With the right channels I regularly discover amazing movies, series and documentaries that I’d probably never choose to watch if I had access to them on a streaming platform (which I don’t).
The surprise effect is way better and I just think that when used wisely, TV can deliver much more than streaming.
I’m aware of platforms like FilmIn that offer non-commercial content but I still like the channels to suggest me some tmovies to watch.
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I watched DBZ entirely through about 3 times up to the midpoint of the Buu saga and then the next episode was Raditz… I just gave up and only in the last couple of years have I actually watched the whole series.
My kids will never know the experience of getting up at 6:00 AM every Saturday to watch Saturday morning cartoons. I also discovered some of my favorite movies while randomly watching late night movies when I couldn’t sleep. But I do not miss commercials one bit.
There is no adblock for classic TV, so it’s unwatchable.
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Not good enough.
maybe. but piracy is better than either 🏴☠️ (even if just because it doesn’t have ads, and shows and movies don’t disappear suddenly)
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The problem is that it will only recommend content based on my previous watch history. It will not recommend me new topics I have never heard or shown interest about and surprise me with something new that might also be interesting or important.
exactly. I don’t want an algorithm to suggest me stuff (or not always anyway). Sometimes I want to watch something the algorithm would never suggest me.
There’s something to be said for the shared experience of watching something, not because you’ve individually chosen it, but because it’s the thing that’s on. A 5/10 movie becomes a 7/10 if you limit your options right down.
My favourite experience of watching a film on telly was for Audition (the Takashi Miike film), where, at the end of each ad break, the continuity announcer was advising, with increasing seriousness, that we should stop watching. I would’ve slept better if I’d listened.
Lool that’s a good one! That’s a name I haven’t heard in ages, I actually remember downloading this movie as a teenager, I loved it and went on watching a few more from Miike, namely ichi the killer and Visitor Q which messed me up pretty badly but I don’t think as much as Audition though.
Btw I’ve never heard of a channel putting on Miike’s films, was this in the UK?
Yeah, it was on Film4 in the UK.
I find myself flipping on PlutoTV a lot for just this reason. It’s cozy to just channel surf, and their lineup (e.g. 24/7 Price is Right, Jeopardy, MST3K, and tons of other classics) makes it feel doubly cozy. Like a portal straight back to 90s cable, but free.
