The problem isn't so much the content. With so many channels to choose from usually there's something decent to watch. For example, Earth From Above, The Daily Show, Ancient Aliens. When in doubt there is usually a science fiction or at the very least a western program. Channels like History, H2, Animal Planet and FX. Surely there's at least one good movie (maybe not) airing.
On April 20th the two-year contract I signed with DirecTV is fulfilled. I will no longer have live commercial television. At least, not in the traditional manner.
When I lived in the mountains of North Carolina I had an antennae TV. I received maybe two stations from Bristol, TN. That is reception was possible when the wind was blowing in the right direction and there were no clouds in the sky and it was the second Thursday of the month. i.e., Spotty reception. Spotty reception was good enough. I lived with two rescue cats and Bear-the-Wonder-Dog. From mid-March through mid-October most days would find me outside either working/playing in my 1,200 sq. ft. hand-turned organic garden or hiking the hills with Bear. Always with Bear.
When I moved back to Pennsylvania I was told that I'd need TV. Hmmmm.... "Need". In truth I watch more television now than I have since 2006. Yet that viewing is minor when I hear what others are doing. I much prefer to be doing something either creative (sewing, crocheting, knitting, quilting, painting, writing) or physical.
But I have become accustomed to watching network news between 6 and 7 p.m. I've also started watching CBS Sunday Morning (not with any regularity). There's also a couple shows I watch during prime time. Once Upon A Time, Grimm, Revolution and Person of Interest come to mind. Not that I'm very upset if I forget the day or time they air. The experiment is this: will I be able to refrain from getting another commercial television 'contract'.
The main thing I don't like about television besides the cost and commercials is the inconvenience. You see: I want to watch what I want to watch when I want to watch it. NOT when some advertiser who makes me sit through a dozen re-runs of the same commercial has paid for the program to be on by guessing when his targeted marketing dollars will be best spent.
ACK! The price! Does anyone like the price they have to pay a television provider for the service? Plus almost all of them require you to sign a two-year contract. A contract that even with extenuating circumstances can't be broken (for example: loss of job/income).
Now commercials...well, that's another story. Some commercials are informative. Some are funny. Some are stupid. Some are disgusting. Some are annoying. There's just too dang many of them. Over thirty percent of the time watching a program is spent watching commercials. Time it yourself if you don't believe me. Heck. There's whole television stations dedicated to selling you something. Thirty years ago who would-a thunk it?
Personally, I'm not sure I'm going to miss television other than the evening news. Tell you a secret: it's all online. Most of it is free. Even programs like Once Upon A Time can be watched online from their network sources. Not the same day that they air on live-TV - a couple days later.
Last night I queued up a series episode and literally sighed with relief when the announcer said "The following program is brought to you with limited commercial interruptions". Folks: there really are fewer interruptions. The show lasted about forty minutes and there might have been five or six minutes of commercials. Some interruptions are 30 seconds; some 60; some 90. Can't remember ever seeing one that was over 180 seconds. Most sites even have count-down timers to show how long the commercial will last. The show I watched last night had two minutes of interruptions and 40 minutes of show.
Another nice thing about watching streaming online is the ability to pause. Suddenly every show is like a VCR/DVD player. Yep. DVRs let you do that also. How much do you pay a month for that service? An extra $5-10 for each box/location? What's wrong with FREE?!
There are several online sites that let you stream whole seasons of television series for free or at a very low cost. Here's a link to try HuluPlus for two weeks free: http://hulu.com/r/IppkSw. A subscription is $7.99 per month. I pay for it because it has all the shows I want to watch and 'limited commercial interruptions'. Let me know what you think.
It's going to be a sunny 70 degrees today. Get outside and stretch your legs! Fresh air is good for the body and brain. Here's a song to get you moving: Lighthouse "Take It Slow (Out In The Country)".
No comments:
Post a Comment