Second Season Of “In Plain Sight” Off To A Strong Start

If you haven’t had a chance to check out USA Network’s most recent hit “In Plain Sight” you could be missing out on one of the most original American television series dramas in a long while.

After “In Plain Sight” was plagued with a later than normal series start last year due to the WGA strike, the series has only received more and more added viewers with each episode. The pilot episode, which aired on June 1^st, 2008, pulled in over five and a half million viewers, placing it at the top of USA Network’s DirecTV highest rated television series since the debut of its other great series “Psych” in 2006.

This drama that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is all about the lives of those FBI agents who work for the Federal Witness Protection Program, and the people who’s identities they are sworn to protect. The main character Mary Shannon (aptly played by Mary McCormack) is a Deputy United States Marshall with an extremely hectic personal life, a disdain for traditional authority, and a job that is obviously full of stress as she does what she can to ensure the safety and protection of individuals in the witness protection program. She is the perfect example of the flawed hero.

Her partner Marshall Man (played by Fred Weller) is a useless trivia aficionado and comes from a family of law enforcement and is the balancing force in Mary’s life. As the series has moved forward Marshall and Mary have developed one of the most dynamic friendships television has seen in awhile.

Along with a handful of other cast members, “In Plain Sight” is a fully robust experience for DirecTV subscribers. This series is sure to be a great staple for the USA Network’s lineup, and this season has only solidified that claim with already stellar viewership numbers for season two’s debut.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Is A Travel Channel Treat

If you ever had a chance to check out Anthony Bourdain’s 2001-2002 Food Network television show entitled “A Cook’s Tour”, you’ll know that Mr. Bourdain loves to travel to beautifully exotic places all over the world to sample the local food and culture. Although “A Cook’s Tour” was canned after two seasons, the Travel Channel (airing on DirecTV channel 277, with Video On Demand on channel 1277) was smart enough to give him another great show along this same vein entitled “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”.

Anthony Bourdain, a great chef himself, fascinates home satellite television viewers all over the world. Not only does he find culinary treasures in the United States, his farther travels have sent him across to the globe to places like Sicily, Italy (where he met with Sicily’s president), Thailand, Ghana, Romania, Laos, Ireland, and Shanghai, just to name a few. He has since received critical acclaim for an episode chronicling his journey to Beirut that landed him a nomination for a 2007 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Informational Programming”.

Besides being an extremely personable, educated, and very brave soul when it comes to eating bizarre insect-related dishes, Anthony Bourdain is a great host. He also has famous friends to bring along, such as the much-lauded author Chuck Palaniuk, the UK band Morcheeba, George Pelecanos, and fellow bizarre food enthusiast Andrew Zimmern, ensuring that every episode is entertaining, informative and fun.

It seems that the fun won’t be ending soon either, with future seasons already slated and Bourdain’s online blog has stated that he’s planning to take his stomach and film crew to Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Melbourne, and Chile to new a few. And for those that enjoy DirecTV’s channels that specialize in cooking or travel, you can get both with this Travel channel exclusive.

The Smithsonian Channel – Watch Something Great!

Taking a trip to one of the Smithsonian Museums is a learning adventure the whole family would enjoy. If you can't get there, however, there is great alternative—right in your living room. Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution partnered to bring satellite cable subscribers Smithsonian Networks, made up of Smithsonian Channel HD, Smithsonian On Demand, and smithsoniannetworks.com.

The Smithsonian Channel, another great network in the DirecTV programing lineup, airs both on channel 267, and the always popular and handy Video On Demand version on channel 1267. The content available on Smithsonian Networks is inspired from the wide variety of content offered by the Smithsonian Institution's research labs, museums and facilities, and magazines. The network programming showcases historical, cultural and scientific shows and features, many of which will fascinate all audiences alike. Did I mention that it's commercial free?

As of September in 2007, the Smithsonian Channel HD became a DirecTV exclusive network, after Dish Network suddenly dropped the network without any announcements or warning to their customers.

So many great television shows have been circulating lately as well. Aside from the “Smithsonian Spotlight”, which is a weekly show airing every Sunday morning that offers information and an inside look into the many current programs, exhibits, book publications and projects that the Smithsonian Institution has to offer, many other shows are a much watch on this channel.

One show airing lately that might be of interest to any theology buffs is the “Lost Gods” series, which is a historical journey into the past, showing different civilizations from the Celts to the Egyptians and their search and practices that lead to the establishment and, at times, downfall of many of the world's religions. This is however, only one good example of the many great shows on the Smithsonian Channel.

Unravel A Good Time With Investigation Discovery

Discovery Communications, the parent company involved for bringing such great Discovery network sister channels to satellite television programing as Animal Planet, Discovery Health, Discovery Kids, Planet Green, and the Military Channel, have also been responsible for the creation of the “armchair detective” hit channel Investigation Discovery. On this channel, you'll find lots of great law and crime shows that will shock and entertain you.

Since 1996, Investigation Discovery, a joint project venture originally started between Discovery Communications and media giant CBS, has continued to bring viewing audiences an entertaining and educational watching experience through their great programming lineup that includes a variety of crime related features and documentaries, as well as a variety of programming centering on homicidal investigations and other forms of criminal activity.

Airing on DirecTV's channel 285, as well as the extremely handy Video On Demand version on channel 1285, Investigation Discovery, (or ID, as it's popularly branded) has solidified itself as the channel for anyone interested in criminal law proceedings and murder investigations. The Investigation Discovery Website is now a large part of the network's presence, supplying supplementary and constantly fresh content regarding the programing, as well as work from crime writers such as Gary C. King, David Lohr, and Corey Mitchell. Just a few of the shows you can catch on Investigation Discovery are “Deadly Women”, “Real Interrogations”, “Life of a Crime”, “Most Evil”, “The FBI Files”, and “Solved”. Once you see what you've been missing, you'll be hooked. Ask a representative about DirecTV packages that include this and other great channels. You'll be surprised at how affordable great satellite programming can be.

Watching TNT Is A Blast!

Looking for great classic movies and TV shows, premiere wrestling, NASCAR, and NBA events, and overall great entertainment?-- then look no further than TNT. Broadcasting in both Standard and High Definition format on DirecTV channel 245, as well as the great Video On Demand format on channel 1245, TNT is a one stop shop for non-stop action.

TNT, originally known as Turner Network Television and owned by Ted Turner, has been a driving force in American network broadcasting since its launch in 1988. The first movie ever aired was the classic 1939 movie “Gone With the Wind”, supposedly Turner’s favorite film.

A home for older classic movies and TV programming, TNT’s popularity grew and its viewing audience numbers soared, especially after the network began colorizing older black and white movies.

When it comes to sports, TNT has always been a premier channel for many different wrestling circuits, including both the World Wrestling Federation and the World Championship Wrestling feature lineups.

Through the 90s, TNT was the place to go for old horror films and other B-film features. Shows like “MonsterVision” became very popular at this time. Later, it was also home to other classic syndicated TV shows such as “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues”, “Babylon 5”, and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”, as well as the original series “Witchblade”.

TNT is home to some of the best network dramas including “CSI”, Without a Trace”, “Cold Case”, and “Law & Order”, bringing a drama-mystery fix to the most discerning of fans.

Thanks to an already stellar lineup of action premiers, drama TV shows and movies, and promising original content like “Saving Grace” and “The Closer”, as well as a huge support for NASCAR and NBA events, TNT is definitely a satellite TV channel to keep both eyes on.

Optimizing the Display of Your New TV

So you’ve finally went out and bought that plasma or flat screen TV that you’ve been wanting, you’ve got it home, and now you’re basking in the glory that is beautiful and vibrant picture quality. Or is it?

What many people don’t consider in the excitement of their new purchase is that most of the time, your brand new TV’s picture will not be adjusted to the most optimal picture settings for your specific viewing environment straight out of the box. Factory settings on most plasma and flat screen TVs are usually set at levels that aren’t the most desirable for every viewing setting. More often than not, contrast and brightness are set to their highest setting, and on some applicable TVs, the backlight setting is also too bright, which can wash out colors and reduce the life span of your new purchase.

The reason you don’t need the TV display incredibly bright lies, other than the aforementioned color wash issue and life span, is that you’ll be having ambient lighting in your home to consider too. You’ll want to match the ambient lighting conditions of your display brightness to get the best picture.

For example, if your viewing area tends to get a lot of light, whether it’s windows or other house lighting, you’ll want to keep bright, dynamic picture modes off, because they aren’t needed, and won’t give you the most picture viewing satisfaction. If you are watching a movie at night, brighter or more dynamic will offer you the best viewing contrast, though keep in mind, unless you only watch TV at night, you’ll want to make sure that dynamic, vivid, or generally bright settings aren’t your default picture mode.

Hopefully these few basics tips will help any new plasma or flat screen TV owner enjoy the benefits of high definition movies, satellite TV, gaming, or any media entertainment on their brand new television.

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News By Satellite

Television in the home has become such an integral and necessary part of the function of our daily lives that we often forget how important and helpful its made our lives.

Basic television with the analog bunny-ear style antenna kept audiences happy and enthralled for decades, providing sports events, variety shows, and some of the most memorable moments in world history. Important events and milestones played out before the home audience’s eyes, such as the first moon landing, the Kennedy assassination, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Since its inception, even basic broadcast TV brought the news media mainline into our homes that has helped keep us up-to-date on local happenings, national events, and other world related news stories. This has allowed people at home to come to a better grasp and understanding of previously unseen or imagined world-views that extends out past their front yard and the city they live in. And to think that all this was done to the satisfaction of the home audience with just a couple basic news programs transmitting out with a wavering analog signal.

Now we live in the day of digital satellite TV. Satellite television has opened the door to a world of entertainment, sports, music, and most importantly, news of all regions and persuasions. Any reputable satellite TV provider, such as DirecTV, will offer more than a handful of news channels, regardless of which subscription package you choose.

With satellite TV’s ability to bring so many channels into your home, you are guaranteed to find the perfect news channel for your special interests or needs, including multi-lingual versions of most broadcasts. Everything from FOX News, to ESPN Sports coverage, satellite TV has the world to offer in terms of up to date information that you and your family will enjoy.

The best part is, DirecTV packages can deliver it all right to your very own sofa!