R.I.P. Television

The TV actually isn't dead, but it doesn't play much these days. About 2 months ago we canceled our satellite service. It was partly out of a need to be frugal, but mostly it was because we simply did not watch most of what was on. And if I knew then what I know now, I would have canceled it a whole lot sooner.

Now our TV does not receive even a single channel and that includes local channels. With the switch to digital our old antenna no longer picks up anything and I refuse to buy a new one. I am under the opinion that I shouldn't have to pay anything for my TV viewing. So far, that opinion hasn't steered me wrong it just requires some patience.

How do you watch the weather or news you may ask. The answer....the internet. I go to my local television stations website and what do you know, everything I ever wanted to know is right there. I could even watch an entire newscast online if I wanted at any time I choose.

How do you watch your favorite shows? The answer....the internet. Do you notice a theme here? A high speed connection is an absolute must. I use it for business, email, school, research and, you guessed it, streaming video.

My favorite site ever has to be Hulu. It has most any show you can think of (not all, but most). They play with very limited commercial interruptions (a HUGE plus), very good quality video and the best part of all is you can subscribe to your favorite shows. That means that I don't have to remember when my favorite show will air. Hulu does the work and everytime a new episode is added they automatically add it to my queue. How awesome is that!!

A lot of shows can also be played right from the networks' sites (CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.). A lot of these play with no commercials at all. Yeah!

Now if all else fails there are DVDs. These are commercial free, don't require the internet and have the best picture quality option. They do require some patience. You have to wait for an entire season to end and then there is a time lapse before it is released. The best part of DVDs though is you can finish an entire season of a show in a weekend if desired. (I have done this)

DVDs cost money of course so how do you get around that. Check the library. They carry many TV series. If they don't have exactly what you are looking for, ask. Those librarians don't bite.

The best part of giving up the TV has got to be the fact the kids are reading more. Go kids!!