A Life Without TV

ARCADIA · Post by **ARCADIA** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:59 am

Can you live without TV?

Since I've been spending more time on internet than watching TV, I'm going to cancel my cable soon. But I will still have TV only for gaming.

And I guess I've been wasting my money on Comcast

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:04 am

There are a handful of shows I like to watch occasionally, but I spend a good deal more time either playing games or online than on TV, so I could definitely find a way to waste more time on those if necessary, heh heh (or, if you don't mind willingly suspending disbelief for a moment, actually do something else entirely). In any event, these days you can watch shows you like either on DVD or online anyways, so TV's not as big of a "presence" as it used to be.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:20 am

The only stuff I usually watch willingly (and that's pretty rare) is history, the Discover channel shows (Mythbusters, Modern Marvels, Survivorman, etc.), and Comedy Central (Daily Show and Colbert Report are alright).

I did watch as many of the Final Fours as I could though.

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:22 am

I have not watched TV in over a year.

bay · Post by **bay** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:40 am

iatneH wrote:I have not watched TV in over a year.

this was mainly true for me, until i was introduced to battlestar galactica.

Post by **Dave_K.** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:45 am

I dropped my comcast cable over 2 years ago. I can still pickup 1 local network over antenna pretty clearly (NBC) and the rest I just watch over the internet.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:52 am

I didn't have tv through college and the start of grad school. I'm glad to have it now, but just for a handful of things.

Skyline · Post by **Skyline** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:17 am

Don't really watch too much TV myself, either. Got other things to do, sometimes I watch some stuff with the roomies in the living room. Either random stuff on Cartoon Network (mostly Foster's and Chowder) or Iron Chef America. The cost for basic cable split amongst 5 people is cheap enough to warrant having it. Digital or satellite on the other hand would be a waste at this point.

Life without having a TV would be tough. The Genesis needs to be hooked up to SOMETHING.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:30 am

Maybe the question would be interesting if it was TV and computers

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:35 am

I pretty much hate the idiot box: constant blabber, commercial breaks and product placement, awful selection of news, popular entertainment, "reality"-TV (what reality?!), game shows, talk shows with stupid hosts/guests etc. Basically I consider TV to be a form of mental torture which numbs your mind and clutters it with disinformation.

There are a few good shows/documentaries. But they are far and few in between, and thankfully nowadays there are other means of watching them than turning on the TV and hoping for one to come up (which is like trying to find a needle in a haystack made of poo by staring at it).

I haven't watched TV in over 5 years, and my mind feels free.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:05 am

Ceph wrote: I haven't watched TV in over 5 years, and my mind feels free.

You're giving TV too much credit.

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:13 am

I mostly am busy programming or doing work for school so TV has taken a huge backseat. Now that I'm home occasionally there is really nothing on daytime television worth watching. I do like cartoon type sitcoms like King of the Hill and Futurama as well as Family Guy.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:57 am

Ugh, Family Guy.

I saw a few minutes of it out of the corner of my eye at dinner last week and you didn't even need to pay attention to know what was going on. I think there was a sort-of reference to Casablanca, but I'm being hopeful.

Futurama, Simpsons, and that type of show gets chuckles out of me for the great pop culture asides.

doodude · Post by **doodude** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:38 am

The day I got my 1st PC was the day I stopped watching TV. That was years ago.

Then I slowly started watching the news until I was a news hound.
The last year or so Ive stopped watching the news at all & my only TV vice is CSI. I put 'em on DVR & watch them occasionally when I just find that urge to sit & vegetate.

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:05 am

@topic: yes

moozooh · Post by **moozooh** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:05 am

Haven't watched TV since the time I got my computer, except for occasional movies I was unable to download at the time.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:02 pm

Yeah, I don't watch TV at all. I only use it to play games or watch movies.

My wife does watch TV a lot though. She seems to like some real stupid shows, but whatever

Squirrel · Post by **Squirrel** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:04 pm

when I was in texas, I never had cable for the 2 years I was there. I barely watch tv here at home. I just have too much stuff that I want to do.

themachinist · Post by **themachinist** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:13 pm

I haven't had tv in a year but I hardly watch if i have it anyways. I DL my shows though. Commercial free ftw?

Bootaaay · Post by **Bootaaay** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:29 pm

I barely watch TV nowadays, although I usually watch the Simpsons on weekdays as it airs just about when i'm eating my dinner :p If i'm bored I maybe watch that Dave channel (UK) for some old comedy quiz shows, sitcoms and Top Gear. Other than that I don't watch TV at all - any other shows I like are usually downloaded (as usually the US gets them first) and I watch all the football matches streamed over the net - if it weren't for my addiction to computer games i'd not need a TV.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:39 pm

I don't have cable, and I live in a short building in the midst of a bunch of tall buildings, hence I literally cannot watch TV. I do, however, check out series from the library/Netflix from time to time. Last show I really got into was Deadwood. I was torrenting BSG for quite some time, but then a letter from Universal put an end to that.

I will say that it seems TV is enjoying a bit of a renaissance right now, but most of the shows that have been recommended to me have not really piqued my interest (Lost, Heroes, Dexter, etc.).

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:37 pm

TV is great for guitar practice. It keeps your mind occupied so you don't get bored. There's also enough of a backlog of good shows for me, having grown up without cable, that I'm not bored with it yet. I still haven't even started watching Sopranos or Battlestar Galactica. Also I saw Deep Space Nine such a long time ago that I've forgotten most episodes

I learned in school that Andy Warhol and Kurt Cobain loved TV, so I figure I'm just becoming more of an art genius, lolz. It can't be as harmful as pretentious people make it out to be

I made a thread about TV a long time ago but I was being almost too much in favor of it, to get people to react and tell me why it's really awful. You can dig it up if you like. There doesn't seem to be much proof that it is, thoe. The only scientific, provable thing I've been offered is that it lowers brain activity, to which I respond: So what? So does sleep.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:03 pm

I don't watch a whole lot of TV these days (I probably average around 3-4 hours a week, if that,) and most of the TV I do watch is recorded shows on my Tivo, which allows me to fast forward through the commercials and not have to flip through the channels. When I first moved into my apartment several years ago, I went without a TV for nearly 6 months though, and probably could have gone longer if not for the fact that I got a really good bargain on the TV that I bought.

Post by **undamned** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:19 pm

I only need Conan O'Brien.
-ud

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:24 pm

too much great comedy, i couldn't live without tv

watching tv shows on the internet is whack

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:56 pm

undamned wrote:I only need Conan O'Brien.
-ud

Everyone needs Conan O'Brien

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:29 pm

Neon wrote:Everyone needs Conan O'Brien

Including this guy, apparently.

(For the record, no, I don't read the New York Post, it just came up on a Google search. )

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:38 pm

There are so few good TV programs I mostly just use net flicks to pull down the shows I want to watch. Unfortunately I REALLY like the science channel, but it isn't worth paying the minimum entry fee for one channel.

ARCADIA · Post by **ARCADIA** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:58 pm

undamned wrote:I only need Conan O'Brien.
-ud

Ditto!

PaCrappa · Post by **PaCrappa** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:41 pm

I grew up on TV and when I first got thrown out of the house one of the first things my roommates and I did was make sure to have cable. Then I got wise and moved into my own place. By myself. I had no TV set, let alone cable. I became much happier. After 12 years of no TV I moved into this place and decided I'd give it a shot. I liked ATHF, Duke boys reruns and the occasional race on the speed channel. It was clearly not worth it and for almost a year I kept it solely for all the coverage UFC was getting on Spike. Then about two years ago I said fuck it and haven't watched TV aside from the occasional series on DVD (The Office) since. I'm definitely glad. The last thing I need is one more halfass "reason" to sit still or pay attention to some dumb shit that isn't going to improve my quality of life.