When I’m alone in my home, I watch all video content on my iPad Air or iPad mini rather than our TV. An older widower friend has two unboxed TVs because he uses his deceased wife’s iPad Pro. Are we alone?
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All iPads iPad instead of a TV
- Thread starter AlanMarron
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Andy_2341
macrumors 6502a
I don’t use an iPad anymore since I sold mine, but I do watch most of my video content on my Macbook and iPhone. I rarely watch tv
FreakinEurekan
macrumors G3
I do have "a TV" but the only content connected to it is my Apple TV, so basically anything I can get on the TV - I could get on the iPad too.
I'm not thrown by people not having "a TV" but it is surprising when they actually have live TV service (cable/satellite) rather than just streaming services.
I'm not thrown by people not having "a TV" but it is surprising when they actually have live TV service (cable/satellite) rather than just streaming services.
Starfia
macrumors 68000
(Does "unboxed" mean "in the box" or "not in the box"?)
Mixed, depending on the content. I have a 65" OLED TV & Atmos sound system so I watch a lot of content on it. But I do also use my 13" M5 Pro for many paid streaming series.
Depends what you mean by “TV.” If you mean traditional broadcast (or cable) TV service, then no, I don’t watch any, I don’t even have any cable TV service or even an antenna.
However, watching streaming content on a large 4K HDR OLED TV is far superior to any iPad, iMac, or MacBook (which I have/had, including available OLED options).
I also have a cheap LCD TV which sucks to watch anything on!
So it rather depends what you mean by “TV,” and the type and quality of the TV hardware.
However, watching streaming content on a large 4K HDR OLED TV is far superior to any iPad, iMac, or MacBook (which I have/had, including available OLED options).
I also have a cheap LCD TV which sucks to watch anything on!
So it rather depends what you mean by “TV,” and the type and quality of the TV hardware.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
I might sometimes watch something on my iPad. But that's usually in conjunction with the TV or if I happen to be out of the house. TV is watched without sound and closed captions are on. It's in the front room so having the sound off doesn't disturb what others are doing.
Cable subscription was cut off in 2023 I think, maybe 2024. All the TVs in the house have Amazon Firesticks. I'm Gen-X, so there is a lot of use of freebie apps (like Pluto, Tubi, Roku) etc to stream old TV shows. As I grew up with old broadcast TV, I don't mind the ads - if I'm paying any attention at all.
I do have a couple of subscriptions, but mainly those are for specific shows. I do love that once I found out how to work around not having cable, I could stream the stuff I want directly. For instance, this is about the third time I've watched through all the seasons of Emergency 51 using the Roku app.
I'm not paying attention to a lot of this, it's mainly on (as it ever was) just to be background. However, if there is something specific I want to watch, I am going to choose my 55" HDTV over my dinky screen iPad.
Oh. It helps that the TV is mounted on the wall above the monitors of my primary desktop Mac. And that the TV is also used as a large monitor for that Mac when not being used as a TV.
Cable subscription was cut off in 2023 I think, maybe 2024. All the TVs in the house have Amazon Firesticks. I'm Gen-X, so there is a lot of use of freebie apps (like Pluto, Tubi, Roku) etc to stream old TV shows. As I grew up with old broadcast TV, I don't mind the ads - if I'm paying any attention at all.
I do have a couple of subscriptions, but mainly those are for specific shows. I do love that once I found out how to work around not having cable, I could stream the stuff I want directly. For instance, this is about the third time I've watched through all the seasons of Emergency 51 using the Roku app.
I'm not paying attention to a lot of this, it's mainly on (as it ever was) just to be background. However, if there is something specific I want to watch, I am going to choose my 55" HDTV over my dinky screen iPad.
Oh. It helps that the TV is mounted on the wall above the monitors of my primary desktop Mac. And that the TV is also used as a large monitor for that Mac when not being used as a TV.
1rottenapple
macrumors 603
Nah I bought a 65 in samsung s95F top end model. Bought it a little over 3k during black friday w/ an extra 42 in tv best buy throw in there.
And man watching F1 and game of thrones, holy cow its beautiful. There's no replacement to a nice big TV with 4k movies. Even movies such as Alien feel different on a big screen.
Even sports look amazing on big TV and you can see the technique of NBA players and technical details when they push. It's hard to explain but a big TV is so nice.
I started playing video games again on the big screen too.
And yes I was one of those people in the 2000 who only had a MacBook when I was in school and watched everything on there.
And man watching F1 and game of thrones, holy cow its beautiful. There's no replacement to a nice big TV with 4k movies. Even movies such as Alien feel different on a big screen.
Even sports look amazing on big TV and you can see the technique of NBA players and technical details when they push. It's hard to explain but a big TV is so nice.
I started playing video games again on the big screen too.
And yes I was one of those people in the 2000 who only had a MacBook when I was in school and watched everything on there.
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gigatoaster
macrumors 68000
My wife likes to watch on her iPad Pro. I watch on my 65 Panasonic OLED TV, it’s glorious in 4k.
I use TorBox, Fusion and Infuse Pro on Apple TV 4K but I prefer downloading locally. It works great and I’m happy about the result.
I mostly watch US TV shows. I tried IPTV but the quality was not nice.
I use TorBox, Fusion and Infuse Pro on Apple TV 4K but I prefer downloading locally. It works great and I’m happy about the result.
I mostly watch US TV shows. I tried IPTV but the quality was not nice.
actcyclist
macrumors 6502
Yes, I do because it means I can sit somewhere other than in front of my TV and it the kitchen when cooking.
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I7guy
macrumors Westmere
My iPad Pro m5 is great for watching content. However nothing beats my home theater setup on a 65 inch tv. So yeah depending on how I want to consume content I can use either my iPad or my TV.
I notice youngsters tend to stick with their mobile devices a lot and that's OK by me whatever works.
Myself the big screen is my preferred device with full resolution and attached to my glorious 6 speakers surround.
Maybe youngsters want to watch things in private and don't want parents to see what they are watching ^)
Myself the big screen is my preferred device with full resolution and attached to my glorious 6 speakers surround.
Maybe youngsters want to watch things in private and don't want parents to see what they are watching ^)
Starfia
macrumors 68000
Better sell them quick, 'cuz the obsolescence clock waits for no one.
TechRunner
macrumors 68030
I watch baseball, YouTube and occasionally Netflix on my M3 iPad Air. But when my wife and I sit to watch a few shows in the evening it's the more traditional streaming service/TV experience.
Don’t get me wrong, the portability of the iPad is great, and the OLED display on the Pro model is 10/10. But I’d take the immersion of my 65” OLED TV over the iPad any day for watching any kind of video content.
I haven’t had a TV since 2010. And watching video is basically the only thing I use the iPad for. Probably won’t bother with another when this one dies, and just watch on a laptop instead.
When I was a road warrior, I used a laptop. When I became stationary, I used a flat screen iMac. I returned to a laptop because of presbyopia—elder eyes. I can get a laptop to the optimal focal point for my eyes. Now even older, I can get an iPad to the sweet spot without maneuvering around a keyboard.
1rottenapple
macrumors 603
The big question is it single experience vs sharing with someone. It’s really nice sharing the experience of a scary movie and grand tv experience like sports or great tv show with a big screen.
richpjr
macrumors 601
Depends on the content. If I want to be immersed into a show/movie or watch a sporting event I care about, I watch it on my 77" LG OLED with surround speakers. If it is something casual like the news or a sporting event I don't care about I watch on my iPad Pro 13" sitting on a desk near my Mac.