TV is dead to me.
I remember a time when i would be excited about a new TV programme that was on. I would look forward, really look forward to the next episode and enjoy the routine of never missing a certain show, and feeling some achievement in being there to watch a series develop over the weeks and months.
For the past few years this has stopped happening all together. When a new, highly rated series begins, ill sit and watch the pilot episode, then if I enjoy it ill go and download the rest from the Internet. If, as happens very occasionally I cant find what I want online ill just buy the DVD from EBay. The thought of sitting down for an hour a week for months on end seems stupid when you can watch as much or as little as you want to in one go, and never miss an episode. Better still you don't have to deal with the adverts. I remember when I first downloaded an episode of Lost and thought something had gone wrong as the file was only 41 minutes long and its on TV for an hour. But no, sure enough, when that episode was shown on TV it was bulked out with 19 minutes of complete shit. ER is a similar length, and on the latest series they obviously thought that 19 minutes of adverts wasnt enough, so extended it to 1 hour 5 minutes in the shedule, giving more dead time to advertise dead products.
Normally in the later stages of a series (or season) you get a 'Previously, on ...' update for a couple of minutes at the start of the show, which can also be skipped, as you've not had to wait around for a week forgetting what had just happened. In the 41 minute shows on for 1 hour 5 minutes, they have a break straight after the Previously.. section, just to confirm that it is absolutely unwatchable.
If you haven't ever got your favourite TV show on DVD or as media files I cant recommend it enough. I watch a lot of TV, I think TV is brilliant, but only when its on your own terms. Once you've seen and lived a series in a few weeks, theres no going back to the advert infested crock that is on Channel 4.
Ever.
In some unrelated Movie news: I watched The Kite Runner in the cinema this week (I wonder how long it will take before someone tries to introduce advert breaks at the cinema...) and thought it was fantastic. I was dragged along by my housemate and feared it may be a bit too arty for my primarily Transformers based pallet, but I was hugely surprised, moved, and immensely glad to have gone. The book has now got 'I want' written all over it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Really couldn't agree with you more. Adverts really kill the programme you're watching. I managed to watch Smallville on Youtube, right up until the very last one (which I missed because the bastards at Google cracked down hard on tv shows being on there). Also heard in the news this week that there are plans for adverts to be on BBC3 & 4. Or, more acurately, the "Sponsored by..." shite that you get on the other channels.
Kind of makes you wonder what you're paying the damn license for.
I'd love to be able to go out and buy Ramsey en masse on DVD. That'd be tops!
When I lived in Aus, the adverts were terrible.
A film that was an hour and a half long was scheduled for 2. Forty minutes of adverts.
Gah!
..I meant thirty.
I was introduced to the download phenomenon through Lost as well, but tightwad Scot that I am, I didn't like paying the pennies (literally) that they asked for.
However I completely blanched at my attempts to sit through a TV show when I was in America: adverts after the opening credits, two more sets, then some before the closing credits. That was a half-hour show. Our satellite channels are going that way with reckless abandon, so I'm actually not to bothered about the Channel 4 ones. And very occasionally they make me laugh. American ones do that too, but unintentionally...
I, too, agree. The whole idea of being tied to my TV is a little stifling. It is much easier (and a little more involving) to just OD on one show on DVD when you have the time-- be it only once a month or 5 shows in a day.
Not that I ever did that.
AMC- Adverts on BBC? That is rubbish. Ive still not forgivent hem for loosing neighbours. Not that i watch it any more. Honest.
Toast-Have you been having maths lessons with the C-unit?! I wonder if i can get away without a TV license if Im only watching DVDs..
Ant- Im a tight southerner, so wont pay anything for the downloads- well I gess I pay for broadband and time looking up the files, buts other than that theyre free!
PP- Hmmm, is it just me watching my new Flight of the Conchords DVD all night last night?!
In theory, yes.
You will not be receiving a signal from an aerial, so you ought not to get busted
Post a Comment