Slashdot Mirror
Galactica Commentary Podcast Available
Kichigai Mentat writes "Apparently SciFi channel is pushing the bounds of your average TV viewing experience with "Battlestar Galactica." First came a full, uncut stream of the first episode, now a full episode commentary podcast available as a Podcast stream, episode-length MP3 file for download, or invividual MP3 files for each "Act." The podcasts are released a week in advance, and listeners are warned about spoilers."
Isn't it great when somebody actually get's it...unlike some people.
Wtf is a podcast?
Ah, Wikipedia to the rescue!
Slagborr
The iPod sure is popular, but it does not dominate everything.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
It's a term coined by Adam Curry of iPodder. He developed the technique for downloading webcasts/interenet radio shows into iTunes and subsequently onto his iPod for later listening. Of course, the casts are not limited to iPods.
See Wired's article.
It's not streaming, so webcast really isn't the right term for it. Podcasting is RSS with downloaded MP3 enclosures. IMO, podcasting is a fine term, much better than "blog", at any rate.
I've watched the episode with the Podcast and it was great! I had already seen the episode, and seeing it again with the Director's Commentary definitely added to the experience. I've seen the Director's Commentary for other television shows like CSI, but then I had to pay upwards of $60US per season for the privildge. Giving this kind of material away is fantastic and I applaud the SciFi channel for doing it! Granted, I'm sure this promotion is designed to get me hooked so that I end up buying the $60 DVD set when it comes out, but so be it. I'd like to know that I'll like it before I buy it!
There really hasn't been anything like it on TV in a while, and it is obvious that the producers pay attention to what fans think. I rememeber last year, there were postings on Slashdot about why after all the nuking Caprica didn't have nuclear winter effects, radiation. Now, 2nd season, the characters need radiation shots and the weather is awful (although shouldn't it be cold and icy instead of rainy?)
-
-
--POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT --
-
-
And the Baltar character is hilarious. Like last episode when Starbuck caught him and his imaginary(?) cylon GF doing it doggy style. It was sexy without being UPNish and funny without being stupid and, well, UPNish. I like how they introduce an edgy, troublesome character like commander Ty's wife and don't just send her off at the end of the episode StarTrek syle. Or it was cool when Boomer started getting hot and bothered over the Cylon fighter ship. I could go on and on. I wish the people who were doing Enterprise had had 1/10nth of the creativity. The one episode where they came close to the human level BSG gets is when they had shoreleave on that one planet, and Hoshi got bent over by that big alien guy. It was funny, totally unexpected from that particular character and made them seem like real people.
this is a great idea, and I do think it's pushing the boundaries. Cheers, Dean
>> Is it just me, or is this one of the most boring shows on television today??
Yep, you nailed it right on the head. It's you.
One of the other networks is broadcasting Three's Company re-runs. You oughta check'em out. You'll like it.
Yes, webcast could be used to describe these audio RSS enclosures but that term is really too broad. There are distinct properties of something labeled a "podcast" which make the term useful. Podcasts are always downloadable in a format you can use on most MP3 players. Webcasts are usually streamed with in a format to prevent you from downloading them. It's difficult to listen to a webcast if there isn't a computer nearby. Webcasts are often low quality audio due to bandwith constraints. Podcasts currently use higher bitrates more often. Podcasts have special RSS feed reader software that automatically downloads the 'casts and adds them to a playlist on a digital audio player. The 'casts are always waiting for you so you don't have to visit a bunch of different sites to listen. The best podcast clients manage disk space like a Tivo. They delete older files according to rules like max number of files or max drive space. Podcast is handy shorthand for these properties. I would hate to have to wade through hundreds of webcasts to try and discern which could easily be added to my RSS MP3 enclosure feed reader.
On topic -- The Battlestar Gallactica commentary feeds are a great use for podcasts. I'd love to see someone add support for these to Tivo and MythTV. I eagerly look forward to someone using this to add MST3K type commentary to state of the union addresses.
Here is a torrent of the Full PodCast. It's 20MB.
bsg_ep109_FULL.torrentThis is phracking awesome!
The Television Wiki
In a nuclear winter, the first effect of multiple detonations would indeed be a ton of rain, as all the fallout in the air seeds tons of rainclouds. Then, as the dust blanket spreads around the planet, temperatures would plummet and the ozone layer would disintegrate due to the effects of the nitrous oxides released in the explosions. I'm fairly certain most of that constant rain has cleared up, so it should get very dark and cold soon.
-SPOILERS-
Baltar really is great. He's a perfect example of a character who toes the line between the "good" and "evil" sides, without committing too much to one or the other. Unlike a lot of "renegade" characters who never do anything truly objectionable, even though they might work for the other side, Baltar does things we like and things we hate.
I also like the fact that the Cylons are monotheistic and the humans are polytheistic, insofar as they are religious. There's a tendency in our society to see monotheism as a more sophisticated or advanced philosophy, and usually when we see a polytheistic society fighting a monotheistic one, the monotheistic one is the more advanced and "good" side. Mixing it up like this really gives one an insight into how we unconsciously bias towards societies with religions similar to our own.
What they're doing is smart, and I think it will pay off for them. A TV program lives and dies by ratings, which determine the price for advertising for the network or channel. BSG is attempting to grow a fan base to insure that they get high rating. They've already succeeded enough to get a second season.
The little extras they're giving us are just part of their overall campaign. It's a small part, but the attention to detail (such as the behind the scenes interviews with cast and crew) definitely adds to my enjoyment.
I join you in your hope that they will continue to release online versions of all the episodes, but I don't think it will happen beyond a very limited basis. FWIW, I got the miniseries off of BT and watched it last night and ordered the DVD from Amazon about 15 minutes ago. I don't like to think of myself as a pirate, but I'll accept the title of "illegal previewer". =)
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.