TV Streaming Services and their Content

QuadraphonicQuad

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5>6 years ago it finally dawned on me I watch so little network/cable TV in my Bassment, I finally got rid of my cable box. Naturally it still bugged me that I lost the ability to even watch local news or a network show my wife didn't want to see. So for about $80 I bought a nice little HD OTA tuner box. Yup, I've got a big Winegard antenna in the attic that works just fine for digital TV. For free the box gives me 62 chs, some of which are not even available on our Spectrum box with the family TV.

Of course as soon as I got this et up a friend told me about ATSC 3.0 & why did I buy something that will be quickly outdated?

So I did some research & the most important part to me was going to this new format is strictly optional with TV stations & the future is ill defined. Seems the future is now. But it won't bring any new enjoyment to my set up downstairs. And my goodness we just bought a new 55" Samsung QLED TV for upstairs. I guess we would have to use a ROKU or the such or buy a new TV to make use for it.

My understanding is it uses OTA for TV and also an internet connection for other features, a hybrid situation. Now why can't everything be handled by internet protocol? It seems to me this is not a new streaming services but upgrade to existing tech. Sort of like when stations transitioned from mono>stereo>5.1 at their own discretion.
I'm sure I'm wasting money on my cable subscription, but I've been too busy to research everything. We're signed up for a fiber Internet connection in the next year or so, but it remains a fortune-telling exercise.

The handful of OTA stuff we watch could probably be covered by a couple of streams and a tuner box - what is yours? I'd probably have to get a TiVo, too, just because I watch exactly one event each year live (Indy 500) beyond Boise State football. Just what I need - more projects!
 
I'm sure I'm wasting money on my cable subscription, but I've been too busy to research everything. We're signed up for a fiber Internet connection in the next year or so, but it remains a fortune-telling exercise.

The handful of OTA stuff we watch could probably be covered by a couple of streams and a tuner box - what is yours? I'd probably have to get a TiVo, too, just because I watch exactly one event each year live (Indy 500) beyond Boise State football. Just what I need - more projects!

We continue to share similarities.. the only live event I watch live once a year is the Super Bowl!

Much to my surprise the exact model I have is still being sold:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2229812624...7hn3ho6m4O8VqrEdFZbrEWM/M=|tkp:Bk9SR6z25fHBYQ
Instruction booklet is very poor & the remote is pretty tiny but it lives up to the description. You can even hook up a ext HDD & record programs with pre-scheduling. But I admit I haven't tried that. The HDMI output plugs right into my 105's back HDMI input.
 
Okey dokey here we go again... 2 ch surround sound.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-adds-spatial-audio-to-over-700-titles-but-itll-cost-you
I'm usually skeptical & so far always disappointed by schemes like this. Even the Involve TSS doesn't sound as good as the real deal. In the Netflix sample clip I get no surround effect when doing a quick check on my 2 ch PC set up. There is a lot of hard panning left & right. But I am curious enough to check it out again on my big set up later tonight. I'd be most interested in what others reaction to this is.
 
Downmixing/encoding immersive audio to stereo compatible/distributable audio seems like a marketing opportunity for Involve Audio - their QS/Involve encoding could be offered with a preset immersive downmixing process (maybe some new channel separation measurements could be done on the SM w/QS - CL and CR may end up being used in the preset immersive downmix).

In addition, w/QS encoding, the basic Hafler/DynaQuad passive decoding method could be promoted as an inexpensive way to get surround sound from immersive sourced encoded stereo content.


Kirk Bayne
 
Really looking forward to this, but the first two seasons both had exciting trailers only to be followed by seasons that started off with promise and lost their way partway through. I have so much affection for these characters though, that this is a must-watch regardless.
 
Really looking forward to this, but the first two seasons both had exciting trailers only to be followed by seasons that started off with promise and lost their way partway through. I have so much affection for these characters though, that this is a must-watch regardless.
A lot of these type of SciFi/action shows seem to be over-written to me, where the often heart felt scenes just bog down the flow of the show. If the streamer/Studios complain about the need for belt tightening or raising prices due to the cost of developing these shows; maybe more tightly written scripts and reducing the number of shows to 6 from 8-10, would improve the flow and they could save money in doing so.

...but, what do I know
 
A lot of these type of SciFi/action shows seem to be over-written to me, where the often heart felt scenes just bog down the flow of the show. If the streamer/Studios complain about the need for belt tightening or raising prices due to the cost of developing these shows; maybe more tightly written scripts and reducing the number of shows to 6 from 8-10, would improve the flow and they could save money in doing so.

...but, what do I know
Sounds good on paper, JP, but the sheer number of shows streaming on ALL the various platforms has probably placed a burden on the writer's/developer's/actor's communities in general. With Covid kind of out of the way, productions are being 'rushed' ahead at warp speed pacing and so much garbage is being filtered through without any thought of continuity or pacing and the few shows that are deemed instanteous hits are becoming more sparse.

I do agree sometimes LESS is MORE but with the voracious appetittes among the streaming services for the next BIG thing are sadly being lost in the shuffle. I just watched an 8 episode production from India called CLASS which was based on the Spanish Series ELITE which was a recent NETFLIX hit and while I did enjoy it ...... it wasn't all that original although the performances were excellent and being shifted to New Delhi, India was a far cry from ELITE'S Madrid locations.

And while NETFLIX continually raises their monthly fees [NOW $21.99 per month] keep in mind that a single theater ticket for current fare can be as high as $15~20 for a first run movie [at least in New York].... not to mention the cost of refreshments!
 
After a four year hiatus due to Covid, the hit Amazon Prime series Carnival Row returns for its second and final season on February 17th

https://www.whattowatch.com/watchin...date-trailer-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know

R.2afb851d535b91e0154868bf779dd76d
 

Quincy Jones: A Musical Celebration in Paris | PBS​


Watching this fun 2019? Paris show- PBS gang-beg with breakfast :coffee: 🎼 du jour -*spotted Marcus Miller getting down on Billie Jean.
💃🕺

'Sixty years after Quincy Jones first moved to Paris in his early 20s, he still thinks of the city as a second home. Filmed in front of a capacity crowd at AccorHotels Arena, this concert brings together nearly 100 world-class musicians, including a symphony orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley and a line-up of special guests. Songs include “Soul Bossa Nova,” and “Billie Jean" and more.'

https://www.pbs.org/show/quincy-jones-musical-celebration-paris/
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