I love long-form videos that tell information and stories. Documentaries about most any topics, especially ones that last an hour or more, are my bread and butter. But when I’m using YouTube on my TV, I can’t tell from thumbnails what the quality of a channel is. Sometimes I find gold, but other times it’s obvious they’re using an AI voice over or AI imagery and I immediately turn it off. I’m so tired of trudging through the slop, even though it’s just beginning.

So for now, I figure I’ll check with y’all - do you have any preferred/recommended channels that make the sort of video I’m looking for, that are still human-made? I’d love to hear about them.

  • snoons@lemmy.caEnglish
    11·
    1 day ago

    Not sure if these are what you’re looking for, but:

    • Dr. Becky [professional commentary on astronomy and astrophysics]

    • Anton Petrov [professional commentary on astronomy and astrophysics]

    • What’s Going On With Shipping? [videos about the ins and outs of international maritime shipping]

    • Not Just Bikes [focuses on the many ways urban infrastructure can be improved]

    • Sampson Boat Co. [~seven years worth of videos where Leo rebuilds a 1910 gaff cutter from the keel up. Currently sailing it back to London to participate in race the same boat won a century ago]

    • Primitive Technology [builds cool things with sticks, mud, water and pond scum]

    • Bad Obsession Motorsport [bought an old mini-cooper and shoved an engine from a Celica GT-Four into it]

    • Practical Engineering [a practical look at engineering projects that most people ignore, mostly because they're underground]

    • B1M [videos focusing on large mega projects like tunnels and nuclear reactors]

    • Jay and Mark [map guys that rightfully complain about Londons infrastructure]

    • Florian Gadsby [skilled (practised) potter that makes really satisfying pieces]

    There are also channels that are focused on the war in Ukraine and related international shenanigans (in order of avg. video length):

    • Perun

    • Denys Davydov

    • Reporting from Ukraine

    • Suchomimus (poor chap made a channel to nerd out about dinosaurs, then the Russians attacked…)

    Also check out ytch.xyz; It serves videos from a curated list of channels such that it behaves like cable television.

    Also also check out nebula.tv if you can afford it.