I think I am going to order cable and to get the sci-fi channel. So I wont buy the tapes and I can keep up with everyone. I just wait for the DVD.
Hey Jon, welcome! I've been on this board (and its previous incarnations) for over two years now, and I attribute our success to the constant mix of old-timers and newbies injecting new blood (so to speak) into this group.
Although I watched DS as a kid starting in '69, I didn't begin to view the entire series until the Sci-Fi run starting 30 years later. There's something to be said about the ritual of taking in only two eps a day and then waiting another day for the next set, as I did for two-and-a-half years. For me, that was enough to absorb, and it gave me something to look forward to each day.
I, too, would say cable is the way to go. However, I highly recommend getting some of the MPI compilation tapes, such as "DS Bloopers," "30th Anniversary," and "Behind the Scenes." The clips shown (especially the hysterical bloopers), along with the cast interviews and cast-audience exchanges at the DS Fests, will enrich your knowledge of the show and help you more readily absorb the future developments in the series.
Assuming that all the usual advantages of DVDs are contained in the DS ones -- greater video clarity, ease of locating episodes (no more of that annoying fast-forwarding or rewinding), plus extras such as recent cast interviews and features -- I probably will be tempted to try at least one box set.
See ya 'round, Jon.
Ben