Former TechTV all-stars celebrate Revision3

SAN FRANCISCO--Nostalgia was in the air in the city's Portrero Hill district this week as Kevin Rose, Patrick Norton and Dan Huard laughed and shared drinks together. Once upon a time, the three joined forces daily to tape a little show called "The Screen Savers" on the now defunct-but-well-loved 24-hour cable network TechTV.

But on Tuesday night, Sept. 26, the occasion of their meeting was a launch party for Revision3, a new Web-based network of downloadable programs aimed at the on-demand generation. With 11 shows, all starring or produced by the pros of former TechTV fame, the project looks to create a new type of content for a tech-hungry audience.

The music was pulsating and the mood festive at Mighty, an industrial-style club near the former Tech TV studios, as images of the next generation in tech programming were projected over the heads of several hundred tech devotees and producers. Between drinks and dancing, guests could have a look at the shows on computers set up around the room.

In 2004, Tech TV was bought by Comcast and merged with the G4 network, and nearly all TechTV employees lost their jobs. Tuesday's gathering wasn't a TechTV reunion per se, but it was about the closest any fan would be able to observe.

Martin Sargent, the outlandish former host of "Unscrewed with Martin Sargent," TechTV's own attempt at late-night programming, is now producer of "Infected" and "Web Drifter" on Revision3. Jessica Corbin, former TechTV "Fresh Gear" host, is now presenting a show called "InDigital: Your Life in Gear." And Rose, Huard, Alex Albrecht and David Prager, among others, all stay busy producing many of the shows on the network.

Rose, who left G4 to establish Revision3, also created the popular technology news Web site Digg, and many of his television fans have followed his post-TechTV pursuits.