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I think I was happier before streaming TV/movie services

I collect VHS tapes

I collect VHS tapes

Member
I've been traveling a lot for work lately and something I've noticed is that I seem to look forward to watching TV in hotels.

this should be ridiculous given that I have more streaming services than I can count while at home, yet I still look forward to the simplicity of watching cable TV.

I find that with the limited options, there is something strangely comforting about stumbling on something and giving it a go. I ended up watching stuff I ordinarily would never watch, and end up really enjoying it (most recently I found myself watching Lost Gold of the Aztecs and Storage Wars).

maybe I'm just overwhelmed with the amount of options I have, but I spend a tremendous amount of time trying to figure out to watch when at home. and I usually feel like I'm just "settling" on something when I do decide what I'm going to watch.

I don't think I could ever switch back to just cable because streaming services are objectively the better value, but I still look forward to flipping through cable whenever I'm stuck in a hotel. and odds are, I'll have a better time than streaming something back at home.

can anyone else relate to this? I think traveling is really the only time I'm forced to watch TV like I did when I was younger. this could be nostalgia talking, but there is something special about it.

hey-arnold-gerald.gif
 
TonyK

TonyK

Member
I collect VHS tapes said:
...maybe I'm just overwhelmed with the amount of options I have...
Click to expand...
That's my main problem with almost everything these days. From streaming, to videogames, to digital books... There are too many options, but most of them would have been trash 20 years ago. We are living a moment of quantity over quality. I don't know if we will return to the opposite at some point.
 
sol_bad

sol_bad

Member
I love streaming, screw tv adverts. While I was in the Philippines I felt like dying from their cable TV adverts. So many ads it's not funny.
Whenever I've used cable, I've spent more time channel surfing than actually watching something. With streaming, I can check the Justwatch app and see what is new over the past few days and decide on something to watch within 5-10 minutes.
 
Nobody_Important

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
Definitely not me. Being able to order some good ass pizza and have friends over in the comfort of my own home to watch whatever the hell we want on demand in the moment has been great. I can't even calculate the amount of money it has saved me from wasting it all on theater trips.


It helped me realize just how big of a scam the whole "theater going experience" is.
 
Last edited:
Nobody_Important

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
nush said:
R-C.80eccfe7ec442e6349a0bec0e2f1e122
Click to expand...
- Traffic
- Showing up early to get good seats
- Waiting in line for tickets
- Pay outrageous prices for simple snacks and drinks
- Sit in seats that have seen a million sweaty asses with arm rests that have seen a million unwashed hands
- Hope everyone else is on time so I don't have to play the "saving a seat game" with complete strangers
- Hope I don't need to piss/shit or get an important call during a key moment of the movie
- Hope I don't get sat next to some asshole who talks during the movie, has a baby, is on their phone, or is obnoxious in any number of other ways.

VS

- The comfort of my own home and my own couch
- Getting to choose my own food for my own price
- Do not have to spend money on insane gas prices
- Do not have to worry about weekend traffic
- Do not have to worry about showing up early to get good seats
- Everyone can show up when they want so if someone is running late for whatever reason its no big deal
- We can pause the show/film when someone needs a break to piss or take a call
- Don't have to worry about keeping quiet and can joke/speculate with friends on the fly
- Don't have to worry about obnoxious assholes ruining the experience.


AND ALL OF THAT IS DONE REPEATEDLY FOR LESS COST THAN IT TAKES FOR THE SAME GROUP TO GO TO THE THEATER ONE TIME



Explain to me how the theater is better here. Please.
 
Last edited:
Bragr

Bragr

Banned
Nobody_Important said:
- Traffic
- Showing up early to get good seats
- Waiting in line for tickets
- Pay outrageous prices for simple snacks and drinks
- Sit in seats that have seen a million sweaty asses with arm rests that have seen a million unwashed hands
- Hope everyone else is on time so I don't have to play the "saving a seat game" with complete strangers
- Hope I don't need to piss/shit or get an important call during a key moment of the movie
- Hope I don't get sat next to some asshole who talks during the movie, has a baby, is on their phone, or is obnoxious in any number of other ways.

VS

- The comfort of my own home and my own couch
- Getting to choose my own food for my own price
- Do not have to spend money on insane gas prices
- Do not have to worry about weekend traffic
- Do not have to worry about showing up early to get good seats
- Everyone can show up when they want so if someone is running late for whatever reason its no big deal
- We can pause the show/film when someone needs a break to piss or take a call
- Don't have to worry about keeping quiet and can joke/speculate with friends on the fly
- Don't have to worry about obnoxious assholes ruining the experience.


AND ALL OF THAT IS DONE REPEATEDLY FOR LESS COST THAN IT TAKES FOR THE SAME GROUP TO GO TO THE THEATER ONE TIME



Explain to me how the theater is better here. Please.
Click to expand...
You never witnessed LOTR when it was in cinemas did you.
 
Nobody_Important

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
Bragr said:
You never witnessed LOTR when it was in cinemas did you.
Click to expand...
I did actually. My uncle was a MASSIVE Tolkien nerd and took me when I was 11 and onwards. He also gifted me the books on my birthday one year. However I have also experienced I don't even know how many different hardcore LOTR watch parties with friends and acquaintances since then.


The house parties were VASTLY superior in my opinion. The amount of fun had were not even comparable and that is not even getting into the other stuff like annoyances and money.
 
nush

nush

Member
Nobody_Important said:
- Traffic
- Showing up early to get good seats
- Waiting in line for tickets
- Pay outrageous prices for simple snacks and drinks
- Sit in seats that have seen a million sweaty asses with arm rests that have seen a million unwashed hands
- Hope everyone else is on time so I don't have to play the "saving a seat game" with complete strangers
- Hope I don't need to piss/shit or get an important call during a key moment of the movie
- Hope I don't get sat next to some asshole who talks during the movie, has a baby, is on their phone, or is obnoxious in any number of other ways.
Click to expand...

This is a list of YOU problems, no wonder you suffer from social anxiety. Touch grass.
 
The Cockatrice

The Cockatrice

I'm retarded?
Nobody_Important said:
- Traffic
- Showing up early to get good seats
- Waiting in line for tickets
- Pay outrageous prices for simple snacks and drinks
- Sit in seats that have seen a million sweaty asses with arm rests that have seen a million unwashed hands
- Hope everyone else is on time so I don't have to play the "saving a seat game" with complete strangers
- Hope I don't need to piss/shit or get an important call during a key moment of the movie
- Hope I don't get sat next to some asshole who talks during the movie, has a baby, is on their phone, or is obnoxious in any number of other ways.

VS

- The comfort of my own home and my own couch
- Getting to choose my own food for my own price
- Do not have to spend money on insane gas prices
- Do not have to worry about weekend traffic
- Do not have to worry about showing up early to get good seats
- Everyone can show up when they want so if someone is running late for whatever reason its no big deal
- We can pause the show/film when someone needs a break to piss or take a call
- Don't have to worry about keeping quiet and can joke/speculate with friends on the fly
- Don't have to worry about obnoxious assholes ruining the experience.


AND ALL OF THAT IS DONE REPEATEDLY FOR LESS COST THAN IT TAKES FOR THE SAME GROUP TO GO TO THE THEATER ONE TIME



Explain to me how the theater is better here. Please.
Click to expand...

You're arguing with the kind of people who go to the cinemas and enjoy when everyone yells, cheers, claps, at every scene. Don't bother. Cinema is better if it's you and just a couple of friends and the benefits of a huge screen but that's about it.
 
ZywyPL

ZywyPL

Banned
The thing with internet-accesed media is that you're sort of enslaved - like yes, you do have full control over the content, what's being currently played, unlike TV or radio, but in order to do so you do have to be constantly attached to it via remote controller, M+K, touch display etc. whatever device you're on. So something for something.
 
Nobody_Important

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
nush said:
This is a list of YOU problems, no wonder you suffer from social anxiety. Touch grass.
Click to expand...
Not wanting to waste money and time just to sit in smelly ass seats next to annoying strangers eating overpriced popcorn instead of doing basically the same thing at home for far less far more comfortably is a "social anxiety" problem?


Get the fuck out 😂
 
Keihart

Keihart

Member
Nobody_Important said:
Not wanting to waste money and time just to sit in smelly ass seats next to annoying strangers eating overpriced popcorn instead of doing basically the same thing at home for far less far more comfortably is a "social anxiety" problem?


Get the fuck out 😂
Click to expand...
As convinient as is to watch stuff at home, being on the same room as a bunch of strangers and not in your home its not a con, it's a plus.
Going to the theater is a social activity, just like going to the arcades, as a fan of both mediums, the at home experience is no replacement of dragging your ass out to experience it.
 
Last edited:
nush

nush

Member
Keihart said:
As convinient as is to watch stuff at home, being on the same room as a bunch of strangers and not in your home its not a con, it's a plus.
Going to the theater is a social activity, just like going to the arcades, as a fan of both mediums, the at home experience is no replacement of dragging your ass out to experience it.
Click to expand...

Or to make it more relatable to a wider audience going to the stadium to watch a sports event vs live TV coverage. Or being at and E3 conference vs livestreaming.
 
E

El Pistolero

Banned
I collect VHS tapes said:
I've been traveling a lot for work lately and something I've noticed is that I seem to look forward to watching TV in hotels.

this should be ridiculous given that I have more streaming services than I can count while at home, yet I still look forward to the simplicity of watching cable TV.

I find that with the limited options, there is something strangely comforting about stumbling on something and giving it a go. I ended up watching stuff I ordinarily would never watch, and end up really enjoying it (most recently I found myself watching Lost Gold of the Aztecs and Storage Wars).

maybe I'm just overwhelmed with the amount of options I have, but I spend a tremendous amount of time trying to figure out to watch when at home. and I usually feel like I'm just "settling" on something when I do decide what I'm going to watch.

I don't think I could ever switch back to just cable because streaming services are objectively the better value, but I still look forward to flipping through cable whenever I'm stuck in a hotel. and odds are, I'll have a better time than streaming something back at home.

can anyone else relate to this? I think traveling is really the only time I'm forced to watch TV like I did when I was younger. this could be nostalgia talking, but there is something special about it.

hey-arnold-gerald.gif
Click to expand...

I agree with you, OP...Or, rather, I feel the same vis-a-vis these services. Having too many options cheapens everything. Remember the days when you would be on your edge for a whole week, waiting for the next episode of your favourite TV show to drop? Well, now you can binge-watch everything and fry your dopamine-receptors to the point of not enjoying anything anymore.
 
Last edited:
Spaceman292

Spaceman292

Banned
Nobody_Important said:
- Traffic
- Showing up early to get good seats
- Waiting in line for tickets
- Pay outrageous prices for simple snacks and drinks
- Sit in seats that have seen a million sweaty asses with arm rests that have seen a million unwashed hands
- Hope everyone else is on time so I don't have to play the "saving a seat game" with complete strangers
- Hope I don't need to piss/shit or get an important call during a key moment of the movie
- Hope I don't get sat next to some asshole who talks during the movie, has a baby, is on their phone, or is obnoxious in any number of other ways.

VS

- The comfort of my own home and my own couch
- Getting to choose my own food for my own price
- Do not have to spend money on insane gas prices
- Do not have to worry about weekend traffic
- Do not have to worry about showing up early to get good seats
- Everyone can show up when they want so if someone is running late for whatever reason its no big deal
- We can pause the show/film when someone needs a break to piss or take a call
- Don't have to worry about keeping quiet and can joke/speculate with friends on the fly
- Don't have to worry about obnoxious assholes ruining the experience.


AND ALL OF THAT IS DONE REPEATEDLY FOR LESS COST THAN IT TAKES FOR THE SAME GROUP TO GO TO THE THEATER ONE TIME



Explain to me how the theater is better here. Please.
Click to expand...
I love going to the theatre but I can't argue with any of this. Although if you order online you can get a dedicated seat and you don't have to wait for tickets, you can just walk in. And putting up with all that little stuff is worth it to see Top Gun in imax.

I feel like you could come up with a similar list for going out to a restaurant to eat, but it's still a fun thing to do.
 
Last edited:
AJUMP23

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
Nobody_Important said:
Not wanting to waste money and time just to sit in smelly ass seats next to annoying strangers eating overpriced popcorn instead of doing basically the same thing at home for far less far more comfortably is a "social anxiety" problem?


Get the fuck out 😂
Click to expand...
I like you, I would go to the movies with you, but you are fairly insufferable. :)
 
Amory

Amory

Member
Used to be you'd put on tv, flip through the channels, find there's nothing good on, then turn it off and do something else.

Life pre-internet was pretty boring, but i still think it was better that way overall
 
nush

nush

Member
Amory said:
Used to be you'd put on tv, flip through the channels, find there's nothing good on, then turn it off and do something else.

Life pre-internet was pretty boring, but i still think it was better that way overall
Click to expand...

Stay in your pod and consoom citizen is what we have today.
 
J

jason10mm

Gold Member
I'm surprised no streaming service has tried to recreate the semi curated feel of the "Saturday afternoon matinee" experience with a pre designated playlist, some has been legacy actor from that genre playing host between films, and you just jump on whenever you want and work through the list.

A few seem to have a "random selection" feature but that's about it.
 
nush

nush

Member
jason10mm said:
I'm surprised no streaming service has tried to recreate the semi curated feel of the "Saturday afternoon matinee" experience with a pre designated playlist, some has been legacy actor from that genre playing host between films, and you just jump on whenever you want and work through the list.

A few seem to have a "random selection" feature but that's about it.
Click to expand...

Back in the day this series was awesome on the BBC.

letterboxd.com

Moviedrome: The Alex Cox Years (1988 - 1994)

Director Alex Cox curated BBC2's Moviedrome from 1988 to 1994. In his own words: "What is a cult film? A cult film is one that has a passionate following, but does not appeal to everyone. James Bond movies are not cult films, but chainsaw movies are. Just because a film has become a cult movie...
letterboxd.com letterboxd.com

Look at it, just look. It's an education in cinema and personally it introduced The Terminator to me AND told me to look at it beyond the surface level. So much stuff here that you'd never find in your local VHS rental store (UK).
 
wondermega

wondermega

Member
I think Louis CK put it best when he argued, many years ago, "everything is amazing, and no one is happy!" This is the conundrum we've got ourselves into now. Everything is so damn immediately available, on demand, streaming to whatever you need it onto - great quality, regardless of taste there is something out there for everyone, sometimes in abundance. But yes, something has definitely been lost..
 
RoboFu

RoboFu

One of the green rats
I’ve been saying that the streaming services should just run “ next up” channels. I get that not having reduces strain on the services but at least apple is stepping in that direction now with their app.
 
nush

nush

Member
RoboFu said:
I’ve been saying that the streaming services should just run “ next up” channels. I get that not having reduces strain on the services but at least apple is stepping in that direction now with their app.
Click to expand...
Algorithms coded by people that have no idea what has gone before, just "Get those clicks" mentality.
 
TheMan

TheMan

Member
Trust me cable sucks. Half the channels you’ll never watch, tons of commercials, forget bingeing your favorite, having to watch on their schedule.

Plus it hard to find something interesting in the first place. Every time I check out cable at a hotel or something I’m reminded why I don’t bother
 
J

JimmyRustler

Member
Amory said:
Used to be you'd put on tv, flip through the channels, find there's nothing good on, then turn it off and do something else.

Life pre-internet was pretty boring, but i still think it was better that way overall
Click to expand...
Well said. I think we all need to be a bit realistic when looking back. Much of the good stuff back then was paid with lots of boredom in between - which does make sense when you think about how the Dopamine system works.

Basically it boils down to preference. We used to enjoy entertainment a lot more back in the days because of the boredom in between. Today there is hardly any boredom but because of that there is less enjoyment in entertainment. So yeah, both times have/had their goods and bads.
 
Bombolone

Bombolone

Gold Member
Im a fossil.
Love going to the cinema.
Love radio
Love T.V.---yes even the commercials.

People keep isolating and isolating themselves then wonder why depression/social anxiety sets in.

Here in Canada, Crave (Streaming service) gets it. On top of the regular 'you pick & choose' they have channels just playing stuff. You tune in and the show/movie is already playing. Could be 20 min in or 1 hr in.

We are social creatures.

Everyone texts. A phucking phone call is enough to cause someones heart to race, just LOL.

Also maybe we just watch too much TV. Literally watching someone else live their life...
Binge, binge, binge... screen, screen, screen... when is the next binge, binge.
I think people put too much of their worth in 'knowing' these fictional characters.

Boredom... maybe ween yourself off the addiction and you might stabalize and surprise yourself with what really interests you.
Get outside you fat phucks.❤
 
V1LÆM

V1LÆM

Gold Member
nah, i'm happy with streaming. i hated having to flip through channels to find something to watch. if a show started at 6PM then i had to plan around it. if i missed it then i could maybe catch it on a +1 channel or hope it was repeated. i definitely don't miss looking through a newspaper looking at that weeks TV listings.

streaming can be overwhelming but it's so much more convenient. i watch what i want when i want. i'm watching a lot more TV/movies now than i ever did in my life. there's always something new to check out. the days of going to a video store to rent a movie were exciting as a kid but really that'd be a pain in the ass now.

during the pandemic i had hoped cinemas would be the next thing to go but they survived. it's like £10-15 a ticket to watch the movie once then you have the costs of travelling/parking/food. you can easily be £30-50 just to watch a movie at a cinema. no thanks! just let me rent it at home for £15-25.
 
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