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TechTV.com RIP

Posted by timothy on from the we-hardly-knew-ye dept.

SlashdotOgre writes "It has finally happened, www.techtv.com is no more. This was somewhat expected after Comcast decided to give the ax. This is a bit of a shame; as many users know, the site was an excellent resource for both product reviews and software. Most noteably, the Call for Help section has disappeared and The Screen Savers only has recent episodes in the Episode History section. If Comcast does own the rights to older material, I do hope they decide to post some of it (but I doubt that will be enough to ge me to watch their "new" network)."

11 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. TechTV isn't gone. by Judg3 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's merged with the G4 network and is now G4TechTV.

    Just as well to, as I get G4 on my current digital package, but TechTV was up on a higher tier. To get it, I'd have to get out of my current promotion and reassemble into a new package with the techtv tier - taking a normally $6.95/mo tier up to almost 40$ - since I'd lose the savings I was currently getting!

    --
    Looking for hardware (Currently need: Large Etch-a-Sketch) Have one? See my journal!
  2. Archive.org by BodyCount07 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Archive.org has some archives of the old site. Much of the old data can be found there.

    --
    The Technonaut
  3. I've Been watching... by drayzel · · Score: 5, Informative

    The new G4TechTv on Dish. So far everything I have seen that has come over from G4 is really lame. I'm not saying that everything on TechTv was awesome, but the quality of the shows I've seen from G4 is not very good. Has anyone seen PLayers? Yikes, I really do NOT want to watch uninsteresting people play video games. Am I missing any G4 shows that are worth my time to watch at all? As it is I'd rather watch and laugh at 'The Big JOe Polka Fest' on one of the crazy community access channels... it's like a bad accident-- nobody wants to see it, but everybody looks.

    ~Z

    1. Re:I've Been watching... by ne0nex · · Score: 5, Interesting
      I don't think it's that bad actually.

      I've been watching TechTV for years on Dish network now, and I don't think that the G4 merger is that bad for several reasons:

      • The Screensavers was not the same without Leo hosting it, and I also enjoyed with Megan, Morgan, and Jessica were all on TSS. For me, the show hasn't been the same since then.

      • Call for help hasn't been the same post-chris perillo.

      • TechTV was still on a relatively short programming loop. I recall watching a rerun episode of TSS and seeing it again that same day before the new one aired! It would always work the same way: TSS, TechLive, Freshgear X-Play, rinse, repeat. That and did anyone else notice the ultra-long blocks of Robot Wars? Frequently would I turn to Channel 191 (dish) only to go "oh look.. robot wars again... oh, look, already saw this one..."

      • Not all of the G4 shows are crap, I for one like ICONS and ARENA, did anyone else dig the ICONS show on Final Fantasy? They actually talked about FF3 (FF6 US)! I also really like all of their E3 Coverage.

      That's not to say that everything that G4 has brought to the table is pure gold. I for one don't like the people on the show: G4TV.com and believe that it's the show that inspired this.

      For all it's worth, I think that the merger has expanded the tediously short programming schedule. I for one enjoy watching less repeat episodes of Robot Wars.

      Just my 2.18997 Japanese Yen

  4. The entire archive is "coming soon" by kavachameleon · · Score: 5, Informative
    If the poster had bothered to read the new site, they would have seen under the "what the tech?" box the following: "The past three months are available now. The entire archive is coming soon!".

    This seems fairly self-explanatory to me...

  5. What I don't understand... by Vthornheart · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Why did they keep mostly G4? Am I the only one who believes that TechTV was several orders of magnitude in higher quality than G4? I mean, to me it wasn't even a contest! G4 looked like it was being run out of some 70's revivalist's basement!

    It had the ugliest sets, hosts that were more or less inept, and the same boring content played over and over. TechTV always had new content, their sets were professional and made you actually want to watch (as opposed to giving you the feeling that you should be going to a Disco), and their hosts were competent technical experts.

    Which brings us to the final question. What sort of drugs were they ON?!?

    --
    -Vendal Thornheart
  6. Advertisers took over by Urgo · · Score: 5, Informative

    It is really sad to see this day finally come. I haven't watched techtv much recently but I was a loyal fan of ZDTV back in the day when the network first launched.

    In addition to the computer related programming, I really liked having one channel where you didn't see the same old crap being advertised. They had mostly technology commercials and weird little artsy zdtv "amaze yourself" ones. Then they actually let users make their own little "we'll be back after the break" clips via webcam..... Its been mostly downhill since the big advertisers stepped in and redirected the network.... too bad.

    I've only tuned into the channel once since the takeover occurred and was annoyed how their logo G4TechTV was now at the top of the screen, large, colorful, and covering up the computer screens that they were displaying.

    Oh well. I still have my "ZDTV Dot Coms not Sit Coms" bumper sticker.. Good luck fired techtv employees.

    --
    Belive in Technology and AMAZE yourself. -- RIP ZDTV/TechTV
  7. Re:I'm trying to... by MightyPez · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The reporting got me the most. Ugh, it was shameful.

    I recall when the nVidia clip planes in 3dmark03 were discovered, it hit most of the major news sites. When TechTV (via The Screen Savers) read the Inquirer article about it, they showed the clip planes and said it was ATI cheating.

  8. Open Source Developers....Network by Niscenus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Think about it for a second...it's just begging for a change in meaning.

    Programming would almost certainly be sparse for a while:

    SlashDot
    - On the Hour and Twice a Day,
    - News for the nerdy crowd
    ThinkGeek
    - Half an Hour of the Coolest Shopping,
    - And whatever else they scrape up.
    Forge & Savannah
    - What released this very day??
    - What might be the coolest thing today?
    Open Magazine
    - Let's bring it back with full force.
    - Or combine with the half-dozen LinMags
    Open Testing
    - True Benchmarks
    - Performed Live!
    Security Watch
    - The most important show
    - Most likely to expand into a spinoff
    Gamer's Dungeon
    - And for the less geeky...
    - Or is the extremely geeky?
    FX Designs of...
    - Most /. users would watch this.
    - Most people would watch this!
    UberGeek Interview
    - If you stretch the meaning...
    - You could get 100 different people!
    DevTraffick
    - What's new in Gnome? Kde?
    - How about non-nix projects?
    Hardware Hackers
    - Now, finally, a COOL show
    - Yup...finally....
    DistroWatch
    - So many distros
    - Too much time....
    TrendWare
    - What colour blackberry is hot?
    - How out of date is your new system?

    And finally...Dilbert, Futurama, Lexx, Farscape, Stargate, Star Trek, and whatever else geeks would watch....

    --
    "Yeah...it was the numbers that were irrational, not the murderous cult of vegetarians...." -- Hippasus of Metapontum
  9. G4 and Comcast screwed the TTV Cast - hard by binaryspiral · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They fired the entire S.F. studio - and gave only a select few the option of moving to the G4TV studios in L.A. Also the firestorm of hatemail, online petitions, and angery forum posts for Leo Laporte and Call for Help's demise I think really got G4 thinking "WTF do we do now?" So they negotiated a few 90 second clips with Leo to be aired durring The Screen Savers. His face is on their homepage, twice. And they're looking at selling his show to another network. Damn you Comcast and G4... now I have to answer even MORE noobish questions.

  10. Favorite tech tv memory by Sinful_Shirts · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My favorite tech tv memory was that guy who fumbled and broke that priceless phonograph recording thing. That was great. http://www.ebaumsworld.com/techtvblooper.html

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    Click for offensive t-sh