MetaFilter posts tagged with cable

Splat No More

Servo5678 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:23:07 -0800

Childrens' cable television mainstay and media brand Nickelodeon is rebranding as "The Nick" with a new splat-less logo. "The decision to streamline the network identities came after [Nickelodeon execs] started putting all of the channels' logos on the same business card--and decided that it looked like a mess." Just kidding about "The Nick", but the rest is true.

Pseudoscientists Win Prizes When Pigs Fly

jonp72 — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:54:45 -0800

On April Fools Day 2009, the James Randi Educational Foundation announced the Pigasus Awards for 2008 for the worst in pseudoscientific irrationality. The Scientist award was given to Dr. Colin A. Ross for his claims that he can shoot electromagnetic energy beams from his eyes. The Funding Organization award went to Walt Ruloff and his co-producers for bankrolling the Intelligent Design documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. The Media award went to cable channels such as Comedy Central that still run ads for Enzyte even though the company's owner is now serving a 25-year sentence for fraud. The Perfomer award was typically awarded in the past to cheesy psychics such as Uri Geller or Sylvia Browne, but this year the (dis)honor goes to actress/spokesmodel Jenny McCarthy for her antivaccination activism, a stance that inspired the Jenny McCarthy Body Count. Finally, a new award for "most persistent refusal to face reality" was presented to infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau, who continues selling his books on "natural cures" despite a judge slapping him with a $37 million fine for false claims.

C-SPAN in its dirty thirties

IvoShandor — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:42:21 -0800

March 19, 1979 - The United States House of Representatives goes live on television for the first time in history. Footage from the House floor aired on a network created by a consortium of American cable companies. The first member of Congress to speak? Al Gore (Sorry, only seems to be available on Real Player. Embedded video, in case weird link fails). 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of C-SPAN. Since 1979, C-SPAN has broadcast over 19,000 hours of Congressional Committee hearings, 26,000 hours of U.S. House debate. A 2004 viewership survey estimated 42 percent of cable/satellite viewers, across various demographics, watched C-SPAN at least once or twice per week. (Report overview - PDF) In 2006, a Pew report put the number at 59 million "regular" or "sometimes" viewers. (Full report - PDF) C-SPAN was founded by Brian P. Lamb, a naval veteran who was a social aide to Lyndon Johnson and worked for Richard Nixon. In 1986, the U.S. Senate joined the live TV fray when C-SPAN2 began broadcasting. C-SPAN3 began offering further public affairs programming in 1997. None of non-profit C-SPAN networks receive government funding of any kind. The C-SPAN of 2009 reaches 97 million households, a far cry from the 3.5 million households it reached on its inception. C-SPAN and its sister networks have quietly contributed to the political discourse through it's coverage of the House, its advocacy for cameras in the courts, and its many series, such as Book TV and Washington Journal. Much of their video material is available on the web, archived, or streaming. In February 2009 the network released its Second Historians Presidential Leadership Survey, which garnered some noise in the media. There is also evidence that C-SPAN's viewers are more active citizens than their non-C-SPAN viewing neighbors. Although, the network and its programming have sometimes been criticized for conservative bias. Happy late birthday to C-SPAN!

Turner Classic Movies Underground

Otis — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:24:03 -0800

TCM Underground (warning: flash, sound) has been screening an excellent selection of Cult movies on late Friday nights that are worth staying up for. Upcoming films include: Terror of Tiny Town, The Swinger, Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains, Willie Dynamite, Shack Out On 101, Two-Lane Blacktop, and The Legend of Hell House.

Terrorist fist bump!

Artw — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:05:02 -0800

Mock the Vote: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert interviewed.

Reporter Caps

dhammond — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 01:42:06 -0800

Enjoy over 170,000 screencaps of your favorite cable news personalities at ReporterCaps.com.

Keep your telescreens on comrades

caddis — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 05:59:26 -0800

With Comcast, your TV watches you. Comcast is developing cable boxes with cameras to watch the room. They will know who is there to provide shows in your profile, engage parental controls, and of course, deliver targeted advertising. ~~Ceiling Cat~~ Comcast is watching you....

Yes, you probably would need a TV to know what we are talking about

bove — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:03:45 -0800

Fancast is a new site currently in beta, that tries to combine TV listings, IMDB type information, and aggregate full length episodes of TV shows from places like CBS and Hulu. It is also designed to allow you to connect you with shows and movies from iTunes, Netflix, and more. It is owned by Comcast but anyone can use it. via

HDMI Cable Battlemodo

revmitcz — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:04:30 -0800

So you finally broke down bought that fancy 60" HDTV. Now, you need a fancy HDMI cable for the finest quality picture. BestBuy (et al) promote Monster almost exclusively. But they can cost up to $250. Meanwhile, Monoprice (and others) can be had for about 1/10th the price.

Gizmodo just finished their detailed three part breakdown (including using test machines at Monster's own HQ) and comes to the conclusion that "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins."

War of the Welles: The Torturous Journey of The Other Side of the Wind to the Big Screen

jonp72 — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 09:57:50 -0800

The Other Side of the Wind is the lost last film of Orson Welles, a reputed unseen masterpiece, that may finally see the light of day in late 2008. The film tells the story of Jake Hannaford (played by John Huston), an aging movie director who has to film a low budget sex-and-symbolism flick to avoid getting overtaken by the Movie Brats of the Spielberg/Coppola generation. After providing voiceovers to two documentaries on the Persepolis ceremonies of 1971 and an intimate portrait of the Shah of Iran, Welles obtained Iranian financing to finish The Other Side of the Wind. Unfortunately, after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the bank accounts of his Iranian financier were seized, which led to the negatives for the film getting locked in a French vault. After Orson Welles died in 1985, his lover/collaborator Oja Kodar had to settle his estate with Orson's estranged (but never divorced) wife Paola Mori. There the matter might have rested, if not for an unfortunate coincidence. (More inside.)

I pooted

ijoshua — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 18:37:03 -0800

I pooted. Enigmatic billboard advertisements, apparently promoting a Cartoon Network show, Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends seen in several major cities.

TVU

thirteenkiller — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 10:05:55 -0800

If you can't get World Cup on regular cable because maybe you haven't got cable, you can try watching with this software. Schedule of American World Cup TV broadcasts here.

The fight continues against higher bills, bigger monopolies...

Mr. Six — Fri, 26 May 2006 10:16:48 -0800

Newsfilter: The US House Committee on the Judiciary today approved the Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act (HR 5417) in a vote of 20-12, helping to improve the provision of equal network service regardless of who receives it, without added surcharges, along with other antitrust measures. Carriers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon suggest no problem exists that requires this legislative solution, despite pushing their lobbyists hard to get Congress to enact opposing laws, and suggesting that prioritizing network traffic is required to develop newer products, such as high-definition video. Meanwhile, the FCC continues to encourage mergers while prices for telecommunications products continue to rise at rates manyfold higher than inflation, despite price gouging provisions enacted in the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The End of the Internet?

allkindsoftime — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 12:57:49 -0800

The End of the Internet? "The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online."

A la carte cable tv?

diastematic — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 21:46:10 -0800

I noticed tonight that my Dish TV basic-subscription service no longer offers MSNBC and suddenly does offer FOX News. Strange indeed, but the bigger issue methinks is a potential plus in that a la carte programming may be on its way soon. Great, you say, right? Perhaps not -- because if you only pay for what you get, that means that the little guys (like Link TV, the RFD network and Free Speech TV) likely face a big honkin' challenge in being visible and thus viable. So. Given that...do we really want pay-per-channel programming? Or is this just a moot point considering that "convergence" is creeping ever so closer?

On the edge of Aquarius, I'm living on the edge

Rev. Syung Myung Me — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:38:08 -0800

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. In the late 1970s to the end of the 1980s, LA's Z Channel was a pay-TV cable channel that would play loads of esoteric films. It'd been credited with starting the trend of "director's cuts", bringing passed-over directors and films to the public's attention, and in some cases, was directly responsible for Oscar Nominations -- and was basically the work of one man, Jerry Harvey. Unfortunately, Z Channel folded shortly after Jerry Harvey killed his wife and then himself. X a n Cassavetes' film tells the story of Jerry Harvey and Z Channel through interviews with filmmakers and those involved, including an archival interview with Harvey himself.

TiVo close to Comcast deal

MattD — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 04:32:27 -0800

TiVo saved? After a grim 4Q04 conference call, focusing on bells and whistles for which there's little evidence of customer demand, it's now reported that TiVo is on the verge of striking a deal with Comcast to integrate TiVo software and services into Comcast's integrated tuner-DVRs. TiVo needs this deal very, very badly...

Trio close to being cancelled.

alfredogarcia — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:55:48 -0800

Trio close to being cancelled. They are one of the few good cable nets. They showed Pink Lady and Jeff fer goodness sakes. Link to how to complain here. As the poster sez: "Isn't the point of paying for hundreds of different channels to not have them be all the same?" Caveat: I killed my tv in March and have never been happier.

Shop At Home network guy hurts self. Ha!!

xmutex — Fri, 06 Feb 2004 11:15:50 -0800

Shop At Home TV Network salesdroid hurts self. You take a guess at what it ensues.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

effugas — Fri, 09 May 2003 02:54:36 -0800

Whatever happened to Saturday Morning Cartoons? An astonishingly intelligent article about how Cable TV, dual-family households, regulations and more eliminated what more than a few of us remember quite fondly as the magical time when suddenly TV existed for our personal entertainment purposes. Anyone else remember occasionally dragging themselves out of bed at 6AM for what was ultimately five hours of really, really cool commercials? (Link from Fark!)

edlundart — Mon, 20 May 2002 21:04:36 -0800

Imagine you are moving between apartments. Check out this Verizon "How do I..." page. Over 40 questions are answered, but the 2nd most obvious question one might have is strangely absent. Then try to order a basic cable service from Time Warner Cable. Do you have other examples of corporate sites that are less than helpful when what you want is less than what they would like to sell - or when you want to cancel?

shecky57 — Wed, 10 Apr 2002 02:02:48 -0800

Time Warner/AOL to charge more for cable bandwidth hogs. No idea exactly what the bandwidth limits will be, but, according to this article, a tiered pricing structure is in the works. Grrr...

dcgartn — Sat, 23 Mar 2002 17:21:00 -0800

Anonymously rat out your thieving neighbors. Cable companies are mounting a television commercial campaign advertising cabletheft.com, where you can rat out anyone you might suspect stealing cable. Tagline of the commercial: "Sooner or later, you're going to pay."

mrbula — Wed, 30 Jan 2002 07:07:17 -0800

Fox News overtakes CNN in viewership even though fewer people get Fox News in their households.

patricking — Thu, 20 Dec 2001 12:46:29 -0800

eek! at+t broadband cable units to be bought by comcast. this means chicago cable service will shift to its third owner in two years (at+t broadband having purchased prime cable just last year, and having just gotten cable modems back online from the excite@home failure two weeks ago). anyone have any clues about the ramifications of this purchase?