Why do you think television's popularity has risen in the industry over the past decades?

[Arrogantly_Ignorant]

@Ludovic

Maybe movie artists care a lot about their teeth?

I quite obviously meant arterial plaque in that post.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

I agree that HDTV’s and modern surround systems, even cheap shitty ones, have leveled the playing field for TV and movie consumers between the comforts of home and going out to catch a flick.

In that regard, I liken it to falling NFL attendance. The TV product has just become so good, and tossing in cheaper (and often better) food, cheap beer, your own clean bathrooms with no wait, your couch, lack of drunken lunatics, etc…why go? Plus there’s no blackout rule any more so even if your home team doesn’t sell out, you still get to watch them, especially when you’re a hardcore fan like me who’s team often sucks.

I also think the rise of VRC/DVD/Streaming is a big deal. You can pause it, from home, with no consequences. Or record it while you’re away and watch it later, with no penalty.

Also, I find the total lack of ads on services like Netflix to be a HUGE plus, even if it means I am behind in a series compared to TV. The trick is not to binge watch too much and then be left with a lot of dead time before the next season migrates from TV onto Netflix.

[Gordon_Urquhart]

@FoieGrasIsEvil

I agree that HDTV’s and modern surround systems, even cheap shitty ones, have leveled the playing field for TV and movie consumers between the comforts of home and going out to catch a flick.

(Snipped)

Also, I find the total lack of ads on services like Netflix to be a HUGE plus, even if it means I am behind in a series compared to TV. The trick is not to binge watch too much and then be left with a lot of dead time before the next season migrates from TV onto Netflix.

I agree wholeheartedly with this last sentiment. I’ve watched all of “Breaking Bad” and all but the last complete and the current partial seasons of “The Walking Dead” on Netflix, both series twice, because I can’t stand AMC’s business model of shoving 20 minutes of commercials into an hour-long program. That’s a lot of hours spent watching television instead of doing other things (like going to the movies).

[bmasters1]

@Don_Draper

Buying a DVD box set is sometimes a pretty hefty investment for a show you may have missed the first time around, but aren’t sure you really want to watch all the way through. With streaming services, you can watch a couple episodes and if you like it, you can continue; if you don’t like it, you just forget about it.

Tell me about it! There have been a good many shows for which I got the all-in-one DVD releases because I’ve never seen them before and I thought I’d like them. Unfortunately, they turned out to be huge wastes of money that I regretted after the fact; had I had Netflix where I could rent out a disc or two before I made the purchase, I would have seen the proof in the pudding and had an easier decision whether a certain show was for me or wasn’t for me.

On the other hand, I have had some diamonds in the rough that were justified by the money I spent for them, such as Barney Miller and The Bob Newhart Show.