The book was better.

June 28, 2011 9:33 AM

Reviewing Netflix's 'Example Short 23.976.' Netflix has subsequently released the short in a variety of forms and at various lengths, in one case looping it for a full eight hours in a version that many viewers compared to Andy Warhol's 1964 film Empire. In another case the film was compiled into "a sample show with many episodes" titled Example TV Mega-series 700, containing exactly 700 episodes.
posted by shakespeherian (17 comments total)

I can't believe anyone else found (and watched) these!

I guess this is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass when you become so infuriated with Netflix's meagre selection and menus that you browse through every letter potentially starting a title, then combinations of letters, then finally numbers, hoping to find something new and good. And instead, late on a Saturday night, you find yourself watching... this.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:41 AM on June 28, 2011

Anyone with Netflix can search for "Example" and you'll see just how many of these suckers there are.
posted by linux at 9:45 AM on June 28, 2011

I made it two minutes before I had to pee.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 9:50 AM on June 28, 2011

I've actually sat through more of these than any Warhol film. That's not a critique, just a fact.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 9:51 AM on June 28, 2011

as explained in the linked post, these videos are almost certainly for testing frame rate and compression.

water sounds and images are notoriously difficult to compress, and a standard way to quickly assess the quality of a video codec is to see how well it handles panning past tree leaves.

there are also shots with extreme light and shadow that seem meant to test the codec's latitude in revealing detail in both bright areas and shadow areas.

when viewed from this perspective the subject matter actually makes a lot of sense.
posted by striatic at 10:00 AM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

The moonwalking is just nifty, though.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:07 AM on June 28, 2011

I have the hidden gem, "example 2 23.976 hour burned in timecode" in my queue. I'm saving it for a rainy day.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:09 AM on June 28, 2011

There's another Netflix post two FPPs down.

Just sayin'.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:10 AM on June 28, 2011

It's entirely unrelated to this one.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:28 AM on June 28, 2011

Not entirely unrelated, as it seems that the issue of member reviews being currently unavailable (as mentioned in the other post) are preventing me from joining in the fun. (though the movies themselves are watchable viewable.
posted by ShutterBun at 10:34 AM on June 28, 2011

I hope Netflix will be releasing some of these on Interlace Telent cartridges.
posted by anthom at 10:38 AM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

I've seen these listed in instantwatcher but never watched any. I always assumed they were just garbage database entries.

They should really put some creepypasta type stuff in these. A voice listing off a few random numbers, a single frame of an old timey doll or twins. Get some urban myths rolling.
posted by condour75 at 10:42 AM on June 28, 2011 [4 favorites]

He does cartwheels, recites Shakespeare, can juggle and moonwalk...Example 24 Man will be the next Figwit, mark my words.
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 11:16 AM on June 28, 2011

OT: I had no idea instantwatcher.com existed. Thanks, condour75.
posted by tmt at 11:49 AM on June 28, 2011

I'll wait for the Blu-Ray.
posted by dhartung at 12:37 PM on June 28, 2011

I'm surprised these can be found by normal searches, if you have some debugging items you usually try to keep them hidden from the public. Seems a bit sloppy on the Netflix developer's part.
posted by meandthebean at 2:43 PM on June 29, 2011

Sys Rq: "There's another Netflix post two FPPs down.

Just sayin'."

As long as it doesn't involve ponies, we're okay.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:12 PM on June 29, 2011