- This topic has 61 replies, 38 voices, and was last updated 15 years ago by HoratioHufnagel.
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Could You Live Without TV?
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zaskarFree Member
How long could you survive? yes no Simpsons or footy except MOTD online or actually turning up at a match with tickets!
It’s been 2yrs since I sold my widescreen and 3 other tvs (work/busy life), had sky/cable and every channel and I was a telly addict.
Got loads to do now anyway-bike build, 2 reports for 2morro and some training on the bike, band practise (Blues).
People think you must be mad without tv, but what do you do for fun?
I don’t think you need a tv for fun-itv and bbc iplayer are online anyway.
And no I’m not scrooge as I spend £50 on bike bits every week.
druidhFree MemberI’m only watching two things on telly at the moment. Lost (which I’ve obtained via BitTorrent in the past) and Monty Halls Great Escape (also on iPLayer). Typically, they’re both on at 9pm tonight 🙂
BunnyhopFull MemberWas thinking about throwing out the telly last year.
Cbeebies is too handy and I love wildlife programmes.twohatsFree MemberPeople think you must be mad without tv,
Yep, nothing more normal that sat in a trance staring at a box of lies and rubbish!
sc-xcFull MemberYep, nothing more normal that sat in a trance staring at a box of lies and rubbish!
We’re talking about telly, not this forum.
boxelderFull MemberYou mean live without a [b]TV surely. iPlayer is TV.
I watch maybe an hour a week, mostly footie – so less after May.OllyFree Memberi watch it, but dont miss it one iota when its not there, and wouldnt pay for it if my housemates didnt want it.
and footballs gay as ****
PeregrineFree MemberI have one for the kids when its my weekend also to watch DVD’s cos its better than the PC. There is very little on the TV these days anyway, rubbish, drivel & junk. Celebrity this pish & celebrity that pish WTF do they think we are? We don’t all worship vain pricks just because they work in TV etc.
So yes – i could get by with a tv, after all i have a PC.
mrcamelFree Memberbit of scifi or natural world, max 1-2 hours a week for me. too many books to read, stuff to learn about, bikes to ride and play with.
no pc tho? that would be hard.
RudeBoyFree MemberWhat about surviving without a PC?
WHAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?????????
BLASPHEMER!!!!!!!!!!!!
ToastyFull MemberThe missus and myself have been a few years without any TV, aside from dvds, I’m sure we could quite happily go without that as well. Both of us work in IT and generally come home and mess about on t’internet or play games on a night.
People definitely think you are weird, parents on both sides are completely baffled by how you can live without sitting down for 6 hours infront of it every night. Much like the TV licencing chaps, absolutely refusing to believe it’s possible to exist without watching TV. It seems so petty having to detune it when our licence ran out, rather than just not watching it, guilty until proven innocent!
thisisnotaspoonFree MemberTV what TV?
i’d like one, but i’d rather buy some secondhand piece of bike with the £400+ quid
in fact thats what im doing this afternoon more than likely.
awFree MemberPerfectly possible to live without TV but you do miss out on conversation sometimes. Also watch a so called general knowledge quiz (again on TV) and see how many question are about TV programmes like Eastenders!
I love radio so missing TV would not be a problem for me. As the years have gone by I watch less and less TV. i would miss maybe rugby (six nations), cricket highlights and a few comedy shows like family guy and mock the week. Saying that England are crap this year as regards rugby, you could listen to test match special on radio 4 for the cricket and there are several good comedy progammes on radio 4.
I wondered how you can play DVD films but not have a TV licence as the guys who police the licences are very persistent! Both my mum and Dad passed away but they would not believe that their empty house did not require a TV licence until I eventually sold the house.
RudeBoyFree MemberHmm, the F1 season starts again soon, and any BBC streamed video/iPlayer stuff is squashed to just 15KBps by Virgin, so a TV would be handy, actually…
For footie, I use P2P services. Not actually illeagal (yet), but not fantastic quality.
And it would be nice to permanently record some stuff.
Thing is, if I get a USB TV tuner for me telly, that means I’m legally obliged to buy a licence (or have the wrath of STW descend upon my soul), but I really object to pay £140 a year, to watch a very small amount of telly.
My last place, there was a TV there, but I watched maybe an hour or two, if there was something on that I wanted to see. I’d rather switch it off, and play music/listen to radio/go on STW/internets, than just have it on for the sake of it.
I do live without TV.
Do I miss it? Maybe a little bit, but I survive…
ToastyFull Member“I wondered how you can play DVD films but not have a TV licence as the guys who police the licences are very persistent!”
By unplugging the aerial, detuning the TV (all the channels!), then having to let a stranger into your house to show him you can’t pick anything up. If you slip up on the above they’ll see that as proof and fine you £500+
Absolute insanity.
RudeBoyFree MemberToasty; I have a monitor attached to a PC, through which I can play DVDs, etc. Currently have no equipment capable of receiving a television signal as it is broadcast live. Bloke’s been round, checked it all, they’re satisfied.
The ‘having a de-tuned TV’ one does not in any way really work; you’d have to prove the TV is permanently incapable of receiving a broadcast signal. De-tuning it is not sufficient. They will have you for that one (I know folk who’ve tried and failed).
They are bastards. They will have you for anything.
grummFree MemberCurrently have no equipment capable of receiving a television signal as it is broadcast live.
Guess they are not aware of Zattoo then? Besides do you not have to have a license for iplayer?
zaskarFree MemberI do have a high def LCD monitor flat screen 22 inch and a laptop and watch DVDs while doing work and the radio.
I do get more work done but still have tons to do.
I did have 2 pci tv cards and a freeview usb stick which works brilliant with aeriel except I spend 90% time in my study with no aeriel socket-maybe if I had digital reception on a potable aeriel then I’d get a licence no probs. I posted my usb and pic cards all to my old man in Cambridge as you’re not allowed to have receiving equipement and my monitor needs hdmi or VGA socket-its not a tv (inspectors pop and tell me this-nice folks too).
The Tv licence inspector does pop in occassionally and calls me by first name as we sit and have a cup of tea-I show him my in tray a foot high-tv time?
I just checked whats on and maybe science docs or footy raises an eyebrow but I couldn’t watch it-I get bored.
Iplayer-Casualty etc same old same old. Ok I do look up bbc news online sometimes and I’m told I not allowed to do that as it is live?
ITV gives free stuff which is rubbish and never it’s movies except the Champions league.I’ve seen Friends/Simpsons to death.
I must admit I like going out/talking to new people/friends and riding more than ever.
I started when I got fed up of lies and mass media influencing sheep following. My GF thinks it was weird until she asked am I earning more!
Productivity is definately up!Everyone to themselves right? just don’t take my internet away!
Building a single speed now-with the radio on.
RudeBoyFree Member(Googles ‘Zattoo’. Downloads it. Logs in)
Grumm- you bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, man………
You bad man.
ToastyFull MemberThe ‘having a de-tuned TV’ one does not in any way really work; you’d have to prove the TV is permanently incapable of receiving a broadcast signal.
We were alright with it, we have a wall socket miles away from the TV (2 rooms away) and no cable as well. The TV is hooked up to a variety of games consoles and a DVD player, it’s quite clear what the TV is for.
Scary how pushy the licence checker chaps are though, desperate to lie their way into your house to try and frame you for the commision they get paid. I love the fake letters you get sent as well, each written and signed by imaginary people at the bottom, the job title out of a random pool as well.
All this just incase I’m stealing broadcasts from the mighty BBC and their top notch programming. Having a quick look at the Radio Times now, 2 hours of Eastenders on BBC1 and 3 hours of Athletics. Good stuff! 🙁
CoorooFree MemberYes, I could definitely live without TV. I don’t want to though. I enjoy Lost, 24, Spooks (early re-runs, missed it first time), Billy Connolly, lots of stuff on BBC4.
twangFree MemberMy license was due for renewal at begining of this month but I’ve decided not to renew it (yet!) What do I have to do to prove I dont watch it?
allyharpFull MemberI could easily live without tv. Only things I watch regularly are Top Gear (which I normally miss and d/l a torrent anyway) MOTD and F1. Oh, and Location, Location, Location!
But I definitely could not live without internet. Probably not even for a week.
EdwardHFull MemberI have never owned a TV, dont see the reason. I listen to the radio, read books and do “stuff”. If either Mrs H or I want to watch a movie, we go the piccies. Dont know what is going to happen when H junior gets to school and comes under all the pressure he is likely too from his peers.
Also ALL Mrs H`s family and friends think I am some sort of neanderthal weirdy.
All I can say is **** em, **** em all back to their boring lives spent locked on to the box that usually takes center stage in their sitting rooms and their lives……
bassspineFree Memberour telly aerial blew down about 6 weeks ago, I’ve been up on the roof three times trying to fix it, but it doesn’t work. I can’t figure it out, the antenna just drooped down, but now I’ve fixed it back up I don’t get enough signal to run my freeview box.
No great loss though. We’ve been watching loads of DVDs….
CregFull MemberBeen over 10 years since our TV went pop and it was never replaced. We do have a TV but its only used for the Wii, plus the aerial has been removed from our house and small internal aerials dont have the power to pick up a signal in our location.
I use 4OD and iPlayer on the laptop but its only rarely (catch up on skins, shameless and any interesting documentaries). I watch a lot of DVDs as well.
People at uni rabbit on about crap like Dancing on Ice, Big Brother and Britains Got Talent…its at those moments I feel glad I dont have a TV.
SoupFree MemberAll things in moderation I say. Would miss the radio if that went though.
trademarkFree Membertwang, you do not have to prove that you don’t watch/ain’t got a tv.
It’s up to them (bbc) to prove that you do.
I know the law regarding this, as opposed to what many posters on here have mentioned/will tell you.
No legal need to de-tune your telly or remove the ariel.
You ain’t even obliged to let them enter your house.trademarkFree MemberI rarely watch telly, even then it is only ‘cos I have one due to my o/h and son ‘needing’ one.
If it were up to me it’d be on ebay tomorrow.StonerFree Memberas trademark says, all the onus is on the licensing authority. Your only obligation is to obey a court order which is very very very rarely issued (and even then can only be issued on presentation of good evidence – such as video foitage through the curtains of you watching live TV, owning a TV isnt sufficient)
3 yrs without a TV and never miss it. I catch the 6 nations at the pub or watch DVDs on the computer. Facing the same problem as EdH re Stoner Jr. Hes just over 2 now so happy with DVDs of thomas the tank engine occasionally, but not sure how he’s going to fare at school.
TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTRFull MemberSod that – I love my tv.
40″ Samsung 1080p full HD, Sony Blu-ray player, Yamaha HD AV amp, Sky HD, Kef 5.1 speaker system, soon to have Squeezebox wireless music streamer to play all my music stored on the computer through the amp.
Sky have recently released pretty much all the James Bond films in Hi Def.
rightplacerighttimeFree MemberGave up TV about 10 years ago when I bought a wrecked house that needed doing up. Got married and managed to wean the wife off the one programme a week she thought she couldn’t do without – ER. Probably know around 10 other people with no TV – mainly outdoor types. Manage to entertain kids of 5 and 4 without resorting to TV/DVDs etc, though occasionally let them watch a bit of CBeebies on iPlayer, and they watch at Grannys house and during wet play at school (which I’ve complained about, to some slight effect – anyone else think that’s wrong?), and guess what, they play brilliantly together, eldest can read almost anything on sight and youngest not far behind. If you think there is anything wrong with this BTW (i.e. if you think we’re depriving the poor little blighters) then read Remotely Controlled by Dr Aric Sigman who points out lots of evidence that it’s not just the content of TV programmes that is bad for kids, but the nature of the medium itself.
OTOH, recently started watching a few things on iPlayer – like Masterchef!
TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTRFull MemberMy daughter watches her fair share of TV and could read perfectly well at 5 yrs old
rightplacerighttimeFree MemberI didn’t say it was a causal relationship. You’ve probably got a grandad who’s smoked 300 a day for 70 years and can still run a four minute mile?
the-muffin-manFull MemberTake a quick walk down a street and you can tell which people don’t have TV’s – they’re the ones with very tall stables in the back garden!
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