# Anyone else not own a television? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 27, 2005, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015 "2005-06-27T07:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/1 "2005-06-27T07:37:59Z")
I haven’t owned a television for more than 20 years now. My friends and co-workers all know this, yet hardly a day goes by when I don’t have someone asking me if I’ve seen this commercial or that show. :smack: Anyone else TV-free? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/2 "2005-06-27T08:09:40Z")
I have one sitting behind me that my boss gave me when I moved into this apartment last year but I’ve never plugged it in. That isn’t to say I don’t watch TV or movies, though. I have a DVD drive on this computer and watch about half a dozen movies a week on it via Netflix and am a regular viewer of _Deep Space Nine_, _Buffy_, _Angel_, and a few other series while at work. Even without a television set, I probably watch as much as most, just nothing not in syndication. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/3 "2005-06-27T08:30:46Z")
I gave up television a couple of years ago. The commercial breaks were driving me stark raving crackers. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/4 "2005-06-27T08:36:00Z")
Before I had my TiVo, I hardly watched TV but I still had one so I could play DVDs and console games. Now I watch more TV, but mostly stuff that’s recorded in advance so I can skip the commercials. There are still entire runs of shows I’ve never seen more than a few accidental minutes of. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/5 "2005-06-27T09:25:51Z")
TV has come a long way in 20 years. It used to be you only had a dozen or two channels, and it was easy to flip through and find nothing good on to watch. Now I have over 400 channels. It takes MUCH MUCH longer to flip through all of the channels to find out that there’s nothing good on to watch. Between that and now having entire channels devoted to selling you worthless crap, you don’t know what you are missing. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/6 "2005-06-27T13:18:45Z")
We have one hooked to the VCR/DVD player, but it isn’t set up for any kind of live reception (no cable, no aerial, etc). Does that count? I haven’t lived in a house with live TV reception since 1984. I think the hot shows of the time included one about a group of friends who hung around a bar and one with a group of older women one of whom was a bit uninhibited va Alzheimers or equiv. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/7 "2005-06-27T13:26:37Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > We have one hooked to the VCR/DVD player, but it isn’t set up for any kind of live reception (no cable, no aerial, etc). Does that count? Ditto, we need to watch our DVDs! ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/8 "2005-06-27T13:36:38Z")
I _could_ get rid of my television, if I wanted to. Really. Any time. If I wanted to. OK, I admit it. I’m addicted!!! I’m so ashamed … ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/9 "2005-06-27T14:12:13Z")
Technically, I do not own a television set. I have an old Amiga monitor that I watch DVDs on (when not using the computer). If I really want to, I can connect a VCR to the monitor to take advantage of the VCR’s tuner, and connect the tuner to cable or antenna, and in this way receive broadcast television signals. But I haven’t done that for over two years. The last TV I watched was by satellite while visiting my father, and after the first couple of days of commercials, I remembered why I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic to renew my cable subscription. ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/10 "2005-06-27T14:17:17Z")
I lived for several years without a TV, until a BF (now ex) bough me one. I still have it, but sometimes I don’t watch anything for a month at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/11 "2005-06-27T14:27:18Z")
We have one, but let our cable subscription lapse a couple of years ago (long story). There is nothing much worth watching on local TV, so technically, we do not have a telly. Although it was unintentional, I think it is having very positive results on my son, who’s nearly 5. He enjoys watching TV when we go elsewhere but does not complain about its absence at home - it’s simply the way things are. As far as I’m concerned I miss some aspects and realise that I would spend a lot less time pissing about on the internet if we had TV! ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/12 "2005-06-27T14:42:06Z")
We haven’t had a tv since we were married. Two years and a half now. We’ve thought about getting one so we could watch movies. We wouldn’t get cable, just a dvd player. The commercials drive me nuts, too. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/13 "2005-06-27T15:24:28Z")
> [@Snowboarder Bo](#): > > I haven’t owned a television for more than 20 years now. > > My friends and co-workers all know this, yet hardly a day goes by when I don’t have someone asking me if I’ve seen this commercial or that show. :smack: > > Anyone else TV-free? I used to be until quite recently, when a friend gave me an old black and white TV. Then my oldest broter gave me an old color one that often worked, and eventually my mother gave me a brand new one. Now, I’ve also a DVD player, so I assume I joined the herd. However, I still don’t watch it often. At times, once a day, and sometimes I don’t use it for at all for a couple months. I would say, on average, maybe one hour/week. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/14 "2005-06-27T15:29:20Z")
> [@Martha](#): > > We have one, but let our cable subscription lapse a couple of years ago (long story). There is nothing much worth watching on local TV, so technically, we do not have a telly. Just curious : aren’t there nation-wide aired TV channels (you seem to mean you can only choose between local programms and cable). ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/15 "2005-06-27T15:30:56Z")
We haven’t had one since we moved, which was about 8 years ago. I don’t know when I’d watch anyway. By the time the kids are in bed, I just want to curl up and fall asleep after 3 pages of whatever book I’m trying to read. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/16 "2005-06-27T15:31:33Z")
We watch very little “conventional” TV anymore, although we do still have other programs we tune into, especially sine we started receiving an HD broadcast. I can get 24 hour local doppler radar images, which is nice if a storm’s coming. Also, last night we had a show going for an hour that was nothing but some high def image of a northern lake with moose feeding and a beautiful sunset. Very relaxing. I do however think it’s great you’re inclined just to do without. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/17 "2005-06-27T15:57:38Z")
I have a TV but I recently read a book that was interesting, ‘everything bad is good for you’ > **[A book reignites debate over pop culture's value](https://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0603/p12s01-bogn.html)** > > When Steven Johnson's book about popular culture hit stores in May, he was prepared for a barrage of hate mail. After all, the author takes a rare Supposedly video games and TV programs are becoming more and more advanced, multi-faceted and in depth and as a result people are getting smarter by watching and playing them. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/18 "2005-06-27T15:58:31Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Also, last night we had a show going for an hour that was nothing but some high def image of a northern lake with moose feeding and a beautiful sunset. Very relaxing. The Scenery Channel. You know it had to happen. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/19 "2005-06-27T16:30:45Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > The Scenery Channel. You know it had to happen. LOL I assume that would be right up there with Aquarium Television, The Lawn Channel, and whichever channel shows **America’s Shiniest Objects**. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015/20 "2005-06-27T17:05:29Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Just curious : aren’t there nation-wide aired TV channels (you seem to mean you can only choose between local programms and cable). Local - I mean national, sorry. We live in the Dominican Republic and there is not much on TV that is worth watching. My husband watches some news and sports, but that’s about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-own-a-television/310015.md?page=2)