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Breaking Bad on AMCHD

245K views 4K replies 269 participants last post by  WilliamR 
#1 ·
AMCHD was running a marathon tonight of the first season of Breaking Bad. The entire season was available in HD on Comcast on Demand. But on AMCHD tonight, the program was not shown in HD but was shown in SD letterbox that was stretched to eliminate the side columns. Aaargh. Unwatchable.


I don't know why AMCHD wouldn't show this award-winning show in HD since it has an HD transfer. And even if they couldn't show it in HD, they at least should have zoomed to preserve the OAR rather than stretching the letterbox.


Any ideas what's up here?
 
#5 ·
Breaking Bad Marathon on Friday was in HD on AMCHD -- although Comcast or someone had bit-starved it to death and it was only marginally better than a DVD upconvert. Still, the PQ was at least watchable, and the show is tremendous. New season starts tonight and will be in HD on AMCHD.


(The only reason for this comment is that the last time AMCHD did a BB marathon they stretched a 4:3 SD letterbox presentation to 16:9)
 
#7 ·
Isn't it sad that a show as good as this gets zero posts while trash being flogged (not sure if that is a common term in the US) rates supreme resulting in page after page of drivel postings.


Shows such as Breaking Bad are the only reason why I still have a television in my house. If you haven't seen this show, do yourself a favour and give it a shot. You won't regret it... although you will see the rest of TV as the shallow garbage it truly is.
 
#8 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Offline /forum/post/16006819


Isn't it sad that a show as good as this gets zero posts while trash being flogged (not sure if that is a common term in the US) rates supreme resulting in page after page of drivel postings.


Shows such as Breaking Bad are the only reason why I still have a television in my house. If you haven't seen this show, do yourself a favour and give it a shot. You won't regret it... although you will see the rest of TV as the shallow garbage it truly is.

I couldn't agree more. There are only a few really good shows on tv and this is at the top of the list. My list


Breaking Bad(amc)

Damages(fx)

The Shield (over)

Tutors(showtime)

Mad Men (amc)

Dexter(showtime)


Hardly any post on any of these great shows. Makes you wonder what people are thinking.
 
#10 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by GrouchoDude /forum/post/16010207


Is anyone with TWC seeing this series in HD on the HD Showcase on Demand channel? Last year AMC made this show and 'Mad Men' available to that channel. But no BB as of yet this year.

no, dang it. i watched in hd on the showcase channel last year and was hanging out to see it that way again this season. but so far it has not shown up. that sucks. i love this show but would much prefer to watch it in HD. is the SD version at least in widescreen?
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DeathRay /forum/post/16024280


no, dang it. i watched in hd on the showcase channel last year and was hanging out to see it that way again this season. but so far it has not shown up. that sucks. i love this show but would much prefer to watch it in HD. is the SD version at least in widescreen?

It's available on HD and SD via AMC on Demand on Comcast...and yes, it appears the SD version is widescreen....at least on our system here in Atlanta.
 
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#13 ·
This thread got no posts because there was already a long thread on Breaking Bad from last year. You need to do a search for it.


Many of us got frustrated with the weird censorship policies of the show (whoever instituted it) on Comcast OnDemand HD, as many of the light swears like "damn" would be edited out and yet they would show graphic violence sex, murder, etc, etc. It got to the point where we just didn't want to watch anymore and gave up on it.
 
#14 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Conrad /forum/post/16354606


One of the finest shows I've seen on TV and no discussion here? I have to pick up my socks after every episode. Superb writing, acting and directing. We'd be really spoiled if the rest of TV were this good.

This is a forum where there's an active thread on, of all things, Chuck. I think that pretty much sums it up.


And DaveFi's notion that "everybody" stopped watching it because Comcast On Demand censored the naughty words is, well, BS.


Breaking Bad is, I think, one of the finest shows currently on TV, but is, perhaps, over the heads of the Battlestar Gallactica crowd. "Peekaboo" was particularly memorable, not for the AMT machine sequence, but also because of the relationship between Jesse and the little kid living in that house.
 
#15 ·
breaking bad season one was one of my very favorite shows and i was eagerly awaiting season two. then it never showed up on my Time Warner HDShowcase OnDemand channel and I don't have AMC HD. By the time I realized it was really never going to be added to the ondemand channel the season was already well in progress so i couldn't even figure out how to watch season two from the beginning in SD.


in summary, i'm dying to watch this season but have not yet had the chance. if they have a season 2 marathon then can someone post in here ahead of time? otherwise i guess i will wait for the DVDs.
 
#16 ·
As for a search, I did that and this thread was the most recent. Maybe I should have started a "season 2" thread? I would suspect that more people would watch this show if they had AMC or especially AMC-HD. It is also effective when reviewing a "Dollhouse" episode to watch a "Breaking Bad" episode beforehand.
 
#17 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by clifburns /forum/post/16355155


And DaveFi's notion that "everybody" stopped watching it because Comcast On Demand censored the naughty words is, well, BS.

Well obviously it was hyperbole, but yes, if you go back to that original thread you will find lots of frustration over the strange censorship policies on Comcast's HD OnDemand version.
 
#18 ·
I love this show but have to watch it in SD since I have Dish. Therefore discussion really doesn't belong in an HD programming forum - though I wish it did.
 
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#19 ·
Sucks for you, but the show is in HD on AMC HD, which is widely available on Comcast (at least).


I can't get over how consistently dark this show is, week after week. It's definitely a made-for-cable show, but so well-written and acted. The opening vignette on every ep is always interesting to watch, and it keeps you riveted throughout.
 
#20 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Plasmacat /forum/post/16360884


I love this show but have to watch it in SD since I have Dish. Therefore discussion really doesn't belong in an HD programming forum - though I wish it did.

It belongs here for sure...I watched the last show yesterday on Comcast HD On Demand..it's a great show...
 
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#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by clifburns /forum/post/16355155


This is a forum where there's an active thread on, of all things, Chuck. I think that pretty much sums it up.


And DaveFi's notion that "everybody" stopped watching it because Comcast On Demand censored the naughty words is, well, BS.


Breaking Bad is, I think, one of the finest shows currently on TV, but is, perhaps, over the heads of the Battlestar Gallactica crowd.

Agreed on all counts, this is one of the best shows on TV right now, bar none. I think it gets little attention b/c it is so dark and its on AMC.


That's a shame b/c banal, hackneyed horseshit like "Castle" and "Chuck" seem to have loyal followings. This is why the networks don't take chances on stuff like Breaking Bad.
 
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#22 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveFi /forum/post/16360753


Well obviously it was hyperbole, but yes, if you go back to that original thread you will find lots of frustration over the strange censorship policies on Comcast's HD OnDemand version.

I record it on the DVR so I get my 30 second skip. I think I only watched one season 2 episode OnDemand. There aren't that many words to censor anyway but I do wish the US would grow up and stop playing nanny on shows for an adult market. Makes the place look pretty silly in the rest of the world's eyes.
 
#23 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by G-star /forum/post/16363996


That's a shame b/c banal, hackneyed horseshit like "Castle" and "Chuck" seem to have loyal followings. This is why the networks don't take chances on stuff like Breaking Bad.

Says you. Can't speak for Castle but Chuck is an outstanding show - very funny, targeted towards geeks like us (lots of great movie send-ups and other humor that you have to be a geek to love), and most importantly it doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's not all slapstick comedy btw, but it's all good.


Now if you had mentioned any of the innumerable 'reality' shows in your slam I'd get it, but Chuck is up there with the best of TV today, IMO. If you just enjoy shows like BB then I could see why you wouldn't like Chuck, but the difference in quality (acting and writing-wise) is non-existent.
 
#24 ·
I think you're comparing apple and banana peel. Chuck is enjoyable fluff but I think it's gotten repetitive (I think they know this too and are trying to shake things up with the new Matrix/Neo arc), whereas Breaking Bad is a black comedy and high wire act that keeps pulling off new twists and turns.


anyway, it's perfectly fine to enjoy both shows without pitting one against another and saying they're equally good.
 
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