Comments on: What’s Next for TV

By: david

david — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:00:28 +0000

I’m researching to find a decent digital tv antenna and get rid of my satellite tv. The programs are dull and the cost keeps going up. I grew up with 3 channels so I won’t miss it.

By: Augh! American TV Viewing at All-Time High : Eco Child’s Play

Augh! American TV Viewing at All-Time High : Eco Child’s Play — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:30:31 +0000

[...] [...]

By: Ciesse Q.

Ciesse Q. — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:34:32 +0000

I second the comment above re: the first two guests’ INCESSANT resorts, mid-sentence, to “you know” — a shameful display of verbal sloppiness, and ample evidence that, at least in terms of language use, the medium is creating “a nation of v-idiots.”

By: Lando

Lando — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:09:22 +0000

This was a great program – coincided with my chucking the cable provider to the curb. It was so easy to replace – plug in your xBox 360, then your netflix into that, and you’ve go more content then you know what to do with!

By: Reid Miller

Reid Miller — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:49:34 +0000

A friend thinks light-emitting screens showing colorful moving pictures and playing varied sounds attract and hold attention more than things we see because light bounces off of them. That is, television grabs and holds attention better than words on paper or paintings on canvas. He tells of a grandmother who challenged him not to let television “do his thinking for him.” These considerations sum up for me what television offers. I have stiff hips and extra inches to show for how often I sit on my duff before the screen. I prefer the immediacy, information and stimulation of talking with people in the same moment and place. I tell stories for a living. The “connecting” possible with television is valuable, but I believe less so than face-to-face interaction. As to distraction, I feel humans need both engagement and distraction. The beauty of storytelling is the ever-present, in-the-moment feedback loop inherent in the endeavor. It is with this feedback loop that we best use our minds and decide what to think. We can question the presenter. Videophone technology gives a limited hint of the audio-visual part of that without the visceral sensings in sharing the same space. I think television will be around forever, and never replace direct human interaction.

By: Peter Pjecha Jr.

Peter Pjecha Jr. — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:20:59 +0000

Regarding What’s Next for T.V., and the current enchantment with the latest mediums of viewing; I believe ancient crumbling Rome coined the phrase and created the phenomenon referred to as bread and circus, i.e., food and entertainment, of which T.V. is the narcotizing later, and modern counterpart . . . come to think of it, food has actually come to be entertainment on T.V. . . “fascinating”! Also, as I’m presently learning Spanish, I’ve discovered that the Spanish word for entertainment happens to be “diversion”, and begs the question–what essential and needful things in this infinitely complex modern world that so profoundly changes in the twitch of an eye are we being diverting from . . . and can we afford to be caught with our pants down watching T.V. when it all happens?

By: Tino Kaltsas

Tino Kaltsas — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:51:18 +0000

Really great episode. With Hulu, Netflix, etc, the value proposition of overpriced cable really gets worse by the day. But lets hope Hulu doesn’t cave too much to the Cable giants. I’m more than happy to be subjected to a reasonable amount of ads and/or pay a resonable amount of money. But make it too hard or too difficult and I’ll go right back to other less legitimate sources. It’s easy, free, and NO ADS, so I hope that they get it and don’t start moving backwards.

By: giselle

giselle — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:32:20 +0000

anyone know of other hulu-like sites – variety/programs….. watchtvsitcome.com has lots of free decently crafted tv— hbo/showtime etc — big love, weeds still-in-theater movies …. (mega video) -but nt hard to fig out how to surpass time limits…. ?other leads out there?

By: Tiger

Tiger — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:15:04 +0000

Another great On Point day…almost 5 to 1 listeners are more interested in entertainment than our infrastructure…is this the end of the Obamagasm?

By: Emma

Emma — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:36:47 +0000

Our TV sits in our basement and our daughter occasionally watches children’s shows (Sesame Street, Diego, Dora, Little Einsteins) OnDemand and PBS, but otherwise it sits silent. We have expanded cable only because the package price for high speed internet was cheaper with cable than without. I do watch two ABC shows, but only online and we sometimes rent movies on iTunes. In a world where screens are getting larger and larger, I am getting more and more used to watching a smaller screen. I’m not anti-TV, but am pro controlling screen time – TV or computer.

By: Robin in Wisconsin

Robin in Wisconsin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:33:34 +0000

I just canceled my cable today, subscribed to a bunch of great magazines and turned on Wisconsin Public Radio to listen to On Point! I feel smarter and more engaged already. Missing American Idol is probably a good thing.

By: Fantastic! :by Jakob Rutqvist // Life, politics, economics and such

Fantastic! :by Jakob Rutqvist // Life, politics, economics and such — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:06:36 +0000

[...] Listen/Read more [...]

By: Ann, Oxnard, California

Ann, Oxnard, California — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:34:15 +0000

My household (myself and 2 – 20+ year olds) took the television out of our home 3 years ago. This was a unanimous decision, not just “Mom’s”. I miss only three shows. The Rose Parade. The Super Bowl. The Oscars. I seem to survive just fine without them. At first I was freaked out, but quickly found NPR (my daily base of information.) When my co-workers talk about TV shows they watch, I just stand and nod my head, amazed at the content and quantity of their viewing. (These are the same people who won’t talk to their children about drugs or sex, but have no problem letting them watch it on TV.)

We are all currently in college and spend most of home our time on homework. In our free time we read, work on craft projects or go for a walk. My daughter and I have decided to starting our own family book club (first book, The Catcher in the Rye.) I personally don’t feel we’re missing anything.

I had a young co-worker ask me “what do you do if you don’t watch TV?” I told him we talk to one another and exchange the events of our day. What a novel concept, interacting as a family. When all else fails we laugh at the comic antics of our cat and dog (they should have their own reality show.)

Life is very full of wonderful moments without the invasion of the television.

By: JP

JP — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:47:25 +0000

ROKU rocks!

I have it hooked up to my HD projector and the picture is great, even on non-HD content.

Best $99 I ever spent – and all the content is included with my regular $9.99/month Blu-Ray Netflix membership!

By: JP

JP — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:46:25 +0000

ROKU rocks!

I have it hooked up to my HD projector and the picture is great, even on non-HD content.

Best $99 I ever spent – and all the content is included with my regular $9.99/month Blu-Ray membership!

By: john borneman

john borneman — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:44:28 +0000

We’ve had no TV for the past 15 years. We get our news from NPR (KCLU) and newspaper. We belong to NETFLIX and check-out Nat Geo specials from our library.

Where else can you get the the kind of full new coverage
the comes over NPR?
John Borneman

By: Andy Springer

Andy Springer — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:57:09 +0000

I am just wondering if the television technology will advance to allow internet to stream through a cable box? There is still something to sitting down in front of a 42″ TV and having the same freedom you have watching online television. Currently there is streaming of Netflix movies through a Roku box, or watching purchased shows through an Apple TV, but will a program like Boxee revolutionize internet on TV?

By: Ken Klein

Ken Klein — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:56:17 +0000

Internet providers are beginning to cap bandwidth. If this occurs, it may throw a big curve to those cutting the cord. It will be like the small cell phone plans. You’ll be so afraid of going over your xGB download limit, that you won’t download movies.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:55:39 +0000

We shouldn’t worry about the television shows going away because they lose the current revenue stream. The networks may go away, but they don’t really produce the shows anymore.

The shows are produced and then sold to the network. The network makes money on those shows with the money they get from the cable channels and ad dollars. The networks operate in a very similar fashion to the record companies. It really is the same model.

Television producers are making money by introducing product placement or having corporations sponsoring shows.

Why are we paying top dollar for an out dated distribution system that doesn’t work for the consumer?

By: Cindy B

Cindy B — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:54:25 +0000

Tom; great show! Comcast is driving me away from TV. When they moved MSNBC’s Keith Olberman to their digital lineup, rather than caving and signing up (for more $$) for digital cable, I found Keith on Itunes. Now I download the show to my Ipod — it’s available a few minutes after the ‘live’ show ends — and watch it WITHOUT COMMERCIALS the same night. By the way, when I can’t catch your show live, I listen later on my Ipod so I don’t miss a thing! (On Point is my #1 podcast, followed by Keith O.) Cindy from Topsfield, MA