posted
Hey, Vana, if you and Dan want our old TV stand, I suspect we will be getting rid of it soon. It doesn't have doors, and is Ikea, but pretty nice otherwise. It goes with our coffee table.
posted
I had some fantastic college roommates for a couple years and we had a TV that was only for videos. It was never turned on to broadcast television. We would rent chick movies and foreign films and have movie nights where we'd invite friends over to watch them. It made movies a social thing and made our house peaceful. We'd almost always have mellow music on and sit around in the living room and read or do homework. It was fabulous.
When I moved back home, I was shocked by how often the TV was on. It's usually on news, but it grates on my nerves. I can't handle having the noise of talking voices on in the background, and I go especially batty when Mom's got one thing tuned in on the mini TV in the kitchen and the kids are watching something else in the living room. I've become a bit neurotic about it, really.
I think my kids will get a TV that only gets PBS or shows videos, and have prescribed times for watching. Maybe we'll watch Dick van Dyke on DVD once a week. Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
AJ, that's very kind, but we do have a TV stand ( from IKEA also! )already. We have lots of gaming equipment. So, we don't need one right now. But thank you for offering!
Posts: 3214 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I miss IKEA so much. Well, at least we'll be near one soon, whether we move or not; either we'll be near the Burbank one, or be here for the opening of the new one in Frisco! Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Anyone have any suggestions for a good, inexpensive DVR? I'm not a big fan of TiVo--the information-gathering creeps me out--and am on a limited budget. The only capabilities I really need are the ability to record one show while watching another, enough storage to hold about 3 hours of TV shows, and letting me start recording a football game at the scheduled time then start watching it 45 minutes later and fast-forward through all the commercials.
Posts: 786 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
That's what I have and it's wonderful. The remote works through the doors and never again shall my children scratch my DVDs. (or watch tv without permission for that matter
posted
Brian - Check with your cable company. Many companies are now offering DVRs instead of the traditional cable box. We had one while we were with Cox and have one again with our dinky one-man cable company. Usually the fee is tiny - like $5 a month, so you'd be paying that for a long time before approaching the cost of a TiVo.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Umm not sure yet. Basically we only need a smaller case to hold the DVD, VCR, and Dish Network box since the new TV is a 60" stand alone. We may just stack them on a coffee table. After having the version we have, I wish it came with doors, though the corner placement was perfect for what we needed before.
If anyone else in the area wants it, let me know. We are using it right now, but will probably downsize to something smaller. The TV is huge enough I don't need more large peices in that space!
posted
My wife and I haven't had cable for a couple of years. Generally, I don't miss it. We get acceptable reception, so we can still watch network TV when we want, but we usually don't want. We watch plenty of movies, and we've started collecting seasons of our favorite shows from days gone by, but otherwise it's a pretty easy addiction to replace. When I really need to watch some TV, I'll just throw in some Firefly or Farscape.
The only time I find myself wishing for cable is at the beginning and the end of baseball season, since I'm a displaced New Englander and can't see my Red Sox here in Chicago.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
For $15 a month you can get mlb.tv on your computer. If you're willing to pay that much, and your connection allows you a good viewing session, you might try that.
Then you can watch the Red Sox and still thumb your nose at cable.
Posts: 413 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
My parents always limited our TV viewing. 1-2 hours a day, max -- and that got decreased if our grades dropped or we got in trouble. And it was PBS only, with the occasional exception for shows that we watched as a family, like The Cosby Show.
Many of my friends didn't have TVs at home at all, so I didn't often feel deprived in comparison.
This was before TV "locks" and codes, so we did take advantage when they were out. Some of the things we watched I'd love to be able to scrub out of my brain (I still remember watching Badlands the night my youngest sibling was born -- ew!). Then again, I still have a special place in my heart for Moonlighting.
When the large TV in the family room died, it didn't get replaced. These days, my parents have one small one in the guest room, and it almost never gets watched. My dad has cable reception on his computer, and watches the occasional sport event, and he uses Netflix (well, he does when they're in the country). Sometimes my mom watches movies with him.
I, OTOH, until recently was a serious TV addict. When it's two in the morning, and you can't sleep (recent divorce, stress of single parenthood, job stress), and it's much too late to call anyone . . . well, there's always SOMETHING on, even with no cable. And if not, videotapes of favorite shows work well too.
These days, I've discovered that I watch very little TV -- Hatrack and my other online addictions have displaced the TV addiction. I use Netflix, and I do watch a few hours of TV a week. But I no longer watch any show (except maybe SG-1) regularly. And I don't particularly miss it.
Like kq, I keep the TV in the bedroom, to keep it away from the kids. Once in a while I'll watch a movie with them. And I know their aunt, who watches them sometimes, shows them videos.
I applaud anyone who chooses to unplug the box, even if I am not at that point myself. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
So, we don't need one right now. But thank you for offering!
![[The Wave]](graemlins/thewave.gif)
![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
