The Changing Face Of Family Entertainment

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Let’s take a little exercise in time travel.

20 Years Ago: When you want to watch a TV show, you first have to find out when it’s on. You go to your local listings, or you grab the sheet of paper you scribbled the time and date down on during an ad for the show. You write to remember it on a to-do list, or jot down the details in your planner.

800px-omroepgidsTV Listings: Image from Wikipedia

Soon, it’s the right time and the right date. You sit down to watch the show, irritated but accustomed to the advert breaks that crop up every so often. If you need to go to the bathroom during the broadcast, you have to miss a little and then hurriedly ask your companions what you missed.

If you can’t be there for the set broadcast time, you can program a recording – but it’s an arduous task that frequently fails. If that doesn’t work, then you’re going to have to wait for a rerun. You could be waiting for a long time.

Today: If you don’t know when a TV show is next on, you run an internet search. You have your answer in something ridiculous like 8.6 seconds. You can set a recording right then and there using a PVR like TiVo, and not have to think about it again. It’s going to record whether you remember it or not, and it can even record future episodes too.

You can watch it at your leisure. You can pause it if you need to do something, or watch it six months after broadcast.

If you somehow forget to set a recording, then that’s no problem. You have a huge selection of streaming options, meaning you can be watching it in a few clicks of your mouse. You don’t miss TV shows unless you intend to do so; all you need to do is find the time. The rest of it has been taken care of.

It’s somehow difficult to believe that the two above examples are separated by only two decades. The entertainment industry has been revolutionized, and those growing up now will have no idea what it was like beforehand.

We’re often told that TV is a bad thing, but this is a very modern notion. Back in the 18th century when novels for pleasure first became popular, there was uproar about them. They would distract people from their work and their religion, naysayers insisted. They would promote idleness! They were damaging people’s intellect!

If those arguments sound familiar, it’s because they’re identical to what people now say about television. Fast forward 200 years and all of a sudden books are promoted as the preference and TV is demonized. It’s hard not to wonder what will replace TV in years to come. “If only they were watching more episodes of Dora the Explorer…”

So long as the rest of your life is balanced – you spend time outside, you have hobbies and your kids have varied interests – then TV is fine. It’s a viable way of consuming an art form. For some reason, we’re comfortable describing movies and theater as art, but their small screen cousin gets a rougher ride.

People have always wanted escapism, from the early dialogue plays in Ancient Greece to the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare’s day. We can’t be serious all the time. It’s not going to inherently damage you or your children just because you watch TV.

With an eased conscience and the desire to get the most from your viewing, it can be tricky to keep up with the technological changes. There’s now so many different services, and it’s almost impossible to tell what’s offering the best deal. But never fear – there is a way through it, a guide that even busy parents can use to bring their viewing habits right up-to-date.

Tip 1: You’re going to need a good internet connection.

While this isn’t necessary for TiVo and similar systems, it is beneficial. It’s also a problem. Broadband – never mind fiber – coverage in the US is not the greatest compared to other countries. When you do have it, it’s also more expensive. A study found that for comparable speeds, USA customers could pay up to three times more than their British and French counterparts. Ouch!

The problem is scale. America is such a vast country, and it’s taking awhile to catch up to modern usage. Cities have generally good coverage, but the further out into the sticks you get, the worse things are. And if you want to get your TV pleasures, then that’s a problem.

3280328336_12b396fcce_oThe Old Familiar Buffering Screen: Image from Flickr

One of the most affordable ways of getting good coverage is to combine a package that covers your home communication needs. This means bringing your TV, broadband and home phone all under the same roof. There are a variety of different companies who offer this, and there are discounts to be had if you’re prepared to haggle and switch around.

Don’t think you have to go with the same old companies either. There are even ways you can get extras like home monitoring included if you go with the kind of company that can combine it all. The more that’s brought together, the higher the chance of a good deal. So keep an open mind, make sure you do your research; for example, view Suddenlink.com for more information.

Tip 2: Figure out what you need.

Most of the time, a combination TV deal is going to be the best option. It’s also one of the easiest, with just one company to deal with rather than juggling several. You’re also more likely to be rewarded for being a loyal customer, and if you have problems, there’s one central place to fix it all.

If for some reason that’s not an option, however, you can turn your mind to subscription streaming channels.

Think of three of the most popular TV shows of recent years: Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Game of Thrones. While you can combine these in a television package that provides them all, it’s going to be expensive.

One of most cost-effective methods is to use streaming services, once you’ve got your broadband sorted. These have the upside of being commitment-free, so if you’re a bit short one month, you can cancel and save the cash. But they also have the same problem: different channel providers for different shows. To watch the three mentioned above, it may be three separate streaming subscription services.

If you can afford that, go for it. But sometimes it’s wise to exercise a little caution. Sit down with your family, and equip everyone with a notepad and pen. Everyone should write down three TV shows they can’t live without then three they would love to have but aren’t essential. Then it’s time to compare and contrast, and see how many of the “must” shows you can get ticked off with one package.

There’ll be debating and arguments, but if you can find a package that brings two out of three essential for each family member, you’re on to a winner. Remember, going without doesn’t mean those shows will never be seen, as we explain…

Tip 3: Remember your options; tech isn’t always better!

So let’s say for the shows above, you’ve got two of your essentials, but you’re missing one. That doesn’t mean you never get to see it; it just means you have to be prepared to wait a little while.

You can still purchase a boxset on DVD or BluRay when it comes out. That might seem strange as it’s an additional expense, so why not pay a subscription cost?

5505566718_fc38b3c811_zTV Box Sets For All The Family?: Image from Flickr

Break it down and the answer is clear. A standard season of a TV show is usually 22 episodes, which is usually spread over around 30 weeks, with breaks for holidays. So if you’re paying $10 a month for your subscription service, it’s going to cost $70 and change. A DVD box set on the other hand is around $40, so it’s a massive saving, and you get to keep the physical copies.

Tip 4: Parental Lock

When you open up your viewing habits, the chance for kids seeing something you’d rather they didn’t opens up too.

Most PVR devices will allow you to configure a parental lock, meaning a PIN code has to be entered before viewing. Activate this, and change the code regularly – if your kid figures it out, they’re not likely to tell you! Switching it up means the protection stays in place. Do the same with your Wifi password if you’re concerned about them streaming, so you’ll always have an idea of what’s happening.

You’re not being a bad, helicopter parent if you do this – you’re taking sensible precautions. It’s always better to go too far than risk your child being exposed to something you’d rather they weren’t.

So with a few phone calls and a bit of research, you can drag your viewing habits right up-to-date. It’s been said we’re living in a golden age of TV, so go ahead and make the most of it.

 

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