Sep 4 Fall 2009 TV Schedule: Podcast #389
Podcast 
It's that time of year again. The weather begins to cool, leaves start to change colors, Football is back and we get a bunch of new HDTV shows. When we were kids we looked forward to Christmas and the first day of summer. As adults, we look forward to the fall more than anything else. Some of our favorite shows are coming back with new episodes and we get the opportunity to fill the DVR with brand new series to see what sticks.
Listen to the show
Today's Show:
News:
- First Toshiba Blu Ray Player Unveiled
- Microsoft lowers Xbox 360 Elite price to $299
- Blockbuster Express kiosks expanding to grocery chain
- LG 15 inch OLED to go on sale in Korea in November
- Blu-ray prices fall, as spending rises
- Snow Leopard Is a Bit HDTV-Friendlier
- Sony's Plan for $40 Movies at Home
Fall 2009 TV Schedule
It's that time of year again. The weather begins to cool, leaves start to change colors, Football is back and we get a bunch of new HDTV shows. When we were kids we looked forward to Christmas and the first day of summer. As adults, we look forward to the fall more than anything else. Some of our favorite shows are coming back with new episodes and we get the opportunity to fill the DVR with brand new series to see what sticks.
TV Guide has a great graph of the fall lineup for the 5 major networks: ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and the CW. TNT has actually come on pretty strong in the last few seasons with shows like Saving Grace, The Closer, Raising the Bar, Leverage and now Dark Blue. We'd like to see TV Guide expand their list to 6 next year. Of course HBO always has compelling content as well.
The TV Remote has a nice listing of the premier dates for all the new and returning shows. Check it out; there's way too much for us to cover on there. You'll notice that some premiers are scheduled to start as early as next Tuesday, Sept. 8. Most of them, however, kick off in a couple/few weeks.
A few new show summaries, most taken from TV Guide.com. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a few of the shows we thought were noteworthy.
ABC
- Shark Tank - Survivor creator Mark Burnett offers this recession-ready reality show about everyday people pitching their best ideas to captains of industry. Who, it turns out, can be kind of mean.
- The Forgotten - This Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama centers on a group of amateur detectives led by a former cop (Christian Slater) whose daughter has disappeared. They try to crack murder cases involving unidentified victims — the people everyone else has forgotten. Can it prove more memorable than Slater's My Own Worst Enemy?
- Modern Family - Ed O'Neill (Married... with Children), Julie Bowen (Ed) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The Class) headline a top-notch cast delivering a fresh take on the multigenerational family comedy. Our favorite moment from the pilot is scored by the Lion King theme.
- FlashForward - The world's population sees into the future when everyone blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds at the same time. The clairvoyant episode staggers the minds of all, as in many instances their futures are not what they expected---and some, it seems, have no future at all. While many recount their experiences on a worldwide Web site, others seek to circumvent their fates; and some, like FBI agent Mark Benford, seek to learn what caused the mass blackout.
CBS
- Accidentally on Purpose - Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg) is a film critic with blockbuster news — she's pregnant from a one-night stand with a younger dude (Jon Foster, Life As We Know It). Will this waylay a budding romance with boss Grant Show? What happens next is all very Knocked Up.
- NCIS: Los Angeles - Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J front this spin-off of the hit CBS procedural, playing Special Agents assigned to the high-tech Office of Special Projects. Academy Award winner Linda Hunt plays their "Q"/gadget master, while Rocky Carroll's Leon Vance will appear on both NCIS shows.
- Three Rivers - Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight), Katherine Moennig (The L Word) and Daniel Henney (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) populate a team of transplant doctors. Each transplant story is told from three perspectives — those of donor, recipient, and doctors.
CW
- Melrose Place - The CW's remake of the soapy '90s melodrama features many familiar archetypes: the brooding bad boy, the nice couple, and the powerful bitch, to name three. The new show departs from its source material with a mystery storyline concerning a dead body that appears, Sunset Boulevard-style, in the apartment complex's pool. Vets Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro co-star.
- The Beautiful Life: TBL - Executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, this drama follows two young models (Sara Paxton and High School Musical's Corbin Bleu) as they are swept up in the fashion business. There to guide them (or complicate matters) are the modeling agency's boss (Elle MacPherson) and a model with a few years under her belt (The O.C.'s Mischa Barton).
FOX
- Brothers - Retired NFL star Michael Strahan plays... a retired NFL star who is summoned back home to visit his ailing dad (Rocky's Carl Weathers). While there, he trades barbs with his paraplegic brother (Darryl "Chill" Mitchell) and gets duped by their mom (CCH Pounder).
- The Cleveland Show - This Family Guy spin-off ships Cleveland Brown off from Quahog to sunny California. Along the way, he makes a (permanent) pit stop in his hometown, fictional Stoolbend, Va., where he rekindles a romance with his high school girlfriend. Series creator Seth Macfarlane, Mike Henry, Sanaa Lathan and Kevin Michael Richardson provide voices.
- Past Life - Fox will debut midseason - Have you ever experienced déjà vu or met someone you thought seemed familiar? Do you believe in karma, fate or love at first sight? From writer David Hudgins (“Friday Night Lights”), and inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist” by M.J. Rose, comes PAST LIFE, a new drama series about an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before.
- Human Target - will replace Glee midseason - A full-throttle, action-packed thrill ride based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel and starring Mark Valley (Fringe), Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies) and Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), the series follows Christopher Chance (Valley), a unique private contractor who will stop at nothing even if it means becoming a human target to keep his clients alive.
NBC
- Trauma - Anastasia Griffith (Damages) and Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) are among a team of EMTs who must confront the astoundingly traumatic moments of a trauma and then quickly treat the injured, often just minutes after tragedy strikes. Much stuff blows up.
- Mercy - Doctor shows are old hat. This year is about nurses. (See also HawthoRNe and Nurse Jackie.) Taylor Schilling and Jaime Lee Kirchner play the nurses who actually run their hospital, and Michelle Trachtenberg is the new kid who learns the harsh realities of medicine.
- Jay Leno Show - A comedic entertainment show led by the former 'Tonight Show' host and featuring topical humor, celebrity guests and correspondents.
- Community - The Soup's Joel McHale stars as an ethically challenged attorney who is forced to go back to college — community college. There, he meets a ragtag bunch of misfit toys, including an understated Chevy Chase, Gillian Jacobs and Mad Men's Alison Brie ("Hell's bells, Trudy!") who all yearn for some higher learning, despite their obvious deficiencies out in the real world.
TNT
- Men of a Certain Age - Starring Emmy Award winners Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) and Golden Globe winner Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), Men of a Certain Age is a new original series that takes a wry look at the bond between three men in their 40s who are lifelong best friends.
Braden's Picks, New Shows
- NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
- Human Target (FOX)
- Community (NBC)
- Men of a Certain Age (TNT)
- Possible: Trauma, Mercy, Three Rivers
Ara's Picks, New Shows
- NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
- FlashForward (ABC), Shark Tank (Kind of) Too bad its still in SD. Shame on ABC!
Braden's Picks, Returning Shows
- ABC: Castle
- CBS: NCIS, The Mentalist, Numbers
- FOX: 24
- NBC: Chuck, The Office, Southland
- TNT: Dark Blue, Raising the Bar, HawthoRNe*
Ara's Picks, Returning Shows
- ABC: Lost
- CBS: How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, NCIS, Survivor
- FOX: 24, House, Bones, Fringe, Hells Kitchen, American Idol
- NBC: Chuck, 30 Rock
Reader Comments (23)
From all of your podcasts, the ones about the shows you watch are the ones I like the least, those are the boring ones. I don't have time to watch any of the TV stuff you talk about so much. I don't watch even a single one of them. Further I have no interest in knowing what show you do or don't like, be it a new show or re-run – who cares about your personal taste.
The reason I subscribe to your podcast is to listen about your reviews of new electronics, TVs, speakers, etc. About what is new in home audio/video, home theater...
Hi Daniel,
Not every episode is for everyone. The nice thing about a podcast is that you can fast forward, rewind, and skip any part or all of the show.
Thanks for listening to the episodes you like.
Ara
Well, I enjoy listening to what's new. It helps be decide how to spend my hard earned free time.
I, too, am depressed that The Unit is gone. I was really hoping someone would pick it up.
I tend to watch alot of 1 hour dramas, CSI, Bones, Survivor.. and my wife does not enjoy many of them. She like Bones but that is it.
In the interest of spending more time together in the home theater, what shows do your wives like? Back in the "old" days we watched Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Friends, all versions of Star Trek except the original. Today we watch Bones and American Idol. We are going to try out Glee (they replayed the pilot this week). Any others?
I refuse to give a new show a chance until I know it's gonna stick for awhile. Everytime I get into a new show they pull it. The unit and Jericho. They never give you and ending to the series. They leave you hanging. I'll stick to the comedy series and watch others on Blu-ray or DVD when they come out.
I know that a lot of adults (and men in particular) have avoided Fox' "So You Think You Can Dance", but I would urge EVERYONE to give that show a try! It is easily the best "reality" TV show because the contestants have genuine, amazing talent.
Yes, the judges can be annoying and unnecessary at times, but that is what a DVR and the "skip" button are for! The dancers themselves are simply fantastic and Cat Deeley is an excellent host.
For Nelson, it would be an excellent show to watch with your wife! It's a great, great show; bursting at the seams with outstanding talent. And hey...really cute girls with ridiculously toned bodies in tight or skimpy outfits...just sayin' :D
DanielD, How rude, the guys are providing a show for free that covers a topic and the content is always of interest, I am now fortunate enough to live in Australia (Perth) and even though the shows they discuss may or may not appear on the FTA services over here, it is appreciated to have some knowledge of them.
Guys, love the show, look forwards to the email so I can run juice and get my fix, here in Australia we have a decent FTA system that provides a few HD channels, but for me the beauty that is about to descend is 5 live NFL games a week for FREE, yup FREE, we now have a 24/7 sport channel, it covers NBA, NBL, NFL and NASCAR as well as F1 and others, there is an inferior PPV system called Foxtel, but it is poor-low quality and requires a pretty expensive payment plan.
As a rule we don't have decent broadband either, we have such a large area to cover that it is costly and prohibitive for competition, so services like VOD, Netflix and the likes will not be making market inroads for a few years.
Episode 389 sound levels were really high. I was listening to a CNET podcast before yours and I had to turn the volume down almost by 1/2 to have your show at the same volume. I haven't noticed this issue previously.
Hi David,
We had a few complaints that the levels were a little low on previous shows so we boosted them. I guess it was a bit too much. We'll back them down a bit for subsequent shows.
Thanks for the feedback!
Ara
I love how Ara and Braden mix it up. This podcast is about HDTV and everything related. Keep up the great work guys!
Hey Guys,
You mentioned Snow Leopard had a new feature that automatically delivered 720p to a TV. My Mac Mini and Panny 50 in plasma combo suffer from overscan. I don't have the 1:1 pixel mapping feature, and when I turn overscan off on the mini, I get a huge black frame around the desktop. Folks have recommended switchresx or another utility to solve the problem.
Do you know exactly what this new feature does or is called so I can research it? I would love it if the solution is as simple as upgrading to snow leopard for $29.
I too cut out the TV comments, but what was the site Ara cited with cheap BluRay disks for sale?
Half.com, which is part of ebay.
You can also check out DeepDiscount.com and iNetVideo.com
And there's Amazon and the Amazon Marketplace as well.
Certainly no reason to ever pay retail! But even Best Buy is bringing prices on Blu-ray movies down, so that's a good sign.
Personally, I won't be happy until the standard price for Blu-ray movies is $7.99 and the standard price for DVDs is $3.99. That's based upon the cost of a retail disc vs. the cost of rent/rip/return - which is the true cost competitor, whether the studios like it or not!
Thanks for the info. I am a physician and recommending a HDTV to a patient who is an opera buff but can't get out anymore. I am amazed at the quality of some that are available, but the costs locally are in the $30 a piece retail range. Found them new on Amazon for $19, but looking for lower.
That's a great use of a high quality HD display with a high quality surround sound system and concerts on Blu-ray, Jerry! I too have been very impressed with some of the live concert Blu-ray discs. The combination of very high quality sound with the HD image makes for a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I would also recommend supporting SACD for audio-only purposes. While SACD has never been a truly successful format, there is quite a large range of excellent classical music recordings available for the format..
Might I suggest recommending an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player? It's Blu-ray playback is suburb and it is the fastest player to load discs and navigate menus (making it a pleasure to use). It is also a stellar DVD up-converting player. But the real prize in this case is that it is also a stellar DVD-Audio and SACD player, making it a wonderful tool for enjoying high quality classical and opera recordings.
If your client is able to afford one of the remaining Pioneer Kuro plasma displays, I would certainly endorse that recommendation! While Panasonic's V10 plasmas are very impressive, they still cannot quite match the level of picture quality that Pioneer delivered with its Kuro plasma displays.
In particular, look for the KRP-500M (50") and KRP-600M (60") monitors. These were non-retail monitors that are now being sold by online retailers and they are a tremendous value. They are essentially identical to the Pioneer Elite PRO-101FD (50") and PRO-141FD (60") monitors, but about $1500 less expensive.
Being a monitor, they do NOT have any TV tuners built in. They also do not come with a table-top stand or speakers. But for under $2000 and $3000 respectively, the KRP-500M and KRP-600M are the best deal on the best flat-panel displays ever made and we will likely never see such an opportunity again.
It will also be important to match the Blu-ray player and the display with a high quality surround sound setup. This is a little more involved because the sound system really should be tailored to match the acoustic environment (the room), but there are certainly many excellent options and I would be happy to make some recommendations if you'd ever like an outside opinion.
Agree with all you say. For my Hi-End system I have SONY Bravia CD, Sony ES5100 amp and Vienna Acoustics matched speakers and a lowly PS3... but the PS3 plays SACDs and it is all SONY so supposedly meshes OK. There is a cellist named Jordi Savall whose SACD recordings bring tears to the eyes of listeners on this system. Ara does not have much good to say about SONY, but it made life simple for me matching things to 4ohm speakers....
The Dolbycasts (now somewhere lost in space) recommended the PBS recording of Chris Botti as a test-piece. I have to agree. Now having listened to four different Blu Ray operas (HDTV made me an opera fan) I really appreciate the Botti recording. Why, the voice levels are screwed up on many of the recordings but the Botti one is perfect. For example, there is a Rossini opera about Cinderella (not exactly what you expect) but anyhow the levels of for Cinderella are set much lower that the rest of the singers. Just a big mistake which I guess even Dolby volume could not correct ($30 Blu Ray). The best one I have seen so far is one of the Barber of Seville by DECCA. I took this down to the local BestBuy to demo some possible units and it drew a crowd.... visuals are stunning.
The Botti disk even sounds good at my lowest end system with a $99 Walmart Blu Ray player... but I have it feeding my old college speakers and an ancient but high quality amp. Gotta start with a good recording.... Listen to the Dolbycast on this Botti recording.
Cheers
Hey - there's nothing "lowly" about the PS3 :) For a long time, it remained the very best Blu-ray player - providing you could endure its fan/drive noise and work around its Bluetooth/non-IR remote. In so far as picture and sound quality goes though, for Blu-ray, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the PS3. It serves as the reference Blu-ray player for Criterion, Joe Kane and CNET, so I'd say you're in good company!
Only now, with the PS3 Slim and all of the most recent 80 GB and 160 GB models, SACD is no longer supported. Clearly, you bought one of the earlier versions. It's been rather odd that as the PS3 has aged, it has lost features rather than gained them :p
For a while, my complaint with Sony was that they were still charging premium prices for products that were no longer premium in performance. Their LCD panels have long been a joint manufacturing venture with Samsung and now they are a joint manufacturing venture with Sharp as well. Whilst Sony added their own processing and exterior design, the underlying technology was identical to brands that were selling for hundreds less and that just never sat right with me. Their non-ES line of receivers have also suffered from less than impressive amp/power sections.
But I never had a complaint about the performance of Sony's LCD TVs - only the prices. And Sony's ES receivers have remained high quality - though again, just slightly over-priced compared to the competition from Denon and Onkyo. Never-the-less, if someone were to offer my a setup consisting of a Sony LCD TV and a Sony ES receiver, I certainly wouldn't turn them down! So I'd say you've got yourself a VERY nice system. And the Vienna Acoustics speakers: lovely :D
If you were referring to the Blu-ray: Chris Botti in Boston, I have to agree; it is a remarkably good recording! I have it myself and frequently use it to demonstrate the superiority of Blu-ray over DVD, both in terms of picture quality, but especially audio quality!
Guys,
Please consider putting me in charge of podcast subscriptions so i can cancel Daniel Ds account. No one should have to suffer through a free podcast filled with great stuff and not pay for it. Keep up the bad work
Bob in CT
Glad I have an old PS3. I wonder if they (SONY) expects us audiophiles to buy BluRay disks instead of SACD. I once saw some math on the reproduction on SACDs and it is hard to match even with the so-called BR lossless reproduction. Anyway, the SACDs I have sound better on the PS3 than even the Botti disk but of course the content is so different. But the guys locally at Amoeba records say SACDs are a dead end...
Cheers
I have high hopes for audio on Blu-ray. The adoption of Blu-ray players is already higher than DVD-Audio or SACD players ever were! DVD-Audio is, IMO, dead at this point. But new SACDs are still being released. There were more classical music lovers who supported the SACD format, so that niche market manages to keep SACD limping along.
Personally though, I think the future of high quality, surround sound audio lies in matching it with stunning HD images. It doesn't necessarily have to only be live concert recordings. Those are great, but I could also see a market for high quality, studio recorded music that simply has HD video to accompany it.
Surround sound audio-only recordings just never caught on with the masses. I really think it did not help that, in order to get the full benefit of DVD-Audio or SACD, you actually needed a different speaker setup than for movies. Both used 5.1 speakers, but for audio, it was supposed to be 5 full range speakers, arranged with the Front L/R at 30 degrees left and right of center (equilateral triangle) and the surround speakers at ear height in the rear corners. For movies, the Front L/R speakers are closer together so that they better flank the screen and the surround speakers are above ear level and directly to either side (or just slightly behind the listener).
But Blu-ray could remedy the confusing distinction between movie surround sound and music surround sound. TrueHD, DTS-HD MA and, of course, uncompressed PCM are all entirely capable of matching the audio quality of DVD-Audio and SACD. The huge advantage is being able to also incorporate HD video, which I really think might help to get the masses on board (or at least mildly interested :p ).
So, did you guys watch the premier of FlashForward on ABC HD last night? What did you think. I know you both disagreed on the anticipated course of the story, and I'm with Ara on this one. There are countless possibilities for plot arcs. I personally see this as being a new "24" or "Lost". I loved the opening, lots of action. I've also read the Robert J. Sawyer book that the series is based on. I can see some deviation already, but it will do well I believe. FYI, a wiki has already been setup (not by myself) for the series to attempt to follow all the stories. It's at: http://theflashforward.com
Keep up the great show guys.
Tim in Ottawa
Hi Tim,
Its been recorded and I'll try to watch it over the weekend.
Ara
Love the content and discussion of shows. Much better than AVRant.
I think people are buying smaller TVs more just because they are cheaper. With this recession, not everyone can afford a big screen. Prices have dropped enough that now they can afford a 32 or 37" HDTV. Some are seconds, but I think price is the reason. Just my 2 cents.
I'm putting in a home theater with the Panasonic ae3000u, I'll send pics when it is done. Keep up the good work.
Eric
When is Apple going to support bluray. I'm tempted to buy a wdtv, but can't backup bluray with mac. Any thoughts?
Well, to answer my own question, my wife and I now watch Bones and Glee. Glee has been an unexpected surprise. I really enjoy the humor and at least once a show they trow in a good song to get the sound going. The charaters are so over the top it is great. I think I know at least one "Sue".