Poll: What kind of television service do you have?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: What kind of television service do you have? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=189&ref=forums.macrumors.com)

[stefman]

Regular antenna and even the reception is not very good.

:mad:

Poor me!

[alset]

I don't even have an antenna. If I get any form of TV I end up watching shows I hate, waiting for the ones I want to see. Better to only have a DVD player hooked up.

Dan

[iGav]

Sky digital... the full works... :D even though I only really like the Discovery family of channels and music ones...

Some of them are dubious to say the least!!

[WinterMute]

NTL cable, what they call the "Family" pack, no major sports or movie channels, dirt cheap for a year (£10 for 140 channels). We use it more for the radio channels and the kids channels than anything else.

Kerrang! TV rocks... (obviously)

[smegdude]

freeview through a digital antenna works for me, clear pictures and lots of channels for free ! :D

[caveman_uk]

Originally posted by WinterMute
NTL cable, what they call the "Family" pack, no major sports or movie channels, dirt cheap for a year (£10 for 140 channels). We use it more for the radio channels and the kids channels than anything else.

Kerrang! TV rocks... (obviously)
Same here...but I'm more of an MTV2 man myself ;)

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Same as iGAV - Sky Digital in the UK...

All the channels (400+, I think) including music, sport, news, shopping, movies, et.al (apart from the "dubious" ones!).

The benefit to me is that I don't have to pay (working for the company, it's a perk... :))

Funny, though - it sort of reminds me of that Bruce Springsteen song - "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)"...

:rolleyes:

[iGav]

Originally posted by caveman_uk
Same here...but I'm more of an MTV2 man myself ;)

Me too.... and 'The Amp' is pretty good as well! ;)

[Mr. Anderson]

Digitial Cable - gets me $10 off on the cable modem for the computer ;)

And even with 100s of chanels its sad sometimes when you can't find something you want to watch...

D

[SlowX]

i hates tv...

[MacFan25]

I have regular cable. 60 something channels. It seems to be enough for me. :D

[Freg3000]

iO Digital Cable Service from Cablevision. 700 channels or something, with, about half music stations. It rocks.

P.S. Did you know that there was a C-SPAN 3? :)

[wdlove]

I have regular cable, it's $8.16 per month. Perfectly happy with the selection. Can remember growing up, that's when we had free TV. Thought it silly when they were talking about paying for TV, how could that be happening! :(

[Centris 650]

Originally posted by wdlove
I have regular cable, it's $8.16 per month. Perfectly happy with the selection. Can remember growing up, that's when we had free TV. Thought it silly when they were talking about paying for TV, how could that be happening! :(

lol.

I have a basic satelite service. Where we just moved to there is no chance of getting cable. (did you know there were such places?) My wife wants to upgrade our service to get the DIY channel (She loves to scrapbook) and I want Boomerang. :D

However as soon as we get the chance for cable I'm switching back!

[WinterMute]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
Funny, though - it sort of reminds me of that Bruce Springsteen song - "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)"...

:rolleyes:

Yeah, Roger Waters said much the same in Comfortably Numb from The Wall: "50 channels of ***** on the TV to choose from"

MTV2 is cool, as is VH1 Classic and CNX, some nights I can flip between those and Kerrang! and get a great nights viewing, but I get to feel like Bowie in"The Man Who Fell to Earth":D

[bombensington]

in the apt i live in, we get digital cable provided to us free...but only one box. we have free basic cable in all the rest of the rooms.

awww yeah. i don't like paying for a bajillion channels when there's nothing on any of them.

[xDANx]

tv is a wasteland...and i watch movies on my mac so there's abslutely no need for such a device. and i happen to live with people who agree with me so it's all good.

[Giaguara]

no tv. watching europe-region coded dvds on an ibook, the us/-coded on an imac, and soccer matches in a bar.

[bombensington]

Originally posted by xDANx
tv is a wasteland...

i get a lot of cool channels that i never knew existed...learned a lot from them. channels like discovery science, history channel, the other history channel, etc.

i'm more of a visual learner, so i don't pick up as much from books as i do from things like tv or computers. i watch a lot of 'learning' kind of shows, as geeky as that sounds...

but when it's time for jeopardy, i can totally kick ass.

btw, m2 is beginning to suck total balls. i liked it when it was all videos all the time...now they have too many episodes of "making the video." damn it. they have yet another channel, mtv hits, but it sucks too, no really good videos.

[Eniregnat]

I am going on nearly 5 years with out a TV set. It isn't just financial (satalite or cable is required in my area). After being chewed out twice by a demi-god in my world, I ditched the TV and I get a lot more done in my life now. I do miss it, but I know that I just don't have room for it now.

TV is a slothful addiction of mine, that's why I had to ditch it.

[beatle888]

ive got a total of four channels. the tv is usually just background noise anyway. although i do miss the travel and nature programs.

[beatle888]

Originally posted by xDANx
tv is a wasteland..


thats funny. i can fully relate to that. still their are times when we need to shut down and veg.

[yzedf]

Cable, but not digital. Digital just came out in my area (iO) but I am moving in a month or 2, so I am not going to bother.

[Kid Red]

I have HDTV and it was not an option so I chose Digital cable because other was simply irrelevant.

[vniow]

Just basic cable here, had digital awhile back but it was too expensive to keep so we downgraded, don't really mind too much since I don't watch too much TV anywayz...

[Anne]

57 channels (or 400) and nothing on: a good solution to that. Get a TiVo. Watch tv when you want to (don't feel like watching CSI at 9? Then watch it a few days later at 6...). Have it pick up cool movies and documentaries that inevitably air at 4am. Skip the commercials and save yourself 20 minutes for every hour of tv that you'd otherwise be watching.

Makes tv much less of a wasteland. And, at least for me, decreases the likelihood of vegging in front of junk. (now when I want to veg, there is always something waiting that I actually wanted to watch anyway.)

regular old cable for me (wouldn't bother, but reception sucks where I am, otherwise)

[bombensington]

Originally posted by Anne
57 channels (or 400) and nothing on

so true. there is no way i'd actually pay for digital cable. thankful i get it for free, but it just seems like a big waste of money otherwise.

[bryanc]

because there was nothing on. Now I'm afraid to have a TV because there *is* good stuff to watch.

The problem I have is that I don't have enough time as it is...what would I do if I lost even a few hours a week to TV?!?
:eek:

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by bryanc
because there was nothing on. Now I'm afraid to have a TV because there *is* good stuff to watch.

The problem I have is that I don't have enough time as it is...what would I do if I lost even a few hours a week to TV?!?
:eek:

What could you possibly do that means you have no time, I am not saying you should watch TV, but everyone needs some spare time.

Anyway I have NTL digital cable, although I only have it because they do a tv/tel/1mbit broadband package.

[DaedalusDE]

Digital cable here... every channel under the sun... 50 somewhat movie channels, 30 somewhat music channels, 100 regular channels and around 75 digital channels... plus the 24 channel which i payed 20 buxx for... all in all its just under 100 dollars a month including cable modem service...
and i dont really watch tv anymore except for fox...

[brownCow]

HiDef channels over amplified UHF antenna. Superbowl was in HD, as are all the weeknight dramas.

HD is amazing!!!

[Nermal]

5 channels over a regular antenna. But I need a new cable going from the antenna to the TV because 2 of the channels look terrible (they're perfect if I move the TV out to where the antenna is and plug it in directly).

[Snowy_River]

Naught but a pair of rabbit ears for me. I'm stunned by some of the prices that people say they're paying. Here basic cable is $40 per month, digital cable is $60 per month, and, no, that doesn't come with digital modem access. That's another $35 per month. Far too rich for me, at this point...


27...

[wdlove]

Originally posted by Centris 650
lol.

I have a basic satelite service. Where we just moved to there is no chance of getting cable. (did you know there were such places?) My wife wants to upgrade our service to get the DIY channel (She loves to scrapbook) and I want Boomerang. :D

However as soon as we get the chance for cable I'm switching back!

Yes, when I was investigating satelite they told me that is was for designed for areas where Cable & DSL are not available! What about satelite don't you like?

[HeliX]

I never watch TV, that's why I have a computer. Although I do have regular cable.

[beatle888]

Originally posted by Snowy_River
Naught but a pair of rabbit ears for me. I'm stunned by some of the prices that people say they're paying. Here basic cable is $40 per month, digital cable is $60 per month, and, no, that doesn't come with digital modem access. That's another $35 per month. Far too rich for me, at this point...


27...

damn considering you can lease a car for around 150 thats a hefty price tag.

[achmafooma]

Originally posted by WinterMute
Yeah, Roger Waters said much the same in Comfortably Numb from The Wall: "50 channels of ***** on the TV to choose from"

A Pink Floyd AND Robert A. Heinlein fan (judging by the Lazarus Long quote) :-)

The Roger Waters / Pink Floyd line is "I've got 15 channels of s*** on the TV to choose from", and it's in "Nobody Home" (right before "Comfortably Numb" on The Wall).

Oddly enough, "Comfortably Numb" was mostly written by Dave Gilmour.

It's Digital Cable for me, though it's not much different than the "regular" cable I had before. They swapped out the boxes and told me I had some wonderful new thing, but it's the same channels as before (it just says what channel it is on the bottom and shows a little logo when you first switch).

The same company (Cox Communications) gives me my broadband, and they just raised the price by $5/month. DSL is looking better and better.

[wdlove]

Originally posted by achmafooma

It's Digital Cable for me, though it's not much different than the "regular" cable I had before. They swapped out the boxes and told me I had some wonderful new thing, but it's the same channels as before (it just says what channel it is on the bottom and shows a little logo when you first switch).

The same company (Cox Communications) gives me my broadband, and they just raised the price by $5/month. DSL is looking better and better.

Since you said that you don't see much difference with digital, do you have HDTV? I thought that the picture was suppose to be much more realistic and clear? Was the $5 increase on your total cable bill? That is a hefty increase!

:(

[ThorPrime]

30 channles including 1showtime and 1 TMC, $30/month. I hate rural ares.

I would kill for Comedy central,MTV2,Cartoon network, Tech TV or any of the like.

(Please don't mention Satalitte, I can't get it)

Luckilly college is around the bend and digital cable is included in all the dorms, mmmm, battlebots....

[achmafooma]

Originally posted by wdlove
Since you said that you don't see much difference with digital, do you have HDTV? I thought that the picture was suppose to be much more realistic and clear? Was the $5 increase on your total cable bill? That is a hefty increase!

:(

Actually they didn't charge me anything for the switch to digital, since I didn't get any of the upgraded stuff (just a new box). I had to option to pay an extra $20 or so and get a few hundred more channels and a bunch of digital radio stations or something (I get something like 80 channels now) but I hardly watch TV so it seemed a waste.

I do not have HDTV, and I'm sure if I did the digital switch would have made a lot more of an impact on me. But until HDTVs come down to a reasonable price level, I'm not getting one. I don't have any quality problems with old-fashioned television that are pressing me to upgrade.

The $5/month increase I mentioned was for the high speed internet, I only brought it up since I get them both from the cable company on the same bill.

[Rower_CPU]

Time Warner Digital Cable on a Sony WEGA TV (not HD).

Selection is great, and I love getting Dolby Digital 5.1 on HBO. I just wish the compression were better.

[flahiker]

In 2001 I finally broke down and got a TV after being TV free since 1985. I paid for the thing, I will be damned if I am gonna pay to feed it. I do have a DVD player, so I guess I am feeding it, but I get to choose the selection.

Hung a wire off the back and I get 10 or so channels. I would rather be doing anything else though.

[wdlove]

My experience when cable came out was that the quality of reception decreased. The picture was very snowy. Always had me wondering if they intentionally decreased the TV wave! :(

[iMook]

Comcast Digital Cable (Gold Package? not sure), comes with about a dozen HD channels. "Smart Travels" is a really great way to showing off your HD-ness. Sweeping European landscapes on a big widescreen. *drool*

My family has 2 HDs (family room, master bedroom) since my dad's really into home A/V (though he makes me install everything). We pay an exorbitant amount of money for it, though. Something around $120 for TV and $40 for cable internet per month. Damn, thinking of getting DIRECTV w/ HD receivers.

P.S. - Yeah, Dolby 5.1 does rock, esp. for scenes like Pearl Harbor's Pearl Harbor bombing.

P.P.S. - Is there any way to digitally record HD broadcasts?
(e.g. ReplayHDTV or HDTiVo?) Is there a video capture card I can buy for my PC (Windows)?

[mc68k]

regular antenna on the roof

watch <1hr week

when i go to friends w/cable houses' it's like christmas.

[trebblekicked]

i had to choose between DSL and cable. the only thing i miss about cable is the Daily Show.

[rainman::|:|]

Digital cable. Couldn't be more unhappy with it. For starters, they stick *way* too many channels on it (and don't let you customize it) so each channel only gets a tiny bit of bandwidth... so the video is often choppy and the sound is 'tinny' and obviously overcompressed.

it has video on-demand, with a whopping 20 movies (no rhyme or reason to them either), and pay-per-view is being killed off in favor of VoD... so we're getting nothing for movies. The digital music channels are nice, great to turn on at parties and gatherings... but we pay for dozens upon dozens of sports channels that we never use. They even have them blocked off ch 400-500, so it's set up to be packaged... but they won't let you do it.

Get cable modem access through them too, which is shoddy at best. My favorite part of the company is that they charge me $5 MORE to use my cable modem instead of leasing one from them.

sorry to rant, i'm just really furious with them right now, and they must be getting this a lot-- they actually have commercials on, defending their rates, poor channel selection, and internet services... well, less defending and more apologizing... but they won't do anything about it... for $160 a month, i deserve better.

pnw

[JohnStrass]

Originally posted by Giaguara
no tv. watching europe-region coded dvds on an ibook, the us/-coded on an imac, and soccer matches in a bar.

I would love to watch PAL (European) DVD om my iMac when I want and local (US, region 1 DVD) rentals on it as well. I dont want to watch pirated or boots, just I want to buy DVD from Spain or Germany and keep up my languange skills without having to use the meager selection from my local DVD rental store.
How can I overcome that "5 times switch" block on my iMac?
John

[vniow]

Originally posted by iMook

P.P.S. - Is there any way to digitally record HD broadcasts?
(e.g. ReplayHDTV or HDTiVo?) Is there a video capture card I can buy for my PC (Windows)?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26

[tazo]

I have Comcast Digital Cable.

I'm done with the dish.


-tazo

[wdlove]

Originally posted by tazo
I have Comcast Digital Cable.

I'm done with the dish.


-tazo

Comcast is my Cable service also. It's the 4th company that I've had in Boston! :( I just have the basic, satisfies all my needs!

[tazo]

Originally posted by wdlove
Comcast is my Cable service also. It's the 4th company that I've had in Boston! :( I just have the basic, satisfies all my needs!

i have like a ton of channels, i like the music ones, nice to do hw to :)

[wdlove]

Originally posted by tazo
i have like a ton of channels, i like the music ones, nice to do hw to :)

How many of the channels out of the "tons" do you actually watch on a regular basis? "nice to do hw to?"

[dkeninitz]

Comcast digital cable. The cable signal is fine, but Comcast has to rank among the worst of the cable companies for customer service.

[tazo]

Originally posted by wdlove
How many of the channels out of the "tons" do you actually watch on a regular basis? "nice to do hw to?"

hmm, probably 20 or so. techtv is up at the top for most watched. then HBO comedy i think. anyway, and

"nice to do hw to"=its nice to listen to music while I work on homework (hw)

[wdlove]

Originally posted by dkeninitz
Comcast digital cable. The cable signal is fine, but Comcast has to rank among the worst of the cable companies for customer service.

I have problems with the signal alot! :( Especially channel 4, a TV technician taught me to squeeze on the cables. It gets to be old, having that kind of poor service! :mad:

[bryanc]

Originally posted by hvfsl
What could you possibly do that means you have no time, I am not saying you should watch TV, but everyone needs some spare time.

You are so right hvfsl...some spare time is just what I need. Since you asked, the answer is that I'm a research scientist, which means two things: 1) I have no spare time, and 2) I have no money.

Until I can land a faculty job somewhere, and then continue to work like crazy for 5 years to get tenure, I will continue to have no time (and, although I may start making a little more money, it still won't be as much as many of the secretaries in the department):(.

But to be completely honest, I do occasionally take breaks (although I haven't had an actual vacation in 4 years). But when I do, I'm either doing something outside or reading a book (or playing Warcraft :D). So I haven't really watched TV in 20 years.

It's surprising to me how much this makes me a cultural outsider...I don't understand what people are talking about much of the time, and my students (undergrads) often seem to be speaking a different language. After a couple of decades of not watching TV, you discover how much of our cultural identity (and thus, our ability to communicate and relate to each other) is based on TV shows.

Cheers

[Anne]

Originally posted by dkeninitz
Comcast digital cable. The cable signal is fine, but Comcast has to rank among the worst of the cable companies for customer service.

I've not had problems with customer service, but I have the most random outages. 4 or 5 times in the last year, I've come home to find that I mysteriously have no channels. I inevitably call Comcast, they go "umm" put me on hold for a couple of minutes, and then tell me that I have cable again. Never an explanation of why I lost the signal, or why they didn't detect that and fix it. (Or if they would have ever fixed it if I didn't call in.) I missed the season finales of ER and CSI because of this, and was really fuming.

[scem0]

Regular Cable... better than what I had before - nothing.

[job]

I don't have anything.

I watch DVDs on my iMac and get my news from actual newspapers (the International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal).

Cheers.

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by job
I don't have anything.

I watch DVDs on my iMac and get my news from actual newspapers (the International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal).

Cheers.

you're better off that way-- we have things like FoxNews which just, lets be honest, makes **** up. No journalistic integrity, all they want is ratings and panic. If i had a nickel for every fake story they've run about 9/11... i'd have a lot of nickels.

pnw

[wdlove]

Originally posted by Anne
I've not had problems with customer service, but I have the most random outages. 4 or 5 times in the last year, I've come home to find that I mysteriously have no channels. I inevitably call Comcast, they go "umm" put me on hold for a couple of minutes, and then tell me that I have cable again. Never an explanation of why I lost the signal, or why they didn't detect that and fix it. (Or if they would have ever fixed it if I didn't call in.) I missed the season finales of ER and CSI because of this, and was really fuming.

Sorry to hear about your problems. It seems that when your a monopoly there is no motivation to provide excellent service. If you want cable were here! :(

They were great season finales. Wondered at the end of ER if John Carter is actually leaving the show? Usually that show the season finale in the Fall prior to the Season Premiere, good luck! ;)

[docpsycho]

Originally posted by smegdude
freeview through a digital antenna works for me, clear pictures and lots of channels for free ! :D

THERE IS NO SUCH THING
A RF SIGNAL IS A RF SIGNAL.... A "DIGITAL SIGNAL IS MORSE CODE"
GAWD, my ham license just became usefull for sumptin' besides RF communications

[tazo]

Originally posted by paulwhannel
you're better off that way-- we have things like FoxNews which just, lets be honest, makes **** up. No journalistic integrity, all they want is ratings and panic. If i had a nickel for every fake story they've run about 9/11... i'd have a lot of nickels.

pnw

I would probably get banned if I wrote what I just thought when I read your statement on 'made up' articles.

[job]

Originally posted by paulwhannel
you're better off that way

And best of all, no damn commercials. :D

[wdlove]

Originally posted by job
And best of all, no damn commercials. :D

How do you get by without having to watch commercials? At least you get a break to get up and do something!

[ulyssesdraco]

Originally posted by ThorPrime
30 channles including 1showtime and 1 TMC, $30/month. I hate rural ares.

I would kill for Comedy central,MTV2,Cartoon network, Tech TV or any of the like.

(Please don't mention Satalitte, I can't get it)

Luckilly college is around the bend and digital cable is included in all the dorms, mmmm, battlebots....

mmm digital cable indeed... darn you for graduating one year before me!!! :D i still have another 6 years or so after high school before i get to live in a dorm :'( [unless airfoce bases have t3 and digital cable]

...wait you get 30 channels? how do you get 30 and i get 23, and we both have basic...and we live in the same place... wait....no we dont...we live close to each other... sorta... in the same county... i think... wait what cable company do you have?
i feel used now... darn thee Falcon Cable!!!