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

Sh1tbag OToole · 17-07-2013 09:09PM #1

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 · 17-07-2013 09:11PM

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

B.A._Baracus · 17-07-2013 09:15PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:16PM

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. · 17-07-2013 09:16PM

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

Speisekarte · 17-07-2013 09:23PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:24PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:29PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:32PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:33PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:41PM

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

BeerWolf · 17-07-2013 09:42PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:50PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:56PM

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 · 17-07-2013 09:58PM

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

mrmanunited · 17-07-2013 10:00PM

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 · 17-07-2013 10:08PM

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 · 17-07-2013 10:09PM

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-- · 17-07-2013 10:12PM

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 · 17-07-2013 10:18PM

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 · 17-07-2013 10:29PM

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 · 17-07-2013 10:53PM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:25AM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:27AM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:28AM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:32AM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:34AM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:41AM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:43AM

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 · 18-07-2013 09:45AM

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 · 18-07-2013 10:24AM

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

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

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