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How and Where do You Watch TV Today?

16 Responses (Add) | Sunday, October 5th, 2008 at 12:02am

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What is television anymore? How do you define television? Is it a piece of hardware that allows you to watch shows? Or is it serial episodes that can be attained from a variety of sources? No matter how you define it, it’s content. And no matter how you get to the content, you’ll still enjoy it. Netflix and Starz has recently partnered to take viewing content to yet another level.

The Netflix ecosystem is expanding as the popular DVD rental company tries to bulk up its online video streaming business in anticipation of the day when fewer and fewer people want to watch movies after waiting to get a disc in the mail. Last week, the company announced a deal with CBS and Disney to stream current-season shows, and now it has partnered with cable movie channel Starz to let Netflix members view online the Starz Play broadband subscription movie service.

With the Starz agreement, Netflix customers can now view flicks like Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and No Country for Old Men on their computers or through their TVs, either via a compatible streaming device (like the Netflix Player by Roku) or a home theater PC.

Also, with your next update for your Xbox 360, you’ll also have access to another option to access Netflix streaming. MediaMall Technologies has a media server app, PlayOn, in beta that lets PS3 and Xbox 360 owners stream from online services on their device. This gives you many more options to watch the shows you want, with the quality you’ve come to expect.

How do you stay up-to-date on all your favorite episodes and shows? In recent weeks, I’ve found out about a couple of different apps for the iPhone. One is called “What’s On”. You simply enter in your zip code, and it’ll tell you what is coming on. There’s also “TV Forecast”. That one will tell you when your favorite show’s next episode is coming on. They also have a widget for Mac OS X, as well.

Another site that I came across is Tvnotify. Simply enter in your favorite shows, choose your notification type, and let them remind you when your program is going to air. It doesn’t get any easier than that, and you’ll never again have to miss your favorites!

What other ways do you watch your content? Do you sit on your couch and turn on a box, or do you sit in your computer chair and stare at the monitor? What are your favorite shows?

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16 Comments

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Iowa Golfer

October 5th, 2008
at 5:38am

I LOVED Arrested Development, also… and watched on Fancast.com. I haven’t watched “live television” EXCEPT for CNN news for ages. I either DVR it (similar to TIVO) or record 8 hours on a DVD or watch via internet. I tend to monitor what the kids watch this way and avoid tons of commercials.

GarmaZed

October 5th, 2008
at 6:53am

I use Hulu extensively, they host great content with few ads that aren’t intrusive. Hulu has a large variety of shows, and tons of the stuff I like.

Other than that, I watch Revision 3 shows: Diggnation, Totally Rad Show, Tekzilla, and more.

Outsanity

October 5th, 2008
at 1:30pm

Hulu, network sites, or download something I may have missed that’s not shown on the internet. I barely watch the actual TV unless it’s a video game on the screen.

D Lowrey

October 5th, 2008
at 1:48pm

With my PVR-150/GBPVR software hooked to a satellite receiver with East/West Coast network feeds & torrents for BBC & non-US shows…bought an Xbox 360 to use as a streaming media box from the PC. Can play 360 games…listen to my tunes from either a USB drive or MP3 player/Ipod…watch DVD’s/AVI’s. Best $200 I ever spent…as well as the best device Microsoft has ever developed!

L. Vedster

October 5th, 2008
at 4:07pm

Where do I watch TV, today?
Well the simple fact is: I don’t
I haven’t watched TV in 15 years and I can’t say that I miss it. Since I moved to the new house I don’t even have decent reception – too far from the transmitters. And the old TV (yes I DO have one) is analog, not digital. With me having no intention of buying a new digital compatible TV, as of Feb 2009 it will be immensely moot: analog dies and digital takes over. Yes, I know all about the converter boxes (I purchased one for a quite elderly former neighbor who does watch and can’t get out to buy one on her own). But why should I spend money on one of those when I am likely to be beyond the digital cliff anyway and when I still don’t intend to watch TV. I’ll stick to my DVD’s, VCR’s (until I can re-purchase them on DVD), going to the theater/opera/symphony and, above all else, books.

Oh, and for those of you thinking that I’m some sort of modern day Luddite: try again. I am both a scientist involved in medical device design and development and a computer consultant in my spare time. In fact, some people (about 17% of the US population, at last count) simply don’t find TV sufficiently interesting or entertaining to watch. Count me among those.

Lubrol

Aryeh Goretsky

October 5th, 2008
at 8:30pm

Hello,

I typically watch TV in my family room in front of a HDTV with cable on the couch. I have watched a few shows via my computer online through services such as NBC.Com, Hulu, and so forth, but find I do not enjoy it as much.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

tushar

October 6th, 2008
at 6:26am

60″ Bravia foxtel hd +

iellie

October 6th, 2008
at 7:34am

I actually rarely turn on the TV anymore. I just find most of the stuff on TV crap. I’d rather flip through Hulu or Veoh or some other website to find and watch TV shows. I don’t have Netflix but I’m thinking about getting one because it is a awesome deal.

Charlene

October 6th, 2008
at 12:47pm

I have a Netflix account. I cannot get real tv programming on my tv because I don’t have cable or satelite because I’m too cheap. My husband’s company pays all but $10 of our broadband internet.

I have the tv connected to one of my computer’s video card with an svideo cable. When we run out of DVDs from Netflix we’ll download a movie. So far the downloadable movies (or tv shows) are a bit limited. I have to get a new receiver (mine is 25 years old) so I can connect the stereo to the computer too and get decent sound.

I don’t watch any new tv shows because I really don’t know what’s out there, and I don’t really have the time when they’re on to watch them.

OmniDragon

October 6th, 2008
at 5:11pm

i watch tv on the interwebz. i used to watch cable on the tv until the apartments that i live in switched providers and it became a paid service. i’m not paying for cable when i have the internet. i consider that my cable bill as well :)

Dri-Anna Davis

October 7th, 2008
at 1:17pm

WE have not had an outside TV Connection going on 3 years. Network Television in the USA is nothing more than the continuing Government effort to Dumb Down the American Citizen.
Instead we rent from Netflix, mostly PBS, Histroy Channel, Etc, and a Movie or two. Plus we complement that with DVD’s from our local Library.
As far as series programs, they are all British Mysteries and Comedies on DVD.