Life without a TV set!

[The Doctor]

So I got rid of the TV a couple of months ago. I find I don't miss it at all. I hardly used it anyway. In fact I'm seriously considering not bothering to replace it whenever I get my own digs again. I'm so used to watching streaming progammes online (ie BBC iplayer, youtube, downloads etc) whenever I feel like it, without ads, in proper aspect ratios and sometimes in HD clarity. I can't be bothered tuning in for anything on broadcast telly anymore (inconvenient times, sometimes edited, split by ads, announcers talking over credits, poorer picture quality, less choice of programmes, aspect ratios cropped). The laptop screen is big enough and clear enough for my needs. It plays DVD's fine (through VLC - Windows Media Player playback looks shite). Only problem is I can only watch R2 DVD's on it, but what can I do eh.

So, um. I find I don't want a TV any more.

What about other folk? Would you be bothered if your TV broke down? Would you ever get rid of it? Do you think I am mad?

-Ralph

[Dave]

I only really have a TV because my DVD player and Wii is hooked up to it. Very little on TV at convenient times for me so I often find myself downloading or using the iPlayer. Plus certain channels can't be picked up where I am so I can't see everything I'd want to anyway.

So I suppose I could happily switch my TV for just say a monitor or something.

Be warned though if you don't replace your TV the TV license people will still come after you because they assume you have one. I remember a columnist in some newspaper going on about it. He (or she I can't remember) received threatening letters and phone calls and I believe at one point heavies were going to be deployed because they just wouldn't believe someone wouldn't have a TV.

[grahamthomson]

Unfortunately the TV License now applies to computers and mobile phones and "anything else" able to receive a television signal. Bah!

I was never allowed to watch television when I was young and that has carried through to adulthood. If anything takes my fancy or is recommended to me, then I sometimes get them on DVD and watch them at my own convenience (and without adverts).

Of course, this means I seem to have a lot more free time in the evenings for other, less passive activities like writing and suchlike.

[Andy Turnbull]

I definitely don't watch broadcast tv as much as I used to but there are certain times I will find myself glued to it. Sky Sports news on the last day of Transfer activity for football is pretty gripping you see. I'd still be inclined to keep it for the moment, but I do think the days of a tv as an isolated device are dwindling, it will be huge flatscreen pc's with removable storage drives and built in decoders for freeview/cable/satellite, making each tv the equivalent of a media centre pc.

Andy

[The Doctor]

TV watching was regulated when I was a youngster. We would tend to watch programmes as a family and it was a rare event when I was allowed to watch TV in the morning at all. We didn't bother getting a VCR until I was 12 as my parents were freaked out by a time when I was very young and was transfixed by a neighbours video player, demanding 'Casper the Friendly Ghost' be played again and again.

This goes some way towards explaining my love of reading, sound design and audio (radio plays, etc). I often would audio tape the sound off of TV broadcasts and listen to them over and over. Or I would read a lot. Or listen to the radio.

As an aside, DVD TV boxsets also contributed to me being turned off TV. Relatively cheap and I do enjoy blowing through a full series from time to time.

-Ralph

[Fortmax2020]

Other than a six-month period a couple years back I haven't had TV for a few years now. Don't miss it in the slightest really although it is still fun to have when you are staying somewhere else on the odd occasion.

Haven't found the TV licensing people to be trouble either. When I moved into my current flat I phoned them up to cancel my licence at the time and told them I wouldn't be watching TV at the new flat and that was that. No checks either since.

[Bogatan]

I dont really watch anything live anymore besides sport news and the odd show like Dr Who, but I use Sky+ pretty heavily. Mostly for US imports. Having spent half the last year and a half living in a hostel during the week I find I've lost certain viewing habits to.

Andy

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Jan 8, 2009 12:19:11 GMT The Doctor said:

What about other folk? Would you be bothered if your TV broke down? Would you ever get rid of it? Do you think I am mad?

No, I don't think you're mad, but I find the subject title a little misleading, because to me "life without a TV" would imply life without a machine that shows moving images. I consider watching DVDs or programmes on iPlayer to be watching TV, in lifestyle terms.

I always feel good when I happen to spend a number of days in a row without watching TV (in any form) - or looking at a computer screen. That tends to only happen when I go away on holiday, but my mind also feels more healthy when I manage to go a day at home without looking at a screen of any sort - just pottering about, reading, and what-not.

I'd much rather lose TVs and computers from my life than the printed page.

Going back to your scenario, it would bother me very little to lose broadcast TV but keep Radio 4, the Internet, my DVDs. Though I would feel it only just to still pay some sort of licence fee to subsidise BBC output (radio, news website, anything on iPlayer). It doesn't make itself for free.

Martin

[karla]

Jan 8, 2009 13:02:29 GMT @grahamthomson said:

Unfortunately the TV License now applies to computers and mobile phones and "anything else" able to receive a television signal. Bah!

I was never allowed to watch television when I was young and that has carried through to adulthood. If anything takes my fancy or is recommended to me, then I sometimes get them on DVD and watch them at my own convenience (and without adverts).

Of course, this means I seem to have a lot more free time in the evenings for other, less passive activities like writing and suchlike.

isn't that with the areial attachment though?

[Shockprowl]

So, Doc', do you watch anything you want to watch on your computer/laptop? I'm so far behind the times tech wise it's unbeleivable. We don't watch much TV, although we like our 'trashy' american 'shows' such as Desperate Housewives, Heroes, Friends. Mrs Shockprowl occassionally gets dragged into things like Celeb' BB, but I can't be arsed with that stuff these days. I'd rather read a good Justice league graphic novel, or play with Piglets wooden train track set (or fight my toys ofcourse!).

What can you actually watch online? Anything you want? What's free? Or do you have to pay for it?

I'd never get rid of my TV, 'fact we're thinking of getting (that is I'm trying to convince The Mrs to let me buy) a new larger TV- 'cos I like ma movies 'n' that. Nowt like Iron Man (for eg) on a big TV!

[Shockprowl]

Oh! All this talk of TVs remembers me a story! Whilst working one night, I was called to a gentleman who had "suffered a fit". I arrived on-scene to find a middle-aged gentleman sat on his sofa in his front room, conscious and breathing- so I was happy (ABCD wise anyway). My attention was immediately drawn away from my patient, however, when I couldn't help to notice the FREAKIN' MASSIVE FREAK-OFF 50 INCH T.V. in the room. The chap was sat three feet from it for heaven's sake! I thought: "that's why you've had a fit, mate."

[The Doctor]

Jan 8, 2009 23:26:38 GMT Shockprowl said:

So, Doc', do you watch anything you want to watch on your computer/laptop?

What can you actually watch online? Anything you want? What's free? Or do you have to pay for it?

I make heavy use of the BBC iplayer for radio and TV. Since the last overhaul, I've found the picture quality (on a 1 meg connection) indistinguishable from DVD quality. I watch a lot of things on youtube, sometimes on other streaming sites like the Hasbro website, etc.

I play DVD's on the laptop through VLC. Decent picture/sound quality and it automatically switches to the correct aspect ratio. Actually, more picture is displayed on 4:3 in VLC than on a TV set, as most widescreen TV's crop 4:3 pictures, which does irritate me immensely.

-Ralph

[Gav]

I find the only purpose my TV serves is to watch an episode of the Simpsons when I get in from work, and to watch Playr on Bravo 2 on a Saturday morning. Other than that we’re pretty much wasting money by paying Virgin Media for such an elaborate package. It's nice once in a while to be able to watch the odd wildlife documentary- but mostly our TV is used exclusively for the Wii and DVD player. The wee TV in my 'playroom' is used exclusively for the Xbox. So no, i don't think I'd miss scheduled programming - but I'd miss my actual television sets - as they provide a means of escape from the shackles of my dreary existence.

[Hero]

I'd miss my TV more as use of a monitor for my games consoles and watching DVDs. As far as TV on TV goes, I am not fussed.

[Cullen]

But if there wasn't scheduled TV on TV you'd have no TV to download...

[Hero]

I meant the physical TV itself to watch Broadcast programmes. Of course if schedule or the programmes themselves were gone, I would be a bit stuck .

The TV stuff I mainly download is american broadcasted programmes so I feel up to date with certain shows as they broadcast stateside.

===KEN

[legios]

I was talking about this issue with a friend just before Christmas. He was a bit surprised to find that I haven't done anything about getting folk to fit a new aerial (I need one if I want to receive Digital TV). He was opinioning that I would have to get it done before 2010 or I would lose broadcast TV. It occured to me at that point that for the majority of the year I don't actually watch anything on broadcast anyway so I'm not sure how much of a loss it would be.

At the moment the amount of broadcast television I watch is minimal, in fact down to literally nothing for most weeks. When there is something I want to see on BBC I tend to catch up with it on Iplayer, and I haven't run into anything on the commercial(er) stations that I don't feel I can live without. Now the actual television set itself gets a reasonable amount of use (about an hour a day on average), as most of what I do watch tends to be in the form of rental DVD's

In short, I can happily live without broadcast television, and in fact most of the time I actually do. The traditional broadcast model doesn't really suit the way my lifestyle has developed in recent years. I am happy to pay the license fee, as it allows the BBC to make the stuff I watch on the Iplayer and to pay for their rather good radio service.

Not sure whether I'm going to bother doing anything about the aerial replacement though - still undecided whether it would actually represent value for money.

Karl

[Cullen]

Well I'd hoped my last comment would spark more discussion but never mind

Generally I agree that scheduled programming as we know it is dying off. I personally tend not to watch a lot of scheduled programs preferring instead to watch what I want, when I want and I think TV is very much heading this way (its a no-brainer really). Does this mean the death of the telly in the living room? Absolutely not. I think Ralph is a bit of an anomaly (in the nicest possible way ) and that instead of a move away from TV to computers we are seeing these kind of services moving on to the TV.

A lot of channel providers have on-demand services, and there's stuff like Sky+ (and Freeview-based hard disk recorders are pretty cheap now - just picked up one myself). I can now stream videos from my PC to my TV via my Xbox 360, and browse youtube on my Wii. The BBC even did a special version of the iPlayer website for the Wii's internet browser to make viewing programs a lot nicer. Which is great as I much prefer relaxing on the sofa watching a big telly than sitting in front of my PC.

However the point I wanted to make was that most of these services bypass traditional in-program adverts. I can skip past anything I record on my HDD recorder and bittorrenting the latest US TV series obviously skips any adverts. The question is if no-one is watching the adverts, how will the shows get funded (outside special cases like the BBC)? DVD sales don't really factor into this as a program won't get to DVD if no-one watches it the first place (or at least watches the scheduled program, and thus the adverts).

In many ways these kind of questions have been knocking about since the film industry cried that the VCR would be the death of them. Still I'm interested in how new ways of accessing TV programs impacts on the companies that make them and how they get their funding for doing so.

[Andy Turnbull]

Non public funded stations may end up with programming being sponsored directly like the earliest US tv shows and there may also be a lot of product placement in programming as well.

Andy

[legios]

It is a fair question, and one that I have thought about a bit myself. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the answer was a shift away from the traditional advert to more paid for product placement.

I think we can expect to see more space heroes translating alien languages with the help of the Powerbook, and more maverick counter-terrorist agents making sure to get their GM convertibles radiator grill logo into shot during high speed chases.

I think there is also a possibility that we will go back towards the days of direct sponsorship of programming - just like that which gave rise to the first Soap Operas. Judging from what I saw when I was down at my mothers for Christmas I would say that Britain is already moving in this direction.

I wouldn't be surprised if the traditional advert were to become less significant compared to the act of associating your brand with a popular television brand.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing I wouldn't venture to say - merely that it is a thing I can see happening.

Karl

[The Doctor]

I would be very happy, personally, to see the TV licence go away. It had its place but is ludicrously outdated now. If it meant BBC services had ads then fine. To be honest, I've only ever paid it because I don't want a criminal record.

A word on downloading telly shows. Yes, I do do it but if the tap was turned off tomorrow then fine. I don't have any right to it!

-Ralph

[Hero]

I agree there, and after that business with Brand and Ross I am more reluctant than ever to pay my licence. I only grudgingly pay it to have the equipment in my house.

On another note, with the stuff I download I don't view on the computer. I usually collect the shows and burn them to DVD to view on either the living room or bedroom players. As a general rule I only acquire TV broadcasted programmes. Mine and George's weekly Thursday TV practical viewing disc will compose of 4 or 5 different shows from the week (Smallville, Bones, TMNT: BTTS, Brave and the Bold etc).

Aside from the home-made discs I am still inclined to buy the proper DVD sets of said shows.

So, errr yeah, I'd miss the physical TV itself if it broke.

===KEN

[Deleted]

I find myself watching next to nothing these days. If I'm not watching the latest Grand Prix race I'm flicking through certain music channels on digital. As a massive fan of retro TV (especially stuff from the 80's) I tend to only turn on the TV when watching a DVD and I only watch them if I'm in the mood. Most of my fix for old TV comes from Youtube so the TV isn't too popular with me at the moment.