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Yep, have a TV but not a smart phone (which probably makes me unique in this country). Watching a movie or TV show on a postage stamp-sized screen never appealed to me that much.
My TV is entirely closed circuit, watching DVDs and tapes from a fantastically sized personal library. No cable, no broadcast, no streaming, no nothing.
I tend to be watching ARAMCO TV. When I was growing up in The Kingdom, the TV station for ARAMCO only came on for a few hours a night (which back then, was frequently the case around the world for the English station in a foreign country). A TV show or two and then the nightly movie. That tends to be my watching now, a TV show and a movie a day.
Now, one thing I have found is that such exposure is somewhat necessary. Such as, say, watching The Love Boat, a good sitcom, to take the stress of the day off. But maybe when one is away from the daily stressors, even that is no longer needed.
Add me to the list of I don't watch TV on a cell phone or tablet unless I have to, like being stranded at my daughters while she's running errands for 3 hours. I don't watch videos on my computer, I don't have sound going on my computer, tablet or cell unless I have to watch a you tube video on the cell, then I'll turn the sound on. My daughter only pays for an internet connection. Her smart TV isn't smart enough to install the Xfinity streaming app like my hub uses on his smart TV in his office. We didn't buy that TV, it was his mothers.
We had a 32" old style TV that we didn't watch that often because it wasn't enjoyable plus nothing good on. It got harder to hear with shows having background noise. My hub has always wanted a big TV, one day he treated us to a very large Samsung smart TV. Have to say it is impressive, being able to not only see the people and details on the show but the sound was better too. He added surround because he has hearing issues but that didn't work well because background noise was louder. I personally despise surround sound. He now uses a headset which allows him to hear better.
He does have hearing aids but doesn't like them with TV.
If I was by myself I would go with something around a 40 inch screen but I would buy a Samsung because they have a good selection of streaming apps if that's what you're into. Discovery+ is only available on some TV's and of course not our Samsung smart TV. Ours is one year too old. From what I hear Xfinity is going to be adding the app on their end so it will be the only streaming app I will do because I want to see Dr Pimple Popper which is exclusive to Discovery+ now. I personally would do the ad free version because I dislike ads and commercials every 15 minutes. Commercials when streaming are worst then on TV because at least I can pause then forward through the commercials on the TV. You can't when streaming.
My grandson has a smart TV at their house and an xbox that he watches streaming with. I don't think you need the Roku these days if you get a new smart TV.
Smart TV's have drastically come down in price since my hub bought our Samsung. They're a few hundred now, not close to $1,000.
I'm finding that I like shows about underground caves, engineering disasters, the one on the satellites watching our every move, another is strange evidence. I also watch some TLC like 90 day fiance, my feet are killing me. I like the TV on so I can fall asleep, no day time watching, no background noise either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit
Zero... no TV since 1968
No cable, no internet, no signal, no dishes allowed in current home location.
No Netflix, No roku, no Alexa, no vcr / beta / dvd... but a few 8 tracks still laying around.
No loss (once the library re-opens)
Been a long Covid 'break' from available access to information.
You've been a member since 2008, I guess you used to have a computer or laptop. You have some sort of internet since you come here. I assume you do it on a cell phone? If you do, I don't know how you even manage that. I have an android, I can't click on general forums at the top of the page to access the section that lists all the general forums. No clue what the issue is. If I click city-data at the top, it shows me state forums but nothing below it. It's really weird. I would have to find a thread in my emails to get to the section I wanted. I come here on my computer, use my user control panel to find threads I'm subscribed to and can easily navigate the sections. I'm also better with a keyboard and mouse lol
To the original poster, maybe try watching on your laptop/tablet for awhile and see how you like it. You can always purchase a cheaper roku, like we just did for $30 because our’s started freezing on the Home Screen all the time and it is only about a year old. I was not happy, haha.
Since most of us are of the age where we grew up with TV sets, I was wondering if everyone still has one. I am considering getting rid of mine. I only have one, a 50 inch in the living room. Stopped watching broadcast or cable TV a number of years ago (was never a big TV watcher...it's kind of amazing how many of the classic shows I haven't seen). I watch 90 minutes a day of Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Acorn, and YouTube. Have a Roku that allows me to do this.
Watching the 90 minutes was the highlight of the evening when my husband was alive. It was a time to come together, have dessert, and watch some stuff we really loved. He died seven months ago. I have been keeping up the tradition of the evening schedule, but the Roku has started to act up. Yesterday after 45 minutes it said it was overheating! And I understand so little about troubleshooting.
I am having a guy from Best Buy come over in a few days to recommend what I might do, like get a tv with a Roku built in. But so much to learn about. I am not sure I get that much from sitting in the living room with the big screen. Not like I am watching sports, action stuff, major events. I watch mostly dramas and comedies and some cultural stuff like ballet and music performances. I was thinking I may be just as happy watching in the sunroom on my iPad or in the office on the desktop with what may be a 16 to 20 inch monitor. And that way I wouldn't have to deal with getting and learning a new tv system.
I know younger people don't watch actual broadcast or cable tv---neither do I. And I wouldn't be happy to just watching a show on a phone, like they do. Does anyone over 40 just watch stuff on a tablet or desktop and not a tv? I know most people watch more tv than I do and may be more into it. I do love my carefully selected shows, but for many reasons, it's only 90 minutes a day. I guess big screens have never mattered to me very much---stopped going to the theaters years ago, even back when there were still movies I wanted to see, to save money, not have people talking, not be bombarded by loudness. But I don't know if this is too much of giving up yet another aspect of my past life and I should try to preserve one of the last activities I used to do while married 43 years...
Any input will be much appreciated...
We have one in our living room. It's only 42" though. We also have ROKU, Amazon Prime and YouTube TV (free subscription from a dear friend). I do like having it on throughout the day and we'll watch something at night. I don't watch any shows on our phone, as I don't even use it (we share one) that much.
I am so sorry about the loss of your beloved husband. I say if you enjoy having the company of the television, then you should continue to do that. Nothing wrong with watching shows on your iPad or desktop either. Do what works best for you. Hugs.
Since most of us are of the age where we grew up with TV sets, I was wondering if everyone still has one.
Background:
I grew up in a household where there were eventually 5 TVs in a family of 4. I had a 12" B&W TV in my bedroom in my teen years -- I saved my allowance and purchased it. There was a color TV in the kitchen and one of those big fancy console TVs in the family room, my parents eventually had a TV in their bedroom, and my brother had one in his bedroom.
Dinner was at 6pm coinciding with the news, and the TV was always blaring away, with no real interaction or conversation at meals. Life in my family revolved around watching TV, often separately, and for hours all day, every day. It was unhealthy and dysfunctional.
Now:
I have 1 large plasma screen TV in the LR, and it's only turned on when I'm going to watch something I recorded. I cut the cable cord in 2010, don't watch news on TV, can't abide commercials, and don't watch live TV. I enjoy many hours of peace and quiet, with no background noise.
Without a TV and commercials...how would I doze off for a nap?
Seems problematic...
me too.
TV puts me to sleep every night. I just got in that habit when I was young, single, and living alone. I'm too old to break that habit now.
We upgraded our one and only TV in June because we joined Amazon Prime and our old smart TV wasn't smart enough to allow the app. We enjoy Prime movies, we only have TCM on our cable TV and internet package. This last year, movies at home are now even more important.
We have a nice home theater in the basement, but it's not used much these days. It's too depressing because the basement is still torn up since the flood last May. Hopefully it will be back together before next winter after the rental is finished.
I don't wanna watch anything lengthy on a smart phone or even tablet, but some stuff on my laptop, yes. We have a small TV, always have, 28 inch. I don't like a TV taking over the room, but in the background. I don't like paying for cable, so not sure what's next.
Need a smart TV and stream stuff we like. I like old westerns, some news stuff, old TV shows from the 60'-70's mostly, have it on in the background while I read mostly.
After I retired we migrated out to a rural township. In the days of high-power analog transmission we were able to pull in two channels, one if the antenna was pointed North, and another channel if the antenna was pointed South. But then after they shifted to lo-power digital transmission we lost both of those channels.
We had the antenna up on a phone pole, capable of aiming it in different directions. The highest gain antenna that Radio Shack offered, coax cable, signal amplifier, signal converter box, etc, and NOTHING.
After spending a lot of cash in the effort to pull in one TV channel, we gave up. Got rid of it all.
We have internet access via our landline phone service. Next month the phone company plans to upgrade us to fiber. It has been a long process to bring fiber to our township. We have gone to many town meetings, hearings, etc. But it looks like it may finally happen.
No TV, we just watch stuff online.
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me too. 
