It's a website that has an impressive list of TV shows you can view online at no cost. Now that the kids have 'discovered' it, they are hooked.
Every night after dinner I let the girls choose a movie to watch (their only TV time of the day) and lately they have chosen to watch two hours of the old Charlie's Angels episodes on hulu. And as much as I cringe at the adult themes that go on with that show, I think it's pretty tame in comparison to today's TV geared for their tween age group (well IMHO).
Before hulu, the kids were on a Netflix and YouTube movie kick. They enjoyed watching Anime movies on both sites as well as the random stuff Fino always seems to find. The three of them huddle around the computer every night and it sort of warms my heart to see their together time quite literally, in very close proximity.
It seems like eons ago that the kids went to our DVD cabinet to make their movie choices. The truth is, our TV has had very little 'on' time these days with only the occasional library movie rental or Netflix DVD.
Since we don't have cable, my family has not always had the variety of TV watching options that our friends did so we were often in the dark about the popular TV shows. And with the bunny ears going the way of the dinosaurs, my family thought we might have even less options for this kind of watching in a few short months.
But now, maybe not.
The question I often ponder now that sites like hulu are around, is why people are paying for cable when they can watch the same shows online? Granted computer screens aren't the same size as most living room TVs - that might take a little getting used to for some people. But for my family - one of a small number of cable-holdouts - now that we have free access to cable TV shows, watching them on our 16-inch computer monitor is an OK option.
I have thought for some time that all the hoopla about digital TV is smoke and mirrors. Instead of being worried about whether we're going to buy a special digital box for our ancient TV in the living room (ancient being purchased in the early 90s), and apply for the government 'coupon' to off-set that cost, I think the real investment for my family's viewing entertainment might simply be to purchase a larger computer monitor.
Maybe the government officials who set this February 17, 2009, deadline for digital TV know that computers will replace TVs in the near future (and they're trying to save those few manufacturing jobs still left in the US)? Or maybe it's just taking the rest of the American public a while to figure out it can (and likely will) happen a lot sooner than they think.
OK, I sound a bit like a conspiracy theorist, but I'm curious. What do you think about the cable vs. online TV/movie viewing options for you and your family?
No comments:
Post a Comment