Do you watch TV?

[indigoasis]

Back in the far gone days of the early 2000s, wee trikes such as myself grew up with good, old fashioned CRT televisions. As I grew older, flatscreens soon took over, and the ol' reliable CRT that I played my Wii on was replaced with a modern HD TV that has just that slight bit of input lag when I play video games on it.

I remember watching the classic trio of Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network quite a bit when I was younger, but as I've gotten older, I've been far, far less inclined to watch anything on TV. If my parents have it on, it will usually have the news, Food Network, Lifetime, sports, or whatever else. I might glance at it, but I just don't sit down to watch "traditional" television anymore. I'd rather use the TV for something else, like video games.

This leads me to my big question (as well as what the poll has): Do you watch "traditional" TV? Give as many details as you're willing to provide; I wanna know.

Also, I can only fit so many questions into the poll, but I have a bonus question here: Do you prefer newer or older TV models? 

• Do you like the sleek and ergonomic designs of OLED HD TVs? Or do you prefer the classic bulk and feel of CRTs?
• Do you like both? Or are TVs as a whole just a sick technological plague on the environment and our children's eyesight?

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I wonder if the lack of "traditional tv" will have any impact on today's youth. Yeah I know that's a very old timer-sounding question to ask. I'm just thinking: if all you watch is streaming and youtube, then that means everything you watch is something you chose to watch. The only exception I can think of is if there's some autoplay feature where an algorhythm decides for you what you should watch next until you tell it to stop. 

In proper channel surfing, the only stuff you can watch is the stuff that's broadcasting right now. I remember how me and my siblings would flip between two movies whenever one goes to commercial. To us that was super efficient. And that's how we discovered most movies - years or decades after their theatrical run. R rated movies would be made TV-appropriate with censored curse words and careful editing of violent scenes. Heck if we really get into it, the concept of public access tv shows was pretty much out the door by the time I was growing up. I loved Waynes World, but I didn't "Get" what Waynes World was in the universe of that movie. When we graduated from basic cable to DirectTV, it was a huge moment. It had this digital TV guide, constantly updating with what's coming up on each channel. And I think that was the first big step toward the streaming experience. The experience of choosing what you want to watch rather than discovering things to watch.

But then again, I'm sure all of us have made some incredible discovery thanks to a streaming service. Some months back I discovered Knight Rider, that's an awesome show! I just worry that on-demand viewing stunts the potential for experimental viewing habits. Like, I wouldn't have ever chosen Knight Rider if people a generation before me didn't stop referencing it in various Hasselhoff cameos.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Zapp Branniglenn

[whase]

There are 2 comedy shows I still watch that are on TV. Usually I'll just stream them online afterwards, but sometimes I watch regularly together with my parents.

The fact that I can also just watch them online whenever I feel like it, really makes me feel that old style TV "watch it at a specific time" has really run its course, and is only still here because technology can be tough for some people. It means it has its niche, I guess.

  

8 hours ago, Zapp Branniglenn said:

then that means everything you watch is something you chose to watch.

You watched things you didn't choose to watch? Even when channel surfing I'd turn the TV off if I found nothing I chose to watch...
(I mean not counting when someone else has the remote, then yeah, sometimes you'd watch stuff you didn't choose to.)

Edited June 27, 2022 by whase

[EricaofRenais]

I would first like to say I am the late child of late children so I am weird in a lot of ways.  I don't have streaming service since I and my family don't pay for cable and what not (my dad did have cable when he lived at his old house but once we moved never again which was when I was a baby). I grew up with free over the air TV and probably watched too much since I was at home 99% of the time. I like playing my games on the TV since I have trouble seeing close up stuff so the bigger screen is easer on my eyes now I used to love my gameboy/ DS but I guess that in part caused my eye problems and is why I have to wear glasses now .  Now I only really watch TV a couple days a week when there is stuff both my mom and I enjoy on or we feel like watching a movie (yeah again I am weird and still buy DVD/blue ray when it is something I know I will like).  I only really watch TV when I want to zone out for a couple of hours, I never have been in to binging shows, if I want to spend hours on something it will either be a video game or a book/manga.  I like anime but again I can really only watch 1 or 2  episodes at a time before I get tiered of it and want to do something else.  I guess in part I enjoy music more then TV since I like soft back round noise if I am reading/gaming.  

edit: as to the last question I like the new TVs better because I was the one that had to lift and move the old CRT TVs when my parents replaced them (only when they died an honorable death of old age after years and years of use) and I don't miss the heavy take me and my mom/dad to lift them heft of the old TVs.

Edited June 27, 2022 by EricaofRenais

[indigoasis]

11 hours ago, whase said:

You watched things you didn't choose to watch? Even when channel surfing I'd turn the TV off if I found nothing I chose to watch...
(I mean not counting when someone else has the remote, then yeah, sometimes you'd watch stuff you didn't choose to.)

I was the same way growing up. If I didn't like anything that was on, I'd go do something else.

Except when Nickelodeon had those "Day of Play" things, then everyone was forced to either find something else to watch or actually go outside, so you didn't have much of a choice in the matter, lol.

2 hours ago, EricaofRenais said:

(yeah again I am weird and still buy DVD/blue ray when it is something I know I will like)

Honestly, nothing can really beat physical copies to me, so if there's a movie I'm interested in seeing, I pick up a DVD copy. I also feel better knowing that I could always go back and watch it again and again if I really wanted to without having to worry about paying for it every time I watched it.

[Capt. Fargus]

Far as the boob tube is concerned, I enjoy my Law and Order and NCIS

[Captain Karnage]

last time I actually saw cable TV was when I went to my aunt's for Thanksgiving
sometimes it's on in the background at my fire station, but I don't really watch

Having all the streaming services is about as expensive as cable, but getting to watch when I want without ads has done in cable TV

Early 2014 was the last time I actually watched TV, but I think the over abundance of reality TV is what actually pushed people over to Netflix and other services
like so much of that was just irritating to watch, 
and so many other shows were just bland and boring

and I think YouTube played a major hand in that since people could find a niche topic that wasn't on TV and have something they really liked
they were cheaper to produce and quicker to get out
why spend your two hours watching an hour of ads and a boring show when you could watch that really specific topic on YT

[Shrimpica]

Only during World cup and euro cups, really.

On 7/23/2022 at 4:01 AM, Capt. Fargus said:

I enjoy my Law and Order and NCIS

ah dude/tte, the memories.

I think i last watched them like 14 years ago or so lol

[Benice]

I mostly watch TV for baseball, but my mum watches hockey as well, so there's often something I might watch for the whole year; that said, if I did start watching TV, I think I'd perish because I've got one friend who wants me to watch all of Stranger Things, another who wants me to watch all of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and another who wants me to watch One Piece.

I also like watching TV while I use a stationary bike or something of the sort, but that's usually while watching baseball or hockey.

[Original Alear]

I barely watch TV on my own initiative, but I live with my parents and they watch news pretty regularly while we eat dinner. Sometimes I watch baseball. Occasionally I watch something else.

[indigoasis]

6 hours ago, Benice said:

I mostly watch TV for baseball, but my mum watches hockey as well, so there's often something I might watch for the whole year; that said, if I did start watching TV, I think I'd perish because I've got one friend who wants me to watch all of Stranger Things, another who wants me to watch all of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and another who wants me to watch One Piece.

I have a friend who's watched the entirety of One Piece. Back in high school, and even in more recent memory, he's tried to get me to watch it. I love him like a brother, but I can't do it, bro. Knowing how much there is to it makes it very hard to commit.

yo, but you should totally watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, it's not long at all, it's only 8 parts, you could get that done in like a week if you binge it nonstop

[Benice]

1 hour ago, indigoasis said:

, but you should totally watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, it's not long at all, it's only 8 parts, you could get that done in like a week if you binge it nonstop

 

In all seriousness though, knowing that it's not too long does make it sound more appealing. It is on Netflix, right? I guess it's something I'd have to watch out for if I end up getting that somewhere down the line.

[indigoasis]

20 hours ago, Benice said:

In all seriousness though, knowing that it's not too long does make it sound more appealing. It is on Netflix, right? I guess it's something I'd have to watch out for if I end up getting that somewhere down the line.

It is indeed on Netflix, which is very slowly getting around to releasing Part 6. That's a whole 'nother can of worms that I'd be happy to complain about, but that's for another time.

It also helps that the series is split up into parts; I think it makes it more digestible, if that makes sense. Also makes it easier to drop if you don't feel like going past a certain part. 

[Capt. Fargus]

On 7/24/2022 at 3:02 AM, Captain Karnage said:

last time I actually saw cable TV was when I went to my aunt's for Thanksgiving
sometimes it's on in the background at my fire station, but I don't really watch

Having all the streaming services is about as expensive as cable, but getting to watch when I want without ads has done in cable TV

Early 2014 was the last time I actually watched TV, but I think the over abundance of reality TV is what actually pushed people over to Netflix and other services
like so much of that was just irritating to watch, 
and so many other shows were just bland and boring

and I think YouTube played a major hand in that since people could find a niche topic that wasn't on TV and have something they really liked
they were cheaper to produce and quicker to get out
why spend your two hours watching an hour of ads and a boring show when you could watch that really specific topic on YT

Maybe its just on my end but seems like the problem with youtube anymore is the damn ads always make it crash