| Author | Content |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 02, 2009
04:21 PM Post #6898463
| http://satellitetvforpc-reviews.com/satellitetvforpc.php?t=t...
I can't think of anything more sustainable than tossing out the TV and reclaiming the space it occupies. And also saving the monthly TV bill would be a big raise in my pay check for more fun things to do. Anybody tried internet tv? |
Yuska
San Antonio, TX
(Zone 8b)
August 02, 2009
04:44 PM Post #6898541
| Well, we can't just toss 'em out. All sorts of stuff in them that is harmful to the environment. And unlike obsolete computer equipment, it is very hard to find a recycling place to take them. I found one finally, but the charge will be around $70 for my old analog sets.
No, I haven't tried internet TV.
Yuska |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 02, 2009
05:40 PM Post #6898764
| Maybe we could take out the inside parts and make christmas tree ornaments? |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
August 02, 2009
07:58 PM Post #6899297
| Televisions and pc monitors are being "tossed" here all right! All up and down the county roads and highways. Makes me so angry. Especially right now with the new HD tv crap lots of folks are upgrading their tvs and dumping freely. The high metal prices over the last year made folkd pick up the washers, dryers, water heaters, etc. that had been illegally dumped. Do you think there will ever be a market for tv screens? NOT!
I have a friend that does internet tv ~ he says the good thing is... he does less of it. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 02, 2009
08:37 PM Post #6899480
| It is amazing the space tv takes up in our homes, out of our time, out of our pocketbooks and in nonrecycable trash.
I wonder if internet tv will make a difference? There would be a lot less of it. You can't surf and watch tv at the same time. You have to do one or the other. And with a choice of 3000 channels - well you wouldn't be bored. |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
August 02, 2009
08:57 PM Post #6899567
| Or as DH says ~ then he would have a whole lot of channels with nothing he cared to watch! |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 02, 2009
10:00 PM Post #6899821
| I think it would be interesting to have the European channels. |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 02, 2009
11:28 PM Post #6900159
| I'd love to toss TV...
Try Hulu.com ...see what you think!
|
twiggybuds
Moss Point, MS
(Zone 8b)
August 02, 2009
11:38 PM Post #6900199
| In December it will be 2 years without tv here. I haven't really missed it. I can watch news clips of the big local stories and weather that weren't available on satellite at the time. Also all the national news channels, and free movies at hulu. I was spending $80 per month for 4 boxes.
I would be glad to pop for the $30 one time price for the premium tv on pc but I'd really like to hear from some actual users first. It seems to me that it's too good to be true and why would anyone continue with cable or the satellite companies with it available practically for free. In the meantime, the internet does just fine.
Last month I upgraded to DSL Ultra. It costs $7 more per month and is supposed to only be better for watching video material. I can tell some improvement but still not perfect.
|
garden_mermaid
San Francisco Bay Ar, CA
(Zone 9b)
August 03, 2009
12:54 AM Post #6900423
| Our telly is primarily used as a vehicle to play DVDs. We do enjoy the occassional PBS series. We subscribe to limited basic from the cable company. It's ~$18 per month. They keep trying to get me to upgrade to expanded basic for ~$50 per month, but what's the point? The set is on so rarely. I keep the limited basic in case I need to watch the newstation for emergency information. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
August 03, 2009
06:58 AM Post #6900787
| We use the telly most for DVDs, too, although we also subscribed to TV5 Monde through DishNetwork and we look at that sometimes, especially if they're showing a good film. Once in a while if I think of it I also watch Jon Stewart, but that's about it. For internet I had to go wireless; there was no other way to get highspeed where we live. My plan allows me 5 GBs per month, which I haven't even approached once since I got the service, but if I were to watch internet tv I'm sure that would end up pushing me over the limit!
We never had tv when our son was small, until his grandfather gave us one so he could watch Sesame Street. I think it was an old black and white model! |
Hastur
Houston, TX
August 03, 2009
01:23 PM Post #6902103
| Oddly enough, a year after not bothering to subscribe to any cable, we don't miss it.
If there is a show that a friend thinks we should watch, they usually burn a couple eps to DVD and then, if we like it, we just go buy the DVD. If it's a movie, we can get some very inexpensive ones from a local used DVD shop, and for about $5.00 we can have a great movie that we can watch more than one time.
For news, there's the internet.
For emergencies, there's a radio.
In the time that we have had no cable, we've been called about once per month by the cable to company, so that they can ask why we don't at least have basic cable. I tell them that the only station we might want (and not all the time) is either Discovery or Sci-Fi. They tell us that we can get both for only (about) $50 per month, and I have to explain that it's not worth that much for something that we would only watch 4 times a month. Why would I pay over $12/show to watch commercials? Seriously?
I will not toss my TV. It's HUGE with a great surround system because when I want to watch a movie, I want to hear the dinosaurs sneaking up on me from the left. I want to hear the alien scream as its being shot by the plucky hero.
But I'll be hanged if I'm going to pay for something I won't use. |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
August 03, 2009
10:54 PM Post #6904476
| Here in the St. Louis area, we can turn in televisions, computer and such for a small fee, about $10 for large ones. They are properly stripped and recycled by a company that gets their income from reselling these materials. I wish we could get everyone to use this company. |
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 05, 2009
05:52 PM Post #6911636
| Been without tv for over 7 years now and still alive. I do have a tv for watching dvds on rainy days or in the wintertime. That is it.
Don't miss it. I read a lot of books (the library here is great) I spend quite a bit of time outdoors and DH and I spend more quality time together. Ain't all bad! |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
August 05, 2009
08:09 PM Post #6912105
| I would love it if my DH would turn off the TV. I remind him when he leaves the room to turn it off, he just has it on for noise. I keep it off all day when he isn't home. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 05, 2009
08:42 PM Post #6912247
| grownut: I have tried hulu.com - at your suggestion. It seems to be one of the best one's.
I also found 'the research channel' at the University of Washington. Lectures on scientific research. It is interesting.
But mostly I try to get a channel only to find out its in arabic, or Japanese, or persian. Guess Ill need Rosetta Stone to expand my language capabilities! |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 05, 2009
09:22 PM Post #6912401
| Always something new to buy...lol. Glad it worked...just discovered it myself!!
If I could just wean DH away from TV...
|
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 06, 2009
06:41 AM Post #6913425
| I was the worst with the tv. When we moved, the cable company wouldn't hook it up for a couple weeks. That got me mad and I sort of protested. Glad I did. Ha. |
twiggybuds
Moss Point, MS
(Zone 8b)
August 06, 2009
10:49 AM Post #6914144
| I thought I was the only one in America without tv. Wow! Are we a bunch of weirdos or what? The media is always reporting that most people spend an outrageous amount of time watching tv.
|
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
August 06, 2009
10:57 AM Post #6914180
| We have gardens...:) |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 06, 2009
11:18 AM Post #6914258
| I have it on for "white noise" to mask the neighbor's stereo. I guess there are cheaper sources of white noise. |
garden_mermaid
San Francisco Bay Ar, CA
(Zone 9b)
August 06, 2009
01:29 PM Post #6914752
| I use the stereo to mask outside noises when necessary.
Jeffrey Thompsom has a set of "brainwave" music that is great to use for "white noise" in the background. The sounds are not intrusive and rather calming.
http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Jeffrey-Thompson/e/B000AQ2OO4/ref=... |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 06, 2009
01:52 PM Post #6914852
| Thanks GM. Ive noticed that the noise pollution from next door is really affecting my health.
I started grinding my teeth and had to have a stint made. But Ive already lost about 1/8' off a front tooth.
The noise affects the quality of my sleep which in turn means I wake up with a head ache.
It can really degrade the quality of your life. |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
August 06, 2009
03:40 PM Post #6915221
| I use soft earplugs in the afternoon when I have to lay down for awhile, takes just enough off the noise level to allow sleep, but i can hear the phone or doorbell. |
garden_mermaid
San Francisco Bay Ar, CA
(Zone 9b)
August 06, 2009
05:41 PM Post #6915697
| I often use soft earplugs at night when I need to sleep and the neighbours or other situations are causing too much noise.
|
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 07, 2009
07:23 AM Post #6917821
| Wow am I lucky. I only use earplugs when the geese get too loud outside in the lake. (wildlife can be very, very noisy) The peeper frogs in the spring sound good at first, then later in the spring they are more like a fire alarm. The owls hoot, loons laugh, coyotes howl. These sounds are good, but it can keep you awake sometimes.
We haven't had noisy dog or neighbor problems sence we moved here. Thank goodness!
Mostly it is very quiet. We seldom even play the radio. I really like the quiet and do not need the noise. The quiet lets you relax. |
Hastur
Houston, TX
August 07, 2009
08:07 AM Post #6917911
| I think that the amount of information that people get from the tele is deplorable, especially considering the amount of advertising that is on there. During the day, at my work place, they have a tele in the break room, so I see it when I go in to get my coffee and water. So far, I have been exposed to a frightening number of adverts for various drugs, adverts ordering me to get a car because it's "good for the economy", adverts against the government health scheme, for it, and three pieces of actual news - two of them about the dead singer.
I figured that I got about 3 pieces of news to every 15 commercials. If this is normal, there is something very wrong out there.
One of the reasons that my husband and I had such an easy time getting away from the tele in the first place was because both of us don't want to have our story interrupted by someone screaming at us to buy something. We like seeing the story unfold, jumping at the part you are supposed to jump at, laughing where you are supposed to laugh and generally enjoying the craft. Unfortunately, regular tele doesn't seem to offer that.
What surprises me more than anything is that in these times when everyone is cutting their budgets, how it is that more and more are NOT eliminating tele from the bills. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 07, 2009
09:23 AM Post #6918095
| I have made an assessment now of cable TV @ $70/mo vs internet tv @ $20.00/mo for high speed internet service. The only program that is on TV and not internet tv - that I watch - is Turner Classic Movies.
Most of those are available on DVDs. Im off to the library today to see if I can check those out of the library. If I can, I am terminating my cable service. Even if I bought DVDs and donated them to the library for circulation, I would still save money. And my life would be happier without obnoxious advertising.
HMMMM. Now what is the best way to spend an extra $70 per month? |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 07, 2009
09:51 AM Post #6918183
| Living!!! |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 07, 2009
11:05 AM Post #6918464
| maybe I can get cpartschick to make me a LOUD recording of those frogs! |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 07, 2009
01:31 PM Post #6919044
| Oh boy, lol. I like that one. Might be good to play on loudspeakers for the benefit of others as well... |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
August 07, 2009
02:25 PM Post #6919208
| heehee, that would be fun |
garden_mermaid
San Francisco Bay Ar, CA
(Zone 9b)
August 07, 2009
02:58 PM Post #6919317
| Come to think of it, I do still have my "nature" recording albums on vinyl. These are recording of rainstorms (including the bird song when the sun finally comes out), ocean waves, the sound of a wooden mast creaking while under sail, a mountain brook, a pond at dusk etc. |
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 07, 2009
07:04 PM Post #6920239
| Too funny guys. Not sure a recording at my place would be all that soothing. You get a nice hum of animals and then a piercing screach of something, or a goose fight, or a blue heron fight. So it is calm, then fingers on the chalkboard. Ha. Still better than a barking dog or loud neighbors.
Listening to coyotes, esp very close, makes your hair stand up. Not too soothing either.
Boy, prices have sure gone up for cable. I think last I paid was 32 bucks a month, of course that was in 2001. I have been saving more money than I thought! |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 07, 2009
08:18 PM Post #6920496
| My mediacom bill - no frills is $60.92. And the channel that I mainly watch has just been discontinued. |
garden_mermaid
San Francisco Bay Ar, CA
(Zone 9b)
August 07, 2009
08:47 PM Post #6920597
| I pay ~$16 per month for limited basic and will look into internet TV to see if they cover our local PBS stations.
cparts - I can remember getting chilled while sitting in a hot bath when the coyotes let loose near my window. Something about the pitch of their hunting call is sooo effective to create the goosebumps.
I'd probably have an easier time with human generated noise if it was something that I had lived with long term or grew up with, but I didn't, so until we can move out of earshot of the neighbours, ear plugs are the way to go. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 07, 2009
10:07 PM Post #6920943
| http://www.last.fm/music/Zoë Keating/One Cello x 16: Natoma
I found Zoe Keating is a good defense |
lizards_keep
Colmesneil, TX
(Zone 8b)
August 08, 2009
01:11 AM Post #6921539
| I would drop the satellite in a heartbeat, if my DW would just go along with it, and use the Tube just for movies. I generally get most of my news off the computer and browse other sites to stay abreast of current events any way.
As for noisy neighbors we don’t have any. We only have two and they don’t live close by. But like some of you we do have more than our share of noisy critters. Them I can live with.
|
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 08, 2009
07:34 AM Post #6921860
| You would think that you may miss the news and weather. Of course you can get it all on the computer, even with dial up, it is faster than listening to the "teasers" and waiting through the comercials.
Of course we get the newspaper, but that is down to 3 days a week. I would rather read most news on print, and just browse the paper vs internet paper. It is a different world out there.
|
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 08, 2009
10:01 AM Post #6922196
| The nice thing is...everybody quotes everybody else anyway...so there's precious little difference among the various media...they all just repeat...might be nice not to hear the same text from that many sources. Hah! |
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 09, 2009
08:17 AM Post #6925394
| You are right. I remember yelling at Katie Couric in the morning when I would get dressed for work. LOL (she never listened) |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 09, 2009
09:20 AM Post #6925564
| lol!! inconsiderate chit!! |
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 10, 2009
06:57 AM Post #6929299
| Lol, I am not the only one?
I used to hate newcasters saying "we are not for certian but..." or the dreaded "Now we have an expert on this (who by the way is retired from a completely different area and knows nothing about this particular situation and is speculating) Ugh! |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
August 10, 2009
10:56 AM Post #6929931
| Or we are are "live" at something that just happened and we don't know anything but we will keep talking until we do, even though it could be hours before any information that is credible is known. AAAAHHHHHGGGG! |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 10, 2009
12:03 PM Post #6930228
| Oooohboyoboy...when the News reminds you of "Where's Wally?"...where's the kernel of information in all this blather?! |
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 10, 2009
05:43 PM Post #6931537
| Hahahaha, I knew there were others like me somewhere! |
Hineni
Sharps Chapel, TN
(Zone 6b)
August 11, 2009
09:16 AM Post #6933945
| I've been TV free for over a year now; I do watch some things on hulu.com from time to time.My fave shows I haven't found online yet -PBS, Discovery, HGTV or Animal Planet. I am considering getting basic cable for the winter months, but not sure. I figure I can read more, get my house clean, organize garden supplies or something else more beneficial.
My daughter and I stayed in a hotel recently, with TV. I forgot to turn it on...LOL! When I finally did, it was way more advertising than I recall from before. And not much good on to watch actually. I did finally find a Nova program that was pretty cool.
So we are out here, you're not alone cpartschick. |
Hastur
Houston, TX
August 11, 2009
10:01 AM Post #6934056
| I have a friend that I had to tell off a bit because he would show me 'great' commercials. I had to explain that I don't care how clever the commercial is, it's a COMMERCIAL. I just am not interested in commercials.
Had another friend that came over and could not figure out why I didn't have basic cable "to use as background noise". My response was to show her my collection of (entirely too many) CDs. Apparently she could not figure out how I could listen to music whilst doing other stuff.
I am firmly convinced that our culture could do far better without a TV (and this comes from a rabid lover of movies). |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 11, 2009
11:59 AM Post #6934516
| The only thing that is keeping me from pulling the plug now is Turner Classic Movies.
I went to the library. They do not have a DVD collection.
I love movies, too. I even like bad movies! I usually don't like TV movies though. Its just not the same thing. |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 11, 2009
02:52 PM Post #6935212
| Sounds like yours is truly meant to be a TV Free World!! |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 11, 2009
03:19 PM Post #6935296
| Imagine how many DVDs I can buy with the money I am paying for cable TV!
"I will not toss my TV. It's HUGE with a great surround system because when I want to watch a movie, I want to hear the dinosaurs sneaking up on me from the left. I want to hear the alien scream as its being shot by the plucky hero. "
Now Ill have to buy a 46" hi df TV so I can hear the dinosaurs coming in from the left - like Hastur does!
|
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 11, 2009
03:34 PM Post #6935370
| The only thing I ever watch is the weather channel...and that goes out when there's bad weather coming...if it weren't for DH's sports channels and golf... |
GardenSox
Sacramento, CA
(Zone 9a)
August 12, 2009
03:00 PM Post #6939115
| At the risk of alienating myself I'm just going to come right out and admit it: I love TV. I love watching TV and I can't imagine getting rid of it entirely.
To me, TV is like anything else in life. You have to know how to manage it in harmony with your other priorities. I fail at achieving this balance more often than not, but that's my flaw, not my TV's.
There is a lot of garbage on TV and you can certainly waste your life away as a mindless zombie if you aren't careful with it. But there are also really wonderful programs out there that inspire me, that make me think, that remind me to cherish life, that teach me new things and show me other lives and other worlds that I would not otherwise get to experience.
|
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 12, 2009
04:57 PM Post #6939492
| What do you like to watch, GardenSox? |
DiggerDee
Ffld County, CT
(Zone 6b)
August 12, 2009
09:58 PM Post #6940593
| Great post, GardenSox! I too don't think I would ever toss my tv, but wasn't sure how to word an answer here - you put it perfectly!
I really don't watch much tv. I am a huge hockey fan, so I watch the NY Rangers games all season, and then... do I dare admit it...??? Okay, I'll fess up - I watch soap operas! There, it's out! I watch them in the evening after work as I catch up on my e-mail etc. Actually, I miss my VCR - I used to tape them and then FF thru the commercials and boring story lines. It was much quicker to watch them that way.
And that's pretty much it. Occasionally I'll check out the History Channel or one of the old movie channels, but it's DH who does the bulk of the TV watching around here - way too much of it, IMO. |
GardenSox
Sacramento, CA
(Zone 9a)
August 13, 2009
12:15 AM Post #6941020
| Like DiggerDee, I'm a big sports fan so I watch a lot of baseball and football - probably more than I watch anything else, actually. I do watch several gardening and landscape programs too. Gardening by the Yard, The City Gardener, Urban Outsiders, Yard Crashers, and A Gardener's Diary are all constantly recorded on my DVR and referred to frequently when I'm looking for inspiration or answers.
I'm a little embarassed to admit some of the shows that I have watched that have meant so much to me, but I'll share anyway. Some of my all-time favorite shows are Northern Exposure, Friday Night Lights, My So Called Life, Twin Peaks, The West Wing, The Sopranos, even Buffy the Vampire Slayer (hey, it had great writing believe it or not) . . . I recognize these shows aren't for everyone and that many of you could justifiably place them in the "time waster" category. But I think the point I would want to make is that these shows had an impact on me and it's likely that different shows will have equally powerful impacts on others. But when it's done well, TV can be a beautiful and inspiring medium.
With all that said, if I couldn't find something on TV that made me feel better for having watched it, then I would probably consider getting rid of my TV too. |
garden_mermaid
San Francisco Bay Ar, CA
(Zone 9b)
August 13, 2009
02:21 AM Post #6941246
| I think the chief concern on this thread is that many pay so much for so little of use. Why use the electricity and pay high fees if you are not using it?
If you find programs that bring you value, then the TV is a worthwhile tool. Too often there are many channels with nothing worth watching on them.
We enjoyed the Northern Exposure series. I recently rented the DVD version from Netflix. It was nice to see them without commercial interruption. My limited basic gives me access to three regional PBS stations. I think we average 3 hours per week of programs watched. |
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
August 13, 2009
06:34 AM Post #6941485
| I grew up on tv. I loved it and got a lot of enjoyment from it.
People think, when I say that I no longer have a tv, that I am against tv. That is not true. I just do not watch it anymore and do not miss it.
I thought I could not live without it, but after the cable company told me it would be 6 weeks to set up our new adress and hook us up, we just never called back.
I do think tv has become crazy though, with a million different chanels, the quick sound bites, the teasers, the comercials. It is hard to find good programing anymore. It seems you need all the chanels and tivo to get to watch what you want when you want to watch it.
If I lived where I didn't have the oportunity to relax on the deck and watch the birds and wildlife, to relax in quiet, to spend so much time outdoors, I would have the tv hooked back up in a second. Probably a wide screen, with tivo. |
Hastur
Houston, TX
August 13, 2009
09:11 AM Post #6941820
| Just because I don't want to pay for cable or watch regular tele, does not mean that I don't appreciate a good show. Movies are an awesome thing, and I can get a ton of stuff done watching a movie (I'm pathalogical - I have to be making something when I watch anything).
The right shows can be a wonderful way to enjoy stories, too, when I'm trying to figure out the intricacies of making a headpiece from chain. I have the Dr. Who, Babylon 5, Buffy, Angel, Lost, Dexter, Eureka, Millenium, Mythbusters, BS and more that I can't think of without going home and looking in the "Shows" cabinet. However, as one that abhores commercials, and hates to be distracted from the story, I will always wait for the show to come out on DVD before purchase. It allows me to pause the story when I need to, to rewind to see if what I thought I saw was really what I thought I saw, and to avoid interruptions that are there for the sole purpose of convincing me that I need something that I don't need, or to let me know that after my favorite story is finished the station will be showing some tripe that I have no interest in.
I distinctly remember the thing that permanently sealed my personal decision not to watch tele (in the normal way). I had heard about this fun show, Supernatural, and decided to give it a go. It was interesting, and explored ghost stories and mythology - two of my favorite subjects. However, as I was watching, there would be popups on the screen, about "Next on the WB". Unfortunately, the popups would take up 1/4 - 1/3 of the screen (at the bottom), and as someone that has an unusual makeup whereby I am compelled to read EVERYTHING, I could not get away from the ads, nor could I ignore them. So, even though I thought it was interesting and fun, I stopped watching after three episodes.
A while later, it came out in DVD and there were no ads in the middle of the show. Guess who gleefully has purchased all the seasons of Supernatural.
Maybe I'm a freak (you in the corner, shaddap - I know I am), but it seems to me that much of what makes the "TV Experience" so annoying is the constant interruptions for what you would otherwise be enjoying. You can probably tell from the listing above that I love storylines and dialogue (not to mention monsters and aliens). But how can you focus on the story if you are constantly being interrupted.
Do you really want to have your favorite stories remembered with an advertisement for soda in the middle? Especially if you are paying for that story? |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 13, 2009
10:25 AM Post #6942090
| I think everyone appreciates TV when its good. My cable TV right now is not good and it costs a lot of money. It does have Turner Classic Movies -- the main reason I don't unplug it for good.
Most of what was good about TV is now on Internet TV -- plus some more besides like lectures on the Research Channel.
I never saw the original series of House - but I caught a House marathon running the full weekend before I went in the hospital for surgery. It made the whole thing a surrealistic experience. And I found the hospital staff had seen all of the House episodes. At least nothing exploded during the time I was there --- and I didn't turn out to have leporsy!
I loved Northern Exposure -- especially when I found out it was written by a guy I used to work with in California. He was a little nutty -- just like the humor in the series (!).
Anyhow all I wanted to say is that everything that WAS good about TV is now on the internet for free.
I don't know about sports - - - I love watching the olympics.
And I sometimes watch soap operas on TV. My favorite though is the SciFi channel.
http://web.mlsnet.com/sights/
Im not really a sports fan -- but then Ive never seen soccer on cable tv. This is the Major League Soccer website.
This message was edited Aug 13, 2009 10:26 AM
This message was edited Aug 13, 2009 10:27 AM |
GardenSox
Sacramento, CA
(Zone 9a)
August 13, 2009
11:45 AM Post #6942396
| I love TV shows on DVD too - especially when you discover a series and you've already missed the first couple seasons and you want to catch up. Spending a dreary November weekend holed up in the house with friends and family watching a show together can be a lot of fun.
I also like watching some TV on web sites like Hulu. The only drawback that I see for that is that it feels more solitary to me. It's just me in front of the computer screen. I'm pretty sure there are ways to stream those shows from the internet onto your regular TV but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.
Gloria - I was (and still am) a HUGE fan of Northern Exposure. I've traveled to the little town, Roslyn, WA where they filmed the show several times. I've got a picture of the mural outside Roslyn's Cafe (the one with the camel) I need to scan and post for you.
Hastur - Have you watched the Firefly series? It only made it about 13 episodes before it was cancelled, but it was very good. Since you like Buffy, Angel, and Babylon 5 I bet you'll enjoy Firefly too as it was created by Joss Whedon (Buffy and Angel's creator) and it is a Sci-Fi show like Babylon 5.
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Hineni
Sharps Chapel, TN
(Zone 6b)
August 13, 2009
06:25 PM Post #6943574
| I have found that I like TV *too* much; I'll sit and watch cool stuff and get nothing done. Maybe I learn something, but a lot of times I just enjoy the shows in a near vegetative state :) I went without TV at first because the TV was in another state than where I was...LOL!
When we started watching Hulu, the same thing happened. I had never seen Stargate, and started back on Episode One. EEP. Pretty soon every night I wanted to watch 2,3 or 4 episodes. I had to stop and re-group. So the problem with the TV (other than the ridiculous amount of advertising) is ME, more than the TV. Plus, they cancel my favorite shows all of the time (Millennium, Sliders, Jericho come to mind) and it irritates me. A few years ago, I had never seen "24", and rented all the back episodes to catch me up. That was a mistake...haha! I don't think I went outside for a week except to let the dog out!!!
I really do like HGTV - so many great ideas on landscaping, inexpensive home decorating, DIY stuff. I'm toying with possibly getting basic again when I move, IF it has HGTV. And a cooking channel. I'll have to check my budget when the time comes and make a decision then.
Like others here, the ability to go rent an entire season and skip the interruptions, pop-ups and ads is far more appealing, except for the possibility that I'll watch it non-stop :) I have so many other things that I *need* to do, that any old excuse sometimes wedges in there (like ...surfing the 'net!) and I don't get done what I need to get done. And I'm not one that can do something else while watching. Maybe I'll take up knitting socks or something and justify the time that way...(grin)
Gloria, watching House and then going to the hospital - that would truly have been surreal...hahaha!
Hastur - as a kid, I used to read what was on the bottles and jars and stuff that was around me all of the time. So I share your pain about having to read everything :)
P.S. I've never seen Northern Exposure, Buffy, Babylon 5 or Firefly.
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gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 13, 2009
08:17 PM Post #6943834
| Hineni: I think you will really enjoy Northern Exposure. The writer (this may get you in the mood) worked with us as a Gov't subcontractor at Vandenberg AFB. He lived in a barn that had been previously occupied by a chemistry professor who had white rats. In the transition (between the professor and our friend the writer) the rats stayed in the barn. The barn was converted to a house. They guy had a bunch of kids and married a woman who also had a bunch of kids. Visiting them was an adventure with the white rats running along the open rafters and the kids screaming and the women screaming at the kids.
Ive never seen Firefly. I guess Ill look forward to that one.
I just installed a DVD decoder on my pc. |
Hineni
Sharps Chapel, TN
(Zone 6b)
August 13, 2009
11:42 PM Post #6944519
| Hmmm, sounds very interesting Gloria :) Having had some close encounters with rats (but not white ones)...that should have been ...exciting?!? |
dparsons01
Albuquerque, NM
(Zone 7b)
August 18, 2009
04:54 PM Post #6961911
| The internet TV that I've seen has been lower resolution images. Its harder to send all the bits for every individual to watch their own, unique, high resolution show. It can be done more effectively if you broadcast the same thing to everybody. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 18, 2009
06:23 PM Post #6962173
| Now Im addicted to Firefly! Fortunately there are a lot of episodes -- but then it was cancelled.
I find that most of the videos are so dark its hard to watch them. I found that you can go (on Internet Explorer/Windows XP) to Start/All Programs/Control Panel/Display/Settings/Advanced/ and play with the sliders until you get a better picture. But then everything else is too bright.
Oh. Well. For free what can you explect.
Now I know why they are selling those 46 in HDTVs. |
picante
Helena, MT
(Zone 4b)
August 22, 2009
08:07 PM Post #6977324
| Just found this thread.
I grew up without TV. That was my mother's choice. We went to the library a lot.
My DH & I bought a yard-sale TV to watch videos. It lives in the closet on a roller cart.
We keep thinking how nice it would be to watch European channels for cycling, though. This year we watched the whole Tour de France on Versus, since it was available at my mother's house. Yikes, why would anyone pay big bucks for channels that waste half your time on commercials? I thought the whole idea of paying for cable was to get commercial-free TV. Wrong again. I don't get this culture at all. |
dparsons01
Albuquerque, NM
(Zone 7b)
August 23, 2009
04:23 AM Post #6978434
| I'm with you on that picante. I don't like commercials either. Mostly I enjoy watching movies. Modern day story telling. The library is good for stories too, but I'm not always in the mood for reading. With TV the commercials are a distraction from the story. Lots of peope record what they want to watch on purpose so that they can skip the commercials. |
picante
Helena, MT
(Zone 4b)
August 23, 2009
12:48 PM Post #6979490
| Actually, our house is a designated commercial-free zone. No commercial radio, no TV. We can't do much about print advertising, except tell the catalog companies not to send them, and recycle what comes.
Business has been given free reign to market stuff, but I take the position that marketing should be illegal, or at least very heavily restricted. My reasoning is perhaps simplistic: without marketing, there would be far less demand and far less consumption, resulting in less environmental destruction.
The human mind is so very easy to manipulate. It gets an image of a new car stuck in there, and then it wants one. We need to substitute other, less superfluous images. |
dparsons01
Albuquerque, NM
(Zone 7b)
August 23, 2009
01:07 PM Post #6979554
| Yep. "Marketing" seems mostly about manipulation. What is also bad is that when you do need something it is difficult to find good, factual information that helps you make a decision on the item. A sizable chunk of the pricetag also goes to the marketers.
I think only part of the responsibility is on the government. We look to the government to fix too many problems, taking a dependent attitude. Part of it falls to each individual to use their intelligence and make their own decisions. To put it another way, we the people are the government and the current state of the union is what it is because we have not applied ourselves to the task.
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Hastur
Houston, TX
August 24, 2009
10:35 AM Post #6982649
| Hineni: Oh, Firefly is definitely in the cabinet of shows. As are Farscape, Carnivale, Jeremiah, Jerico, and ... well I forget again. I used to tell people that I want to be Zoe when I grow up. (Kind of difficult as I'm over 40, white, and fat, but hey, we all can dream)
Businesses and marketers doing what they do is not really a huge problem for me. As one who believes that any government interference is too much, I have to weigh in against marketing being illegal. However, I also weigh in on the side of "leave me alone". Marketers want to market - no problem. But I also reserve the right to tell them to bugger off and leave the tech alone, so that I can do what I want in the way I want to do it.
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gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 25, 2009
11:50 AM Post #6986594
| picante: There are lots of European channels on this station. This is the listing for France:
http://wwitv.com/television/73.htm
As I remember you speak French already so you wouldn't have to learn the language to watch tv!
Hope you find the Tour de France.
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picante
Helena, MT
(Zone 4b)
August 25, 2009
12:15 PM Post #6986682
| Well, how cool is that!? Will check it out after I'm done translating today. Thanks, Gloria! |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
August 25, 2009
01:35 PM Post #6986953
| I didn't know about that website. We get TV5 Monde, Euronews and Eurochannel through Dish Network, and it's fun to see their offerings and to get a European slant on the news. Picante, what kind of translating do you do? |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 25, 2009
04:21 PM Post #6987458
| I remember waking up in the hospital earlier this year --- still under the influence. The nurse turned on the tv -- I think it was Satellite tv. There was a program about herders along the Ob River narrated by somebody who sounded just like Arnold Swarzenegger but speaking some slavic language. I felt like I had fallen through a rabbit hole to another land! I couldn't understand a thing but it was very enjoyable to watch anyway. |
picante
Helena, MT
(Zone 4b)
August 25, 2009
06:59 PM Post #6987931
| LOL, I would have enjoyed that, too, gloria.
GH gal, it's technical translation. Lately: lots of patent apps for hybrid vehicles & parts. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
August 25, 2009
09:53 PM Post #6988614
| I hope someone has lots of good ideas for hybrids! Technical translation - that's interesting. Taking the raw text and turning it into proper tech-ese?
Leslie |
picante
Helena, MT
(Zone 4b)
August 25, 2009
11:53 PM Post #6989079
| No, taking the French patent application and translating it into English. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
August 26, 2009
06:14 AM Post #6989431
| Wow, that does take some specialized knowledge! I'm good in French until the book gets all descriptive or dives into specialized terms.
I'm not having much luck with that French website; it seems to make my browser crash, which is odd because it's Safari and Macs are usually pretty stable. Maybe my wireless hookup isn't fast enough to stream properly - I've never tried anything more than youtube before. |
