Watching DVDs at Double Speed

[Mr Light]

I've recently discovered the most wonderful invention. The DVD-ROM on my new computer, when you play the DVD at X2 speed, retains the sound. So you can watch a show at 1.5 or X2 speed and still have the sound!

This has been a revelation for me. I have so many shows to see, or shows I'd like to re-watch, but not the time or the patience to watch them. But now you can watch a 44 show in 22 minutes! On my day off I got to re-watch the entire first season of Chuck... in one day!

Does anyone else do this?

Also, do Blu-Ray players do this? 'Cause I've never had a DVD Player that did this.

 

[Starbreaker]

The PS3 will allow you to play movies at around 2x speed while still being able to hear sound. I like 1.5 better though. I will admit I like to use it to get past long boring scenes where the camera just pans out on someone's face.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I have a DVD player that does this at something like 1 1/4 speed. I don't use it a lot and rarely for whole shows but I do use it when I want to get through something more quickly than usual. For example, I have a large backlog of movies I bought on blind buys, many of which I have absolutely no idea what I was thinking when I bought them. However, I still feel obliged to watch them once. This helps ease the pain of that. Also, while I love The Catherine Tate Show, I can't stand those skits where she plays that woman that laughs at everything.

 

[zakkrusz]

Can't say that I've ever used it no. It would kind of defeat the purpose of watching something if you ask me.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

If something is worth watching, it's worth watching at the correct speed. If I'm so impatient with it that I can't bother to do that, that's a good sign I shouldn't bother with it at all.

 

[BigFoot]

While both my players have the capability to do it, I never use it.

 

[CmdrAJD]

Mine won't do the sound at double speed, but there have been several things that I've watched on double speed with the subtitles on just to get through them. I have some kind of mental block that won't let me just stop watching something that I don't like, so this method has eased the pain a bit.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

Watching something is about relaxing and having a nice time. If it's a chore to get through I turn it off. Because you don't have to do things you don't want to in your free time. I will never understand this type of thinking, sorry.

 

[Harvey]

I've totally done it with some episodes of Stargate SG-1 that were a chore to get through. Some players let you fast forward at 4x speed, and retain the subtitles, too.

 

[RoJoHen]

If something is worth watching, it's worth watching at the correct speed. If I'm so impatient with it that I can't bother to do that, that's a good sign I shouldn't bother with it at all.

Watching something is about relaxing and having a nice time. If it's a chore to get through I turn it off. Because you don't have to do things you don't want to in your free time. I will never understand this type of thinking, sorry.

Same here.

If I'm going to take the time to watch something, I'm going to watch it all the way it's supposed to be. I don't even fast-forward through opening credits on TV shows that I've seen a million times.

 

[Brikar99]

The only reason I do this is sometimes it's kinda funny to watch things slightly sped-up. But I never do it to save time.

 

[Docbrown777]

Question: After you watch a few shows in a row and then get up to go do something else does it feel like the whole world is running in slow motion?

 

[Sheep]

Joke post, right? Please say yes. Please?

 

[Mr Light]

It's really not that bad, it's just like people are talking quickly. The only time it gets messed up is when they play music; THEN it sounds distorted.

 

[T'Baio]

And I wonder why people in theaters can't just shut the fuck up and enjoy a movie for two hours. Maybe this is why.

 

[Yoda]

I did it back in the day in Xbox Media Center with downloaded TV eps of marginal show... probably Andromeda and ENT... if me or my friend both thought an episode was a stinker, one of us would call "1.5x speed?", and if the other concurred away we went. I wouldn't ever use it on a movie, but with a TV show, sometimes you sort of enjoy it as a whole, but if you can get through the rough patches a little quicker, it doesn't hurt.

 

[Holdfast]

I don't even fast-forward through opening credits on TV shows that I've seen a million times.

Now this I really don't get. That's why God created VCRs and DVDs. That, and he gets bored of reading his name on the credits, repeated ad infinitum...

... sometimes you sort of enjoy it as a whole, but if you can get through the rough patches a little quicker, it doesn't hurt.

Yeah, I can dig this. It's perfectly possible to like bits of something but not the whole thing. So going fast through the dull bits lets you enjoy the good bits while still retaining an understanding of the overall plot.

There are really good shows and really bad shows. The former you wouldn't watch sped up. The latter you just wouldn't watch. But there's a lot in between that you might like bits of and so fast-forwarding past the dull bits makes sense. For instance, whenever I watch Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, there are big chunks I skip past and still enjoy watching them overall. Being able to do it on x1.5 or x2 would let you do this while still retaining knowledge of the plot.

Let's face it, a lot of shows and movies have bad pacing or dull bits. This just lets you take charge of re-editing it to fix that.

 

[Emher]

And I wonder why people in theaters can't just shut the fuck up and enjoy a movie for two hours. Maybe this is why.

Yeah no kidding. Seriously just don't watch if you can't be arsed to actually watch it.

 

[Holdfast]

And I wonder why people in theaters can't just shut the fuck up and enjoy a movie for two hours. Maybe this is why.

Yeah no kidding. Seriously just don't watch if you can't be arsed to actually watch it.

Nah, why not just skip the boring bits instead?

A creator of a body of work is not the sole person able to govern how their work is viewed. In fact, this has almost never been true, with the possible exception of artists working directly onto a physical structure such as mural painters. Otherwise, it's very much up to the viewer to interpret how best to hang a painting, surround a sculpture, or yes, fast-forward through dull bits of a movie. It's just an extension of this.

This concept of putting "the artist's vision" on a pedestal, and respecting the original intent is fine for a true masterpiece created by a true visionary. But most paintings, sculptures, movies, or whatever are nowhere near that level, and do not warrant that sort of cathedral level of hushed reverence. And historically, the idea of respecting the artist's vision above all, is actually a relatively modern conceit.

Short of being a masterpiece, there's likely SOME residual entertainment value in a work, and if FF'ing through dull bits of a movie allows you to enjoy that residual value without putting up with the dull bits, that sounds a good deal to me.

 

[jkladis]

Time compression has been a practice by some networks (seems mostly cable) for quite a few years. I'm glad those of you with a brain evolved as far along as Ted Turner's can appreciate the saved time.

I feel that if you have too much to do and watch that it necessitates this, you should reduce that number.