Open Thread: Last Time You Watched OldTeeVee
Earlier this week I turned on my antique cathode ray tube and flipped the channels looking for something to watch. I sat through about 20 minutes of an MTV Real World/Road Rules challenge, then decided I had better places to find video programming, and fired up a series I’d just heard about, California Heaven, on my MacBook Pro. The show is a made-for-the-web soap opera that’s at least as bad as any other soap opera I’ve seen, but it satified my veg-out craving nicely. And seriously, the last time I had an OldTeeVee set in the house three years ago, I’m pretty sure the exact same Real World/Road Rules challenge was playing.
So here’s my question for you: what’s the last regular old TV program you watched, and what were the circumstances? TiVo is cheating. Headline News on the tube above the treadmill at the gym is cheating.
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I moved 7 months ago – cancelled my cable subscription along with DirecTV TiVo. At the same time, I bought a 25″ LCD monitor for my computer. I have an OldTeeVee collecting dust, except for the occasional “60 Minutes” episode.
Oh, and I cancelled my Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety subscriptions and visit NewTeeVee 5-6 times a day.
Frank on June 29th, 2007 at 9:53 pm - Permalink
I haven’t had television service since moving out of my parents house for college, ten years ago now. Yikes. The last program I was really hooked on was the X files.
After a ten year gulf, I recently watched a few episodes of Heroes (does watching on iTunes count as television?), but otherwise all my viewing is online content – news, arts, media.
The funny thing is, after ten years with no television, I now produce a pretty successful little video blog. I actually produce about 10x more media than I consume… I wonder if I’m underfed.
Oscar Grimm
Director, freshtopia.net
Oscar on June 29th, 2007 at 11:47 pm - Permalink
I’ve had a plasma-Screen for about 5 years, digital TV for even longer, but network TV is still the goto place when you want TV without the effort or distraction and getting lost in a swamp of byte-sized programming.
While cable vod/iptv are slightly different, as long as other internet TV requires less than dvb-standard images or long download times (when most display devices are now hdtv-capable), and then there’s the cost of net.tv-2-normal.tv adapters, I think normal broadcast TV will still be the navigation aid/compass for most ‘normal’ people.
However, I also think, that everyone will expect to be able to find a missed programme on a channels website, and catch-up with it there.
Most people, after the hype has settled, will not be buffet-style gorging on youtube-like media because it’s just like bubble-gum/candy-floss, and except for the exceptional content, most people will start to class and restrict their own menu of choices as happens currently with satellite TV where even when a few hundred channels are available and paid for, less than 30 are normally actively viewed.
Though I think, America has found it more easy to acclimatise to snack.tv due to the incessent breaks and short length (minus ads) of american programming anyway!
Basically, people want to sit back and look at a big screen, decent quality image, with minimum effort and simple controls.
Yours kindly,
Shakir Razak
Shakir Razak on June 30th, 2007 at 2:42 pm - Permalink
Every weekday morning, I have CNBC on for 15 minutes — then the missus kicks over to see the weather.
Other than that, EVERYTHING else is TiVo, or some form of streaming online video. From The Daily Show to Futurama to 30 Rock, its all TiVo’d.
What’s really bad is when I go to back up 8 seconds — in real life — and then realize that its not Tivo, its reality . . .
Barry Ritholtz on June 30th, 2007 at 2:43 pm - Permalink
I still have a tricked-out cable package and watch real TV every day, but mostly Turner Classic Movies and cable news. I also primarily use my AppleTV to watch 30 Rock over and over and over again, because none of the stuff I want to watch on YouTube is accessible through it.
Karina Longworth on July 1st, 2007 at 7:26 am - Permalink
TV? What’s that?
Haven’t owned a TV since I shared one with my roomies in college… nearing ten years ago.
Last ‘TV’ show watched… LOST, downloaded from iTunes and watched on my iMac.
Mark Schoneveld on July 1st, 2007 at 1:58 pm - Permalink
I tuned in to the nightly news out of sheer curiousity last week. Instantly tuned out and wished I had some money to spend at City Lights Books instead. Otherwise it’s Netflix, YouTube, vlogs and, ahem, ‘FreeVo’ let’s just say. Probably not more than two hours a day of stuff that appears on broadcast or cable.
When I go home to my parents house, I do revert to channel flipping, but since my mom and dad rule the remote, it’s a lot of Keith Olberman, BBC America and more Netflix (where they order yet more British television).
I admit, watching Mariners games in hi-def is a special treat, but still not nearly as fun as going to the park or the poolhall (and you could buy a 20-game plan for the cost of their cable).
Jackson West on July 1st, 2007 at 7:44 pm - Permalink
iTunes is cheating!
Liz Gannes on July 1st, 2007 at 11:20 pm - Permalink