Internet/cable TV, blurring the line.

pcwerk · #21 02/04/11, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rean

DISH is squalling because they are losing their customer base.

I guess because they cant give internet connection as well? But as
far as their video svs we have them at the farm and I have no problems
with them.

Windy in Kansas · #22 02/04/11, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcwerk

I guess because they cant give internet connection as well? But as
far as their video svs we have them at the farm and I have no problems
with them.

Perhaps in part that they can't provide Internet, but I am instead guessing it is because people are tired of paying for so many uninteresting and unwanted channels in order to get the ones they do want.

Many here have posted about disconnecting from cable, Dish, and Direct in favor of switching to Netflix and other online content.

Trixie · #23 02/04/11, 09:04 PM

The junk that was on some years ago was just silly - not the horrible stuff it is now.
We did, however, get rid of TV for a number of years in the 70/80's when we had children at home. Looking back, it was tame - compared.

I read a story in the Reader's Digest about a couple who wanted to watch some movie and were going to try to watch it through their son's video game unit. They couldn't get it to work and finally gave up.

When their son came home, he asked how the movie was and they told him they couldn't get it to work because of the 'parental controls'.

He grinned and said, 'Ironic, isn't it?'

I'm going to ask my son to explain the Netflix/TV thing to me in the simple words he has learned to use when talking to me about technical things. We love old movies and TV shows.

georger · #24 02/04/11, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mnn2501

There is, but there's lots of good programming also.
Plus there was crap on TV 30, 40, 50 years ago too. -- remember Mod-Squad? Police Woman? 6 Million Dollar Man? etc

I have a channel changer and an off button and I bet you do too.

I really tire of people looking back and saying everything was better in the past, when they have already filtered the bad stuff out in their mind.

You know what I miss? I miss the Sunday evening Disney stuff like Goofy driving on the highway....I still remember Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom"!

Or the Saturday mornings when you could put on the cartoons for the kids like Bugs Bunny, Roadrunner and Coyote and not have to worry about foul language or grotesque drawing quality like some of the cartoons available for the kids to watch today (South Park is the worst offender but Family Guy is just as offensive - unfortunately both are popular among kids for their TV viewing pleasure).

Or when the kids come home they could put on Gilligan's Island and have a laugh.

Even radio is different. Pop music doesn't require much talent these days, much of country music seems to have been invaded by rock influence. Even here young Matthew (Yvonne's son) has discovered the beauty of the old vinyl music I have and he has found it to be so enjoyable, much better than the stuff kids get today for entertainment.

Innocent good natured entertainment just really isn't being written today, not being encouraged by those who make the bucks putting rubbish on the air. It's not in today's culture - to be innocent and happy. Today's culture is so different, I admit I just can't understand what people find fascinating about it.

Yea, the stuff on TV today seems to be geared more towards being offensive, deliberately violent and rude, in my opinion.

Windy in Kansas · #25 02/05/11, 12:48 AM

georger, you've said it well. I used to think I was really rather open minded and tolerant, but with the world as it is today I've turned into a real prude. At least that is what we used to call it.

I still haven't figured out when some words became so fashionable or usable in public. One particular word is used on these forums several times a week and I still haven't a clue how it became a mainstream word when fertilizer, manure, droppings, and feces were more polite to use years ago. My how times have indeed changed.

texican · #26 02/05/11, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georger

Yea but today's TV has a lot of crap on it. And you can't deny there's a lot of crap on the internet too, much more than parents 30 years ago ever had to worry about for their kids. Forums like this one are ok, I like to talk about stuff. There are some good things but you can't deny how much rubbish there is out there too. So the curmudgeon in me still has to maintain that the internet remains a conduit for crap in spite of the relatively few good things on it.

I love the old movies from the 20s, 30s, up to the 50s and comedies from even the 70s were great (Barney Miller, WKRP in Cincinatti, MASH, All in the Family, etc...).

But I don't do that downloading thing the kids are all Ga-ga about. I usually look for my favourites in the bargin bins on VHS or DVD when I can find them. Getting them on computer, I don't care for the picture quality on the computer and my wife likes to see the subtitles on the TV screen, nice and big for her!

Heck, as far as internet goes if it weren't for the kids and the Youtube and their "need" to download whatever movies (because there's no theatre here) I could still be fine with just dial up!

The crap you speak of may be true, if your limited to OTA (over the air) stations. Like old movies??? TCM is dedicated to classic movies. TVLand is dedicated to classic tv shows.. MASH, All in the Family, etc. TVLand goes in cycles, playing one series to death, dropping it, picking up another, and sooner or later bringing back the old ones.

There are channels for everyone. Heck, there's a mule training channel (RFD). History, Art, Music, sometimes three or four different 'flavors'...

Growing up, I dreamed of the day when I could watch a movie whenever I wanted... the three networks might have had an old movie (polluted with commercials) once or twice a week. Today, there are dozens of channels specializing in a single genre of movie. Sometimes dreams come true.

As far as the OP, all broadcast tv and internet tv is broadcast digitally.... 1s and 0s, x and o's.