Do you have a TV

Can you live without it?

[Essex_boy]

I dont, I didnt start out thinking I should get rid of it but moved into a house without decent reception.

Kept meaning to to get it fixed but never did, so 3 years or so down the line I threw the TV out dp you know I dont miss it.

When I watch it around a friends house I cant beleive how involed they become with the plots of silly soaps, it all seem so unreal I cringe at the thought that I too must have been like that.

Another plus is that I know read more which is far more sitmulating.

Anyone else?

[bill]

Several of the new phones in Japan have TV tuners in them. Early next year they will have models that have HDTV access. I'd be tempted if there were anything worth watching on Japanese television. ;)

TV is a wonderful thing in moderation.

[Crush]

years ago I moved into a flat without a TV. A girl I brought home though I was an intellectual as I did not own a TV. Truth was I could not afford one :)

[Marketing Guy]

I cant beleive how involed they become with the plots of silly soaps, it all seem so unreal I cringe at the thought that I too must have been like that [webmasterworld.com]

:)

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Another plus is that I know read more which is far more sitmulating.

Essex_Boy, all this reading doesn't seem to be doing much for your spelling :)

I find that the only things I now watch on TV are the big football games, the Sopranos reruns on More4, the early evening news and the odd documentary program. In the evening my wife likes to watch Corrie, Emmerdale and our Scottish Soap, "River City". I find that it is just as easy to go back to my PC as it is to argue with her.

The odd thing is that she gets annoyed when I won't sit with her to watch this ****! She wants my presence in front of the TV even though I don't want to watch it and gets annoyed because I am working all the time. I can't get through to her that what I am doing is what I want to be doing.

"No honestly BDW! We can watch what you like". (Yeah right!)
(No! in real life she doesn't call me BDW. She calls me much worse than that).

Incidentally a bought a new PC six months ago and it has an excellent TV tuner built in. I could now watch TV in a window while I am doing something else but I am not good at that sort of multi-tasking.

[Dayo_UK]

I have a nice big tv :) - But dont watch normal Telvision to much.

Watch a few DVDs a week though :) - and Most Haunted, QI, Football Focus, MOTD and a few select programs.

Wife watches Soaps :(

[zeus]

I love TV, but the last 5-7 years the quality has gone down big time, production company is not risking anything, its not about a creative new series/movie its more about how much can we make with this, thats why we also see the same stuff on all channels and cinemas, everyone is copying each others succes, so you just can not watch that kind anymore.

So when I watch tv i watch Sciencefiction,adventure,action,comedy but ofcause a lot of sports, football... and no I can not live without it.

[limbo]

Not another TV thread... ;)

I tend to watch movies, news, footie and a selection of others (sopranos, MASH, New Yankee Workshop).

TV is great in moderation. I also (used to) live with a woman who liked all the soaps - was amazed when I moved out how little the TV gets put on once the 3 hours of soaps a night is removed. They begin at 6 and run pretty much back to back till 9 - aaaaargh!

Whilst I agree with your sentiment essexboy I would never give it up as I love film too much + getting to watch everton more than the few times I can afford the trip to Goodison is a bonus and definitely worth the subscription to Sky.

The biggest problem I have with TV is the utter drivel that occupy's 95% of it. 'Celebrity get me a makover in the woods on the night IIIV. TV HELL!

This is doing as much much damage to our culture as car pollution, law suits or bigmacs IMO.

[sdani]

I am in the same boat Essex_boy. Stopped watching it for a few days when our daughter was born a year back. Those few days became a few months, and then we moved to a new house. Its 8 months in the new place and TV is still in one of those packed boxes.

I don't miss it at all.

[wyweb]

I've have several and at least one is on virtually 24 hours a day (usually tuned to one of several news channels). Ironically I watch it very little. I keep it on low volume as I've found the background noise creates a more productive work environment than either music or complete silence. Go figure...

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

My son used to listen heavy metal music while studying and he passed all his exams - go figure :)

[dcheney]

HDTV capable phones? what is the point of having a higher quality picture on a 1 inch screen?

I have a tv and watch it some. Mostly news (CNBC, CSpan, etc.) and sometimes a movie when there is a good one on (very rare).

[Leosghost]

BDW
's called multi tasking ..now ;)

used to be known as being able to do more than one thing at a time ..

most of us listen to what we like ..and do ther stuff just fine ..Beethoven or van halen ..where's the diff'?

my folks never understood either ..and we are going waaay back there ;)..

after they saw the "peices of paper" ..they didn't "know best" again ...

made for a more relaxed atmosphere .

Oh yeah ..have 3 tv's and 6 computers ..

since we moved 3 months ago ..My son has 1 Tv and 2 computors in his room ..( he uses the computors 98% of the time ..

I didn't unpack the other Tv's ..The computors are all running ..even when no-one is home ..

Essex boy ..your speeling is becoming infectious ;)

[weeks]

"TV" viewer ship continues to go down and the web is a major reason why. We get 88 channels on our cable and I seldom watch anything other than ol' Law & Order reruns when I'm too tired to go to bed. I get all of my news from the web and newspapers now.

Whatever happened to shows such as Northern Exposure (in the early years)?

[m0thman]

No TV, just a projector, dvd player, broadband and newsgroups. What else do you need?

Get my neighbours fix straight from oz - months ahead of the UK. Sorry... but it makes me smile :)

[shigamoto]

My watching of TV has declined rapidly as my company and studies has taken off. But live without? I like watching the Simpsons, Law&Order, West Wing and the original CSI.

However I could live with out Law&Order and CSI but West Wing and the Simpsons would be hard.

[zeus]

BeeDeeDubbleU - I did the same when I studied I also listen to Heavy and Im doing great so dont worry;)

[Rugles]

We have 4 tv's, 5 if you count the 30" which is not plugged in. TV is great, provides entertainment, news, sports and all kinds information. It also has crap, sometimes I like to watch crap, I like bad TV, there I said it.

TV is great, the bigger the better.

[Iguana]

I gave up on TV 11 months ago when I had nowhere to live. Now I have somewhere to live, I find I don't want a TV anymore. (I do have 2 computers running constantly though)

What really shocks me on the rare occassions I get to see a TV is the assumptions that the adverts make about 'desirability' - they mostly seem to want to sell you a lifestyle first and then say 'by the way people with this lifestyle drive this car'. But the lifestyles they portray are so divorced from reality and just consist of smug gits flouncing around and smiling. I don't want to be a smug git, thank you very much.

One problem here in the UK is that the TV Licencing authority assume any household without a licence is cheating. I get threatening letters every week from them. They expect me to spend money on a stamp to tell them I don't have a TV - and when they get that letter they are not going to believe me.

[kpaul]

Going on 7 months. Don't miss it a bit.

I do watch a couple shows, tho, when I can (gilmore girls and curb your enthusiasm.)

EDIT TO ADD: kinda related, i saw bob garfield speak last night about 'the chaos scenario' of advertising. basically said a lot of what i'm hearing here...

[Syzygy]

I gave up on TV nearly six months ago; wish I'd done it sooner!

One problem here in the UK is that the TV Licencing authority assume any household without a licence is cheating. I get threatening letters every week from them.

Too true! When I got rid of the TV, I wrote to the TV Licensing Authority and cancelled the licence (they even refunded money into my bank account whilst writing to inform me that a refund would not be forthcoming...!).

Notwithstanding, I'm getting threatening letters too - I am guilty in their eyes. The last one advised that "YOU ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION..."

Just this week I even received a phone call from them whilst at work! I did (politely) suggest they stop harrassing me...

Syzygy

[Rugles]

>>>TV Licensing Authority

Why the heck do you Brits put up with that crap? Sounds like a good election issue to me.

Why not just add a little to your income tax or sales tax and ditch the bureaucracy that has to enforce and collect the fees. Seems so inefficient to me.

Is getting rid of the Authority ever discussed over there?

[Iguana]

The TV Licence is part of the British way of life! A large bureaucracy collecting an unfair tax - what could more define Britishness.

You'll be saying we should have laws about Freedom of Speech next!

[Visit Thailand]

I could not live without BBC World, CNN (well maybe CNN) and of course all the major sporting events I follow!

[Rugles]

>>>>A large bureaucracy collecting an unfair tax

I don't have a problem paying tax, it is just the inefficiency of the whole thing. I understand in theory that the money goes to pay for the BBC, but there has to be a better way to fund it.

Stupid system if you ask me.

[Iguana]

I agree on the inefficiency but I also think it's unfair because it's a flat rate tax so its a much larger proportion of a poor persons income.

I also don't think that BBC programmes are better than ITV or Channel 4 - so why don't they just pay for them with advertising.

[Sarah Atkinson]

I love tv. I watch way too much but most of what I watch is stuff like discovery channel and amc, tcm,

And somnetime the home decorating stuff/crafts stuff and cookings stuff. I'm trying to learn how to sew and cook and they have been helpfull.

My big addiction though it TCM I love watching old movies.

The only current shows I follow are:
Everwood
Lost
Medium

And sometimes the csi if I get the chance.

I also like the Stargates, Galactica, and Dead Zone when ever they are in season.

[lawman]

Bruce Springsteen had something to say about this in the early 90s.

[Rugles]

>>>Bruce Springsteen had something to say about this in the early 90s.

He is out of date now, I have 300 channels with nothing on.

[lawman]

Ahh, you must extrapolate, Grasshoppah.