Review: Dave Does
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 | posted by Mike
I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time reviewing this new Web-based series, which we previewed some time ago. I’ll just go ahead and say that the content is interesting (the first two episodes are up, one is about school meals, currently a crusade of Jamie Oliver in the UK) and star Dave Lieberman is in his element. As usual, he excels when he’s out talking to “real” people, and his interactions with the kids are great. I like him more and more, and Dave Lieberman is someone who I actually would like to see more of outside his usual Good Deal show. Just go ahead and watch it…it’s really very good.What I do want to talk about a little is the way this is being presented. You’re getting a whole lot more than the video when you tune in. There are “deleted scenes,” tabbed content that comes up at the appropriate time during the show and links to many of the people and places that Lieberman visits. Recipes and additional photos are also available. The video is usually clean and clear (a little bit of choppiness) and the audio is strong. I will admit that the interface can be a bit overwhelming, particularly if you’re trying to watch the video for the first time. No worries…you can always “rewind” it using the scroll bar under the video. (I had some problems in Firefox. You might want to stick with IE.)
Similar to the experiment that ABC ran with a number of its shows (on-demand episodes of Alias, Desperate Housewives, etc.) last year, Dave Does requires you to watch a short commercial before the video. I think this is a real win-win that may translate to more shows (both web-only and on-demand regular episodes) showing up in this format. I win because I know I’d happily sit through a few ads for the opportunity to catch that episode that I missed or can’t see on television. And, of course, it’s a win for the advertiser, who gets a highly targeted viewer for their spot.
It's good to see Food Network taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by the technology.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
