Individual Entry
The Misbegotten Media
This weekend was a much needed break from the work computer... so, naturally, I spent a lot of it in front of my home computer. The only difference is that here I did not have to think about making the computer do stuff, instead I just consumed media. Lots of media. I have never watched so much on my computer as I had done this weekend.
It feels odd, turning your desk into an entertainment centre. The experience isn't the same, especially when I have no speakers and a mere 17 inch screen, but for solo viewing the practicallity can't be beat. All you need is a good connection and lots of storage space, and you're set.
It's not that I don't like TV -- I do -- it's just that with all the hundreds of channels, there is remarkably very little with watching. It's a full-time job digging out the gems from the trash heap. I don't have time for this. When I want, the internet does a good enough job of it for me. And that is the key for me, "when I want."
It's as though the medium of television is now (for the tech-savvy, at least) nothing more than a syndicated feed supplying all the torrent sites. The torrent sites are the aggregators of the public TVCasts.
So I used the weekend to catch up on things I missed, and to, *ahem*, "preview" things I very well might miss in the future. Since I've been rather wordless lately -- or maybe maundering -- I'll let pictures do the talking, and idle thumbs' thumbs can do the commentary. (I've been posting a hell of a lot of images lately, maybe it's a phase).
Good thing I don't live in the states, cause what I have done might be confused with manslaughter.
April 24, 2005. General.Comments (5)
TV-out is bliss. I used to watch TV on my PC (using a TV-Tuner card), now I use the TV-out of my PC to watch downloads on my WS TV, using the TV-Tuner RC to control my PC.
April 25, 2005 10:14 AM. Posted by: Milo.Yes, I have thought of this... especially since the system selector that I use has a "PC" input. The only problem is that the PC is in another room, and while not unreasonably distant, it would require even MORE cabling.
Then again, I already have my sound card going out into my stereo for when I want to stream mp3s...
April 26, 2005 12:33 AM. Posted by: nowak.You should really be catching up on Arrested Development, if you haven't already. It's fair to say you'll probably get strong recommendations all around.
April 28, 2005 09:49 AM. Posted by: Aubrey.Seconded. I'd also add Deadwood and Carnivale to the list, but you may have enough on your plate as it is.
I really recommend Mind Game.
April 29, 2005 08:26 AM. Posted by: Walter.
If you find yourself watching a lot of TV and movies on the monitor, you might want to pick up (if you don't already have one) a video card with TV-out capabilities - most of 'em have that these days. I have my PC set to "clone display" to the TV, so there's no extra fiddling needed other than turning on the TV (and I have a wireless PS2 controller rigged up via USB adapter that makes a dandy remote / emulator controller).
April 25, 2005 09:33 AM. Posted by: JP.