What's wrong with watching too much TV?

[Khan]

I was watching fewer hours of TV; back in November '10 realized I was only watching local news and only occasionally for standard rate of~$90/month.
Dropped the whole thing.
Only thing I miss is the digital time display in the living room.

 

[TromboneAl]

Only thing I miss is the digital time display in the living room.

You mean the one that blinks "12:00?"

 

[BigNick]

Heck, the British tax your TV set... watching or not watching...

Yeah, but in return they get the BBC. Thousands of hours of great programming with no commercials. Commercial TV is a "tax" on pretty much every branded item you buy. (This is not an anti-capitalist rant.)

 

[Khan]

You mean the one that blinks "12:00?"

Not the VCR, the cable box.

 

[W2R]

I was watching fewer hours of TV; back in November '10 realized I was only watching local news and only occasionally for standard rate of~$90/month.
Dropped the whole thing.
Only thing I miss is the digital time display in the living room.

I agree, $90/month is a LOT to pay just for local news! Good move.

If you ever change your mind and miss the local news, check the price of bare bones basic cable (without the box). Here, it is around $15/month and you get about 60 channels, including all the local channels and more.

As for the digital time display, a digital clock is not too expensive if you still miss it. I have a nice one in my living room, with big blue digits.

 

[REWahoo]

If you ever change your mind and miss the local news, check the price of bare bones basic cable (without the box). Here, it is around $15/month and you get about 60 channels, including all the local channels and more.

You can get an indoor antenna (modern version of rabbit ears) for less than $25 bucks. Should be able to get all your local channels/news for free.

 

[Khan]

You can get an indoor antenna (modern version of rabbit ears) for less than $25 bucks. Should be able to get all your local channels/news for free.

True, but also need converter or new TV (21 y o)

 

[REWahoo]

True, but also need converter or new TV (21 y o)

A converter is cheap - and another one time expense.

 

[Khan]

A converter is cheap - and another one time expense.

Can't think of anything I want to see on TV that I can't access on internet.

 

[flyfishnevada]

If my internet was better I'd chuck the satellite, but I have crappy rural "high speed". Lots of shows for free.

As it is I watch maybe 2-3 hours* a day at most. Nothing against it. It's not all soap operas and Donahue anymore. I love Discovery and it's ilk, news and sports. I often will watch stuff with the kids (Simpson's reruns, Robot Chicken, etc.). I think they would shrivel up and die without it. I was that way when I was a teenager too.

We have a movie room with projector and big screen. We watch movies on Fridays and Saturdays. We all love a good movie. Our Netflix membership (16 bucks a month) is heavily used.

*Sundays and Mondays during football season you will find me glued to the TV. If football is on, I'm watching!

 

[Moscyn]

Is Eli Stone still on If so, I am missing it...

Well, I don't know. I'm still catching up on back episodes since I didn't know such programmes existed 6 months ago when I was working. The series of Eli Stone I'm watching now is series 2 where he got back his aneurism even after the surgery.

 

[Texas Proud]

You can get an indoor antenna (modern version of rabbit ears) for less than $25 bucks. Should be able to get all your local channels/news for free.

Not if you are like me and live 35+ miles from the antenna...

 

[Texas Proud]

Well, I don't know. I'm still catching up on back episodes since I didn't know such programmes existed 6 months ago when I was working. The series of Eli Stone I'm watching now is series 2 where he got back his aneurism even after the surgery.

Just checked... season 2 was the last... enjoy...

 

[REWahoo]

Not if you are like me and live 35+ miles from the antenna...

Reception does depend on several factors like internal walls and the terrain between you and the transmitter. Google Earth shows me 42 miles from the "antenna farm" and with an internal antenna I can get four of the six local channels, but I am located on a hill.

 

[haha]

Reception does depend on several factors like internal walls and the terrain between you and the transmitter. Google Earth shows me 42 miles from the "antenna farm" and with an internal antenna I can get four of the six local channels, but I am located on a hill.

Does the antenna have to be at a window? I have a good shot at towers about 1.5 and also .75 miles away, but my building is brick. I do have a window that faces one set of towers. I am on top of hill.

Recently good DSL has become available so I am thinking of ditching cable too. I already use cell for phone. I have had a 3-way package.

Ha

 

[REWahoo]

Does the antenna have to be at a window? I have a good shot at towers about 1.5 and also .75 miles away, but my building is brick. I do have a window that faces one set of towers. I am on top of hill.

Brick? Window? Heck, that close to the towers you might not even need an antenna!

 

[Texas Proud]

Reception does depend on several factors like internal walls and the terrain between you and the transmitter. Google Earth shows me 42 miles from the "antenna farm" and with an internal antenna I can get four of the six local channels, but I am located on a hill.

Just checked...

Am about 32 miles from the farm... but it says I need a medium directional antenna... lots of big trees etc....

I have used rabbit ears upstairs and I can bring in a couple of the channels... but they can chop in and out... nothing downstairs...


AntennaWeb

 

[HFWR]

Reception does depend on several factors like internal walls and the terrain between you and the transmitter. Google Earth shows me 42 miles from the "antenna farm" and with an internal antenna I can get four of the six local channels, but I am located on a hill, next to a rock quarry.

Fixed...

 

[kcowan]

There are certain show like The Good Wife that we don't want to miss. But since we got the DVR 3 years ago, we realize how few shows we really never miss. Record then erase! Not enough time to watch it all.

Of course time-shifting to eliminate commercials is valuable. Except for the Super Bowl. There we just skipped over the idle time in the game.

 

[TromboneAl]

There are no stations predicted to serve this location. Depending on the specifics of your installation, though, you may be able to receive some signals, but don't hold your breath.

 

[SarahW]

What I would definitely feel was a waste was reading what some guy (like Zelinski) thinks I should be doing with my life.

Ha

:golfclap: And, I concur about the Third Reich documentaries. Excellent.

 

[Nords]

Yes - unlike surfing the net and posting messages on Intertube discussion boards, which is much more physically demanding....

I often find myself pondering the design requirements for hooking a small electrical generator up to a treadmill for powering the desktop computer's UPS.

However I don't think spouse would great the same research project for her TiVo/TV with such enthusiasm...

 

[Free To Canoe]

Thoughts on TV:

DW likes to have the TV on during the day for background. Kind of like having people in the house so that you are not lonely. She does reading and other things with the TV on. A commercial comes on a dozen times in her presence but she does not "see it". She block it out completely. Moving wall paper.
I on the other hand, find it captivating while I am in front of it. It is mostly annoying, sometimes enjoyable. I cannot block it out.
"the medium is the message" McLuhan
TV has replaced books as the popular media for communicating. Perhaps in a couple of centuries, books will become obsolete.
Should "TV" with the phrase "visual media"?

Free to canoe