Wednesday 14 November 2007

OD Oh

Before leaving work tonight, some of us were chatting about "Heroes", and it got me thinking as I (finally) left the office in the cold and dark...

  • Maggie - she had seen series 1 on Sky. Her son had seen part of series 2 abroad.
  • Duncan - had seen next week's on Freeview, but would be recording the terrestrial showing of it tonight as the Freeview picture isn't great quality. So the 0900pm showing was a 'repeat'. Wasn't sure if I'd be watching the next show on Freeview when it came on. [I decided that I'd better as "0.07%" was gripping].
  • Doreen - seen some, but lost her place. Would like to borrow the series when I've finished recording it.

So my brain, in an attempt to keep warm, starts thinking thus...We all watch the same TV series, but we can't discuss it openly without the fear of dropping a spoiler. Is "on demand" stopping the promotion of television programmes? Is it making us more insular in our watching habits? Is too much choice watering down television? If you are constantly switching channels, does it become easier to just switch off?

11 comments:

paul martin said...

no
don't know
no
no

Anonymous said...

It's a total nightmare. I know for a fact that Ptc* gave up because he kept missing new episodes and seeing the same one, three weeks in a row at different times on different channels.

For those of us who 'do stuff' I find it almost impossible to follow anything with freeview now. Though, I've seen all of Heroes Series One by 'other means' that I don't normally condone. I thought it was pretty patchy to be honest.

New Battlestar Galactica on the other hand was a revelation.

AktoMan said...

Paul - thanks for the shortest reply from you in the 9.5+ years I've known you. Are you well?

Craig - I can guess what you mean about being "patchy". Cutting from one story to another. I like being challenged by plotlines, and find myself cheering when a writing has been more of a cunning, evil b*stard than I could have been.

I remember watching "Red Cap" and thinking "if I was a cunning, evil b*stard, I'd have a sniper on the rooftop there - currently concealed from viewers by the actor's head." Actor moves his head, and a rifle can be seen on the roof.

TV should be educational, entertaining and enlightening. I haven't watched tv since the Gaelic programs finished tonight. I couldn't be bothered with "How To Look Good Baked in your House Abroad that you bought with Cash in your Attic" or whatever cheap, mindless rubbish is on tonight. Still, it fills the gap created by having lots of channels - we can't have dead air being broadcasts, and some repeats probably cost more to show than the 'cheap' formulaic programs.

I could always paint some wargames figures and film them drying, so I can put them on YouTube.

Big Kev said...

The Series Link feature on the Sky+ box is handy in a "fire & forget" kind of way. Consecutive episodes recorded at the same time every week for the duration of the series.

Agree with Craig's BSG comment btw; superlative SciFi and I cannae wait 'til Season 4 arrives.

AktoMan said...

Being a stereotype, I amn't keen on spending money on the Sky setup as tv is so pish.

With so many channels on Sky, I'd be like a kid in a pie shop, skipping across the many channels to find an evening of viewing within the drivel. So, I'd never get anything done.

Big Kev said...

Aye, finding something to watch on Sky can be a bit like panning for gold; sifting thru' tons of dross just to find the occasional wee nugget.

I tend to watch pre-recorded stuff as and when I've got time.

Btw, it disnae help that Sky's superior buying power allows them to poach good telly from the terrestrial channels. eg 24, Prison Break, Lost etc

AktoMan said...

I've tons of recorded progs to catch up with. Aargh.

Anonymous said...

I've spent a good part of the weekend watching the reruns of the '77 Logans Run telly series.
I haven't seen it since it was on back then and it feels like it as yesterday, I've really enjoyed it.
But how can that actually be the best thing on, when the channel numbers go up to 999?

Heroes, aye. Somebody just tell me what happens.

AktoMan said...

Space: 1999 is the best I get on my few Freeview channels. Logan's Run - IIRC, the APCs looked like they'd fall apart if a twig hit them, and they didn't look like real off-road vehicles.

Cassey Jones - wish they'd rerun that.

Big Kev said...

Humax do a Freeview box with a built-in hard drive and software that allows you to select prog's in advance and series-link them. There's a PC output (amongst others) should you ever want to keep stuff. £179 and you'd never miss another episode of Heroes or Space:1999 again. Or indeed, sit thru' another advert :o)

AktoMan said...

Ta, Kev, but I'm holding off the spend until we go 'digital' via the (long-dragged-out-not-like-a-) switch(-at-all) over. Otherwise I can only record via one Freeview channel.

And then they might/will boost the power to the transmitter, so I may receive more channels. Huzzah. "Deal or No Deal"+1. Shopping for ultraniumquartzite jewellry. A Gaelic channel that's only on one hour a day. Oooh. Excitement of poorly pixelated video footage via digital - but they say that is due to the low power just now. We shall see.

I could take the opportunity to save the maney, sell the tv and go online and radio.