I'm gonna miss network TV

[RolliePollie]

Not a member of AA TV here.
You can get your TV still, you just need a converter box.

Unfortunately, I live too far away from the transmitters for a converter box to work. The signal strength has gone down and they're transmitting on UHF instead of VHF now (I might have that backwards) and those signals don't make it this far. I think it's interesting that they didn't really advertise this fact...they just said get a converter box and you'll be fine. But that's not necessarily true depending on where you live!!!

Thanks everyone, for your support. I think I can make it without TV. I'm just in the midst of withdrawals right now. With the support of AA for TV, I will probably be a success story. Now...if only my dial-up internet would speed up so I could watch TV that way...

[emily_in_nc]

We live in the boonies, kinda, and were surprised to see how many digital stations we can now scan on our one digital TV (a little 15" one). We do have a rather large antenna in our attic, which we bought when we first moved here and didn't have satellite. Our larger TV is old and does not do digital. We have satellite TV now so really don't need access to the local channels separately, but during a big storm, it can come in handy on rare occasions if something extra good is on.

I know most people here are rather anti-TV, but there are some real pearls among the rubbish -- Lost and House come to mind, for starters. And the TdF! But certainly to each her own. So much of it can be watched online anyway these days.

[salsabike]

Some of us, even if we don't watch TV much, are still not anti-TV. And there is some excellent stuff on there, like The Closer and Saving Grace.

[smilingcat]

I'm not really against TV. Just don't care for much of the programming. I just don't have time for it. I'm constantly reading against a growing/shrinking pile of books. Mostly non-fiction. Now I would have liked to have seen the ABC special on year 2100 that GLC had pointed out. Is there a way to rent it on DVD??

And I'm stupid enough to be ordering another half a dozen or so books from Amazon, some used some new... And from the last batch I still have three books.

After a while you really don't miss TV.

As for movies, much of it I don't get it. Alien series just made me go huh?? Indiana Jones series--gross blah... Star Trek movies gubbly gook talk. I guess I'm just showing my age with Casablanca, Miracle on 34th Street and good chic flicks like Sleepless in Seattle, you've got mail, Driving Ms. Daisy, Spitfire Grill (wasn't widely circulated but I loved it)...
Ghost with Patrick Sweazy(sp) Really sad to see him suffer so horribly with his cancer.

Also love foreign films. Martha (Deutchland), A Girl from Paris (French), Zelary (Czech Repulic) just a few... Zelary was REALLY REALLY GOOD!!

oh bit of thread drift here.

[SadieKate]

Some of us, even if we don't watch TV much, are still not anti-TV. And there is some excellent stuff on there, like The Closer and Saving Grace.

Here here. Discovery Channel, History Channel, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Madow, Jon Stewart, Public Broadcasting, American Experience, Mythbusters, classic movies, etc., etc., etc., all to the tune of my knitting needles clicking away. And I still manage to read quite a bit. Jared Diamond and The Third Chimpanzee is on the bedside table right now.

[wackyjacky1]

I am an unabashed TV-aholic. If I had to choose just one, though, internet access would win out over the TV. But I do love my TV...

BTW check out hulu.com to catch some of those TV shows that you may be missing now.

[surgtech1956]

I have to admit I like TV. My fav shows, CSI, The Closer, Bones, Saving Grace, In Plain Sight, Dexter, National Geographic(NatGeo), Court TV, football, women's basketball. There is alot of garbage on TV and understand being anti-TV.

[Crankin]

I mostly watch the news, local and national, along with the Today show on TV.
The only show I "need" to watch is NCIS, and there are a couple of others I like. I don't watch any of the hundred cable stations we have. We dropped HBO and all that after the free trial started, along with the DVR. We get 2 Netflix movies a month and at this time of year, sometimes it's weeks before we watch the one sitting on the counter.
I couldn't imagine watching anything, sitting here looking at my little lap top screen. Of course, I don't like reading the news on line, either and I still prefer and look forward to reading the newspaper each day. According to the news, I guess I am one of the few who still reads the Boston Globe.
I am pretty sure I could live without TV, but I don't want to.

[Zen]

I miss random old movies on TV. You'd never know what would show up (unless you were a devout TV Guide reader) Like Tarzan or ma & Pa Kettle or a Charlie Chan movie.
Even TV Guide is a relic now. Once upon a time it was indispensable.

[surgtech1956]

I love the Ma & Pa Kettle movies, Abbott & Castillo, and all the Elvis movies.

[emily_in_nc]

Now I would have liked to have seen the ABC special on year 2100 that GLC had pointed out. Is there a way to rent it on DVD??

I bet you can watch it on abc.com. Just about all their shows are available for viewing online after the fact.

[Blueberry]

DH is planning to make a homemade DTV antenna - apparently even though you can hook normal antennas up, they don't work as well. Our reception can be spotty (largely because of our plaster walls....) If it works, I'll post here as it may help some who are further away.

CA

[Fredwina]

I lost over half the channels in the switchover. Granted, I'm using the old "rabbit ears", but according to the dtv.gov website, I shouldn't count ever watching KCBS(2) over the air

[northstar]

You won't miss it as much as you think you will! We ditched TV in February and don't miss it. Like others, we watch shows online or do Netflix. It's much more fun arranging the living room furniture without the beast.

[smilingcat]

DH is planning to make a homemade DTV antenna - apparently even though you can hook normal antennas up, they don't work as well. Our reception can be spotty (largely because of our plaster walls....) If it works, I'll post here as it may help some who are further away.

CA

Ooo. your DH is an antenna engineer? I know nothing of the black magic. Like to know the physical dimension of his antenna the distances between the emitters and reflectors, width and the diameter of the beams...

Or is he an HAM operator with antenna know how.

KI6YMF (smilingcat)