Firefly - Watch on Sci-Fi Channel or watch the DVD's?

Goodsport · Aug 8, 2005

Yeah, I know... there've been other Firefly threads started recently, but they've mainly asked which episodes to watch or what the whole fuss was in the first place. Instead, I'll give my suggestion to the question asked in the title of this thread, and you're all welcome to agree, disagree and/or add to it (this is assuming that you can afford to either buy or rent, or can borrow, the DVD set).

Personally, I would do both. Or rather, I would record each episode from the Sci-Fi Channel (particularly if you have a DVR) so as to encourage the channel to show more of the show, but I would actually watch the DVD's instead for the following reasons:

1) Convenience: You can watch the episodes at your pace. Though you can also do that once the episodes are recorded onto your DVR, that takes up the DVR's finite storage space.

2) Widescreen: The episodes on DVD are shown in widescreen/letterbox format. The episodes on the Sci-Fi Channel are not.

3) Clarity: Depending on whether your city's cable system had placed the Sci-Fi Channel on an analog or a digital cable channel, the clarity of the episodes aren't quite crisp. They certainly are crisp on the DVD's.

4) Extra DVD goodies: Commentaries, documentaries, etc. This is pretty standard for DVD's nowadays.

Are there any other points I've missed one way or the other?

-G

Goodsport · Aug 8, 2005

By the way, I've watched the first three episodes on the DVD so far and can't wait to watch the rest.

-G

Laurel · Aug 8, 2005

I have been watching the DVD's at a friends house for the above listed reasons. If I had time though I would watch them on SciFi, as I think there are cool extra's on the movie being showed. I could be wrong, but thought i heard this. That really would be the only reason I would go for the TV version.

Shallown · Aug 8, 2005

I would do both.

To be honest Joss is one of the few people who can write well for TV. His ability to pace things makes the comercial breaks an almost needed part of the show. I know when I watched the DVD I missed the comercial breaks since he had developed the show to take into account those breaks.

I think both have their nice sides.

later

Goodsport · Aug 9, 2005

Would watching those preview clips of Serenity being shown during the Sci-Fi Channel broadcasts of Firefly prematurely reveal spoilers for those who haven't even finished watching the series yet?

-G

Tarrasque Wrangler · Aug 9, 2005

Goodsport said:
Or rather, I would record each episode from the Sci-Fi Channel (particularly if you have a DVR) so as to encourage the channel to show more of the show,

Unless you happen to be a Nielsen family (who I don't think even track cable), how is Sci-Fi gonna know you're watching?

My opinion? If you have access to the DVDs (you own 'em, a buddy owns 'em, or you subscribe to Netflix, etc.) watch it that way. Commercial breaks have never helped a story. And watching it on Sci-Fi won't save the show at this point.

Kid Charlemagne · Aug 9, 2005

Goodsport said:
Would watching those preview clips of Serenity being shown during the Sci-Fi Channel broadcasts of Firefly prematurely reveal spoilers for those who haven't even finished watching the series yet?

I've seen Serenity, and I there's only one major thing that would really be a spoiler for the series. And possibly one minor thing, too. I can't imagine that either will be shown in any previews, though.

Shadowdancer · Aug 10, 2005

I own the DVD box set, have watched each episode several times, and I'm still watching them each week on Sci-Fi. Partly for the the previews -- they aren't spoilers (so far), but I am afraid they will show too many of the cool parts of the movie in advance, and people will be underwhelmed when they finally get to see it in the theater (I've already seen the movie, too) -- and partly for the experience of watching them as a TV show, with commercial breaks. It's a different experience, yet still enjoyable.

I'm wondering how the rebroadcasts are doing on Sci-Fi. The Nielsen site only posts the top 15 cable shows each week, and Firefly hasn't been in the top 15 for the first three episodes. Maybe somebody's google-fu is better than mine, but I've been unable to find the weekly ratings for Firefly on Sci-Fi.

Umbran · Aug 10, 2005

Tarrasque Wrangler said:
Unless you happen to be a Nielsen family (who I don't think even track cable), how is Sci-Fi gonna know you're watching?

I think TiVo does take some information about what the customer records. While they won't sell your personal information, they do reserve rights to sell it off as part of agregate ratings info.

Commercial breaks have never helped a story.

I disagree. A story properly written for commercial TV can make use of the breaks. They give time for the audience to stop and think, and a writer can use that to increase tension and expectation, enhancing the story experience.

Goodsport · Aug 15, 2005

I also just bought the first two issues of the three-issue comic book series Serenity from Dark Horse Comics that bridges the gap between the end of the TV series and the beginning of the upcoming movie. I should be done watching the entire series on DVD by the time the final issue hits shops.

I won't read any of the issues until I've completed watching the series, of course, but it's good to have the issues in hand considering how quickly the first two issues sold out.

-G