Cable TV

[Gunny]

Anyone besides me remember when cable was cool and only $30? The channels you got actually had things on them? The weather channel showed the weather, Headline News showed news headlines, and MTV showed music video's? No commercials? The History Channel had actual history on it? Now you get American Pickers and Ancient Aliens.

Now, "you get 1000 channels". 950 of them are infomercials. The 50 others are stupid. I think I watch like 4-5 channels. I had THAT when I had freakin' rabbit ears on the SOB in 1975. And crap, I can go downstairs, have a smoke, grab a soda, use the restroom, and the commercial break MIGHT be over.

Comedy Central had comedy on it. Now? Trevor Noah, and a couple other shows that just slam the hell out of Trump. One's pretty funny. If I want your damned politics I'll turn on a political channel. Heaven forbid you put some comedy on.

So, it's 3AM, I'm sitting in my bed in the hospital watching Ridiculousness. The ONLY thing I ever watch on MTV. And I get "MTV is running a bit behind so we join the next episode in progress". ASSHATS! it's 3AM. You're running behind because you keep showing the same stupid acne, skinny jeans, and other teeny bopper commercials every damned break. How many teeny boppers are saying "Hey, let's stay up til 3AM and watch TV, yuck, yuck." We're OLD PEOPLE. We don't wear skinny jeans and have acne. I don't need the latest backpack with hidden pockets.

And the commercials. Who thinks up these pharmaceutical names? A 2 years old on acid with a crayon?

[pete311]

I cut the cord 8 years ago and haven't looked back. I use my TV for Netflix and HBO Now.

[jimnyc]

Yup. DirecTV here and a billion channels, and I use like 30 or so of them if I'm lucky. And they are littered with just as many commercials now as regular broadcast TV, and that was the main drawing point when cable first came out.

I keep the DirecTV as I get the NFL sunday ticket, and that's a must! Plus, while I think it's a ripoff overall, I do get some channels that I like that I simply won't get elsewhere. And then I pepper in with a Youtube Red account TV crap for like 10 per month, but that accounts for my TV without having to leave my computer. And lots of good stuff on there!! My wife uses Netflix, so obviously I have an account with them too. One way or another I get a shitload of TV.

But yeah, times have changed. I think it was like 25 a month when we first got our cable TV in like the early 1980's. It was still a box where the "remote" control was wired with like a 20' wire to the TV to change channels! LOL

Here's that damn thing!

https://i.imgur.com/mA8AYpY.jpg

[NightTrain]

Streaming is the future.

Cable and Satellite TV are going the way of the dinosaur, and for good reason.

[Gunny]

Note: Hospital bed. Captive audience. Guess I could held some great conversation with that idiot on the other side of the divider. He hates everything and nothing is ever right. My granddaughter bitches less when she has to clean her room.

[NightTrain]

Note: Hospital bed. Captive audience. Guess I could held some great conversation with that idiot on the other side of the divider. He hates everything and nothing is ever right. My granddaughter bitches less when she has to clean her room.


Hospital bed? I didn't know you were hanging out there.

Everything getting better?

As far as entertainment from there... hmmm. Best solution would be to stream from Amazon Prime, Hulu & Netflix on your laptop - assuming that the hospital doesn't have those blocked for bandwidth reasons. On high settings, streaming can eat over 6 gigs per hour, and that would add up fast.

[Gunny]

Hospital bed? I didn't know you were hanging out there.

Everything getting better?

As far as entertainment from there... hmmm. Best solution would be to stream from Amazon Prime, Hulu & Netflix on your laptop - assuming that the hospital doesn't have those blocked for bandwidth reasons. On high settings, streaming can eat over 6 gigs per hour, and that would add up fast.Was a couple of days. I guess everything's better.

This was the Base hospital. You get to watch what they say. :)

[High_Plains_Drifter]

Yeah cable TV is for the most part a waste land. I get a shit load of channels but find I only watch maybe half a dozen consistently. Now our local channels are carrying MeTv and the like, and they're running tons of old shows like The Wild Wild West and Hogan Hero's, both of which I go as far in advance as I can and record them, then I can watch it and FF through the ASININE commercials. I also have Amazon Prime and there's some good stuff on there. Just watched the new Christopher Bale movie, "Hostiles," on my Mediacom OnDemand. The movie was rather listless and cliche. Another one I'm glad I didn't pop for $30 to get the 4K disc, just not worth it. I haven't BOUGHT a movie in months now, and I used to buy a couple a month long ago. Movies just SUCK nowadays.

But it would be hard for me to "cut the cable," since I have my high speed internet over that and there's nothing better. There's no phone line or DSL or dish that's going to be even half as good as my 60MB down and 25MB up cable, and I could get even faster if I wanted. I had Dish TV for a bit but got seriously sick and tired of the picture going out every time there was a cloud in the sky, and a lot of times that meant when I wanted it most to watch severe storm alerts with bad weather in the area, like possible tornadoes and such. I like my cable. It's expensive but what'cha gonna do? They have you over the barrel. They're the best game in town and if you want it, then you're going to pay up, and they know it, and I'm a TV hound. I like my TV. There are good shows I just can't miss, like Bering Sea Gold, Gold Rush, Expedition Unknown, Expedition Truth, Legendary Places... all Josh Gates... and Ghost Adventures, the old reruns, and there is good stuff on Prime. When you're stuck in the house, I love my TV.

[Elessar]

I am about ready to cancel my Charter account.

For $133.xx a month, I get 1000 channels, 975 of them I do not give a hoot about:
Infomercial channels, Spanish language channels, Chinese language channels,
Vietnamese, Korean - that list is damn near endless.

To get certain single specific channels, I "have" to accept 5 to 10 others at a minimum.

It is not worth it.

TV antennas here do not receive anything but ant races the screen because we
are surrounded by mountains and there are no local stations at all.

[darin]

Kodi.

FireTV stick = $40. $30 to a guy to upload and do updates on the Kodi App

$70 about two years ago; was the last amount I spent on TV. I can't watch everything and at times don't find out about new shows until weeks later, by surprise....but it's worth it. Worth it a lot.

[Gunny]

Kodi.

FireTV stick = $40. $30 to a guy to upload and do updates on the Kodi App

$70 about two years ago; was the last amount I spent on TV. I can't watch everything and at times don't find out about new shows until weeks later, by surprise....but it's worth it. Worth it a lot.I couldn't tell you what is on the networks nor the cable channels that have their own shows. I watch the 5 PM news on the local CBS affiliate which constitutes my network viewership.

I used to like TruTV and Investigation Discovery, but both of those channels keep trying to reinvent the wheel. They'll have a successful program, and try to make 5 more just like it that flop. TruTV is just stupid. ID is doing as I stated ... reinventing the wheel. The History Channel hardly ever has any history on it. Unless you consider two nabobs running around digging through other people's junk "history".

Turner Classic Movies will have something good on every so often. I'll watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives but that just tells me how far I've sunk :laugh:

I watch more crap on my computer than I do the TV. I need to go back to a desktop and hook it to my TV and just watch my computer. I'm just too tight to spend that much on it yet :)

[darin]

I couldn't tell you what is on the networks nor the cable channels that have their own shows. I watch the 5 PM news on the local CBS affiliate which constitutes my network viewership.

I used to like TruTV and Investigation Discovery, but both of those channels keep trying to reinvent the wheel. They'll have a successful program, and try to make 5 more just like it that flop. TruTV is just stupid. ID is doing as I stated ... reinventing the wheel. The History Channel hardly ever has any history on it. Unless you consider two nabobs running around digging through other people's junk "history".

Turner Classic Movies will have something good on every so often. I'll watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives but that just tells me how far I've sunk :laugh:

I watch more crap on my computer than I do the TV. I need to go back to a desktop and hook it to my TV and just watch my computer. I'm just too tight to spend that much on it yet :)


Kodi has those channels/shows, dude. It's pretty slick.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

I'll watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives but that just tells me how far I've sunk :laugh:
Well then I've sunk too, because I love that show... ;)

[Gunny]

Kodi has those channels/shows, dude. It's pretty slick.I had this high-speed, low-drag desktop for years and got tired of dragging it around. It was a pain in the ass. So when I cam back this time, I left it where I was and got a laptop. I'm not spending money on any of that streaming crap or whatever to watch a laptop.

When I mentioned $, I would have to get new/different furniture, and a good desktop (I don't buy cheap shit in general). That might be worth it then because I can use my TV for a monitor.

Maybe one day. :)