A screener? Netflix SuperHD is getting very close to BD. And VUDU's
HDX is even better but it probably was streaming more at 8-9 mbps
compared to NF's peak 6 mbps. Most Netflix pirates are screen captures
from a browser then written to disc using free software. Most people
don't have the eyes to see the difference though.
On 02/17/2014 09:24 AM, TurquoiseBee wrote:
I had it in 1080p full HD form before Netflix ever released it.
Pirate. My versions were better quality than the streaming Netflix
versions, which is why my friends came over to my place to binge-watch
it. :-)
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*From:* Bhairitu <noozg...@sbcglobal.net>
*To:* FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
*Sent:* Monday, February 17, 2014 6:17 PM
*Subject:* Re: [FairfieldLife] Internet TV review: House Of Cards
So you "binge" watched? Of course you didn't wear the eyepatch now
that the Netherlands has Netflix. Point of order though, watching on
Netflix is not "downloading" in the sense of it downloaded the whole
show as one file. Streamed content on Netflix (and most all streaming
services) is done in small segments played one after another.
Since I'm not a conformist I passed on watching the series as soon as
it was available on Friday. In fact I passed on watching ANY Netflix
all weekend because folks binge watching it would make for bad network
congestion and moments of fuzzy low-res video from their usual 1080p
SuperHD. Instead Friday night I watched "Ender's Game" on Bluray.
AND last night I chose instead to watch a great movie much panned and
if I recall panned by you: "The Counselor." BUT I watched the unrated
director's cut which was 2 hours and 18 minutes long. Can't imagine
trimming the film down to less than 2 hours to please theater owners.
Every scene was like a small short story in itself and very much
reminded me of my favorite David Lynch film "Wild at Heart" which was
written by a local, Barry Gifford. There is so much packed into the
dialog that the film wouldn't make much sense cut. I also chose to
rent it from VUDU because they were the only service that listed what
audio format I would get which was DD+. And it was all in stunning
1080p (what VUDU calls HDX). There is certainly some great
cinematography in the film.
Additionally I was lukewarm about the first season of "House of Cards"
and indeed had watched the original many years ago when it played on
PBS (Masterpiece Theater). Production wise it is great but we have
much more thrilling, crazy and scarier political intrigue just
watching Washington, DC nowadays. I'll probably get to season two
later this week as the binge watchers are finished. Remember we have
the fascist telecoms here being pissy about Netflix and throttling
it. If Barack wasn't so in bed with them (he's especially in bed with
the Roberts family who run Comcast) there might be some action on
these miscreants. I wonder if Hastings actually scheduled "House of
Cards" as a volley shot across Comcast owned NBC coverage of the Sochi
Winter Games.
Also I have started watching the 4 episode UK series "Run" which
popped up on Hulu+. Another great import.
On 02/17/2014 12:30 AM, turquoi...@yahoo.com
<mailto:turquoi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
This weekend, while others on FFL argued about unprovable theoretical
shit like the existence of God or tried to insult and demonize those
who speak about actual spiritual experience when they can't because
they've never had any :-), I, like millions of Americans and now
others around the world, chose to focus on evil politicians guilty of
murder and worse, government corruption so pervasive as to be taken
for granted, and news media only interested in seeking viewers, not
truth.
And that was just the Nightly News. Oh, and I also watched the second
season of "House Of Cards." :-)
Unlike most of these Netflixers (who were able to download their
flagship original series all at once rather than have to wait a week
between episodes and thus were binge-watching like crazy), I have
actually seen the original UK series on which it is based, and thus
can appreciate the differences. In this case, IMO the original was
better, but the US version has its charms, too, and is far more
accessible to an American audience.
Part of the reason, of course, is Kevin Spacey. He obviously
delighted in being able to play one of the most charmingly evil
characters in film/TV history, and does so with mucho flair. He's
best in those moments in which (using a trick stolen from the
original series) he "breaks character" in the middle of a scene,
turns directly to the camera, and speaks to us in the audience,
telling us what he's *really* thinking, as opposed to what he's
saying. It's a cool trick, and is not overused in the series, so it
provides a kind of "subtitles" when watching the machinations of one
of the most evil politicians since Machiavelli.
Robin Wright is also great as his wife, equally evil and self-serving
in her own right. Kate Mara as a reporter who knows how evil Spacey's
character is and is trying to prove it is good in a shorter role than
she played in the last season. Gerald McRaney is tremendous as a 1%
billionaire pulling all the strings from the background, and Michael
Kelly is great as the Spacey character's loyal henchman and head
"fixer." In terms of "new faces," however, my favorite is the
extraordinary Molly Parker ("Deadwood"), who I would watch in a soap
commercial, much less in one of the major roles of a major TV series.
Color me happy with the casting decisions. Other players are good,
and the use of real-life commentators like Rachel Maddow and Morley
Safer to present the "news" playing on TVs in the background or to
conduct interviews adds to the impression of "realness."
And, in another sense, the "realness" the creators of this series
achieve is effective, because it's probably as close and as accurate
a portrait of what "politics as usual" really IS as anyone is likely
to ever see onscreen. While there are some critics (and I am one of
them) who feel that Netflix's *other* major series ("Orange Is The
New Black") is better in many ways, still I commend them for this
one. It's easily as good as anything from HBO or Showtime, and
infinitely better than almost anything on broadcast TV. Expect
another round of nominations and wins for the second season, and
expect to do a bit of binge-watching yourself if you succumb and
download this 13-episode season.
My advice, however, is that if you didn't watch the first season,
double your binge-watching time and start with it. I found myself
having to go back and re-watch parts of it, just to remind myself who
and what I was dealing with, and the evilnessitude they had
specialized in previously. And a good thing I did, too, because I
caught something I might not have otherwise. You know how some TV
shows create an artificial "gap" between seasons, as if some
unspecified amount of time has passed? Well, as far as I can tell the
"gap" between season 1 of "House Of Cards" and season 2 is about five
minutes of elapsed real time. So being "up to speed" on what happened
last season will help you appreciate what's happening in this one
even more.
Good television. Not great television...that term is reserved for
series like "Deadwood" and "Breaking Bad." But damned good, and very
watchable. It's like watching Lord and Lady Macbeth in the White House.
