced the breakout hit, Battlestar Galactica. And the writing was top notch: character consistency, all the way. I do recommend watching it, if only to understand what these fans saw in it.
Clearly, like Star Trek, this is a show that went before its time, and the parallels are eerie. Show was canceled because it was not a commercial success, yet the fans make it live on. Conventions keep springing up. A movie version was made, but the first one was also not a commercial success. Now, look at Trek, years later: 8 films, 4 spinoff series, countless video games (see my wish list), books and more. Hell, there are even movies about the fans!
Joss Whedon clearly knows how to write a good series, and I will not be surprised if Firefly will live on, maybe as another film, after the success of the MMORPG and the DVD sales, etc. Joss Whedon, this generation's Roddenberry. Me, I'm off to add Serenity to my Netflix queue.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Network TV reimagined
Imagine a world of network TV with quality shows like LOST or 24...that don't go stale. This New York Magazine article makes a compelling argument for just that, and it's hard to refute. My coworkers are getting tired of the mysteries of LOST this season, and 24 has clearly jumped the shark. With competition from Netflix, HBO, Showtime, and the web, it's time to start thinking this way.
Imagine a world of network TV with quality shows like LOST or 24...that don't go stale. This New York Magazine article makes a compelling argument for just that, and it's hard to refute. My coworkers are getting tired of the mysteries of LOST this season, and 24 has clearly jumped the shark. With competition from Netflix, HBO, Showtime, and the web, it's time to start thinking this way.
