Has the relevance of the traditional TV viewing experience decreased?

Note: When I say "TV", I mean both the appliance and the concept of continuously streamed content from networks on said appliance.

I ask this question as someone who, for the most part, has stopped watching TV on a regular basis. I've managed to get by on just using the Internet and my numerous computing devices. I have all my consoles either put away or hooked up to my PC monitor and I more or less watch no new shows.

I know there are plenty who love the experience of watching shows and programs on a large and high definition screen with continuously streamed video and audio feeds, but there seems to be a growing movement towards further integration of computing and networking devices. Many shows for instance can now be watched online and there are plenty of tuning devices to allow you to watch streams through a computer (which can also be used in conjunction with said large, HD screen).

How has your viewing experience (or lack thereof) changed over time? And where do you see it as a whole going?

i don't have time for tv and i only keep my tv on one channel and its cartoon network but thats only for adult swim

I have a TV downstairs that i never use. I pretty much just use my projector for all my viewing needs. I don't even have cable or a DVR. Most all of the shows I like to watch can either be watched online for free(full episodes) or seen through netflix. The only thing I miss TV for is hi-def sports. If there was a cable package JUST for NBA/NFL/MLB, I would consider getting it. Besides that, I think cable is a rip cuz all of the stuff on TV I wanna see I can see cheaper and more conveniently in other places.

we are too lazy to find shows we like, or are not amused by the shows that are on. Im bored just thinking about the afternoon tv shows, damn wii60_3

I personally have a short attention span, and thus I have found watching relatively short shows (some as short as a few minutes) on YouTube to be even better than watching longer productions on TV. The fact that the Internet is such a flexible place to deliver content of all lengths, genres, and purposes has made me feel that TV is an expensive and inflexible alternative, and simply not viable for me.

I use it for news but even then I just go to the Internet for that 9 times out of 10.

I barely watch TV nowadays.

Yes, alot of it is because of netflix and the internet.

Alot of it is also the decrease in quality. Look at all the reality shows now, and they're pretty much all crap. Look at channels now adays going against their roots. G4 was about video games and now it's non stop cops and cheaters. History channel was all about history and now it's about random jobs, aliens and, bigfoot. Similar cases with the discover channel, THC and the worst case I've seen of MTV that used to show fringe bands that ordinarily wouldn't have gotten air time not plays nonstop crap reality, and doesn't even play music videos anymore.

Maybe people would watch more if there wasn't so much crap.

Traditional TV is almost a dead medium to me. I started tuning out about two years ago.

Yes, alot of it is because of netflix and the internet.

TopTierHustler

Obviously yes, with the rise of the internet.

But I still love TV. Love catching events like season premieres/finales, something that's more exciting to me than movie releases. If I had my way though, I'd like to only pay for the major network channels + AMC and HBO. Everything else can suck it.

Yes, alot of it is because of netflix and the internet.

Alot of it is also the decrease in quality. Look at all the reality shows now, and they're pretty much all crap. Look at channels now adays going against their roots. G4 was about video games and now it's non stop cops and cheaters. History channel was all about history and now it's about random jobs, aliens and, bigfoot. Similar cases with the discover channel, THC and the worst case I've seen of MTV that used to show fringe bands that ordinarily wouldn't have gotten air time not plays nonstop crap reality, and doesn't even play music videos anymore.

Maybe people would watch more if there wasn't so much crap.

TopTierHustler

Haha, I think you mean TLC, but thanks for the laugh. And I agree completely. I didn't mind paying for cable when TLC, History and Discovery were actually interesting channels to watch. I had cable disconnected a few years back because it was all Swamp Loggers, Pawn Stars, and stuff about Babies. WTF?

I bought a cheap amplified antenna ($50, Radioshack) and was surprised to find I pick up 16 stations over-the-air. Last time I used an antenna in the mid-90's (around the time I just moved out of my parents house, so hell yeah I was on an antenna) I got a grand total of FOUR stations. That digital switchover seems to have made all the difference, as most of those 16 stations are digital sub-channels, but oddly they're the more interesting ones.

I don't watch TV often, but if a decent movie or something is coming on I might sit down and watch it if I'm bored. I don't think I've turned the TV on since February, however. :?

I barely watch any TV. Watch a few TV shows streamed on Netflix. Watch a lot of movies on DVD and Netflix. Or play video games. About the only broadcast TV I watch is sports, and not much of that really.

There are just WAY too many commercials, along with pop-ups and banner ad's while the show is on, etc. And TV programming doesn't interest me. Cop dramas and reality junk. I enjoy documentaries on the Science Channel and that stuff, but if you watch that channel for a week you've seen their whole year's worth of programming - they just repeat it over and over. And they're getting reality shows on them now too.

I'll sometimes record a TV movie on DVD+RW, edit out the commercials, and then watch it. But very rarely.

I used to love TV when I was a kid, but I guess with so many commercial-free alternatives, the whole history of TV programming available to you, on your own schedule...it's just lost its appeal.

When I moved out of my parents' house for college years ago I just determined that watching TV was a gigantic waste of time I could be using for something productive or at least far less inane.

What I find interesting is that when I go to my parents' place now, I can't stand watching TV. It feels like an old-fashioned concept to just watch whatever random companies have on at the moment, interrupted by constant advertisements. I'm really not used to being entertained that way at all.

i watch tv for WWE, and some other shows i like AussieePet

Random note; Saw the new avatar series today.

It was good ^_^

Random note; Saw the new avatar series today.

It was good ^_^

TopTierHustler