So I’m wondering how many of you out there are like me and use either Tivo or some other Digital Recorder to record television shows and movies. I know that I rarely watch anything live anymore. Skipping the commercials is just way too convenient, and I find it a bit excruciating to have to watch them. That leads me to today’s point. How can I, or you, possibly expect something for free?
What’s that you say? You pay for cable or satellite service so it’s not exactly free – right? Well, then just ask yourself why indeed there are commercials on channels like SciFi or Chiller. The reason is simple. They do not generate nearly enough revenue from cable or satellite companies to cover costs and turn a profit. Now when I record a show and skip those commercials do you think that actually makes the channels and their sponsors happy? In fact I’ve seen shows go off the air that I knew had a great fan base simply because they weren’t watching them live and thus making them profitable.
So I have to wonder how television is going to change in the next few years. Indeed one can find tons of programming available not just on TV but also on the ever changing internet. With that in mind I’d like to point you toward a new show that is totally internet based, and is the first ever broadcast quality show ever made downloadable. In fact you can even get it HD if you want. Now you’re asking yourself if it’s free? Of course not. But I have put the first four of eight webisodes up that make up the pilot below in low-res Youtube format for you to check it out. If you’re reading this in an email feed then you’ll have to come to our site to see them.
The show is called “Sanctuary“. It’s the first broadcast quality, High Definition dramatic series designed specifically for the internet. Sanctuary was created by Sci-fi writer/producer Damian Kindler (Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis). Like I mentioned before the first eight webisodes were written by Damian with a much-deserved co-story credit going to fellow Executive Producer and Sanctuary two-hour pilot director Martin Wood (Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Jerimiah). Also Executive Producing Sanctuary are Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis), Marc Aubanel (Electronic Arts) and N. John Smith (Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis).
The show stars Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis), who I think is really hot, as Helen Magnus. She seeks out all manner of terrifying and monstrous creatures, and I especially liked the creepy kid in the first webisode with the tentacle arms. I’ve seen the first couple of segments and the production quality looks quite good. Much better than even those crappy SciFi original movies every Saturday night. She is aided in her quest by her reluctant protégé Will Zimmerman (ROBIN DUNNE, Dawson’s Creek, The Big Hit, Species 3) and her daughter Ashley (EMILIE ULLERUP, Battlestar Galactica). Together they battle all manner of nasty beasties. In fact most SciFi fans will recognize many of the faces populating the world of Sanctuary.
Great special effects also fill the production, and it’s all available in multiple formats. Very cool. Now I just need the HD-TV to watch it. The Webisodes can be purchased for as little as 1.99 each (2.49 for HD) and you can get them even cheaper in bundles. For less than the cost of a DVD you can basically get the entire pilot.
So check the Sanctuary website out to find out more about this emerging new media. Then visit the Sanctuary Fans site for the usual offering of forums and news. Things will be changing in the future for television I think as lines blur between it and the internet. Soon instead of a computer and a TV it will all be one box so you might as well get used to it now. Fortunately, for now, I heard Amanda Tapping say in an interview on Gateworld.net that Sanctuary is inking a deal for television. How we’ll pay for content in the future is still a question when one can just skip the commercials. Makes me wonder if we’ll have to pay more for services like Tivo. Maybe everything will be for-pay one day. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that and that we can still keep advertisers happy in some way.
Webisode 2
Webisode 3
Webisode 4
