What A Slacker!

Review of Batman: Gotham Knight DVD

Add comment August 24th, 2008

Batman: Gotham Knight is out on DVD now. It is the latest animated feature from
DC Comics. It is actually six mini movies all done (or should I so over done) in the anime / mango style. Just because anime is getting more popular doesn’t mean every thing needs to be produced in that style let alone in six different variations of the style. I don’t think any of the stories stands up on their own and they certainly don’t move smoothly from one story to the next. Over all I say avoid this or simply rent it or get it on demand like I did.

The best thing about this is that they got Kevin Conroy to voice the bat. He is the voice of Batman in almost all the animated versions to appear on TV. So if they could get him for this production why not use him in the Justice League animated film earlier this year?

Comcast Is Taking Me For A Ride

Add comment August 21st, 2008

Comcast is so ticking me off again. They splash advertisements all over the place trying to get you to sign up for their triple play program (TV, internet and phone) by enticing you with a free gift. Last month it was a Wii, the month before that a TV this month it is a years free DVR rental.

Well I finally broke down and did it. Guess what? You have to be a new customer. Not just a new customer to the triple play (which I am), but never having had an account with Comcast ever. I don’t think their fine print that flashes across the screen says that. All it says is new customer and I fit that bill as I NEVER, EVER had a triple play account. Oh, and to top it all off the price I was quoted is only good for a year. I wasn’t told it was special pricing. I was told that was the price (by the lady in the corporate office). Now I learn it will mostly likely double after my year is up! Sometimes I hate Comcast (okay so most of the time I hate them).

Comcast DVR at It Again

1 comment July 10th, 2008

Well, I was hoping to be able to actually watch all the shows I had on my crappy Motorola DVR from Comcast before it finally died, but it does not look like I will be able to unless I do it quick.

I got home tonight and it was doing that same lovely trick of going to a black screen after I pause or try to rewind. I had to do a hard reboot again, which thankfully worked again this time, but for how long?

 Basically, my hard drive is slowly going bad and I have to get a new box from Comcast. Shame they have not come up with the technology to transfer the saved content to a new hard drive or letting us attached an external hard drive to expand the memory. Oh, TIVO you are starting to look good even at the additional costs.

Comcast Cable Sucks Here’s Why - Part 2: The DVR

3 comments April 28th, 2008

I have gone through three Comcast Cable DVRs since I have first had them and last night mine started acting up again! Last night’s problem had something to do with the hard drive or the software. I could watch TV, but god forbid I should try to pause or rewind. When I did that all I got was a black screen. From the black screen of nothingness I couldn’t get back to my show either. I had to go to another channel and back again to get anything.

But that wasn’t the only issue, I could not view any of the programs I had recorded to the DVR. They acted the same way. Hit play and all I got was a black screen nothing else, no picture. I was a bit distraught as I have the complete season of Heroes on there to watch and the last four episodes of the Terminator. Both shows I could probably get on DVD sometime soon, but why when I had them already?

Thank the fates that a complete shut down (unplugging and waiting 5-10 minutes) then rebooting seemed to do the trick. Although the box did not seem to want to come back from its complete shut down. It turned on, blinked and went right back off. Third time was a charm and I got a connection. First I tried to pause and it seemed okay, then I went to my recorded programs picked one that was recording while this whole problem was going on and I had picture and sound (at least for the first couple of minutes, I still need to fully test to be sure).

I have had quite a few issues with this box like the sound mysteriously disappearing for no reason. The picture freezes quite often. We get the lovely square digital pixels in the middle of the screen like there is a bad connection somewhere. With the first box we had the guy come out several times he finally put in some type of signal booster, although I don’t think it has truly helped us. That box completely died a long time ago.

Shows don’t always record. Setting a series up is easy enough as long as you want to tape every single show every time it is repeated. I have to manually set recordings for a every week because I can’t tell the DVR to record a show every Thursday at 10 pm only. I have to set it up to record all (because the guide doesn’t tell the system that the only NEW show is Thursday at 10pm and that all the others are repeats throughout the week). Having it record all shows screws with other shows I have series recordings for so I can’t make this easy on myself. The old Comcast software used to let you choose to record this show on the same day/time every week. I wish they would bring that back.

There is still an issue with no sound when you turn the box on. You have to go to the DVR and hit play then go back to whatever show you wanted to watch just so you can hear it. This was an issue early on that was only half way fixed. Either that or it came back.

Biggest problem I have with them is the fact that the DVR even with the problems wasn’t a bad deal, price wise, to begin with. I think I started out paying $10 a month for my box. Each (I have two – even though they kept trying to tell me I was not allowed to have two. That’s why the other one is still a single tuner as I am afraid to take it in an have them refuse to give me another one). Then the prices went up to $11 bucks a month, still cheaper than the Tivo service. Then they rose again and I saw that I had two different prices on my bills for the two different boxes (I really need to find out why) but they jumped to $12 and $16. Now I see by the latest Comcast Cable bill on my table the costs have gone up again to $12 and $18! Okay, now I am seriously going to be looking into a Tivo the Comcast prices have now exceeded the Tivo service fees and in my book the Tivo (an actual Tivo and not this non-working Tivo software crap from Comcast that I have been reading about online) is a much better product and service.

I can’t live without my DVR but no one says it has to be a buggy piece of crap from Comcast just because they are a monopoly and I don’t have any other cable options. Yes there is always Fios, DirectTV or Dish Network as alternatives (and some of these are cheaper and offer more channels too), but I have invested far too much time and money with Comcast to let them ignore me. If you are sick of the ever increasing prices, lack of services and failing equipment please do like me and call them about it. Their number is easy enough 1-800-COMCAST.

TV Shows for the Sci-fi Geek 2007

Add comment September 9th, 2007

CBS

Moonlight – Fridays @ 9pm
Ghost Whisper – Fridays @ 8pm
Jericho –

ABC

Pushing Daisies – Wednesdays @ 8pm
Lost – Wednesdays @ 10pm

NBC

Bionic Woman – Wednesdays @ 9pm
Chuck – Mondays @ 8pm
Heroes – Mondays @ 9pm
Journeyman – Mondays @ 10pm
Medium – Saturdays @ 10pm

FOX

New Amsterdam
The Chronicles of Sarah Connor

CW

Reaper – Tuesdays @ 9pm
Smallville – Thursdays @ 8pm
Supernatural – Thursdays @ 9pm

Lifetime

Bloodties – Fridays @ 11pm

Time to get my DVR set up for most of these! What will you be adding to your Tivo this season.