Delving Into Documentaries With Satellite TV

vFor some television viewers, the best experience is that of fiction. Whether it's a gripping feature-length film that talks about the distant future or a hilarious sitcom that provides a little bit of escapism from the grind of daily life, there are plenty of ways to engage in smart and funny programming that don't actually address reality. But for plenty of viewers who are interested in a different kind of experience when it comes time to put on a film or spend a couple of hours in front of the HDTV set, the option to watch something more engaging and rooted in reality often wins out.

Not the kind of reality that is constantly being broadcast by "reality television" shows, but rather, the kind of gripping human experiences that unite us all or at least manage to touch people on different levels: the realm of the documentary. And when people think about documentaries, the idea that they can only be seen in art-house theaters by intellectuals is completely off-base. Plenty of people with satellite TV across the country were glued to their screens when "Planet Earth" was airing, completely engrossed in the experience of actually seeing our natural world as it happens in remote corners of the globe. Likewise, the documentarian Ken Burns has seen a world of success based on his ability to tell the story of anything from jazz music to the nation's national parks. These are great chances to sit down with the entire family and watch something educational and entertaining while also feeling more ingrained in one's own country or even one's own planet.

Fortunately for those with satellite TV, getting an introduction into the world of documentaries is as simple as checking out a few different channels that do a particularly good job in delivering content. For those who thought that HBO was only the realm of well-written fiction programming, the opportunity to check out any of the channel's documentaries is an eye-opening experience. Whether it's a look at recent political races for the presidency or insight into artists in faraway countries, HBO documentaries do a great job of telling a story while keeping things just as fast-paced as typical fiction fare. Sundance also is known for having at least one day of the week devoted entirely to documentaries, meaning anything from classic music cinema like "Sympathy for the Devil" by Godard to the chance to find out what it's like inside the wild world of video game competitions by watching "The King of Kong."

So those who want the best of entertainment with a more educational twist should consider the world of documentaries on satellite TV rather than digging through countless channel choices. Whether it's something on IFC, a mini-series being broadcast on PBS, or a documentary that's managed to cross over and make a huge splash like "An Inconvenient Truth," there really is an entire world of knowledge being presented in a way that is entertaining, engaging, and often just as awe-inspiring as a sweepingly epic scene in a well-made feature film.


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