Last Night's West Wing [Archive] - Quarter To Three Forums

TimElhajj

12-12-2002, 09:49 AM

Would anyone who recorded the West Wing episodes for the past two weeks be willing to share? My wife and I are faithful West Wingers, but we've been doing something for the Church on Wednesday nights this month, and we haven't been able to get it together enough to pop a tape in the VCR (Sad but true!).

Pretty much any format is fine. I'm happy to pay for (or provide) a CD-R for those of you that might have TiVo-like appliances, or just a VHS tape. For shipping, I can send you a self-addressed, stamped envelope/package. I bet I could also find somewhere to upload a copy if some kind person had a digital version in WMA or something equally bandwidth friendly.

Edit: It wasn't actually the last two weeks, but the last two new episodes. The titles were: "Artic Radar" and "Holy Night".

TimElhajj

12-12-2002, 02:14 PM

Gah, come on you guys. I thought with all the devout Tivo users on this board I would have had a much better response. My wife had better luck at her work. She got a "shitty cable" version of last night's episode, which is better than none.

If anyone has a copy of the Artic Radar episode, I'm still interested. :D

I have looked at Tivo and don't think I'm going to get it. Even a mid range model with the service is going to cost me $500 upfront (or $200 and a new monthly fee). It's not that it's too much, but it just galls me that I would have to pay that much for this when I have most of what's required for the hardware already. If I were able to to purchase a TV tuner/capture card for $100, and then just purchase the software/service, I would snap it up.

wumpus

12-12-2002, 02:57 PM

Tivo is only $12.95 a month. Considering your current quandary, I don't think that's unreasonable.

And if you want to "throw together" the PC hardware and software to do it.. um.. be my guest. I read Loyd Case's article on the topic at ExtremeTech

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,10314,00.asp

.. and that further reinforced my conviction that I have better things to do with my time and money.

Convergence is coming, but we've got a long, LONG way to go before we reach the effortless level of usability that Tivo delivers.

TimElhajj

12-12-2002, 03:20 PM

Tivo is only $12.95 a month. Considering your current quandary, I don't think that's unreasonable.

I'm not saying it's an unreasonable price. I just don't understand why I have to use their hardware? Or maybe I am missing something and I can just use their software/service without purchasing a box?

Thanks for the link to the Case article. I am going to check it out now.

Lunch of Kong

12-12-2002, 05:34 PM

If anyone has a copy of the Artic Radar episode, I'm still interested. :D

If no one responds, download it from IRC. That's what I do when I miss my episodes of Enteprise, Firefly, John Doe, and 24. They're 450MB VCD mpeg files, but it only takes 4-5 hours to download.

You can also load up a peer-to-peer program such as Kazaa and search for them there.

wumpus

12-12-2002, 06:14 PM

I'm not saying it's an unreasonable price. I just don't understand why I have to use their hardware? Or maybe I am missing something and I can just use their software/service without purchasing a box?
I don't understand your question. Are you really asking if it is possible to play a Playstation 2 game on your computer, just because it has a video card and a CPU? It's a completely different world.

Anyway, $199 is a fine deal for the 40-hour series 2 hardware, IMO. Hard to imagine now, but the series 1 models were $999 (30 hour) and $499 (15 hour) on introduction!

TimElhajj

12-12-2002, 08:34 PM

I don't understand your question. Are you really asking if it is possible to play a Playstation 2 game on your computer, just because it has a video card and a CPU? It's a completely different world.

Oh, please. What about the Tivo is hardware dependant? I just spent $150 on a 120G disk. Why would I want to purchase what's basically another disk for $200? What would be much better is poping a cheap TV tuner into my current box and just purchasing the Tivo service/software--IMO, that's the benefit of Tivo. Of course, I am not really that into TV.

Anyway, $199 is a fine deal for the 40-hour series 2 hardware, IMO.

But when you add in the service it's another $250 (the lifetime cost is much more economical than the monthly fee, IMO). But maybe I am missing something--after all, I don't even have one. What do you think is so special about the hardware capabilities that I couldn't do with, say an AIW card?

TimElhajj

12-12-2002, 08:39 PM

If no one responds, download it from IRC.

Roger, I hear people talk about downloading this and that from IRC all the time, but I have no idea what they're talking about. I thought IRC was a distributed chat service? Like what they have on the front page of Q23? How does one go about searching for and downloading files from IRC?

Thanks for the tip, btw. I have used kazza before but never thought of using it to grab a missed episode. Yea! I get to be a hero with my wife. ;)

EDIT: Ah, ha! I have found a faq: http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/security/warez.html

wumpus

12-12-2002, 09:08 PM

What do you think is so special about the hardware capabilities that I couldn't do with, say an AIW card?
It's the set it and forget it factor, plus the usability. Having one box dedicated to that function is much easier than dicking around with a bunch of half-baked (ATI, need I say more?) software, and setting up a "media" PC near your television. It can be done, but it's a bit like Lunix: if your time is worthless, then it is indeed economical.

I guess having a half-dozen guys on these boards who eat, sleep, and breathe computer hardware and technology telling you how great this thing is, just isn't good enough for you. Shrug. Try the Tivo. If you don't like it, send it back.

DennyA

12-12-2002, 09:32 PM

You do not feel the zen of tivo. You must try tivo to understand.

I have an ATI All-in-Wonder PVR card. It's cool. Very neat to be able to record TV shows and watch them on the plane on my laptop or Pocket PC. But "it's cool" is the best I can say. It's a high-tech, more flexible VCR.

Tivo, on the other hand, is the single most significant electronic device to enter my life since I bought my first personal computer. It totally freakin' changes the value of television.

TimElhajj

12-12-2002, 10:11 PM

guess having a half-dozen guys on these boards who eat, sleep, and breathe computer hardware and technology telling you how great this thing is, just isn't good enough for you.

Tivo, on the other hand, is the single most significant electronic device to enter my life since I bought my first personal computer. It totally freakin' changes the value of television.

Ack. Maybe I am losing perspective because I had an expensive car repair come up this week. You guys sure are convincing.

I. Am. Weakening...

:D

Lunch of Kong

12-13-2002, 06:37 AM

How does one go about searching for and downloading files from IRC?

IRC is chat, but over the years, the IRC chat clients have evolved to allow file transfers between chat participants. mIRC is probably the most common win32 IRC chat client.

So, you find a west wing chat group on IRC, and you either ask, "Hey, which of you bozos are running a West Wing fileserver?" or you wait for some bozo to announce that he's running a West Wing fileserver.

Then you log on to his fileserver and use FTP-like commands to navigate his fileserve directories and download the episodes you want.

I never thought of doing this either, until I saw an intro screen on of the enterprise episodes that I downloaded from Kazaa that pointed me to the IRC #Sci-Fi Epz channel.

TimElhajj

12-13-2002, 08:45 AM

Sweet. I downloaded the latest kazza lite and even found the episode I need. It's huge, but I'm about a quarter of the way there. Had I read the Kazza FAQ before starting my download, I would have a better priority rating.

I will have to check out IRC. I almost never have time to chat, but it would be nice to know how it works, if I can get the occasional file I want. Thanks again for the tip, Roger!

TimElhajj

12-13-2002, 01:28 PM

After this thread and talking with my wife last night, I realized I was just being silly about the money and was really excited this afternoon when I ordered my Tivo. Should be here before Christmas. Now I can see what all the fuss is about!

wumpus

12-13-2002, 02:22 PM

Congratulations. Now I'd like you to have this delicious cup of Kool Aid.. it's sort of a "welcome" thing we like to do for new members.

Brad Grenz

12-13-2002, 10:05 PM

Lots of episodes make it onto USENET as well. alt.binaries.multimedia is a good spot for nice SVCD copies of West Wing or Firefly or whatever. There are also specific groups for Buffy, Star Trek, sitcoms, and some others. That's what I use cause it's always faster than P2P and I hate waiting in line for a DCC in IRC.

TimElhajj

12-14-2002, 12:37 AM

Brad Grenz

12-14-2002, 12:45 AM

If you get the .par files you can usually rebuild missing or corrupt segments. It might be an extra 70-100 MBs to download, but it can save your ass.

Woolen Horde

09-24-2003, 10:09 PM

Wow, did anyone else catch the season premiere? Hadn't seen this in a while, but the show was firing on all cylinders tonight, and without Sorkin to boot. Ugh... and we gotta wait one more week. Wish they had done a 2-hour premiere.

Gary Whitta

09-25-2003, 01:24 AM

Seconded. Can't remember the last time I was so eager to see next week's episode of any TV show, period.

Isn't Goodman brilliant?

Brad Grenz

09-25-2003, 01:46 AM

I think they might be over playing the Republican bull in a china shop bit, but otherwise a very good episode. I'm bummed we have to wait yet another week for a resolution.

TimElhajj

09-25-2003, 05:30 AM

My copy is waiting for me on the Tivo, which means I will have to wait less time between episodes for the resolution because I probably won't get a chance to see it until the weekend. :)

Bub, Andrew

09-25-2003, 06:58 AM

Troy S Goodfellow

09-25-2003, 07:52 AM

I'd given up on this one after last year's finale (which was good, mind you, but the season was lackluster). My wife voted to watch the premiere, I wanted to watch "A Mighty Wind". Wing won and... now I'm roped back in dammit.

I found the end to last season a little too melodramatic, but yeah, they kicked it up a notch last night. Almost too much going on, but I like seeing Bartlett's noble sacrifice biting the administration on the ass. The cast is at its best when it is a little frenzied and anxious. Leo looks like he is going to have a serious meltdown before too long.

Troy

Woolen Horde

09-25-2003, 09:33 AM

Raise your hand if you wanted to see Charlie beat the living shit out of Jean Paul? Immunity? Fuck that!

Gary Whitta

09-25-2003, 10:38 AM

Troy S Goodfellow

09-25-2003, 11:52 AM

Is there anyone here who'd rather have Walkin as President than Bartlet? I found myself strangely torn after last night.

"If she turns up dead I'm going to blow the hell out of something and God only knows what happens next" -- now that's the kind of President I can get behind!

I think that's kind of the point. When Josh admits:

a) That he thinks Bartlett blew it by stepping down, and
b) That Walken looks presidential

he is speaking for an audience that is a little confused by Bartlett on the whole international affairs thing. Whereas Bartlett secretly assassinates a foreign official tied to terrorism, Walken speaks up and says it was a damn fine idea. No doubt about where he stands. Where Bartlett is ambiguity and nuance often parading as personal idealism and intellectualism, Walken is read-meat smoke 'em out to hell with the consequences make the day shoot firsting.

The Walken character is a little over the top, but Goodman does such a good job with it, he may make me forget Blue Brothers 2000 and The Babe.

Troy

Gary Whitta

09-25-2003, 01:35 PM

"My only regret is that we only got to kill the bastard once."

Brad Grenz

09-25-2003, 09:32 PM

Raise your hand if you wanted to see Charlie beat the living shit out of Jean Paul? Immunity? Fuck that!

Absolutely, French bastard!

wildpokerman

09-09-2009, 06:56 PM

Amazon's DOD is the West Wing full series.

All the reporter Gordon you can take plus bonus thread resurection.

Did you ever see the whole series Bullhaj and did anyone subscribe to that newfangled Tivo thing?

TimElhajj

09-09-2009, 08:17 PM

Ha, you obviously missed the thread where Comcast obsoleted my Tivo with a change to their cable service and Talisker rescued me with a spare Tivo part that I had carelessly thrown away, probalby a few weeks after this thread had started.

Bahimiron

09-10-2009, 06:59 AM

If no one responds, download it from IRC. That's what I do when I miss my episodes of Enteprise, Firefly, John Doe, and 24. They're 450MB VCD mpeg files, but it only takes 4-5 hours to download.

Dang. I caught up on the four episodes of True Blood I missed out on during my move by grabbing torrents. Took me less than 30 minutes.

What a difference seven years makes!