Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with video and television

How can I watch as much of the X-Games as possible?

ErWenn — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:23:46 -0800

How can I watch as much of the X-Games as possible, especially now that the event has passed? I love watching the X-Games every year, but it always turns into a serious pain in the ass. This year, it was particularly bad because I missed all the advertisements and by the time I realized it had already happened, they were no longer showing reruns every night. I managed to DVR a few hours of footage, but it left me even colder than it normally does. Lots of it was repetitive, there were many events I didn't get recorded, and there were gaps in what they did cover.

So I go to the ESPN website to see what videos they have to offer there. For most of the big events, there's a short, 2-3 minute bit with footage from the gold-medal run. Sometimes it's just highlights, not even the full run (even for a big event like BMX vert). Some events might as well not exist as far as video is concerned. And that's it. I can't find crap anywhere else. I can't even find bittorrents for the original broadcast. I'd gladly sit through advertisements to watch this, but I'm not even given that chance. What does ESPN do with all that footage? That question is more rhetorical than anything else. But does anyone know where I can find it?

Of course the live coverage itself leaves a lot to be desired. Stuff chopped out during commercial breaks, preliminary rounds uncovered, less-than-popular events skipped (or given the highlight-reel treatment). I've almost given up hope on watching the rest of the events, but if somebody knows someplace that has decent-quality video of that stuff, I would be ecstatic.

(Personally, I'm more interested in the artistic events (street/park/vert/whatever (I miss flatland)) than the races, but others who share my frustration may be looking for those, so feel free to post links for that too, if you have them.)

And a side request: if anyone knows where I can get good video coverage of other "action" sports events (I don't get Fuel TV), that would be great too.

How can I find out if the upcoming seasons of Top Chef and Project Runway will be available online?

imposster — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:07:05 -0800

How can I find out if the upcoming seasons of Top Chef and Project Runway will be available online (e.g. Amazon Video-on-demand, iTunes, etc.)? I've tried the message boards and searching around the Internet. Where can I find information about this?

Where do people go for B-roll?

bryanjbusch — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:56:44 -0800

I'm thinking of shooting and uploading some b-roll for sale to others who might need it, with locations and keywords and all. Is there a marketplace for this? When people are putting together news clips (or any kind of video, but mostly news), they usually shoot some extra footage that they can use to cover up jumpy edits, or for voiceovers. They call it B-roll.

Is there a marketplace for b-roll that you haven't shot yourself? Let's say you're doing even yet still another story about obesity in America and you need a shot of heavy people with no heads. If you're not sure you can go shoot some b-roll of this before the deadline, could you buy some online?

Recorded HD-TV shows to laptop?

vizsla — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:43:30 -0800

Are there (legal) ways to copy recorded TV shows from my HD-TV box to my laptop for personal use? Note: This is a technical question, not a legal one - I just don't know where to start. I have a Topfield PVR but I think most of the shows are being recorded on this Foxtel box.

Why is TV snow in black and white?

abc123xyzinfinity — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:57:12 -0800

Why is TV snow in black and white? As best I can tell, the "snow" you see on your TV is random signals, from a dead channel or a blank VHS tape or whatever. My question is, if your have a color TV, why does the snow always appear in black and white? Why wouldn't you see a colorful display of random noise?

Yes, fine, I'll even take Baywatch.

Netzapper — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:05:44 -0800

I need a reasonable quality video stream captured from recent US network television, with the commercials still in it. Oh, and no subtitles. And, actually, maybe more than one, if that's possible. The usual pirates, you see, conveniently strip the commercials. I need some US television as a data sample to train an algorithm. Specifically, I'm interested in segments of video that include transition to commercial (with a good chunk on either side). The higher the encoded quality of standard definition video, the better; I can't use high-def captures.

Flash video streams with web commercials are no good for my purposes--and, really, Flash videos are generally too badly encoded to work even if they're raw TV. The ideal video would be a raw MythTV DVR capture of live sports or a primetime 1-hour drama. The motherload would be about half a dozen of these. Cherry-like toppings might include having been edited to remove all but about 1 minute on either side of each commercial break, being encoded in h.264/MPEG-4part10(or whatever) and being contained in an .mp4, and instant delivery so I can soon achieve Maximal Productivity Status--my skin turns blue and my eyes laser-emitting at this power level.

Or, if you're familiar with MythTV: what's the format of the file? Is there a chance I could convince google to bring me hits from people's unlocked webserver/DVR uberputers?

I appreciate any suggestions.

DVD player that isn't hostile to end-users?

odinsdream — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:54:31 -0800

Can you recommend an upconverting DVD player with component output that ignores region coding and allows me to perform any action at any time? Can you recommend an upconverting DVD player that doesn't treat me with active hostility? I'm specifically looking for a player that:

1. Ignores region coding, or can be easily set to ignore region coding without installing new firmware.

2. Never, ever restricts me from fast-forwarding previews/warnings/anti-piracy tirades or skipping to a particular menu.

I can work around these issues by ripping the discs and then re-burning them but this is highly inconvenient.

It would also be nice if the player had all of the usual standard cool things, like digital audio output and some nice pulldown detection, and didn't sound like a jet engine.

Find this TDS clip?

joshuaconner — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:23:26 -0800

Daily Show clip with John Oliver talking about his previous gaffes covering the Olympics - where can I watch it online?

Online TV services

ReiToei — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:14:51 -0800

Looking for good implementations of web based, on demand television, similar to BBC's iPlayer and Channel 4's 4OD services. Great hive mind,
Currently doing some research into IPTV and web based television services. Trying to get examples of services similar to BBC's iPlayer and well designed video on demand sites like Hulu and the new South Park site. I'm based in Ireland, so there are probably loads of US sites that I don't even know about. Let me know your favourites. Forgeign language sites are more than welcome too.

Thanks, as always.

Help me make a TV show~!

DickStock — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:36:22 -0800

I'm going to shoot a TV program. How can I package and sell this germ of an idea? My brother owns a classic car. A bunch of car-owners will make a cross-country trip in their cars in about three (3) weeks. I think it will be a bunch of 60-ish people stepping back into a bit of back-roads Americana.

How can I package and sell this germ of an idea?

I am a professional TV cameraman, can take great video and sound, but I don't know how to put something together that can make some $$$.

Saturday Night Live SKIT about GOD and Heaven

BigCreekBill — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:38:34 -0800

What Saturday Night Live skit had "a man dead, goes to heaven and asks God questions?" I need help by Saturday! I am looking for a old Saturday Night Live skit. The skit is where a man dies and goes to heaven and he gets to ask God any questions...The skit is about him asking questions and finding out all the stuff in his life he didn't know. Very funny

What is the name of the skit?

What two actors were in it?

Is the video available on YouTube?

How do you watch George W. Bush without going blind?

Jimbob — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:50:42 -0800

Does NTSC look as bad on actual NTSC televisions as it looks on my PAL television? My evening news, here in Australia, just had a piece on Bush's State of the Union address, and it occured to me how fuzzy and old American television looks compared to Australian TV. Everything looks like it was filmed in the 70s or 80s.

America uses the NTSC standard, known to be a slightly lower resolution than the PAL standard that I'm used to, but is the fuzzy image I see the same as what Americans see when they watch TV, or does the process of converting to PAL mess with the picture and make it worse? Do PAL shows look awful on NTSC televisions? Will the shift to HDTV improve the quality? Input from people who've experienced both formats first hand would be much appreciated.

TV Tuner Card

Aanidaani — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:27:14 -0800

I'm interested in buying a TV Tuner Card for my PC, but I don't know where to find good reviews. Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap, decent-quality card that preferably comes with a remote? I'd like to buy a card that I can use to watch and record shows on my PC, with an S-Video input if possible. HD support would be a nice plus, but it's not necessary. A PCIExp-format card would also be desirable. Thanks!

I don't care for television, but I want to stay current on cultural memes.

yohko — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:47:17 -0800

How can I keep up with television spread memes without watching (much) tv? I don't watch much tv. Some people reference tv shows, ads, and widely broadcast news in conversation, and some movies also make use of these cultural touchstones that are familiar to most people in the United States. The Simpsons, a show I do watch occasionally, uses a lot of these. I'd like to watch a short video summary of these sorts of things every week or two to keep current on this.

It's tough for me to come up with current examples of the sort of thing looking for, since I don't watch tv at home. One example would be the original vonage (?) ad, which had a jingle I noticed people whistling periodically. News events with video components would also qualify. Suzie Starlet loosing a shoe on the red carpet doesn't qualify, but Suzie Starlet saying something that generates a lot of controversy might.

My perfect solution to this would be video clips on a site with text that provides any further explanation needed (such as: this is Janet Jackson playing halftime at the Super Bowl), rather forcing me to sit through talking heads explaining the clips. Some voiceovers would be ok if it's the visual portion of the clip that's important.

Where can I find a current, periodically updated summary of US-based tv?

I don't consider "start watching tv everyday" to be a good answer to this question. I'm sure some of you out there in metafilterland feel that I should buy a tv -- fret not! I've got one. It's in the closet.

Where can I download video easily?

meech — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 20:04:17 -0800

I've just bought a portable media player and want to fill it with video. I'm loving Stage6 - click the link and it quickly downloads a high quality divx file. Anything else out there as easy to use and reliable? Stage6 has a great range of British TV but I also want to get hold of American television. I know this is in a gray legal area but I am prepared to pay money for a good service.

[I'm not interested in bit-torrent as it doesn't work for me with my service provider].

USB to TV adaptor?

whatisish — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 21:02:37 -0800

USB thumbdrive to television - does such an adaptor exist? Currently I burn Divx files to CDRW's to watch them on television through my Divx capable DVD player. I'd rather just watch them (on a television) directly from a USB thumbdrive. Is there such an adaptor that will take input from a USB thumbdrive and have standard video and audio output cables? Cheaper is better.

Can I record straight to my iPod?

beammeup4 — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:06:18 -0800

Can I record video from my ATI DVR straight to my iPod? I've got an ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 tuner with the ability to record shows onto your computer like a DVR. The software has a number of recording settings, including an option to define your own custom record settings.

Does anyone with this device or an ATI All-in-Wonder know if you can define the video recording settings in a way that it is automatically compatible with the iPod? There is an option to record in MPEG-4, but it records it with an AVI extension that I can't drag into iTunes.

What the heck is a "Chi-ron"?

rorycberger — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:18:20 -0800

In last night's episode of Studio 60, Cal mentioned something sounding like Chi-ron (or Kai ron) as part of the preshow checklist they were running through. I remember hearing this same word a few times on Sports Night. What is it? Obviously it's some component of television production, but is it a light? A camera? A recording device? I've looked through a half dozen glossaries of video and television terms with no luck, and it's hard to google something you don't know how to spell or even describe. Please help!

Computer-based media clipping service?

pzarquon — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 22:07:15 -0800

How easy would it be to set up some PCs to record the local news on several channels for purposes of offering a media clipping service? I don't know what the industry term is for this service, or how it's handled in other markets, but there is a company in my town that basically pays college kids to run a rack of basic VHS VCRs at home to record the evening news on four local network affiliates, cycle the tapes, and hold 'em for about a week in case a client wants a copy of a story that featured their product, a competitors product, a spouse, friend, etc.

Basically, the local stations don't have the patience or time to answer calls from the public who want a tape of their uncle, caught on camera expressing shock at a neighborhood fire, and direct people to call this company instead. It's obviously not a very profitable niche, but it's worth a few bucks to someone, and so far I guess the VCRs, tapes, and basic tracking is simple enough to sustain. But it still sounds like a lot of hassle.

So I was thinking. I've got a coaxial cable coming into my computer room, and four unused Dells, one of which has a video capture card. I presume I could get a coaxial splitter, a few more video cards, install some software, and basically have machines quietly recording the news on these four stations every night. Each would store {x} nights' worth of broadcasts, then dump 'em. Since I'm not messing with tapes, I could have an archive stretching further back than a week, and I imagine I wouldn't even have to think about it at all until someone wanted a specific segment. Then, I'd just copy the recorded video to the machine with a DVD burner, burn it, and hand it over.

Could this really be that simple? Or is there a reason cheap VCRs and cheap tapes are the way things are done now?

Do you have recommendations or warnings on the distribution of video capture cards and hard drives to get four evening news broadcasts simultaneously? How would you configure these relatively mindless recording workstations? What's the most reasonably priced basic video capture cards? Simple recording/scheduling software? Easiest way, when needed, to snip out a bit and burn it to DVD?

Thanks in advance! And if this turns out to be a viable side business for anyone else, you're welcome!

Are RCA cables and Component cables the same?

tpl1212 — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 05:34:54 -0800

Can one use RCA cables (red/white/yellow) in component jacks (red/blue/green)? I understand that the jacks carry much different data/signal/whatever, but I was told that there is no need to buy (very) pricey component cables...you can actually just hook up good quality red/white/yellow RCA cables to the component jacks for the same purpose. My backstory: for some reason, I am a complete AV dolt. I don't get it and can't wrap my head around wiring and hooking up my new digital video box, home entertainment receiver, and new LCD tv with all sorts of in/outputs.

So, I went to radioshack (ugh...hate that place, but I was in need of a quick fix to get this all hooked up) and the guy asked if I had component outputs, and that hooking these up with component wires (the three red/blue/green wires) would give me the best possible picture. So I bought some $45 package of Monster component cables (knowing full well that this guy was probably upselling me and raking me over the coals...but not understanding enough to be able to know for sure...hate that feeling).

I got home and my friend who was helping me set everything up mentioned to me that it was merely the inputs that were different; the component jacks were what carried "better" picture data...the cables (within reason) were more or less irrellevant. The cables just carry that signal.

I tested it out...and over the short distance hooked up (about 2'), I noticed no change in picture quality whether the component jacks were connected by dedicated (expensive) component cables or by good quality (but 1/2 or more as pricey) RCA cables.

I found this discussion on Yahoo Answers...but it seems like there if just a lot of back and forth ("yes, they are the same" and "no, they are totally different.").

Should I return these expensive cables and just go with some high quality RCAs in the component jacks? Are dedicated component cables really only marketed for suckers like me?

Thanks!

How do I copy videos FROM my PC TO my TiVo?

John Kenneth Fisher — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 22:53:05 -0800

How do I copy videos FROM my PC TO my TiVo???? I see plenty of ways to copy video the other way, including TiVo's own TivoToGo, but what I'd like to do is copy videos I have on my computer (in various formats) TO the TiVo. Is this possible? (For background, I have a networked TiVo running 7.2.2 or whatever the newest vers is, and have Macs, Windows machines, and Linux boxen on my network - so if software does exist, I should be able to run it. I'd really rather avoid any kind of "crack the case and..." solutions.)

Where to watch the Olympics online?

thirdparty — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 18:37:11 -0800

What are the options, if any, for live video of the Winter Olympics online in the US? Having been able to watch CBC in 2002, I was spoiled, but this year it's back to NBC only. Worse, with the games in Europe this year, they will be showing everything that matters spliced into bite-size melodramatic bits, in between interminable ads and features, six hours after it actually happens. So, any options, licit or illicit?

With a little help from my friends... finding Belushi & Cocker?

Misciel — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 08:05:54 -0800

I'm looking for classic "Saturday Night Live" sketches that might not have made the "Best of..." DVDs. Namely, John Belushi performing as Joe Cocker WITH Joe Cocker! But there were far too many good ones to let them all fade into oblivion! Is there any way to find these classic sketches to save them for posterity?? Thanks!!

How does one become a professional video cameraman?

nitsuj — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:14:25 -0800

How does one become a professional video cameraman? NBA, NFL, reality TV, etc. - (1) what qualifications do those who operate video cameras for various TV shows have? I'm in college -- most of the way through an unrelated degree (and not interested in switching) -- but have harbored interest in operating a video camera professionally for some time. (2) Is there a specific type of degree that camerapeople have - possibly from a specialty school? (3) How tough of an industry is this to break in to? (4) If one wanted to become a cameraman like this, what would be the first step?

New Jersey Ads and Me, Perfect Together?

TPIRman — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 16:05:18 -0800

Where can I find old New Jersey tourism commercials? I'm working on a video project in which I need footage from old New Jersey TV commercials. They were spots run by the state tourism council in the '80s featuring then-governor Thomas Kean. The ad centered around the slogan "New Jersey and You: Perfect Together," and the message was delivered by Kean himself.

My usual sources for television ads, along with the NJ Tourism Board, Historical Society, and State Archives, haven't been able to track the spots down. I'm coming up against my deadline. Anybody know where I could get a copy of the Kean ad(s)?