Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TV

hp expresscard problem

sgt.serenity — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:42:28 -0800

Is there any program that works with a hp expresscard tv tuner that isnt windows media centre ? I know its naive of me, buying a tv tuner card for a hp pavillion notebook and actually expecting to watch tv on it. Im in the uk and have tried for years to get this to work without success. is there no program out there that can use the tuner apart from the woeful windows one, which doesnt work ?

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.

Seussical type of cartoon

mmf — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:41:27 -0800

Trying to remember a Dr. Seuss TV cartoon (or a Seuss-like one) which featured a baby and two grown-up creatures (probably male) who helped him imagine/decide what he might be when he grows up. This is not "Oh the Places You'll Go", it was on television perhaps in the 80's or 90's. Anyone?

Help me ditch cable

Rad_Boy — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:19:40 -0800

I'm looking for online sources of information about alternatives to cable TV for watching TV shows. Forums are my favorite online learning mode. I would love to ditch cable TV and make use of other modes to access TV shows (such as internet and over the air TV). I'm vaguely aware of Apple TV, Neflix, etc., but I'm finding the field, too me, is pretty complicated and changing very rapidly. I would like to find a good forum where these ideas are discussed and where I can ask questions.
If you have any forum suggestions, please speak up!
Other online learning guides for this topic that you think are good would also be interesting to me.
Thanks!

Recommend a graphics card for my new TV

muckster — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:59:50 -0800

Do I need a new video card to hook my PC up to my new HDTV? I have a Dell PC with a ATI Radeon HD 2400 graphics card. It has two connections, one DVI and one S-Video.

I used to convert the DVI to RGB and connect that to my Dell monitor at the max resolution of 1680 x 1050. The S-Video was connected to my tube TV, which worked just fine.

The new TV is a Toshiba 40" 1080p, so of course I'd like to feed it something better than S-Video. I tried connecting the RGB, which gives me a max resolution of 1360x768 -- but it leaves me with S-Video for the monitor, which is pretty freakin' ugly.

Here's the question: is there a way I can use a splitter or similar to feed the DVI (or RGB) into both the monitor and the TV at a resolution both will be happy with? Or do I have to get a new HDMI-ready graphics card? If I do, can you recommend one that might last me little while without breaking the bank? Under $100 would be great. I play the occasional game of TF2 but media is going to be the main use. Blu-Ray might be nice one day. I don't need to expand to a second monitor and would be just as happy cloning the same image on both screens. Thanks much.

Who can mount an HDTV in Lake Forest, IL?

um_maverick — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:13:06 -0800

Posted for a friend: What's the best non-Geeksquad option for getting a plasma TV mounted/configured in or around Lake Forest, IL (just north of Chicago)? Friend is looking to acquire a 46" plasma TV, and has best buy gift cards, so that's where she's going for the TV. However, it looks like buying a mount and paying geeksquad to install it is going to run $500, and most of what I've heard of geeksquad service has been.....not awesome. I recommended to her that she use a local person/company that specializes in these things and will likely be cheaper and better, but I'm not from the area so I can't help any more - any recommendations? Thanks!

Knob Snob

nomad — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:40:59 -0800

I just bought these speakers to use with my TV and I need a creative way to control them via a standard IR remote control. Why is this even an issue? Because the speakers are designed to work with a computer so they don't have their own IR receiver. The volume is controlled with this adorably impractical little knob. I'd just use the volume controls on the TV, but it's too smart for its own good and disables the volume controls when speakers are plugged in. The two options I have come up with so far are:

1. Get some sort of amplifier/middleman device that can control the volume from the TV via IR and output the signal to the speakers.

2. Use my very limited electronics skills to design a device that turns the little knob based on IR input. (this sounds like a crapload of fun, but I don't really know where to start)

Does anyone have any ideas that will get me on the right track to implementing either of the above 2 ideas? Also, can anyone think of a simpler or more badass solution?

More technology plz!

sarahj — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:44:57 -0800

How can I help my parents hook up their computer to their TV? My parents have a nice wall-mounted big screen Pioneer lcd tv and my dad's dream is to have their Dell desktop system in the same room wirelessly networked to it, for music-playing, presumably netflix and online video viewing, and general happiness. I've googled this in as many different verb-noun combinations I can come up with and I'm still not sure what I'm looking for. Is this possible?

My dad mentioned something called RocketFish, and I saw some BluRay players that potentially had wireless networking capabilities but I wasn't sure if that capability was usually used for some other purpose. I'd like to help him on this for a Christmas gift - what would I need to buy and do in order to do this?

Thanks so much! I can definitely provide more information if it's needed.

Region Free At Last, Thank the Beeb I'm Free At Last!

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:04:49 -0800

Now that we have a region free DVD player, what British shows should we look in to ordering? My wife and I are huge fans of British comedies like Black Books, The IT Crowd, and Peep Show. We've been frustrated that many series are not available in the US (anything beyond the first series of Peep Show or That Mitchell and Webb Look, for example) and so broke down and bought a DVD player (a Philips DVP3980) that I unlocked to be region free.

So after we gorge ourselves on Mitchell and Webb, what else should we look for that's not available in the states?

We're not limited to comedies, either. My wife likes shows like Skins and I'm a huge murder mystery nut (Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, etc).

While we're mainly interested in stuff we can't get over here, we'd like to take advantage of the seemingly cheaper DVD prices. For example, a 10 episode set of Midsomer Murders comes to something like 60 dollars, shipped, from amazon.uk while a 4 episode set costs 40 bucks here in the states. The less said about the amount I paid for my complete Morse vs the amount being charged on amazon.uk, the better. So any suggestions as to where we can get more for our money are welcome too.

Yet another "Help me remember the name of this show from my childhood" question.

word_virus — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:25:51 -0800

Yet another "Help me remember the name of this show from my childhood" question. Three kids in robes trapped in a cave system? More inside. Help me recall the title of a children's TV show I vaguely-remember watching at least twenty years ago. Three kids enter a cave system, step through a magical, disappearing cave wall which solidifies behind them and become trapped. They spend every episode exploring the caves and trying to find their way home. They may or may not have worn robes.

This ring a bell for anyone?

Help me remember a great line from "The Wire"

krudiger — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:31:43 -0800

Help. Brain Freeze on line from The Wire. Woke up in the middle of the night trying to remember a link from The Wire. I believe it is the last Season at the start of an episode is in the interrogation room with a kid and says something profound/funny. I think it is the first line of episode. "The thing about being innocent..."? (maybe, not even sure about that start.). Really appreciate the help.

Computer monitor as TV, and vice-versa?

st starseed — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:55:56 -0800

Computer monitor as TV, and vice-versa? My wife and I are now in the market for a new computer monitor that works quite nicely as a television. The idea is to put it in the den/man cave/playroom and utilize it as:

1. The full-time computer monitor for internet browsing, document creation, photo editing, video editing, and motion graphics...

and

2. A video display so we can sit about 6-8 feet back and watch movies or television.

1080p, 1920x1080, and an HDMI input (to run from the video card to the display) are my requirements; I'm not locked into any particular size, although I certainly don't want to go so big that I can't sit a few feet away and do some writing or webbrowsing.

Other notes: We already have a nice 42" LCD in the living room...Please don't mention the projector idea...I am not loyal to any particular brand, but I'd rather spend a few more dollars to get something better than try to hoard a few dollars and get something lame...the budget in my head is anywhere from $200-$400.

Has anyone had any luck finding something that works well for them?

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 identify the Ghirardelli ad music

rdauphin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:42:12 -0800

What is the bit of classical music behind the Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark commercial on TV? I just saw the commercial and heard a snippet of classical music that I've been trying to identify. The ad is specifically for Ghirardelli's Peppermint Bark. Can you name that tune?

Let's Put on a Show!

hellbient — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:00:59 -0800

What are some movies, shows, sketches, etc. where amateurs put on a show? Especially comedies, but any genre will help. I'm doing some research for a show I'm writing that involves amateurs putting on a show, and want to see what else is out there. "Waiting for Guffman" and The Muppets come to mind, but I'm sure there's more.

I know it's only November.

bent back tulips — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:40:31 -0800

What are your favourite Christmas TV episodes? This year leading up to Christmas I want to watch a load of Christmas specials or Christmas episodes of TV shows. The problem is, I can't think of that many! I know there must be lots that I'm not thinking of, but that's where you come in.

Ones that have come to mind for me so far: Studio 60, The Office and (of course!) A Charlie Brown Christmas. Are there any favourite Christmas episodes that you remember fondly? Or ones that you bring out every year at this time? What would be good for me to watch to get me in the Christmas mood? They could be heartwarming, hilarious or melancholy, all accepted. Fire away!

1980's TV show

JAD'E — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:20:52 -0800

Trying to find the name of a 1980's TV program. Strange question. My daughter's boyfriend was talking about a 1980's TV program last night. He could not remember the name, but the Super Hero type could change into an animal. He stated it was not beastmaster, but he watched it every week. We are all stumped as to what this program could be. We did ask, as he was not born in the USA, and he stated he was living in America when he watched it. He said it was around the time of Knight Rider.

Hard drive connection to my HDTV?

zardoz — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:30:32 -0800

In the market for an HDTV, but what should I know beforehand to ensure that I can connect it to a separate hard drive and watch videos already stored on the drive? I have quite a few videos backed up on my hard drive (Intel iMac), and I want to find out the most painless way to watch those videos on an HDTV. Most are standard quality, and a few are high-def videos I'd like to play at the native 720 or 1080 on the TV.

The TV and computer are in separate rooms, so my idea is to either use the external hard drive I have now (about 300 gig capacity), and unplug the thing, walk it over to the TV and connect it. Not very elegant, but I wouldn't be doing this much. Also, memory is getting cheaper and cheaper, so I'm fine with buying another separate hard drive for this; in fact, that's probably the best idea.

Past that, I don't know...anything. Are there multiple kinds of cables I could connect the hard drive to the TV? Is just a USB port an option? What kind of connection is necessary there? Is this what HDMI is for? Firewire?

And if/when I get the hard drive connected, what kind of interface would be available to "talk" to the TV? I'm guessing this depends on model and brand. It seems that lots of people use XBox 360s for this, or maybe Apple TV or an Apple Mini....would these be good purchases for this plan?

So what are the key things I need to know to get this to work?

Live sports on PC

paulyballs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:50:10 -0800

What's the best way to watch live tv (sports mainly) on a PC? My gf's parents have a vacation cabin with only internet access and they want to be able to watch live sports while they are there. What's the best option. Her mother asked me about "Digital TV for PC" but I think it's a scam. They do have full cable at their main home so I was thinking of advising Slingbox. Anything else out there that won't require me installing hardware at their main home? Thanks!

Help me get my Sky TV working again.

Nufkin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:16:27 -0800

My Sky+ box only receives some channels, others now display a error 25 'No satellite signal is being received'. Sky want to send an engineer at a cost of £65. Is there anything I can do to fix this? Some channels (like Sky 1) show perfectly; others, such as channel 4 are intermittent; some I can't get at all (all flavours of BBC).

What can I do to try and fix this?

Can't watch a specific channel on my computer!

mhz — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:17:06 -0800

Why can't my USB TV tuner find channel 11? I have a Hauppauge USB TV tuber (950Q, I think), and I can't get WPIX in New York. I have no idea if it's ever worked, as I've never tried it before. I've scanned repeatedly, but still nothing. This is using EyeTV, on the Mac, and I'm in Brooklyn. All other over-the-air networks work perfectly.

A couple of notes:

It's not an antenna issue; the same antenna finds 11 just fine when connected to the cheap DTV converter I have.

I tried adding it manually with the frequencies I found online, and nothing.

I've tried using a file I downloaded from TitanTV with the frequency, and nothing.

My brother just called me, and he's using Windows (Vista or 7, I'm not sure) with Media Center, and an ATI USB TV Wonder, and he's having the same problem. Neither of us ever noticed this before, because the Giants weren't on WPIX before.

Any suggestions? Again, this issue does not appear to be the antenna, and it's appearing with two different brands of USB tuners, on two different operating systems.

What's the name of this British tv show?

jmmpangaea — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:39:26 -0800

Help, I can't remember the name of this reality tv show. A British Asian doctor (lady) berates an unhealthy person about their lifestyle. The doctor shows the unhealthy person what's happening inside their body and what will happen if they continue their bad habits. Usually the unhealthy person will be a smoker and drinks a lot.

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?

70s TV show with female, puppet hosts?

tristeza — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:03:47 -0800

Please help me ID this American TV show/special/variety hour from the '70s featuring life-sized female puppets/marionettes - or prove to me that I am indeed halluciremembering. I have been trying for YEARS to ID this show that I swear to god I remember, but am starting to think I may have imagined or dreamt. It's driving me nuts.

It was sometime in the '70s in the US, probably between '74-'76, and I don't know if it was series, or a special, or a variety show. Could have been only a one time airing.

All I remember is that there were 2 "hosts" who were female, life-sized (or close to life-sized) marionettes or puppets. They looked Muppet or doll-like, not realistic.

They wore groovy, spangly '70s variety-show gear (bellbottoms, vests), had white-lady Afros, maybe granny sunglasses.....

I have a memory of a number where they performed "Boogie Shoes" by KC and the Sunshine Band.

After searching forEVER:

- it doesn't seem to be a Krofft or Muppet vehicle
- it's not on tvparty.com
- it didn't involve Waylon Flowers or Madame

Did my 5 year old brain imagine this?