Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TV and television

Dr Who: I don't get it

northerner — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:45:02 -0800

Why is Dr Who so popular with adult American audiences? Dr Who is considered a children's TV programme here in the UK (although the beeb have tried to market it more toward family-viewing in recent years) so it seems quite strange to me just how popular it is amongst the 'geek community'. Particularly considering the current golden age of American sci fi TV.

I am not criticising the show itself, I'll leave that to the critics. But surely the scripts or the supplementary programming are clues to its intended audience.

Perhaps by asking this question I'm revealing an ugly snobbish side of myself when I should just be leaving people to enjoy what they want to watch. If I regularly watched Dr Who I'm sure I would feel the same intellectual juvenilisation guilt that my adult friends who read Harry Potter admit to. However, I'm genuinely interested in why the show is so popular. My original theory was that the number of anglophiles in that same geek community skewed the rest somehow.

White flatscreen TV around 42"?

Riki tiki — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:57:20 -0800

Looking for a good flatscreen TV, 42" or thereabouts... and white. I haven't been able to find anything that size that isn't in industry-standard black. Any suggestions?

Help me design a new home entertainment system.

ColdChef — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:08:04 -0800

My old tube television has died a terrible sputtering death. Help me get over my sense of loss by assisting me in replacing it with a new HD television and entertainment system. Here are my needs: I'm working with a budget of around $2000. I want a HD LCD television set that's between 46-52 inches. I currently have an old-style Tivo box, a decent DVD collection, a Playstation 2, a Nintendo Wii, a DVD/VCR combo, an iMac, and a Netflix account.

I'm not interested in converting all of my DVDs to BlueRay, so I want a player that has a good conversion system for old DVDs. I'm fighting the urge to get a Playstation 3, because I have a tendency to spend too much time playing games--but I could probably justify it with my wife if it's the best option.

Here's what I'd like to be able to do: have 2 or three game systems hooked up simultaneously, stream Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu from my iMac.

Should I upgrade my Tivo to the Tivo HD/XL? Would that keep me from having to get the PS3?

Also: my home is very Mac friendly, but I've never really looked at the AppleTV. Should I?

So here's what I'm looking at:
HD LCD Television
BlueRay Player
New Tivo?
Whatever will allow me to stream Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu

Thanks in advance.

television broadcast production of the 50's

parallax7d — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:06:27 -0800

Are there any good resources that explain the logistics, equipment and practices of television broadcast production of the 1950's?

A piece of fruit on prime time?

slactoid — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:33:38 -0800

Fruit on TV? I remember someone saying something to the effect of, "If we put a piece of fruit on television every night, it will become a national icon". Who said that? And I think that someone actually did it (SNL?), did THAT happen?

Looking for recommendations for recent popular music soundtracks

cosmic.osmo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:21:43 -0800

Does anyone have any recommendations for somewhat recent (post-2000) TV or movie popular music soundtracks (or some other kind of compilation)? I tend to like alternative rock, but I'm open to any genre. I've realized that I've been in a musical rut for the past several years, so I'm looking for a fast way to discover new music and expose myself to some of what I've missed. I've gotten the soundtracks to Scrubs and Garden State, and I've found a lot that I like in them, but I'm also almost finished with them.

So, any recommendations?

My computer sucks at brightness

hayvac — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:30:12 -0800

I have a computer hooked up to my TV (a normal CRT), but any video played from the computer is too dark. Turning up the brightness or contrast settings on the computer just makes the "black" parts of the picture look grey. What setting am I looking for to fix this? So I'm watching TV on my computer-TV system. Scenes that aren't dark (like outdoor scenes shot during the day) look perfect. But during scenes set at night nearly the entire screen is black, even though the picture is clear when the same video file is played on another computer.

It's almost as if the computer is interpreting every slightly dark part of the picture as "black," so that turning up the brightness just makes it a lighter black but doesn't actually show anything. I think there's probably some setting buried in my graphic or codec settings that affects this, but I've looked and can't find it.

Details: the TV is wired to the computer's video card via the RCA video input. The output on the video card is actually S-Video, so I have a converter in-line. Video from other sources (cable or my DVD player) looks totally normal on the same TV.

How do I sell my cable access show to a network?

apiaryist — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:13:29 -0800

How do I sell my cable access show to a major network? I've been working on my show for the past 5 years. I think it's good and would like to either sell the old episodes or the concept to a network. I don't the first thing about doing this. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Quien Es Mas Macha?

The corpse in the library — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:28:04 -0800

While on my nice, safe treadmill at the pleasant, well-lit gym, I like to watch dramatic, character-driven documentaries like Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, and Carrier. Any suggestions for other nonfiction TV shows like that, with women in the starring roles? Preferably the shows would be available on iTunes or DVD in the US. I want danger, adrenalin, good stories, interesting locations, dramatic weather, adventure. The cast doesn't have to be entirely female, but there should be a significant female presence.

Television advertisement showing the stock market as a frenzied sideshow

drdanger — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:10:10 -0800

Saw a television ad several years ago with fantastic art direction depicting the stock market as a circus or similar frenzy of colorful, somewhat frightening characters. Can anyone help me track it down? I'm guessing I saw this ad on American television about five years ago, but it could have been as early as 2000. The imagery and intensity struck me more like a Fellini movie than like a typical advertisement. It was colorful, kinetic, and showed a shouting, frenzied sideshow of crazy characters. There was the two-faced broker who yelled, "Buy! Buy! Buy" until he did a 180 and his other face yelled, "Sell! Sell! Sell!" There were carnival barkers and blimps and I can't remember what all else. The point, of course, was that the sponsor (Schwab? Ameritrade?) would offer you a refuge from the hysteria. I would love to find a video of this, but alternatively enough information to track it down in the real world (sponsor? agency?) would be enough for my eternal gratitude.

Who designed these new logos for CW and MTV shows?

D.Billy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:18:50 -0800

Working on a graphic design exhibition, and trying to source the designer(s) of these logos for Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, 90210, The Beautiful Life, and Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew. This exhibition focuses on design influenced by Herb Lubalin, and these are key contemporary examples. We'd like to go through the proper channels to get vector versions or high-res art to include in the show, and have them properly credited. Attempts to contact the CW and MTV networks have been unsuccessful thus far. Anyone know anyone who knows someone who could help?

No more bulges in the old onion bag

any portmanteau in a storm — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 08:20:08 -0800

I like watching sports but don't particularly like listening to the commentators. Surely I am not alone in this. So why don't they broadcast commentator-free audio on the SAP channel? Yes you can mute the audio, but I'd like to hear the sounds of the game.

I can understand that for some sports commentary can be useful to fill in all the time when nothing is happening (football, baseball) or where it is impossible to show all the action on the screen (hockey) but for sports like basketball, soccer and tennis having commentary actively detracts from the experience (think Tommy Smythe). To me anyway.

I don't see how this would cost very much, if anything, to implement but I know nothing about broadcasting. Are there large costs involved with this? Am I the only one who would like the option to disable commentary? And if it doesn't cost much to implement how could I go about convincing sports broadcasters to give us this option?

Select a TV for our conference room

namith — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:04:16 -0800

Help me select a TV (to be used as a computer monitor) for our conference room. We've got a small conference room at the office. I'm considering buying a used LCD (or plasma?) TV to use as a computer monitor for meetings. I need a little guidance in choosing the right specs. Size: We don't have too much wall space, so I'm thinking a 36" class would work. We will be sitting no more than 6 to 8 feet from the screen.

Input: The TV will likely hook up to an older 2GHz Intel MacBook. I assume most TV made within the past 3 or 4 years have standard inputs for computers (VGA and/or DVI). Should I be looking for something specific in terms of inputs?

Resolution: My biggest unknown is using the TV as a computer monitor. We are generally going to be looking at web stuff using a browser. I obviously want clear text and images. I don't know anything about how TV resolution compares to computer resolution. Most of the websites we'll be visiting are designed to be about 950 pixels wide, I guess to fit properly in 1024px monitor resolutions. For the TV, I want the browser window to roughly fit the screen -- not a very small window and likewise nothing that requires horizontal scrolling. So I guess the questions is, what resolution should I be looking for in selecting a model?

Refresh rate: I assume this is not too important in my case. I understand refresh rate to be important for sports (i.e. rapid changing graphics). We won't be doing any gaming in the conference room.

Type: Plasma vs. LCD?

Brand: Once I figure out what I need, I'll be scouring Craiglist for something that fits the specs you recommend. I know there are 'throw away' brands such as Vizio and Polaroid. In visiting people's homes, I see Sony Bravia and Samsung. Any input on brands would be helpful as well. Honestly I don't expect to use this for a 'lifetime.' I'm just trying to get a few years of reliable service. Keep in mind, that it won't get the usage that a typical TV gets. Maybe a few hours a week at most.

Anything else?

Thanks for your input and guidance. Any details that can help me make a decision are much appreciated.

Recommend me a telly to blow $2500 on

turgid dahlia — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:37:28 -0800

[Australia] Which television should I buy for AU$2500? I am going to buy a nice big TV. Everybody's doing it! So I've got circa $2500 saved up, but the amount of stuff out there frankly boggles my mind.

But I figure, I'm not the only one who ever bought a TV, and probably a few of you have done it recently, so what do you recommend? If it helps, it will principally be for Xboxing/Playstationing and DVD/download viewing. I don't actually watch TV.

Halp plox.

(Note: I'd also love to hear recommendations about brands and models etc. from non-Australians)

Identifying a British TV series

Riki tiki — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:37:41 -0800

Trying to identify a British television program about a doctor that used to be broadcast on PBS. Here's the information I've been given from fuzzy recollections:

It was British, possibly syndicated from the BBC.
It aired Sunday nights on PBS during the '90s or early '00s.
It was a comedy/drama.
It was about a doctor and his wife.
One of the storylines involved the wife cheating with the doctor's intern.

Anyone have any idea what that might be? Thanks in advance.

Same But Different Movies & TV Shows

Rykey — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:22:27 -0800

Looking for "the same, but different" movies or TV shows. Just made the depressing discovery that a TV script I've been working on (and am pleased with) has been done before. Not just "kinda similar," but the exact premise as a fairly recent episode of a hugely popular show.

I realize that this is not uncommon; ideas and story lines are constantly borrowed and redone, and this is all par for the course in Scriptland. I'm just trying to decide whether to scrap the whole thing and move on to something else, or to try to tweak my current script so that it's funnier/more clever/more original to the point of a viable "new" story.

So, my question: what movies/TV shows do you know of that have unmistakably, remarkably similar premises or story lines, but are distinct in their own right?

Not looking for examples of remakes (e.g., the two versions of Psycho); a good example of what I'm looking for would be Girlfight and Million Dollar Baby. Both about female boxers overcoming prejudice and their own fears, but each its own story, with differences in character, setting, etc.

What other examples can you think of?

Does Craig Ferguson really have a live studio audience?

xmutex — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:33:29 -0800

Is Craig Ferguson's talk show real? I mean, like, is the audience real? I was falling asleep Friday night and watching this and it was insane, like an insane laugh track, laughter at every other word he said, but nothing was funny. It was totally bizarre. And then his guest Liza Manelli came on, and of course she's a car accident, and the whole thing got weirder and I knew I was going to have bad dreams from it all and NEVER A SHOT OF THE CROWD. Surely regular, sane, live, real people could not be laughing at this? What's the deal?

Rogers or Bell for cable tv (Cake or death? Death or death?)

maudlin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:43:57 -0800

Toronto cable tv frustration: should I dump Rogers for Bell? I have a basic cable package with Rogers and have added on a few extra channels, like BBC World News. I'm pretty fine with the selection of channels that I have.

However, dealing with Rogers for any kind of service or billing issue is incredibly frustrating. I just got off the phone with my third different CSR regarding a switch of a couple of the extra channels that resulted in additional fees despite being told explicitly by an earlier CSR that no additional fees would be applied. The fees were finally removed today, but it's not the first time I've had to make multiple calls to resolve something.

So I'm looking at Bell and have found a comparable package that I could live with. But in your experience, is Bell generally more or less frustrating than Rogers when it comes to billing, support and installation? Are there any obvious benefits or drawbacks to making the switch that I should know about?

I haven't had TV since the first season of Survivor

pintapicasso — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:41:03 -0800

Help me buy a cheap, flat-screen, non-HDTV? I haven't had a TV for the past seven years, but I'm sick of watching movies on my 12" ibook. I am a total techno-newb, and my boyfriend, parents, best friends, and roommates (obviously) don't have TVs so I am on my own. I want to buy a TV. Here is my wishlist:
1. Flat-screen
2. 20-30 inches
3. Less than $200, preferably less than $150.
I don't care about HDTV, but all of the TV's I've seen for sale online are HDTVs. I have an inkling this is a silly question, but do non-HDTV flat screen TVs exist? My thought process is that they would be cheaper than an HDTV. If they do exist, is my price range reasonable?

Where can I find this documentary about the voice?

chorltonmeateater — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:05:57 -0800

I'm trying to find a DVD/watchable online version of a documentary I saw probably saw about five years or so ago about the history of the voice in popular music. I think it might have been simply called The Voice, and was probably shown on the BBC or Channel 4 (although I think it was American-made). One episode featured harmony groups like the Four Freshmen and the Beach Boys. With such a generic name, Google is failing to help me find any details on this one. Does anybody know what it was actually called, and where I can see this again?

wii tv?

scruss — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:23:15 -0800

Television recommendation just for running a Wii? We don't have a television, but recently got smitten with playing Wii games. I've never bought a television before, so what am I needing? Not looking for something huge or expensive.

(Through reading comments, looks like trying to get my nice but surplus-to-requirements Viewsonic VGA/DVI widescreen monitor would be a lot of work and ultimately rather unsatisfactory. Would that be right?)

Barchester Chronicles?

pilibeen — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:52:21 -0800

Any recommendations for smart TV comedy which'll suit my taste? I feel like I've run out of great TV comedy, and am resorting to rewatching old series. Do you have any new (or old) suggestions? Netflix is failing me.

Here's my list of shows I've absolutely loved:
The Thick of It
Spaced
Arrested Development
Peep Show
Fawlty Towers
Mr. Show
Dr. Katz
Freaks & Geeks
Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The Office, UK
Extras (minus special)

Stuff I've liked, not loved:
Northern Exposure
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office, US
Shameless

I feel like there're probably some other British gems I've missed, and definitely some older shows I should track down. I'll try anything though - any ideas to suit my taste?

Thanks!

What is this cartoon from my childhood?

doublehappy — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:48:25 -0800

This has been driving me crazy, and I'm obviously a weaker google user than I thought. I used to watch a cartoon on Saturday mornings and I have no idea what it was, or even if it was real. My recollection is hazy and may incorporate any number of other childhood memories and red herring elements, but I'm hoping someone can help me out! [I'm going italicize any element I'm unsure about - i.e. those elements that my memory may have fabricated.]

Each episode was about a race between groups of 2 animals/people. The races may also have been rescue missions of some sort.

The races were monitored by a boss type character at hq. The boss type character had scouts that would report the progress of each team back to him. The progress was recorded on a map (each team had a statue on the map and would be knocked over if they were out of the race).

There were malevolent crows that may or may not have been competing as well. They set up traps and sabotaged other teams. There is also a chance that the crows were not malevolent at all, and were in fact the scouts mentioned earlier.

In my memory, the animation is similar to Samurai Pizza Cats

Usually a different team won each episode, as they each had unique strengths and weaknesses.

Please don't suggest Wacky Races/Racers. The animation was less sparse, and the characters very different, and I hesitate to say there were no vehicles, but I don't think there were vehicles.

Please help! I realise that I haven't given much information - but I am almost sure this show existed in real life and someone must have seen it! (I was born in 86, so I imagine I watched it sometime between 91 and 99, but I grew up in New Zealand, where television was aired sometimes years later than in the US for example.

Thanks!

new Macbook Pro to tv?

cgs — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:12:48 -0800

How do I connect a new Macbook Pro to televisions? My question is identical to this older one, but that the new MBP's have Mini DisplayPorts instead of Mini-DVI.

I want to connect mine to my HDTV, as well as to older/regular tv's (composite). How many adapters do I need to buy? I'm guessing mdp -> hdmi for the hdtv. According to the wiki, I need to get two for the composite: mdp -> vga -> composite, which seems excessive to me.

Do any of you have first-hand experience with this? Can you recommend any sites that offer adapters/cables at good prices?

Thanks for your time-
cgs

DirecTV, DishNetwork or uVerse?

tippiedog — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:56 -0800

Dish Network, DirecTV or uVerse? We are a family of four living in suburban Austin, Texas. Our local cable service has changed hands two times in the last few years and is now owned by Suddenlink. We've had cable (with their provided DVR, a Motorola 6400 series) and internet with them for years, and have not been particularly unhappy until recently. With one of the buyouts, they removed some channels that we like (BBC America primarily) from our package and we really don't want to pay more for them.

But here's the big problem: I knew the DVR was not anywhere close to TiVo in functionality, but it did the job. In the last two weeks, however, they REPLACED the OS on the DVR (and cable box for our non-DVR TV, but that has less of an impact) and as a result, our DVR has lost some significant functionality and is practically unusable. That really pisses me off!

We're thinking of going elsewhere for TV and I would like your feedback.

NOTE: Our neighborhood was recently wired for AT&T uVerse, so that's an option, in addition to satellite.

Based on recent threads, it looks like MeFites generally prefer DirecTV over Dish, but Uverse is so new, I'm not seeing much about it on the green.

Here is some relevant info about us:

I'm not unhappy with my cable internet service; I don't see any reason to change it from Suddenlink unless there's a big bundling advantage

We have landline phone service with AT&T; we have tried Vonage and Suddenlink's VoIP but had voice quality problems (which may indicate that our internet service isn't that great; see first bullet item above)

We don't care a whit about sports on TV

We currently subscribe to basic cable + the big package of miscellaneous stuff: SciFi, Discovery, Comedy, TBS, etc., which is about what we would like to keep

We live by the DVR, so it's a must whichever way we go. Obviously, DVR usability is an issue

We get movies via NetFlix, so don't want to want to pay for premium movie channels

We watch primarily PBS, documentaries, some re-run sitcoms, etc.

We have one HDTV (with the DVR) where we do about 95% of our TV watching. We have a second, small analog TV in a study that hardly gets used for anything but gaming; we don't need a DVR for it