TiVo Community Forums Archives - Odyssey 5 is driving me crazy

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Odyssey 5 is driving me crazy
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Posted by: dthmj

Actually it's probably more Showtime's doing...

We missed the first episode, but went ahead and Tivo-ed the rest, waiting for the first episode to be re-aired.

They finally re-aired it, we recorded it, and missed the last minute... Then we started watching all the episodes we recorded - they too are missing the last minute or so of the show.

I remember missing the very end of Queer as Folk a few times as well, so we started padding that show - I now have my season pass to Odyssey 5 padded, but I still have about 6 shows left to watch that were unpadded, and I assume I'll miss the last minutes of those too. Is this frequent with Showtime series?

All and all we think the show is great, just wondering what we are missing in that last little bit... The last show we watched was with the time traveling man that brought back memories for each of them - it ended with him explaining who he was...

Posted by: Trent Bates

Definitely a problem for Showtime.

I usually pad any 45 minute item on Showtime an extra 15 minutes. It ends up being a 1 hour block just like any commercial infested show. That method hasn't failed me yet.

The first episode was 1:36 BTW. But even more importantly, each show can be up to 50 minutes long (2 x 50min. = 1:40). I've archived all the episodes to tape and quickly realized that allocating 50 minutes per episode was the way to go. One or two of them have been very near 50 minutes long.

P.S. - The last episode, "Skin" was 51 minutes long. I just recorded it.

Posted by: feldon23

There are 3-4 other topics about this.

I stopped watching because of this crap.

Posted by: Trent Bates

quote:
Originally posted by feldon23
I stopped watching because of this crap.

Please don't take offense at this:

Why do you hold the show responsible for what the network does?

It's someone's fault that the guide data isn't accurate, but I doubt that the Odyssey 5 people are the source of the problem.

In an over-simplified manner, you seem to be saying that you refuse to watch the entire show because you don't want to take a minute to pad it.

I've also seen your comments in the other threads that deal with Showtime and Odyssey 5.

I can understand a fundamental objection to incomplete scheduling practices if that's what it's about for you. But I think it's too bad that you've missed up to 11 or 12 other episodes because you're mad at Showtime.

They've been doing that for years with Stargate SG-1. Is it really a surprise to anyone?

:)

FWIW - I think we'll find that by cutting out all of the more adult scenes, the shows will end up being fairly consistant around 45 minutes.

Posted by: jhausmann

quote:
Originally posted by Trent Bates

Please don't take offense at this:

Why do you hold the show responsible for what the network does?

It's someone's fault that the guide data isn't accurate, but I doubt that the Odyssey 5 people are the source of the problem.

His remark was ambiguous enough. He might have stopped watching "Showtime" or he might have stopped watching "Odyssey 5".

I continue to watch Showtime but no longer watch Odyssey 5 because I don't like the show.

Posted by: feldon23

quote:
Please don't take offense at this:

Why do you hold the show responsible for what the network does?

It's someone's fault that the guide data isn't accurate, but I doubt that the Odyssey 5 people are the source of the problem.

I'm not holding the show responsible. But I am not going to jump through hoops to see it. I do not watch an episodic show like Odyssey 5 or 24 unless I see every minute of every episode and thus can follow the storyline. Within the span of the first 5 episodes, I failed to get 1 episode, another episode started 10 minutes late and ran 10 minutes long, etc. etc. I WANT to watch the damn show, but I cannot because of the schedule problems.

I'm not holding them responsible, but I am making the choice not to make a special effort to watch their show. I have plenty of stuff on the TiVo I can watch like Star Trek TNG, Dead Zone, Law & Order, etc.

I have e-mailed Showtime and posted this on the Odyssey 5 Forum here.

Posted by: Trent Bates

Fair enough Feldon23. I didn't completely understand your point previously. :)

Posted by: DaveLessnau

Like feldon23, I just cancelled my SP for "Odyssey 5." Last night's episode was not the one listed in the Guide data, it started almost 10 minutes late, and the 30 minutes of it I saw went nowhere (more of the "personal problem" stuff that doesn't take the show anywhere). Anyway, it was the last straw. Thumbs Down and gone.

Posted by: Trent Bates

:confused:

I just don't get that.
Only one of the three reasons that you mentioned was the fault of the show's creators. (Which is a good reason in itself I suppose.)

But the other reasons are what I find strange.
I just barely noticed that Alias was not on at it's scheduled time last night. It turned out that it was supposed to be on at 10:35PM instead of 8:00PM but it didn't really start until 11:05PM or so. It that the show's fault? No. It's the fact that the network thinks that football games are more important that I do. Luckily I caught it and gave it two hours so I wouldn't miss the ending.

If you don't enjoy the show, that's a good reason to cancel a SP or WL. If you haven't taken the advice of many here and padded a Showtime series appropriately (I give it a full 1 hour slot), I don't see that it's the fault of anyone but Showtime and the person running the TiVo. ;)
Showtime is wholeheartedly to blame for the wrong episode and it is frustrating that Odyssey 5's guide data has been so incomplete all along.

I guess I'm just confused about two of your points. :confused:

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

I don't have Showtime, but I watch O5 at a friend's house; he pads it 15 minutes, and we've never missed anything. But then, we have long experience with Showtime Fridays, after years of Stargate; ALWAYS pad Showtime shows!

Posted by: Pan Chun

Yes..."burn me once, shame on you...burn me EVERYTIME, shame on me (for not figuring it out and compensating for it)."

Should I attribute that quote to GWB? ;)

Posted by: DLiquid

Odyssey 5 is in repeats now, right?

Posted by: Trent Bates

According to the guide data, it is. I haven't been watching the last 4-5 weeks.

Posted by: DaveLessnau

AFAIK, Showtime doesn't have football and they're in total control of their schedule. There's just no excuse for these kinds of constant late starts/finishes (outside of trying to get Live viewers to see segments of shows they wouldn't normally see). Also, IIRC, I've had a lot of instances of the O5 Guide data listing one episode and another episode shows up.

O5 is in repeats now and I was watching the show just to see if I liked it. I've given it quite a few episodes now, and except for a couple of the very latest new ones, I haven't enjoyed it at all. Here's a group of people who have the greatest motivation of all to drop everything and focus solely on the mission they need to do, and they proceed to lolligag around crying about their personal problems. I also don't need to see gratuitously flashing ta-tas and simulated sex scenes that add nothing to the plot. The show just isn't worth watching and certainly isn't worth my jumping through hoops trying to watch it.

To para- (and re-) phrase Pan Chun: "lie to me once, shame on you... lie to me EVERYTIME, and I'm outta here."

Posted by: DLiquid

quote:
Originally posted by DaveLessnau
I also don't need to see gratuitously flashing ta-tas and simulated sex scenes that add nothing to the plot.

That makes one of us. Can't wait to get the HDTV hooked up. :D

Posted by: Trent Bates

quote:
Originally posted by DaveLessnau
I've given it quite a few episodes now, and except for a couple of the very latest new ones, I haven't enjoyed it at all.

Well, for the second time in this thread, I'll say that I can understand that reasoning.
Twice I've questioned the idea of being fed up with Odyssey 5 in part because of the scheduling issues and it's come down to this point which is more than reasonable. If you don't like the show enough to jump through hoops to watch all of it, why bother.

I think I come from a different point of view regarding Showtime's schedule. Since I don't have to watch commercial interuptions, I feel it's okay for them to show previews or finish shows for the first 5-10 minutes of a timeslot. Not every movie they show is going to be just the right size to fit neatly. I give a show like Outer Limits, Stargate SG1 , or Odyssey 5 a full hour of time and instead of having 2-3 minutes of wasted space every 7-9 minutes throughout the show, I have wasted space at the beginning and end of an uninterrupted show. I like that a lot because I can quickly ignore all of it!
I prefer that to having a show start right on the dot and having to break my concentration to fast forward through the commercials 5 times an hour.

It would be really nice if they would be more accurate with the guide data! This is by far one of their faults! But also consider that many people probably don't care as much as we do. Maybe they even do it just to mave sure that people see previews of their other offerings.

Honestly, I really find it interesting that a person MIGHT get fed up with a network for the sole reason that the network doesn't adhere to a set schedule. This is why I've questioned the concept. I'd like to understand where said person's boundaries lie. I'd really like to hear what they think of previews and commercials at movie theaters!

Thanks for the unplanned "debate" Dave!

Posted by: DLiquid

You guys do have TiVo, right? The first time I recorded Odyssey 5, the last few minutes got chopped off (bad guide data). I was kinda pissed, but I simply set up my SP to pad the end by 15 minutes and haven't had a problem since.

I completely forgot about this problem until I read this thread. I suggest you set up the pad and forget about it as well. Let your TiVo take care of stuff like this.

Posted by: Feenix

I love this show and haven't had any problems since the first ep; after that I just padded five minutes at the beginning and 15 at the end. Actually I do this with HBO also; I've lost the last couple of minutes of Sex and the City too many times :) Since they repeat each episode so many times each week it really hasn't been a problem. Since O5 went into re-runs I've gotten a couple of people at work and my husband hooked on it too. Life is full of small problems with simple solutions; I save my complaints for the big stuff. Your results may vary...

Posted by: feldon23

If they guide data were correct, I'd let TiVo take care of stuff like this.

Due to pathetically incorrect guide data, a 15 minute pad has been insufficient once, and an entire episode was missed another time (I didn't notice until the rerun window [that week] had closed).

Screw em. I have better shows to watch without having to work this hard.