I do not know about everybody else but the last few years I have found myself enjoying a good TV series far more often than I enjoy a film (to the point where I might even walk away from a film thinking that it would have made a better TV series or mini series).
So with a load of people talking about the recent writers strikes and the knock on effects for various TV shows ( http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a79376/us...sday-nov-6.html ), my like of watching 10 shows in a row with the possibility of watching a whole series and most people around here being able to work IRC, usenet, ftp, edonkey, DVD rental.... or even (shudder) torrents I figured it would be time to make a list of stuff to watch.
Alas my student/unemployed lifestyle over the last few years has run down the potential for such a list so I figured I would call upon the 'tempers to see if we could drum up a list.
Before I get started video is easy enough but some suggestions if you want them.
Audio/video is a immense area that I have spent years looking into and still find entire areas I had not even imagined so there is
DVDs: supposedly now obsolete with the introduction of "next-gen"/"high def" discs but a upscaling player should make it all easy enough for those who decided or a cheapo Chinese "dvd" player should be all you need
PC wise if you can easily get a TV out (I normally use S-video with a 3.5mm jack to phono leads (rig it up to your sound system if all else fails and you can even walk away with something nice): combined both can be picked up for less than a new DVD).
If you want to watch on a PC (also a good route) can I suggest you get rid of everything else and get CCCP http://www.cccp-project.net/ (the old failing of lacking decent FLAC support can be mitigated with a new directshow filter: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=130498 ) to play back stuff.
If you want to make DVDs and are not overly willing to learn to make them can I suggest FAVC: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=106677 or http://favcfavc.googlepages.com/ . It acts as a frontend to some of the most respected freeware video tools around (I dare say as good in quality to anything in the sane commercial range (maybe if you pay several thousand you can come back but until then...) and maybe 10% slower for some things) can take just about everything as input and can make menus for up to 8 titles.
On the advanced menu (the rightmost tab) select use directshowsource instead of AVIsource, add ensurevbrmp3sync() to the second box down and trim(100,0) below it.
As a rule of thumb 2 hours for a single layer DVD and 4 for a dual layer although you can break that fairly easily and not suffer.
Standalone: some standalone players can play back mpeg4 ASP (aka divx and xvid) and an xbox with xbox media center (XBMC) can do loads as well.
Portable video is going to drag this off topic quickly so I will skip over it.
I tend to favour action laden TV shows with dark humour and people being very much in the shades of grey category. If someone has a particularly great film that people would like (or even if a series ended in a film or was spawned from one go that)
Still in no order whatsoever and missing out a whole bunch of others (I want to leave it to others to write which you should probably read I am a lazy [insert expletive of choice])
The Shield:
One of my favourite shows, it follows the exploits of somewhat corrupt LA cop Vic Mackey (sp?) and the people around him. To those not in region 1 the DVDs past series 2 were not available in outside last I checked (a few months back admittedly)
Alias:
Got ahold of a box set (a nice cube), follows the exploits of some secret agents. Often an excuse to have Jennifer Garner dress up in a wig and few clothes but otherwise not bad. Normally has a major plotline with several long running arcs.
6 feet under:
Dark comedy/drama about a family of morticians. Alas I missed series 1 and the last 2 or so seasons.
Family Guy:
Animated comedy about a family, fairly dark humour although plenty of pop culture stuff thrown in (see youtube or similar sites). In the same vein American Dad is also pretty good but I have not seen enough of them.
The Wire:
I watched the first series but this was the beginning of the end for my DVD rental account with amazon uk so I have not seen the later ones.
Follows a group of somewhat dysfunctional police in Baltimore with the one case forming the main focus of the series.
Spooks (MI5 in the US as I recall)
MI5 is the agency in the UK that deals with terrorism and serious crime and this show follows a small group within it.
New series has started and should not fall under the strike problems). In my opinion one of the few things the BBC puts out capable of justifying the tax that supports it. Often fairly dark.
Hustle
The other thing the BBC does to justify the tax. Follows a group of con artists, quite humour laden.
The Unit:
Follows a group of US special forces, sometimes a bit of forced patriotism for my liking but still quite good. 2 seasons out (the first is quite short but the second is full) with the third in progress.
Firefly (ending with the film Serenity).
Watched it for the first time a few weeks back. Enjoyable science fiction series. DVDs have some unreleased episodes.
NCIS:
Follows a group of US navy police, similar to CSI but more character driven and when compared to some of the later CSI episodes more interesting in my opinion.
House:
Show about a very sarcastic if somewhat mal adjusted doctor and his team who tends to get assigned problem cases.
Eureka, (a town called)
Follows a US town full of top notch scientists and the havoc that frequently ensues.
Painkiller Jane
Slated by some and admittedly the acting was a bit weak but I found it enjoyable enough in the summer drought.
Red Dwarf:
A BBC comedy following the misadventures of a crew stranded in space.
Metalocalypse:
Part of the adult swim lineup it is an animated series about a metal band who are the "greatest cultural force on earth".
Thanks to all that read this, comment or post.
So with a load of people talking about the recent writers strikes and the knock on effects for various TV shows ( http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a79376/us...sday-nov-6.html ), my like of watching 10 shows in a row with the possibility of watching a whole series and most people around here being able to work IRC, usenet, ftp, edonkey, DVD rental.... or even (shudder) torrents I figured it would be time to make a list of stuff to watch.
Alas my student/unemployed lifestyle over the last few years has run down the potential for such a list so I figured I would call upon the 'tempers to see if we could drum up a list.
Before I get started video is easy enough but some suggestions if you want them.
Audio/video is a immense area that I have spent years looking into and still find entire areas I had not even imagined so there is
DVDs: supposedly now obsolete with the introduction of "next-gen"/"high def" discs but a upscaling player should make it all easy enough for those who decided or a cheapo Chinese "dvd" player should be all you need
PC wise if you can easily get a TV out (I normally use S-video with a 3.5mm jack to phono leads (rig it up to your sound system if all else fails and you can even walk away with something nice): combined both can be picked up for less than a new DVD).
If you want to watch on a PC (also a good route) can I suggest you get rid of everything else and get CCCP http://www.cccp-project.net/ (the old failing of lacking decent FLAC support can be mitigated with a new directshow filter: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=130498 ) to play back stuff.
If you want to make DVDs and are not overly willing to learn to make them can I suggest FAVC: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=106677 or http://favcfavc.googlepages.com/ . It acts as a frontend to some of the most respected freeware video tools around (I dare say as good in quality to anything in the sane commercial range (maybe if you pay several thousand you can come back but until then...) and maybe 10% slower for some things) can take just about everything as input and can make menus for up to 8 titles.
On the advanced menu (the rightmost tab) select use directshowsource instead of AVIsource, add ensurevbrmp3sync() to the second box down and trim(100,0) below it.
As a rule of thumb 2 hours for a single layer DVD and 4 for a dual layer although you can break that fairly easily and not suffer.
Standalone: some standalone players can play back mpeg4 ASP (aka divx and xvid) and an xbox with xbox media center (XBMC) can do loads as well.
Portable video is going to drag this off topic quickly so I will skip over it.
I tend to favour action laden TV shows with dark humour and people being very much in the shades of grey category. If someone has a particularly great film that people would like (or even if a series ended in a film or was spawned from one go that)
Still in no order whatsoever and missing out a whole bunch of others (I want to leave it to others to write which you should probably read I am a lazy [insert expletive of choice])
The Shield:
One of my favourite shows, it follows the exploits of somewhat corrupt LA cop Vic Mackey (sp?) and the people around him. To those not in region 1 the DVDs past series 2 were not available in outside last I checked (a few months back admittedly)
Alias:
Got ahold of a box set (a nice cube), follows the exploits of some secret agents. Often an excuse to have Jennifer Garner dress up in a wig and few clothes but otherwise not bad. Normally has a major plotline with several long running arcs.
6 feet under:
Dark comedy/drama about a family of morticians. Alas I missed series 1 and the last 2 or so seasons.
Family Guy:
Animated comedy about a family, fairly dark humour although plenty of pop culture stuff thrown in (see youtube or similar sites). In the same vein American Dad is also pretty good but I have not seen enough of them.
The Wire:
I watched the first series but this was the beginning of the end for my DVD rental account with amazon uk so I have not seen the later ones.
Follows a group of somewhat dysfunctional police in Baltimore with the one case forming the main focus of the series.
Spooks (MI5 in the US as I recall)
MI5 is the agency in the UK that deals with terrorism and serious crime and this show follows a small group within it.
New series has started and should not fall under the strike problems). In my opinion one of the few things the BBC puts out capable of justifying the tax that supports it. Often fairly dark.
Hustle
The other thing the BBC does to justify the tax. Follows a group of con artists, quite humour laden.
The Unit:
Follows a group of US special forces, sometimes a bit of forced patriotism for my liking but still quite good. 2 seasons out (the first is quite short but the second is full) with the third in progress.
Firefly (ending with the film Serenity).
Watched it for the first time a few weeks back. Enjoyable science fiction series. DVDs have some unreleased episodes.
NCIS:
Follows a group of US navy police, similar to CSI but more character driven and when compared to some of the later CSI episodes more interesting in my opinion.
House:
Show about a very sarcastic if somewhat mal adjusted doctor and his team who tends to get assigned problem cases.
Eureka, (a town called)
Follows a US town full of top notch scientists and the havoc that frequently ensues.
Painkiller Jane
Slated by some and admittedly the acting was a bit weak but I found it enjoyable enough in the summer drought.
Red Dwarf:
A BBC comedy following the misadventures of a crew stranded in space.
Metalocalypse:
Part of the adult swim lineup it is an animated series about a metal band who are the "greatest cultural force on earth".
Thanks to all that read this, comment or post.
