Anyone else stopped watching TV (and not replaced it with something else eg netflix)?

Sh1tbag OToole

Its popular to say "Yeah man, dude, TV is like so like yesterday, streaming to your iPad is totally awesome now. Like all the cool kids are doing it man, you have to join in!" but in all honesty the subscription fee for something like netflix would be wasted on me.

For years I torrented films, I still have many unwatched left saved on a hard drive but then I got bored of them. Good ones do exist but they are hard to find, more effort than I'm willing to put in. Then I started watching documentaries until I lost interest in those too. I don't follow any TV shows and probably haven't since about 2007/8.

I have probably watched nothing but a handfull of two minute youtube clips in the past month and most months are like that. I just don't have the interest or the patience anymore to sit for hours soaking up pre-recorded material unless its truly informative and I have trouble understanding the written version.

Should I go to the doctor about this before the medical card expires? Am I depressed? I don't feel depressed but maybe it has crept up on me surreptitiously? I do feel like a bit of a lemon when I'm stuck with a bunch of people who start going on about whatever's on TV and I havn't the foggiest but that's something I'm willing to put up with.

Mr Benevolent

Yep, don't watch TV and don't listen, watch or read any news.

B.A._Baracus

Never watch tv myself. Have a netflix account and get stuff by other means too. But I still like to have some sort of tv service and that's why freesat/soarview is the best way to go. No tv bills. So anytime I do watch something off the telly at least it doesnt cost anything.


Personally, all one needs is an internet connection these days :P Perhaps NetFlix is they are inclined to as well. It's madness to pay for tv. Especially sky digitial money too!

Sh1tbag OToole

Mr Benevolent wrote: »

Yep, don't watch TV and don't listen, watch or read any news.

Ah the ould news. Forgot about that. The odd glance at thejournal.ie will do now.

Ever since Ann Doyle left the news wasn't the same anyway, even if there was no news it was worth watching for her.

Sir Osis of Liver.

We gave up TV in our house for 3 months in 2009 and just played Mario Kart online constantly.

Speisekarte

I'd never give up the tv. I hate watching movies on small screens. Lying on a couch watching the 50 inch plasma is too good to lose.

humbert

For a few years now. Watch movies online and read more. The thought of sitting down to watch TV without any particular show in mind seems a bit strange to me by now. Need to cut down on aimless internet browsing too though.

The biggest change is being able to remain completely ignorant of things I truly don't care about, like celebrity gossip and sporting events.

Sleepy

Honestly, I'd give up the TV connection in a heartbeat but Mrs Sleepy likes her soaps and baking programs and the kids are quite fond of the Disney Junior.

ThreeBlindMice

News this evening and that was about it.

No interest in anything other than something funny going on in the Dail or Prime Time.

mackg

I'm rarely at home in the evenings anymore, might watch a series of something on a rare occasion, watch a few films too but rarely on my own at my house. Been enjoying my life an awful lot more since I made that change.

Derpington95

Live Sport is the only thing that I use a TV for pretty much.

BeerWolf

Watching videos on a tiny screen?

No thanks...

I'll take my 30" monitor on the PC, or the HD projector in the entertainment room anyday


As with regards to watching [regular] TV, I don't really. It's either watching a film being streamed or downloaded, or gaming.

wes

Only use the tablet or Wii U game pad to watch stuff, if the either of the 2 main tv screens are being used by someone else. Will always choose the larger screen if possible.

KyussBishop

I spend far more time reading online now (and unable to keep up with what I read), even than watching decent TV shows that I've downloaded - haven't watched an actual TV in best part of a decade, and don't miss it.

If you want to watch stuff, you can save yourself loads of time wasted from watching crap, by just looking up good TV shows online; loads of them (and some really great ones, which you'd never find if you didn't go looking ). Haven't found many films worth watching in recent years mind.

One downside is I'm no longer desensitized to ads (use adblock online too) - whenever someone else is watching a TV, the ads start to piss me off a bit.

endacl

Yep. About three years ago. Replaced with...... well. Replaced with getting loads more done every day!

mrmanunited

I watch about 3 tv shows on terrestrial. Mostly live shows. The rest I watch on my commute or via online... Ch4 and ITV are losing figures on all prime shows because of their multiple channels, on demand and repeats, im sure of it!

Dyr

I didn't have tv for about five years, when I switched to UPC for broadband they charged me for not adding tv to my package so I bought it

I watch the GAA and thats about it really, Apparently at some point in my five year absence tv turned into just programs about cooking, houses and reality-celebrity horse ****. I cant even watch what little fictional programs are on now, they're false in a way that I'm no longer conditioned to accept.

Sh1tbag OToole

endacl wrote: »

Yep. About three years ago. Replaced with...... well. Replaced with getting loads more done every day!

Same. Except for today because I'm boardsing. Mind you I don't do nearly the amount of boardsing I used to.

--LOS--

Speisekarte wrote: »

I'd never give up the tv. I hate watching movies on small screens. Lying on a couch watching the 50 inch plasma is too good to lose.

get a nice big monitor for yourself, treat yourself



I haven't had a tv in years, mostly watch series and films on the laptop/pc that I want to watch and not just because they happen to be on tv at a certain time.

Sh1tbag OToole

Bambi wrote: »

they're false in a way that I'm no longer conditioned to accept.

I find this as well. I am no longer able to cod myself into not realising whatever series or film is on is a load of fake horsesh1t and extremely few are engaging or intriguing enough to make me forget that

TheHeretic

I stopped watching it about 11 years ago and it has broadened my mind significantly. The amount of hours wasted on this simple addiction can be staggering, although if it's your thing it needs to be controlled.

I'd challenge you to give it up for month and you'll see how much more you can get done / how clearer your thinking can become.

lau1247

watch all my tv series online (not much these days), some tv channel too.. other than that it is mainly sport..

Not much in the old traditional TV format

fishy fishy

I don't think I have sat and watched TV (except maybe the news) since the beginning of Summer. It's weird - once the lovely long evenings and lovely weather gets here the TV goes off and doesn't come back on again until apprx September, where, after one episode of any of the "soaps" I am fully caught up, they are that transparent.

TV is for Winter.

NinjaK

Still watch lots of tv, lots of good documentaries on Discovery and Nat Geo. Channel 4 is putting out some good stuff aswell.

Teyla Emmagan

Haven't had a TV in years but download torrents. Have had long periods where I did neither but not ATM. The best thing about it is never having seen the X factor or any of that Strictly ****e

JonSnuuu

I'd much rather give up watching movies or going to the cinema than give up TV. I think a good TV show is the best form of entertainment. Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The West Wing, House of Cards. Great great shows.

gramar

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Should I go to the doctor about this before the medical card expires? Am I depressed? I don't feel depressed but maybe it has crept up on me surreptitiously? I do feel like a bit of a lemon when I'm stuck with a bunch of people who start going on about whatever's on TV and I havn't the foggiest but that's something I'm willing to put up with.

Why would you feel like a lemon? Personally I think it's the people who talk all day about reality tv and soaps are the tossers. I remember back in school people going on about Friends the day after every episode. I had never seen it and grew to hate it before I'd even watched it.

maximoose

Don't watch much of TV in the traditional way anymore... probably the only things I do watch are Friends, Come Dine with Me and the Simpsons - and that's only cuz they are always fecking on when I sit down to watch something while I eat.

Have Netflix on the xbox, laptop, tablet and Roku. Have also just got around to setting up my old laptop with Xbmc - waiting on an output lead to arrive for it and then I'll probably be cancelling my UPC tv.

hoodwinked

as a former tv addict (sky + was a god send for me so i wouldn't miss a thing) i said id give the free month of netflix a go,


its been three weeks,


i have 21% of space left on my 1tb sky box


i need to watch things!

sbsquarepants

I was never much of a telly watcher but when the missus was pregnant last year all we seemed to do was watch box sets, so i watched about a decades worth of tv in the space of 6 or 7 months - i think that was basically the decent output of 10 years of tv! 6 months of quality and 9 years and 6 months of filler.
Now that the baby is here, telly doesn't really get a look in again, how people can just sit night, after night, after night, staring blankly at total bullshít without going absolutely insane is a mystery to me.

fishy fishy

maximoose wrote: »

Don't watch much of TV in the traditional way anymore... probably the only things I do watch are Friends, Come Dine with Me and the Simpsons - and that's only cuz they are always fecking on when I sit down to watch something while I eat.

Have Netflix on the xbox, laptop, tablet and Roku. Have also just got around to setting up my old laptop with Xbmc - waiting on an output lead to arrive for it and then I'll probably be cancelling my UPC tv.

the news maybe??:D

Seachmall

I can't remember the last time I sat down with the intention of watching T.V.

The folks watch Netflix in their room and I just use the laptop if I want to see anything.

donegal_road

I mentioned this on another thread related to the so called broadcast charge. I haven't had a TV in the house since 2003. I dont miss it at all. When ever I wanted to watch something I rented or borrowed a couple of DVDs which I watch on the PC. There are still hundreds of films that I will never have the time to watch, let alone find time to watch the TV.

maximoose

fishy fishy wrote: »

the news maybe??:D

Pfft, tablet/phone/laptop means I can keep up with the news without having to watch crappy news channels!

josip

Ever since our son was born I watch very little. I used to watch a good bit before. No time any more. I miss it a bit but am happy that I'm doing other stuff with my time.

SweepTheLeg

Have a TV, but only use it to watch Netflix from my PS3. All new shows like Walking Dead/Game of Thrones I just torrent since it takes like a year for them to be shown over here.

Sh1tbag OToole

maximoose wrote: »

Pfft, tablet/phone/laptop means I can keep up with the news without having to watch crappy news channels!

When you read the news you can simply look at what interest you without first putting up with ads and 5 minutes of BS about the Mahogany Tribunal or some other thing you absolutely don't give one damn about

IM0

yeah, probably can count on one hand the tv series I watch a year. apprentice, dragons dens....... very little really apart from sport. have recorded a number of docs but when Im bored I dont want to watch them even but they are the break glass kind of thing in case, recorder box is filling up with em, just cant decide which to delete

some good stuff there, just yeah meh

1ZRed

I've gone off TV more and more over the years and I just don't see the worth of it anymore. Ads flooding the place when I have something to watch and nothing on when I want to watch something.

I'm one of those people that would just stream everything now and torrent some movies, but it's rarely I do that.

When I turn on my TV it's primarily to play the PS3 which isn't all that often either.


One thing which is great about Sky are the HD channels and it's sometimes just easier to record something you want to watch instead of downloading it -often in poorer quality.

Nemeses

I replaced TV with Internet - Sorted.

matchthis

Haven't seen the remote since I settled down. Netflix and 4od give me my fix

Sciprio

Yep, I'm one, I haven't seen or watched a program on tv in a long time. I have a small 16" TV but it hasn't got saorview or anything.(Not interested) It's for playing games only on the PS3(Which i rarely use in itself)

I haven't been to the cinema since 2002. and haven't seen most of the movies that came out in recent years.
I just have no interest. I do browse lots of music on the computer on youtube though.

blackbullet

same for me i hardly watch tv i use to download a lot of tv shows now i just stream them aertv,upc horizon,and filmon,as for the movie end i stream them now days i havent been to the cinema in in nearly a year,and for the music end youtube provides all of that.

mrmanunited

with netflix and amazons love film commissioning tv series, how long until the big channels disappear?

Radiosonde

Not really, if I hear there's something interesting on I think I'll catch that on Youtube or wherever, and then I usually just end up not watching it. If I didn't have the service I wouldn't miss it.

Duggy747

Stuck a Htpc running Xbmc under the TV and never looked back..........not that I ever watched it anyways, went 3 years without a TV before I built the PC.

coconut5

I record the shows I like and watch them whenever I have time. So, I still like TV, and I also like watching an episode and waiting for a week till the next one, it doesn't all have to be 'now, now, now'. For example, The Returned on Channel 4 is really good on Sunday evenings. Sometimes box sets take over your life too much, the experience of the show is completely rushed, and you miss out a bit. I also record films from the TV and watch them sometimes. Also, I like some sports coverage such as Wimbledon.

I've never been someone who enjoyed channel surfing, I like to watch the programme from start to finish. I know loads of people who would be watching one show, then the ads come on and they switch to another show, then the ads come on there and they switch back to the original show, missing half the story. That would do my head in, just pointless.

ixoy

Not sure if the OP is talking about TV in its old format or not watching any TV shows at all - be they via cable, downloaded, Netflix, etc. I thought it was the latter they meant.

If it is the former, my UPC box has been on about once in the last six weeks but I'm still watching a lot of TV shows as there's a high amount of quality out there.

Sh1tbag OToole

ixoy wrote: »

Not sure if the OP is talking about TV in its old format or not watching any TV shows at all - be they via cable, downloaded, Netflix, etc. I thought it was the latter they meant.

If it is the former, my UPC box has been on about once in the last six weeks but I'm still watching a lot of TV shows as there's a high amount of quality out there.

No TV or Netflix. Loads of people have posted to say they dont have tv but replaced it with netflix or some other DRM streaming service. I did specify that in the thread title


Did i write my OP in a confusing manner or do people only read the first few words in the thread title before replying?

Voodoomelon

Stopped watching TV about 3 years ago, replaced it with the odd movie download, various HBO downloads and am subscribed to hundreds of YouTube channels.

Dont have a TV any more - and do not miss it. I manage to fill my life with all kinds of other things instead - to the point I have people saying to me all the time things like "Where do you find the time to do all that" or as one guy on Boards here once said about all the stuff I do "F off back to Krypton".

I hope I never go back. Have a daugther toddler now and of course it is always tempting to try and use tele to keep her entertained every so often - but so far have resisted that too.