About a year ago I called Dish Network and changed my account to local TV channels only – for $5.95/month. Today I called them and cancelled the account altogether. It took a little while and many offers were made, but I kept telling the account specialist that the Dish Network provides a fine service and that the lack of content was the reason I was cancelling my account – well, that and the fact that I can’t subscribe to a single channel for a certain time, say a month or two…
I think TV is making the same mistake the music biz made. While the industry was finalizing the high-end audio delivery via DVD Audio discs, people quickly chose mp3 players for their portability and ease… and I can’t imagine people going nuts over the new hi-def TVs, because hi-def shit is still shit, n’est pas! A dirty paperback that contains a great novel will ALWAYS trump a pristine hardcover with an inferior story.
I agree, I’ve found myself watching TV less and less lately (especially when you cut out the daily Seinfeld reruns, which consist of about half of my TV watching!). I think for everyone who has time to watch, there are a few gems that we really love–personally, I would find it tough to function without 24 or Curb Your Enthusiasm!–but I love how to watch two shows on network and one on cable (or whatever your particular inclination is), it’s necessary to order the other 523 channels you don’t watch :)
Ottmar, I went without TV for 3 years….and recently went back when I brought High Speed access into my house. I’m feeling the frustration all over again, and I’m remembering why I cancelled it to start with. Once my “Trial” membership is up….I’m done with it, again. You’re absolutely right. A La Carte TV programming is the way to go, but the industry has missed the boat. Why would I want to subscribe to OLN for a whole year, just to see a month of the Tour de France?
Well, I think the main reason, why “they†send us all this shallow crap to home, is because we watch TV only for some sort of background-entertainment. We don’t really follow the show or whatsoever we’re watching; we just need some noise that comes out of our “HD 3000.- bucks†TV to satisfy the need for… whatever we need then.
For example, I’ve found me again and again sitting in front of my computer, do some serious working or spending time with my guitar practice, when my TV was up and running. Don’t ask me what I’ve been watching at this time or which channel I’ve dropt in, since I simply don’t know it and I don’t even bother! It was, with accent on was, like a deeply ingrained ritual of me that when I’m at home the TV has to run. Wired after all isn’t it?!
And right this wired and in a way restless acting, are we showing most of the time. We’re watching TV, parenthetically only of course; we listening to music parenthetically only too and so on and on. To get it to a point, maybe we aren’t interested in a higher-standard TV program with subjects of culture, philosophy or documentations, maybe we want it this way because it’s simple.
If TV breaks ,DON’T fix it.
OTTMAR, I got rid of my cable four months ago. I seem to get alot more done during the day and my quality of life is better. Have I missed TV? I will admit however, that last week after my dog chewed up the power cord to computer moniter, there was few moments where I missed TV.