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Streaming television with Neil Patrick Harris
Webcast, podcasts, webisodes mean that you have more than just the chance to watch old
shows. One trait in them is that there is no physical copy of them. On the other hand
you don’t have to wait for a broadcast schedule.
Alki David assaults the competition with his ever improving App and streaming HD TV video
player. Even though he has been sued by the networks, his website Filmon.com has gone
public and he is broadcast on TV in the Los Angeles area as a “must carry” channel.
I watched a webcast one day but I think it should be longer and produced differently.
Modern and fresh productions are being produced constantly. Several of them have the equivalent
professional talent, production values and writing quality as their more conventional
counterparts. Broadcast schedules can be convenient to fit into your work day. Good writing is
important, it makes things sound better. Celebrities are a big part of why people watch any show,
regardless of the format. Delivery platforms don’t necessarily make a difference to all
viewers. Older people will continue to purchase cable TV simply because they have always done
so. Younger generations will look to various delivery platforms in regards to entertainment.
Many stars like Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton involve themselves in “made for streaming”
episodes of shows like “The Guild” and “The Legend of Neil”. Wil Wheaton played
Wesley Crusher in Star Trek and also has a reoccurring role on The Big *** Theory. The
chance to watch talented and well recognized actors in projects has been appreciated by
many fans. Fans can be uppity and write letters to the producers regarding the characters
on a TV show. This shows the power of having a well know and well liked star in any TV
episode. The same truth holds to streaming live TV events or any web series. The opportunities
afforded by streaming a production bear much promise for the future and there is no end
to this trend in sight. Future trends can be unpredictable, although we have good reason
to believe that our favorite TV shows will soon be streamed straight into our brains.
I recently went to see the release screening of Star Trek The Next Generation Blu-ray release.
The screening included conversations with the cast about the franchise and their legacy
as actors. They spoke about the past and any possibility of being in any more TNG movies.
Although this was a release party for the Blu-ray version of the series, there was no
discussion about the new trend in streaming video. They also did not discuss the future
of UHDTV. The screening took place in a movie theater as a one night only performance. The
picture on the screen was in the original size format so it was not cropped to fit the
newer 16:9 ratio.
Author and television producer Joss Whedon has embodied the role of an early adopter
of this new system. Early adopters tend to make a lot more money. He was attained for
the web product called “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog” starring Neil Patrick Harris
and Felicia Day. It was released to acclaim from master critics and devotees alike. Critics
occasionally apply benevolent appraisals although viewers may not ever concur. It may not be
surprising that the critics and fans both liked the musical comedy. We see the success
of Glee and High School Musical on TV and in theaters. If fact, we should not be amazed
if this trend continues. It would certainly bring back the old days of the 1950's when
the entertainment industry was focused on singers and dancers as the stars of their
films. Today actors like Neil Patrick Harris seem like a surprise to us when they begin
to sing and do it well. It’s as if we expect them to be lip synching. For whatever reason
we have stars that are multi-talented, the critics seem to appreciate it. While it may
be a major problem finding star quality singers, as we see on American Idol, some actors simply
come up through the ranks to appear on our HD TV sets.
Neil Patrick Harris acted as an immature physician on the hit television series Doogie Howser.
There was once just a couple of TV series like this on hand where as now there are hundreds.
Joss Whedon is the creator of the TV program Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also published
Cabin in the Woods and the 2012 motion picture The Avengers. The Avengers consist of the
Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Loki. Cabin in the Woods is a horror/comedy movie that
will leave you speechless. This is a perfect example of the displacement from aged and
more established styles of production and visualizing towards the bigger opportunities
that streaming television allows for. Production costs are going down due to technology becoming
more advanced. Cameras and sound equipment are more affordable to lower budget companies.
All things including equipment and producers seem to moving in the direction of streaming
video distribution and the audience found through that delivery platform.