TV is losing Viewers? I Wonder Why.

[gingercat777]

I see...... that's a great deal, I'm locked in with Telstra with 2 mobiles, internet and phone....but being out in Central West NSW and away from major towns, I'm stuck for now.

[Journeyman]

Telstra - 2 x mobile phones, business plans, circa $80 + extras on calls/texts
Telstra - 1 x 200GB (uploads AND downloads) ADSL2+ and phone line - $100
Most months, phones were around $120 - $140

Spintel - 2 x mobiles ($650 on one, $500 on other) $48
Spintel - unlimited ADSL 2+ and phone $69

No brainer really...

We went Telstra originally on moving up here because I was a computer tech with a several hundred km travel area - Telstra had best coverage. Since then Optus (with whom Spintel operate, have spent several million upgrading plus I am no longer a roving computer tech.

[gingercat777]

Ok, gotcha but how does that save $100 a month?

CafeLotta, there's no doubt that the tv moguls are copying from the USA especially with news and current affairs, here is a parody that cracked me up....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNj0T4uK3lE

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

An IceTV account is worth having? I'll check it out - until recently we were with Telstra but we gave that up (and saved $100+ per month on 2 mobiles, Internet and phone) and now we have only EPG. For those thinking of Telstra, don't bother with the T-Box - if you stop using Telstra it becomes a not-very-good PVR with almost no functionality.

When I bought the Topfield, it came with 12 or 18 months IceTv subscription. After some initial teething problems relating to firmware on the PVR, it works well for me. About $8 a month over a year I believe. Whether people find that worth having......is up to them. Ice are pretty good at updating their EPG (and thus the recording schedule on my PVR) when networks make late changes to scheduled programme times. There are also some free Topfield apps that allow it to use free EPGs in a fairly 'intelligent' sense.....haven't used them myself though. The Topfield is not for everyone (doesn't play all video formats, for example), but if you have a basic competency with computers / networks it can do some pretty cool things.

Gingercat, EPG = electronic program guide.

[gingercat777]

What's EPG?

[Journeyman]

An IceTV account is worth having? I'll check it out - until recently we were with Telstra but we gave that up (and saved $100+ per month on 2 mobiles, Internet and phone) and now we have only EPG. For those thinking of Telstra, don't bother with the T-Box - if you stop using Telstra it becomes a not-very-good PVR with almost no functionality.

[coffeechris]

I must agree ABC and SBS still and will always have the best shows, which are mainly interesting documentaries on world issues. As for 10,7 and 9 someone needs to let them know that this reality TV things isn't anything but embarrassing.

I have thought and thought about one of those Topfield PVR players, maybe its time to give it ago...

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

I have a Topfield PVR, with intelligent recording through Icetv. It has programmable 'skip' ahead buttons (which I have set to 2 minutes, 30 seconds and 10 seconds). Ads ain't a problem, and I watch only what I want, when I want.

[Rocky]

I'm just grateful that free-to-air TV still exists and that it is possible to record it.
I am very selective in what I watch and will only watch the occasional show in real time.
I find Tom Waterhouse the most offensive presence on TV and avoid him and all other gambling enticements as they are a social evil.
The ads for MKR (which I don't watch) are equally offensive with obnoxious people making rude statements about other contestants.
I find a lot of very interesting documentaries on ABC and SBS with fewer annoying ad breaks.
I keep a good book handy and mute the sound and read the book during ad breaks.

[coffeechris]

I also download most of what i want to watch in terms of TV series. Which leads mw to the reason why i download them... im so sick of watching a series on TV and in an hour long episode they seem to increase the amount of times the go to a add break by 50% in the last 20 mins of the show. if thats their way of getting you to sit on the edge of your seat waiting to know whats happening next i will stick to downloading the series where there is No adds...

[CafeLotta]

It does take a bit of searching to find decent entertainment on TV these days. The constant changing of program times as well as the ever increasing number of ads just makes it all the more frustrating. Thankfully DVRs take care of that.

If you're after a good laugh look up a program called "Horrible Histories". Its meant to be a kids educational program but alot of the humour is directed towards adults. Its been around for a long time and there are quite a few excerpts on YouTube. I think its shown on ABC3 (digital channel 23).

[Journeyman]

If you haven't watched TV for a while, then you have a night in front of it, the 'brain dead' dfeeling after a couple of hours is enough to convince you to remove the antenna. :lol: I'd suggest being quick on the draw with the ad-stopper but the program content is almost as bad. At times you wind up wishing there were more ads.

Another personal dislike is the cost of going to the movies - used to be a good night out but with the squizillions being paid to actors the price of a night out is ridiculous. Why does anyone deserve $20 million to turn up and learn some lines. Half the time they don't even get the body language right for their scene, so you have people declaring their love while shaking their heads, or failing to match posture to mood...

Drop the wages to $1 million tops and actors would still have a nice rich lifestyle, and tickets to the movies would be maybe $5 and theatres would be packed again as families and couple could afford to go. AND you'd probably make major inroads on the illegal download industry.

[GregWormald]

If we didn't have kids, I wouldn't have the aerial plugged in at all.

Funny you should mention that. I went to show a friend how I watch TV on my HD computer screen to find that the aerial had been unplugged sometime in the past--by the cats, I presume while playing--and I hadn't even noticed.

Greg

[Jonathon]

TV is losing Viewers? I Wonder Why.

Stuff I download doesn't bombard me with ads for gambling, that's enough reason for me, although there are a hundred other reason why traditional TV is as dead as large department stores.

Like department stores it'll still be with us for many years to come, but constantly decreasing in importance to our life.

[bmawebb]

Watching what you want off a hard drive or a disc is such a better way to do it. You can watch two episodes tonight, or one in a few days, when you want to watch it.

If we didn't have kids, I wouldn't have the aerial plugged in at all.