a retro SCIFI channel?

[Vendikarr]

I wouldn't be surprised if the proliferation of boxed DVD sets has also cut into the market for old sf reruns. These days you can get everything from THE OUTER LIMITS to BABYLON 5 on DVD . . . .

Good point...we old farts do have the money. They just need to release them faster!!!

Rob

Another thing to consider about older shows is the commercial time. In the 60s and early 70s, the average length of an episode was around 52 minutes. Today, the average length is around 42 minutes. That is almost 20% of the episode removed for commercials today.

If these episodes are shown online, there is no editing, because there is no schedule that must be followed. Commercial are just inserted into the episodes.

Viewing these shows on DVD means no commercial added at all.

Given how these episodes don't meet current standards (monaural and black&white or degraded film) and the amount of time that have to be removed for commercials today, there is little positive in airing these shows on TV or Cable today.

 

[Davros]

We could see such classics as Starlost or Tripods. Maybe some Ark2 on saturday mornings.

 

[Nowhere Man]

I want it to be spelled scifi and trow in the X-Files. I know it plays on other chanells, but I don't want have swich chanels. I think the twilight zone would be worth doing in HD.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

I think the twilight zone would be worth doing in HD.

In 2004 the Twilight Zone collection was telecined from the original camera negatives (just like TOS-R) to HD.
The Blu-ray will be released in April 2010.

As i said earlier only a few select scifi classic shows are worth the ROI to remaster from film to HD for future syndication. A retro scifi channel would be standard definition by default.

 

[AviTrek]

It would also be easier to convince cable operators to add a niche SD channel than an HD channel which will take up much more bandwidth in their system.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I think the twilight zone would be worth doing in HD.

In 2004 the Twilight Zone collection was telecined from the original camera negatives (just like TOS-R) to HD.
The Blu-ray will be released in April 2010.

As i said earlier only a few select scifi classic shows are worth the ROI to remaster from film to HD for future syndication. A retro scifi channel would be standard definition by default.

Which is fine...I don't need to see HD versions of The Six Million Dollar Man...Highdef Bionic Woman from a couple years ago didn't benefit from HD; at all.

Rob

 

[Greg Cox]

Seriously, I remember the bad old days when Sci Fi was nothing but a graveyard for dead tv shows. I never watched it.

 

[Marc]

Seriously, I remember the bad old days when Sci Fi was nothing but a graveyard for dead tv shows. I never watched it.

but now it's the mortuary? Some life but the dead outnumber the living?

 

[Nick Ryder]

Well keep in mind one thing about an online based Retro SciFi channel is that the studios would think it would cut into DVD sales. Now yes... I could just buy a $20-30 dvd box set and watch it whenever, but part of the appeal and benefit of having it on cable or even on a standard terrestial digital channel - which could be possible I suppose - is that you can watch something whenever its on, and still be sort of surprised. Plus I hate to admit it, but I watch my box sets pretty rarely, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't still tune into a show if it was on right now. Star Trek can still do that to me, same with Knight Rider or other shows. Plus it helps open it up beyond the "old farts" - look at how many teenagers are STILL getting into Star Trek. When I was in my early 20s and running a Star Trek fan club, we had kids as young as 12 wanting to join up and claiming that they were already Captains on Role Play Group ships. And even today I'm still running in to 13-16 year old kids who are big Trek fans. Why? Because somewhere Trek is still running on TV. Now... why not show some of the OLD sci-fi to a younger audience! To whomever thinks that "Oh modern viewers want stereo sound, clear and crisp picture" are thinking just like the asshat "TV Execs" and forgetting that classic adage, "what's old is new again". Sure some of its kinda crappy looking, but its still classic and its still entertaining.

Have we grown so shallow that we NEED High def, dolby surround, crystal clear picture to enjoy a TV show that's probably older than some of our parents?

 

[RJDiogenes]

Why? Because somewhere Trek is still running on TV. Now... why not show some of the OLD sci-fi to a younger audience! To whomever thinks that "Oh modern viewers want stereo sound, clear and crisp picture" are thinking just like the asshat "TV Execs" and forgetting that classic adage, "what's old is new again".

Exactly. People who won't watch normal definition shows with mono sound are just the latest version of the people who won't watch silent films or anything in black & white. There are plenty of people who would love this stuff if they were exposed to it.

 

[Vendikarr]

Why? Because somewhere Trek is still running on TV. Now... why not show some of the OLD sci-fi to a younger audience! To whomever thinks that "Oh modern viewers want stereo sound, clear and crisp picture" are thinking just like the asshat "TV Execs" and forgetting that classic adage, "what's old is new again".

Exactly. People who won't watch normal definition shows with mono sound are just the latest version of the people who won't watch silent films or anything in black & white. There are plenty of people who would love this stuff if they were exposed to it.

Despite what you think, if airing these programs would make someone money, they'd be on the air. The execs have continually obtained the rights to newer and newer repeats, simply because they know there is more of a chance for people to watch them.

I love the older shows, but let's face it, these older shows cannot generate the income needed to get a new cable channel on the air.

 

[Spider]

If they showed all those campy scifi movies from the 50s I'd be on board.

 

[Greg Cox]

TCM shows a lot of those great old films. Just in the last few weeks I've caught THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD, THE SEVEN FACES OF DR. LAO, and BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW.

 

[Nick Ryder]

I think one of the classic movie channels needs to launch some kind of "preservation effort" to preserve old classic sci-fi movies, tv shows, series and the like for future generations. I mean already there are classic sci-fi shows that are slowly deteriorating to the point of total loss or are just lost. That's why I always loved TCM, they made a real effort to care for and preserve the old movies. They may not be terribly famous or well known, but were still historical. Even the shitty stuff from the 60s, 70s, and 80s even the 90s should be preserved in some way for future generations. Or hell for people to exploit and make new "re-imaginings" of.

How much do you want to bet that if you made some old sci-fi - cheesy as it may be available on a regular basis, the younger generation will pick up on it and then go "aaaaah so that's where so and so got the idea for that from. Now it makes total sense!"

If 13 year old kids are STILL being inspired to this day by TOS - who knows what else could inspire them! At any given moment on any given day there is some young pre-teen kid who's gonna stumble upon an old TOS rerun or TNG rerun on cable or independent retro station and become a Trekkie like "overnight". Or will discover Star Wars or Babylon 5 or Farscape or comic books.

There are numerous things that if just presented on TV would still gain some measure of an audience. Hell why do shows that were cancelled because of "low ratings" still get viewers when they're shown on SyFy or some other station. Clearly people just need to be exposed to it and that's what a good, well planned, well run and well programmed Retro Science Fiction channel could do. They don't need to air EVERYTHING at once, and let's face it some old shows didn't have that many episodes anyway. So you could probably burn through a classic series in a month or so anyway, but that's okay. Its still getting people to explore the roots of Sci-Fi. Not just what the SyFy Channel or other stations air and "call' Sci-Fi.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Hey that was my 1000th post! Yay! I'm a Flaptain again!

 

[drychlick]

great idea i would watch it

 

[RJDiogenes]

Why? Because somewhere Trek is still running on TV. Now... why not show some of the OLD sci-fi to a younger audience! To whomever thinks that "Oh modern viewers want stereo sound, clear and crisp picture" are thinking just like the asshat "TV Execs" and forgetting that classic adage, "what's old is new again".

Exactly. People who won't watch normal definition shows with mono sound are just the latest version of the people who won't watch silent films or anything in black & white. There are plenty of people who would love this stuff if they were exposed to it.

Despite what you think, if airing these programs would make someone money, they'd be on the air. The execs have continually obtained the rights to newer and newer repeats, simply because they know there is more of a chance for people to watch them.

I love the older shows, but let's face it, these older shows cannot generate the income needed to get a new cable channel on the air.

Well, it would still be a niche channel, but that's what niche channels should be all about. If you're going to have 500 channels, they should all be airing something different; what we have now is all these channels trying to grab larger and larger audiences and moving away from their stated purpose in the process.

 

[KB24]

Hell yes! That sums it up, really.

With serial shows like Doctor Who, it would be neat to have special occasion or weekend marathons. A retro channel could begin by going live with an entire week of classic Who and I'm certain they'd get viewers.

What bugs me most is the good classic stuff is on cable nowhere, unlike modern hohum sf that's everywhere. Ok, it's not even hard core, but the Ghost Whisperer is on THREE channels on Monday nights. You can't give one of those nights back to TNG? coughsyfycough.

 

[Harvey]

TNG is on TV in syndication every single night on cable here. Followed by Star Trek every night.

 

[Kegg]

Babylon 5 is airing on FX, Virgin/Bravo seems to have all the sequel Treks, the original is on CBS Action, I've seen Flash Gordon on an open access at one point. We're doing okay over here.