TV Revolution

I know, I know...it's been a long time since I've written. One might say nearly two years. In that time, I've been quite busy, trying to survive parenthood and writing a food blog, which is also in abeyance at this time. What can I say? I'm doing the best I can.

B and I have finally caught up to the times. Yes, that means we've finally acquired a flat-screen HD TV and a Blu-ray, and even signed up for Netflix. Yes, you read that right. Netflix.

We were the last hold outs, not because we didn't want this stuff, but because we felt we should put our money into other things. But I've been wanting it all for a long time. Far more than my husband, but there you have it.

So, what happened? What changed? Well, our fancy new basement. Yes, we finished our basement. It was quite the undertaking, involving lots of headaches and annoyances. We didn't finish it ourselves (it would never have happened if it had depended upon us to be done). It's an open space with an area for toys, an area for music, and an area for watching TV. We have a 60-inch HD on one wall, with a sectional surrounding a corner, facing the TV. The basement is still relatively unfurnished, but it has the important stuff!

I got to select the TV. Yes, I selected the TV. I repeated it in case you didn't believe me. It's almost impossible to get an HD TV without it being a "smart" TV, with 3-D capability. I didn't initially care one way or the other about the "smart" functions, but they've grown on me. YouTube and Netflix. All very cool.

These changes have mirrored a change in how we view TV.

Let's talk about the past for a minute. Growing up, there were four channels: ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS. You watched what you could when it was on, otherwise, you missed it. I remember when we got an independent channel - how exciting it all was! Shortly thereafter, we got cable, and we had so many more options. WGN, WTBS, and WOR. And I was a first generation MTV watcher, back when MTV actually showed music videos.

At some point, the VCR was introduced. If you were smart enough you could program it to tape your shows, so you wouldn't miss your shows, so you could go out and have fun, come home and watch your show! It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing.

A couple of decades later, the DVR was born. What a wonderful device! We could record not just show by show, but whole seasons. Our DVR allowed us to record two episodes a time even. It was awesome.

But now, it's all upended. Thanks to On Demand and Netflix.

Both have been around for a whole, I admit, and we've had access to On Demand for years. We used to watch movies through On Demand, but this year I've discovered the TV shows On Demand. If my DVR missed a show, I watched it On Demand (except for Person of Interest, which, for reasons beyond me is not On Demand). I've caught up with Burn Notice and watched Elementary solely On Demand. Really cool. Of course, the problem with On Demand is that the cable company can decide to drop the show after a period of time. And they don't have entire seasons.

Netflix, on the other hand, has entire seasons of shows. It's like a candy store for someone like me. So far, B and I have watched Orange is the New Black and Top of the Lake (and highly recommend them), and I've watched most of Call the Midwife (which I also highly recommend). I'm finally going to see Battlestar Galactica, Dr Who, and The Fall. I can't wait! Binging is fun!