David Gilson

Do you really need a TV any more?

Jul 6

Editorial David 1 Comment
console, Games, internet, iplayer, laptop, television, video

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Buffer			How much of a need is there for a TV these days? I’ve been thinking about what sort of electronics I’d want if I were setting up my own home...

How much of a need is there for a TV these days?

I’ve been thinking about what sort of electronics I’d want if I were setting up my own home (i.e. living alone). I know I watch virtually no TV series any more. What few things I do watch, I could easily watch on the internet (via such things as the BBC iPlayer).

As time has gone on, much more of the video content I watch is only available on-line, via podcasts. I also just watch less content, I read more, either e-books or websites. I interact with people more and generally try to get more useful things done around the house.

Although, I know that if you’re watching with someone else, watching things from a computer screen is not the best viewing experience. One solution would be to have a projector to plug into the computer as and when needed, but this is an expensive option. Some people also have games consoles (and I might do this in the future since gaming on Linux still comes with a certain amount of pain), which need some sort of screen too.

So I’ve ended up at the uncomfortable conclusion that 99% of the time, I would not need or want a TV, but I’d probably still end up begrudgingly buying one, for the purpose of entertaining guests.

What do you think about this? I have set up a twtPoll about this, which you can vote on.