Watching The Expanse on Amazon

[marinw]

Not sure where to post this so I have started a new topic, Please be gentle with me mods!

Technical-Type question:

I’m Canadian and the Bell Overlord have not deigned the Amazon App worthy of Fibe TV, although the Netflix and You Tube apps are on offer for Fibe. In preparation for The Expanse, last night I spent a long time getting my Andriod Samsung phone on speaking terms with my not-smart 2012 Panasonic TV via a Chromecast thingy. I can also hook up my laptop with a HDMI cable, but I would rather not as that really drains the battery.

Which method results in a higher quality video? The Expanse definitely needs to be seen on the largest screen possible!

[Danny Franks]

I watch Amazon Prime using an Amazon Firestick and it offers great picture quality, even on our six year old TV.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

I would rather not as that really drains the battery.

Plug it in.

[marinw]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

2 hours ago, marinw said:

I would rather not as that really drains the battery.

Plug it in.

I have, Thanks,

I already miss simply programming my DVR!

Edited December 12, 2019 by marinw

[xaxat]

Amazon (and other streaming services) detects the equipment being used and attempts to provide the highest quality stream for the viewing setup. The laptop is probably going to be limited to 1080p. Depending on your phone/Chromecast/tv setup, you might be able to get 4k. So try the phone and see if that gets you 4k. Otherwise, it will be the same.

Edited December 12, 2019 by xaxat

[marinw]

14 minutes ago, xaxat said:

you might be able to get 4k. So try the phone and see if that gets you 4k. Otherwise, it will be the same.

One of the annoying things is that my DVR is 4K but I have to bypass the whole thing!

Edited December 12, 2019 by marinw

[Holmbo]

I just watched the first episode on Amazon prime Japan 😄
Signed up for a trial membership, had to use a lot of google translate.

Edited December 12, 2019 by Holmbo

[marinw]

Hurray! I thought I used up my free trail, but I guess not. Got it to cast to my TV from my phone which took some doing. Will test with my laptop tonight. Thanks for all your help.

I know what I'm doing this weekend!

[marinw]

Plugged  the USB  from the Chromecast into the 4K DVR and cast from my phone. Looks spectacular! Worth the extra fuss. Jumping through hopes for the privilege of watching my own TV gives me a weird sense of occasion.

Edited December 15, 2019 by marinw

[TV Anonymous]

On 12/12/2019 at 10:51 AM, marinw said:

One of the annoying things is that my DVR is 4K but I have to bypass the whole thing!

BTW you mentioned that your TV is from 2012. Is is 4K at all? If it is not, do not worry about all 4K setup as it does not matter for your TV.

[marinw]

33 minutes ago, TV Anonymous said:

Is is 4K at all?

Not sure, but it still has great picture quality. Thanks for all your help.

[KDeFlane]

just jumping in to say I avoided this show when it was on SyFy, for reasons i cannot remember, but since I joined Prime (just for "Man in the High Castle" at first) I have discovered this series and am absolutely loving it.  I only watch on my computer moniter, but we're now streaming other old shows thru the app on our BluRay player and moderately large TV screen -- well, it seemed large when we bought it years*years ago. I am trying to ration the tail end of season 4 this month, and have just discovered your backlog of discussion threads here to keep me in the loop until season 5 is released. Hi!

[Haleth]

Enjoy!  I’m doing a rewatch since the first viewing was on the computer as well. I now have a Firestick and can watch on the big screen in glorious HD.  So good. People are getting sick of me telling them they have to watch this. 

[JZL]

Is anyone looking at the extra content available via the X-Ray controls in the upper left of the screen? 

In Particular (at least in Season 6) there are little five minute webisodes for each episode.

Additionally, also in the extra content secion, each scene is separated so you can jump to each scene in an ep, there are stills from within the scenes and behind the scenes, and little trivia tidbits.

E.g., Dummer's eye tattoo takes five minutes to apply, but her smokey eye make-up takes 45 minutes.  Apparently, getting the castmembers in and out of the vac-suits is a major undertaking.

[Melina22]

7 hours ago, JZL said:

Dummer's eye tattoo takes five minutes to apply, but her smokey eye make-up takes 45 minutes.  Apparently, getting the castmembers in and out of the vac-suits is a major undertaking.

What? That's crazy. I'm a bit obsessed by Drummer's smokey eye. It's so wonderful on her but it's hard to picture Drummer the character putting on all that eye makeup before a big battle. They should have her mention on the show that it's actually tattooed on.. 😁 But 45 minutes! 

I've adored this show ever since marinw mentioned it on the Foundation thread, and convinced me to make a second stab at watching it. I watch on our big TV with great picture quality, but have no clue how to go about getting the webisodes. It sounds so complicated, so I'll probably wait till the series ends and I'm in withdrawal before attempting to find them. 

[marinw]

1 hour ago, Melina22 said:

I've adored this show ever since marinw mentioned it on the Foundation thread, and convinced me to make a second stab at watching it. I watch on our big TV with great picture quality, but have no clue how to go about getting the webisodes. I

I am so happy I helped you re-discover this show @Melina22. I find it easier the watch the Bonus material on my laptop or desktop. Go to where it says X-Ray. They should include these little episodes in the main menu. 

BTW I am reading upthread and laughing at Chromecast. Awhile ago the Bell Overlord put the Amazon App right on the screen. Still no Apple TV app though, so I am watching Apple things on my iMac until I get around to buying a Smart TV.

Edited January 1, 2022 by marinw

[MissLucas]

 

1 hour ago, Melina22 said:

What? That's crazy. I'm a bit obsessed by Drummer's smokey eye. It's so wonderful on her but it's hard to picture Drummer the character putting on all that eye makeup before a big battle. They should have her mention on the show that it's actually tattooed on.. 😁 But 45 minutes! 

It's a smokey eye on steroids that has to look as if Drummer did not spend more than 30 seconds on it. If watching countless make-up tutorials on YT has taught me anything than it's that 'casual' looks take as much if not more time than so called polished looks. And of course the make-up artist has to work for HD cameras and it always has to look  identical for continuity reasons. IIRC Cara Gee said in an interview that she showed up for casting wearing this look because she thought it would fit the character.

I just imagine Drummer has rigged up a bad-ass Belter version of the 5th Element's make-up machine (btw Chanel: where is that thing? It's been a while).

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by MissLucas

[Melina22]

28 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

I just imagine Drummer has rigged up a bad-ass Belter version of the 5th Element's make-up machine (btw Chanel: where is that thing? It's been a while).

Love it! Makes perfect sense. 😁😁

[raven]

1 hour ago, Melina22 said:

but have no clue how to go about getting the webisodes. It sounds so complicated, so I'll probably wait till the series ends and I'm in withdrawal before attempting to find them. 

I watch them by logging into Prime Video through a web browser - I can't view them when I watch through my Roku.  The "bonus content" comes up when you select the episode through Prime.  Hope you find them!  They're fun.

[JZL]

I'm sorry, it didn't occur to me that X-Ray isn't on smart TV's.  I just happened to be on my computer. 

Anyway, looks like the webisodes are only Season 6, but I may go back and watch the Aftershow videos from S4 and S5. 

imo, the two with Avasarala and Bobbie + Amos are great, the other two so-so.  I wonder what the source for these is; from the books, cut scenes, or whatnot.  It looks as if the actors really got behind them.

[Melina22]

Is it definite that the show will end with this season? Any hope at all for another one? 

I just started Leviathan Wakes on Audible, so I guess either way I have lots of Expanse in my future. 

[grawlix]

9 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I watch on our big TV with great picture quality, but have no clue how to go about getting the webisodes. It sounds so complicated, so I'll probably wait till the series ends and I'm in withdrawal before attempting to find them. 

I watch it with my Amazon Firestick with the default remote  You can access the X-Ray options by using the circular buttons.  Press on the bottom part of the outer circle button to show the X-Ray option.  Once you see the option on screen, press and hold the top part of the outer circle  button until the X-Ray page appears on screen.  Move the cursor so it highlights the text "Bonus Content".  Select option by pressing the inner circle button.  Move the cursor so it highlights the "One Ship" and press the inner circle button.

[JZL]

On 1/1/2022 at 1:42 PM, Melina22 said:

Is it definite that the show will end with this season? Any hope at all for another one? 

I just started Leviathan Wakes on Audible, so I guess either way I have lots of Expanse in my future. 

Yes, it'll be over.  There is a remote chance for more content later, but this is almost surely the end.  You may or not be aware of the Save the Expanse campaign that helped get Amazon to pick up the show after the Sci-Fi Network cancelled it after the third season.

I also understand that this season takes us up to the end of the sixth book, Babylon's Ashes, and there is a 30-year gap between its events and those of the seventh book, Persepolis Rising, so it's a natural place to end the series.  Having not read beyond ~ a fourth of the second book, I don't even know if Persepolis even has the same characters as the show and first six books.

 

[marinw]

9 hours ago, JZL said:

Yes, it'll be over. 

As you can imagine, this show is super expensive to shoot, which is partly why it was originally cancelled by SyFy. Money hasn't stoped Prime from shooting other super expensive shows (like the upcomming Lord of the Rings).

If they shoot the last two books, they will need to age the principal cast of re-cast them. We have come to know and love these actors (with one notable exception!) so I agree with @JZL that this is a natural ending point, I just wish they had more than six episodes to wrap things up.

Edited January 3, 2022 by marinw

[marinw]

I can see Amazon doing a some sort of sequel series.

[marinw]

I just started my re-watch, I saw the First Episode last night. The imagine of the Canterbury on top of Saturn's Rings is stunning, as was the Anibus bearing down on the  Canterbury. I remember why it took me awhile to warm to the characters, they haven't warmed to each other, they are just crew members on what looks like a large ship.

Holden is so different! He is cleary refuseing the call to be a leader, even though that is clearly who he is. Classic Refusal of The Call. IIRC when the show first aired on SyFy people noted that the sound editing was terrible, and sound editing isn't something you usually notice unless it bad! (Or you're a sound engineer) The sound is fine on Amazon.

Ceres is so livey and chaotic, so different from Ceres in Season Six. Most of the Belters are tall and very thin, something the casting people mostly stopped doing in later seasons becuase it limeted their casting choices.

Also, they made a point of how the crew had drugs pumped into them every time they accelerated or did something that the Human Body couldn't endure otherwise. CMIIW, but was that practice replaced by people donning thier spacesuits in latter seasons? Did they run out of drugs, or was the change due to another reason?

Edited January 21, 2022 by marinw

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

Also, they made a point of how the crew had drugs pumped into them every time the accelerated or did something that the Human Body couldn't endure otherwise. CMIIW, but was that practice replaced by people donning thier spacesuits in latter seasons? Did they run out of drugs, or was the change due to another reason?

They were still doing that by the end of season 6. In the final episode Naomi asks Clarissa to flush the juice injectors in ops. That's the system to deliver the stroke-preventing meds (they're also supposed to do other stuff to help the body survive all those Gs but that's the only one I can remember). Checking such a vital system is obviously an important duty and as Amos points out that's usually his job so that was a gesture of trust and acceptance by Naomi.

[marinw]

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

Checking such a vital system is obviously an important duty and as Amos points out that's usually his job so that was a gesture of trust and acceptance by Naomi.

Thank you @MissLucas! I was wondering what they meant by "Juice".