128 Days. No TV.  And, Life is Great!

There once was a TV show on HBO called “Dream On” staring Brian Benben as the protagonist, Martin Tupper.  Martin grew up watching a magic box with moving pictures inside and he faithfully watched this box from his early crawling days.  His world was defined by the lessons learned from the characters and events in this box the grown-up world calls television.
Martin and I have a lot in common, and so do kids all over the world.  I grew up watching TV in Thailand, Venezuela, and throughout the United States.  As an adult, my passion for TV has heightened.

Thus, how could I survive without my TV ritual: walking in my front door and switching on the magic box while engaging in the rest of my evening?  How could I not have the TV humming for more than 30 hours per week while talking on the phone, surfing the web, and exercising on the recline bike; many times doing all four and more simultaneously.  Women can do this.

The Season of Saving

Most of us are looking at our expenses, so in April when my TV got terminal glaucoma, I euthanized it with deep sadness.  I tried to save the magic box by performing surgery on its circuits, yet I was new to soldering and knew that jump-cuts would cause needless suffering.  The dump chute called.

Now What?

I discovered a new interactive magic box – my broadband connected notebook with an 18” screen that delivers 90% of my favorite programs on-demand and anywhere there is a WiFi hotspot.  Even better is the instant ability to replay dialogue and scenes, which I needed to do often since I am usually working on something for pleasure or business that requires my focus during the prime time evening hours. 

If I want to watch and re-watch episodes of Lost to pick up clues to the Island, then I can view it on ABC or on Hulu.  I prefer Hulu technology rather than the drivers ABC provides.  Additionally, Hulu is testing out the most consumer friendly tact on presenting and engaging viewers with advertisements.

Hulu commercial test 1:  showcased are 3 brand advertisement options – cat food, car, and retailer.  I choose the cat food brand and every 15 minutes pops up a single 30 sec commercial.  That is a lot less commercial time than my old-fashioned magic TV box gave to me.  Plus, I am more engaged in watching the commercial since I chose it.  Good test.

Hulu commercial test 2:  showcased is one brand for advertisement with the option to play the full 90 second commercial before the show starts or watch several 30-second spots during the show.  I chose to watch the spots during the show so I can refill my ice-tea.

Hulu commercial test 3:  showcased is the option to participate in a quick survey to receive no ads during the show or to click - ad support- and watch a few 30 second spots.  I chose the survey to see what it’s about and find it’s a nice and good survey that will ultimately help my viewing experience on the Hulu service.

I like this new world of choosing which brands are served up and how I wish to engage with them.  Best of all, weekly on both YouTube and Hulu, I watch full director’s cut theatrical movies and BBC TV.  Everything from a Tribecca indie movie, Primal Fear, The Lonely Guy, campy Basic Instinct, foreign flicks which are always acted more superbly, classics, National Lampoon Summer Vacations, and of course B movie horrors like Dawn of the Dead and Women of Mars.

So, while I may have my Scubs, Burn Notice, and 30-Rock on-demand, I do miss out on Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and re-runs of Sex and the City and Sopranos (as they were intended to be viewed). 

Some of you might be thinking I’m by-passing the fun of HDTV screens, yet I don’t like the image presentation on them; the view is kind-of creepy.  Reminds me of the premier year of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone where you get that stage feel of a Broadway show inside the little box.  It’s as if those actors can crawl out at mid-night into Serling’s other hit – the Night Gallery.  What’s even worse about the new HDTV screens is that everyone looks squat and fat.  Quarterbacks look like linemen, the Desperate House Wives look like contestants on the Biggest Loser and poor John Travolta just looks… well… I won’t go there.

I like this entertainment on-demand and after 128 days, I am happy to report the great TV experiment is a success. 

Epilogue

It’s been 2 weeks since I first wrote about leaving the TV world, and I am happy to report that I have no interest in purchasing an HDTV.  However, I am considering the purchase of a big screen Apple monitor.

Just as many of us moved from the landline telephone to the mobile as our primary distance communication device, so too will couch surfers trade one magic box for another with key board and control.