Tell me about your TV in the USA

[vision63]

The vast majority of us just watch without giving a thought to the commercials. Oftentimes the commercials are better than the show (many sporting events). Most of what I watch comes on free television and I'm not about to pay extra to watch those shows. I certainly do not feel that the flow of "Everybody Hates Chris" is interrupted by commercials. Now I have a strange hankering for some "Head On! Apply Directly to the Forehead!"

[Seacrest]

I am with Zoidberg -- don't watch TV "live" (save for sports), watch a tonne of it on DVD.

And I don't much care for American television anymore.
It's all this rubbish "reality" bit (an idea imported from your side of the pond, in an ironic twist) mostly, so I tend to go for either older shows, HBO/Sho shows or BBC stuff.

I don't have the cable either.
I probably would if I could pick and choose a few channels, but until they let you do that I refuse to pay $100 for a "package" because I want one or two decent channels out of five-hundred offered.

[voodoopenguin]

The BBC are starting to make available their TV output online for a week after their initial showing. Unfortunately it isn't available at the moment for Mac users which has caused a bit of a storm over here. The government has told them to make it available on all usual computer platforms as soon as possible.

[papercup]

http://www.tv-links.co.uk/listings/1/41

[OWC Jamie]

Americans would probably lose 50 pounds each if they were subject to commercial free TV.
Maybe even starve.

Wander aimlessly at the liquor store not knowing what to do.


I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm drivin' in my car
And a man comes on the radio
He's telling me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm watchin' my TV
And a man comes on to tell me
How white my shirts can be
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarrettes as me
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no girlie action
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm ridin' round the world
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
'Cause you see I'm on losing streak
I can't get no, a no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no, I can't get no
I can't get no satisfaction
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction

[Grumpyguy]

don't you guys pay some sort of annual license fee on your tv sets in the U.K.?

Think of commercials as a tax of sorts.

[AlphaDog]

Commercials interrupting my TV don't normally bother me, either. If there's something I want to watch without commercials, I record it. I'm usually watching only in the evenings, and between trips to the potty, Louie play time, and bedtime snacks, I can normally make pretty good use of all of those breaks. I've been doing this for so many years that programs without commercials can be annoying. But we've already concluded I'm weird. And some of the commercials are pretty good.

[BigGuynRusty]

EyeTV
Total of Eight (8) tuners, Four (4) Analog, Four (4) HD.

BGnR

[Mike V]

Torrents of LOST are typically 43 minutes including the titles, credits and the "Previously on LOST" part.

When it goes to air LOST is a one hour program.



(Not that I download Torrents).

[ADent]

Our family all have TiVos.

Back in the old days the law limited TV to 9 minutes of commercials per hour. Now it runs about 44 min of programming per hour (That includes the credits which are squeezed to unreadable while they run a promo on the other half of the screen).

So old shows like Star Trek from the 60's either have to cut out about 7 min or in the case of ST:TOS G4 TV will run them uncut in 1:10 (70 minute) slots.