If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes or period piece mysteries, this is a solid entry point. The mysteries are self-contained, the Victorian Toronto setting is atmospheric, and the "gadgets" Murdoch invents are clever without being too over-the-top (yet).
: The debut season is famous for incorporating historical figures into the plot, most notably Nikola Tesla in the premiere episode, "Power," where he assists Murdoch in a case involving alternating current. Other guests include Arthur Conan Doyle and Prince Alfred . The Tech: What is OpenH264? murdoch mysteries season 01 openh264
For those specifically downloading or streaming the "openh264" version, here is the technical breakdown: If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes
: Murdoch is joined by the progressive Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), the enthusiastic Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris), and his skeptical but supportive boss, Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig). Other guests include Arthur Conan Doyle and Prince Alfred
Season 1 is a must-watch to see where the legend began. While the openh264 encode isn't the prettiest way to view it, the strength of the writing and the likability of the cast make it easy to look past the compression and enjoy the mysteries. A solid start to a long-running favorite.
OpenH264 is a video codec (encoder/decoder) that implements the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) standard. Developed and open-sourced by Cisco Systems, it is unique because it handles the patent minefield of H.264 by having Cisco pay the licensing fees, allowing applications (like Firefox, WebRTC, and some media players) to decode H.264 video for free, without legal risk.