Let Me Pick Your Brain

I use iTunes and Hulu. I primarily use them when my DVR goes on the fritz and I miss something, or like when I had no power due to Hurricane Ike, I use them to catch up on what I missed. I have decided to go with House on Hulu though, because it's the odd man out on the MOnday 7:00 CST pile-up. I enjoy Chuck and BBT/HIMYM much much more.

I mostly watch TV on DVR or online now. The few times I watch live it's very weird to have to sit through the commercials. Strangely, I don't mind sitting through the hulu or other online commercials because I pull up a blog post or skim the paper or something to get through.

I generally watch 30 Rock on hulu and HIMYM on cbs and the daily show or colbert if my dvr didn't catch it online. Dramas I like to dvr or buy from itunes if I missed and watch on my iMac display.

I hate watching tv on my ipod and hate the small screen thing. I don't have a rational reason why, the picture looks fine. Podcasts are great and that's how I get most of my news now, from NPR. And skimming the paper. And blog feeds.

HULU is God of non-TV TV to me.. but they're content is sketchy.. shows/episodes come and go and its never guaranteed content.. if we have free TV on Hulu why even bother with Netflix or iTunes??

My "TV" watching breaks down into 3 categories:

Live or watched-on-Tivo-within-a-day: for shows that I don't want getting ruined (ie, Lost) or shows that I just really, really love (HIMYM, 30 Rock)
Hulu or network website: for shows I enjoy when I see, but don't care enough about (or have time) to watch them live (Chuck, Psych, Daily Show/Colbert)
Netflix rentals: for shows that people tell me I will absolutely love and have to watch. I did that with 24 (it was a bust) and West Wing (not a bust).

There's also a pseudo-4th category - shows whose recaps I read on Wikipedia. I mainly do this with Heroes, because I'm still interested in the overall story, but watching an actual episode makes my stomach hurt.

I watch cable news and sports live on normal tv. I watch everything else on my computer directly or on my computer hooked up to my tv (if I want a bigger screen). For computer viewing, I use hulu and if it's not on hulu I download it from questionable sources. Also, I watch the daily show usually the day after on the daily show website.

I haven't done it yet, but I have long been contemplating jettisoning cable altogether and grabbing an AppleTV box. It's cheap, no monthly fees, doesn't take up much space and with the right open source software (Boxee) you can stream Hulu and just about any other Internet TV option you want directly to your TV.

The only problem is that AppleTV doesn't have the right hardware to stream Netflix, which at this point is the deal breaker for me. I could wait for Apple to come out with upgraded hardware, but I doubt that will ever happen as they seemed to have abandoned the device.

My point is, cable is far too expensive. I personally pay for hundreds of channels but watch maybe four or five non-broadcast channels on a regular basis. It's not a question of if I'll ditch pay-TV for all-Internet, it's a question of how soon til I find a viable option.

I try to record everything I want to watch through windows media center. These shows then get streamed to my tv through an xbox 360. I also use netflix, both discs and streaming watch it now. Finally, for shows I somehow miss, I find torrents and again, stream them through my xbox 360. Ultimately, I'm still watching everything on my tv.

I watch very little when its actually on. I tend to coordinate my live viewing with the blog discussions I will want to participate in the next day. Like, when everyone stopped covering Heroes, I realized that I had lost my primary motivation to watch it live. So, I watch Supernatural (have a weekly viewing party at our house) and American Idol and Lost when they air, and usually House also. I watch a lot of stuff on Hulu (BSG, Burn Notice, Psych, Daily Show, Medium, Chuck, etc), and download a TON of stuff on iTunes (House, Gossip Girl, The Office, etc). I marathon DVDs of whole seasons from netflix. They now have this awesome Watch Now function, which is how I watched the first 2 seasons of Friday Night Lights, which I can access through XBOX Live (so I can watch it on the big screen TV) or the internet to watch on my computer. I used to watch stuff streamed from network websites, but haven't even wandered that way since I got into Hulu.
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Then there are all the shows that I don't watch regularly, but I keep up with the TWP recaps - mostly for shows that I can't access any other way (Big Love, Dexter) or that I'd never really watch but want a sense of the train wreck (various reality shows).
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@natego: "why even bother with Netflix or iTunes": Because Hulu doesn't leave all episodes up forever - they just have a few at a time. So, if I'm late in discovering a show, I can't get all the earlier episodes on Hulu. if I want to watch an episode again, it might not be on there next time I look. Downloading gives a non-commercial, high-quality file that can be watched whenever/wherever.

HAPPY LOST DAY, BTW.

For the most part I'm a Tivo-within-a-day kind of person too. The only thing that I typically watch live is sports. (I wonder if ESPN is making more ad revenue these days because advertisers know that their commercials are more likely to be seen?) I sometimes catch up on shows on my laptop through the network websites, but that's mainly for water-cooler purposes with shows like Survivor that don't demand a whole lot of attention (and the webads they have on those sites make that a really painful experience). Finally, my cable comp. doesn't carry Sci-Fi, so I've also bought BSG on iTunes, which I've watched on my computer *and* on my iPhone but the experience just isn't the same. For the current season, though, I'm taking advantage of Amazon's video-on-demand and having BSG sent directly to my Tivo, which is fantastic! I get to watch it the next morning first thing.

i still prefer to watch tv on tv, though most of it is admittedly delayed watching on tivo, it's a bigger screen and my living room is setup for that to be the most comfortable, i do sometimes like to watch live tv while doing things around the house like last night's idol which i don't need to pay a ton of attention to.
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i do watch some tv online mostly through the actual network sites mostly for the overbooked timeslots (house, ggirl, bbang/himym, chuck) but i just realized i missed a couple of the mentalist episodes and they don't seem to have full eps online... i'm not as in love with watching it on my laptop screen and feel like i need to hit mute on those online commercials that repeat... if i do watch online I prefer the comedies. i don't want to watch anything on an ipod/cell...
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i like to watch most shows in current seasons though i do catch some of the cable shows i don't get or didn't catch on to in the first season through netflix, dexter, battlestarG...

I'm boring: most of my tv watching is either live or DVR within a few days.

On the computer, I only watch shows I can't get on TV, like Gavin & Stacey, or S3 Dexter (I was starting to get spoiled early on so didn't want to wait for DVD). But, um, that's not so legal so never mind. (Though - rationalization - in Canada I think it's still a grey area.)

On DVD, I tend to watch shows that aired on channels I don't get (eg The Wire, S1/2 Dexter). Something like The Wire works really well on DVD because I think I watched more attentively when I could see it on my own timeline, and it's a show that rewards that kind of attentive viewing.

Or I get DVDs for shows that for some reason I couldn't get into on a weekly basis, like Mad Men. I think it has to do with the slow pace. For me it has a cumulative greatness but each individual episode doesn't leave me dying to see the next one.

I used to think I'd use DVD to catch up on shows I was interested in but never got around to watching much, like Gilmore Girls, but I've given up on that idea now. I think the barrier is that I figure if I were REALLY interested, I would have made time for them when they was on, so making the time now seems like a burden and there's always something else to watch.

My results are kinda skewed because I'm not sure if I'd watch more on Hulu or network sites if they weren't geoblocked here. Canadian nets have comparatively little online. But I also don't love the experience of watching on that small of a screen, and it's easier to watch the TV and multitask since my multitasking often involves working on the computer.

The only time I've watched much of anything via streaming was rewatching the original Cupid series on YouTube, because it's not available on DVD and I wanted to relive it before catching the remake.

I watch very little live tv- mainly the Thursday night lineup on NBC (minus Kath and Kim). Other than that, Hulu is my TV. Before Hulu I was downloading BSG & Colbert on iTunes, and I still have an Amazon subscription to this season of BSG, but owing to the fact that I own Macs rather than PCs I can't actually watch it.

I do much of my non-tv TV watching on my TV, either through Netflix on TiVo or through iTunes or Boxee on Apple TV. The Boxee software makes it possible to stream Hulu on my TV.

I do use Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Nation websites to send clips around for discussion and usually get sucked into watching old segments. And ABC.com's streaming video player to go back and revisit Lost episodes (in HD) that I've forgotten.

And I meant to add, that while some shows do work better in series (say, on DVD or streaming) with watching multiple episodes in a row (anything serialized, like The Wire or Lost), the online discussion keeps me trying as much as possible to watch certain shows (Lost, BSG, The Office, 30 Rock) the day that they air, in order to be able to participate in the discussions and not have to scrupulously avoid spoilers. So even if watching them on DVR to fast forward through commercial breaks, I'll try to watch those as close to live as possible.

Hulu is amazing, but for non-Hulu network internet sites, I think ABC wins hands down. HD quality picture, streams with minimal commercial interruptions, all their top shows, plus they frequently post old episodes during the off season so newbies can catch up. So, when it comes time for time-slot wars, I frequently divert my ABC viewing to their website, since it works so well.

As for me, I watch a lot live if I can (Lost, 30 Rock, Office, Bones, 24, Chuck), and everything else tends to be DVR'd if they conflict or if I have plans (which happens a lot with BSG and FNL). I fill in the gaps on shows I want to keep up with using Hulu or the network sites (I watch a lot on ABC.com, CSI and HIMYM on CBS.com, and some others on Hulu). And I use Blockbuster.com to catch up on old series that I missed (I did this for BSG and Freaks and Geeks very successfully).

I teach class 2 nights a week and spend the rest grading, etc so the Mrs and I don't tend to watch much TV 'live'. The majority of my TV viewing is taped (Monday & Thursday nights also seem to have the majority of the shows we like, so we're forced to tape just to see everything). That's right I said taped, as in good old fashioned VHS. We haven't joined the 21st centry so we don't have a DVR. We tend to tape and then have marathon sessions when I've pried myself away from PowerPoint.
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Mrs cosanostra1 and I have on occasion watched a missed episode on the network website (Jericho - me, Kitchen Nightmares - her) and she is currently catching up on The Tudors via DVD. Mrs cosanostra1 likes the DVD route as she can watch as little or as much as she wants and its not a show where she's likely to accidentally read a spoiler. We do watch some shows purchased via iTunes on our respective ipod Touches, but that's mainly for shows we can't get (Primeval is our current show of choice) but the screen is rather tiny so its far from an optimal way to watch. I'd prefer hook up the laptop to the TV to watch these. Like Matt I've got a couple of shows were I just read recaps (24, Heroes will likely join this group).
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Although its a treat to watch a show 'live' it is oh so nice to skip over the commercials.

The only thing I watch live are sporting events.

Everything else I watch on DVR. I usually am able to watch that day or the next day. I avoid commercials during these viewings and love Fringe's use of "Fringe will return in 90 seconds" because I can use the 30 sec FF button to easily skip the commercials.

Due to a conflict between Fisher Communications and Dish Network I haven't had the Portland ABC affiliate since Lost has been on this year. I've turned to ABC's website and like Chaddogg am very impressed by their HD streaming. It's the best quality on the web. The quality matches up extremely well with over the air HD. I was originally worried about having to watch Lost on the computer but it hasn't affected my viewing experience adversely at all.

Finally, I've used Hulu to catch up on some episodes I've missed here and there but use it only as Plan B because the quality just isn't the same as TV.

Hulu is awesome, but I wish more shows would get on board with them. I used to visit here all the time when I was in Tunisia. I still use it, but not as much because a few of my favorite shows aren't available. But, at least I can watch the ones that are, and leave time open for other things when they are airing live.

Good Point Chaddog.. I watched the entire Season 1 2 and 3 of Lost on ABC.com in HD. If I hadn't had the great picture and sound, I might not be as into it as I am now.. I actually would rather skip watching it live on tv and watch it online, but I can't wait that long!!!!! (sad, i know).

Live watching for me is primarily new episodes of shows with a high 'spoiler' risk and/or my addition to reading blog postings about them the next day. These include Lost, BSG, Big Love, The Office (and more and more, 30 Rock), and (I'll admit it) Top Chef.
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Other shows I'll either catch up on from the network site (ABC for Lost rewatches especially) or Hulu, depending on what's available where. I should get a DVR but I'm worried I'd never leave the living room...
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The biggest shift for me over the last few years is getting prior seasons of shows on DVD (either rented, loaned from friends, or purchased). I've been pointed towards a bunch good shows that I may not have seen or had access to when they originally aired.Why watch mediocre TV with commercials when you can watch the best without?

I watch Lost live, plus Chuck, The Office, 30 Rock and HBO's Sunday shows either live or on DVR. I use Hulu mostly for older episodes or to check out shows I don't watch regularly. And I'll confess that I've downloaded some TV series from questionable sources (i.e. torrents). I recently snagged the first five seasons of The Shield this way.
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I've also caught up on a lot of series on DVD from this new free service in my city. You go to this big old building downtown, show some ID and get a membership card that lets you to take out any DVD you want...completely free (they have books too). You just have to promise to bring it back in a week, or they'll charge you like a nickel a day. Yeah, I'm talking about the library. Most let you search the holdings online and reserve stuff. I even donated some of my old DVD sets.

In general, everything should be watched on an honest-to-goodness television; there's very little difference between live viewing and same day DVR viewing though.
Broadcast network sites (Hulu, ABC.com) are only used when I've missed an episode and need to catch up.
I don't have anything against pay-for sites such as iTunes/Xbox, it is just that I a)don't think the price premium is worth it, and b)have a hectic schedule, so if I have a window to watch something, its better to have it start in 60 secs when it is done buffering, than in an hour when it is done downloading and I am then doing something else.
DVDs are only purchased for cable shows that either I don't subscribe to (FOTC, Dexter - sorry Showtime, I'm not paying your subscription rate for 13 hours of Dexter every ~two years, vs. one DVD), or I intend to foist upon people who don't have cable, yet must be exposed to sheer greatness (Venture Bros!).
I don't think video-on-mobile will ever be a big deal; the draw seems to be limited to big city dwellers stuck on mass transit, teens/college kids that should be paying attention in class, etc. - where's the mass market?

I haven't owned an actual television in three years.
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I watch everything on my mac, mostly through the internet. Hulu is good for a handful of shows - megavideo fills in the rest, but I don't subscribe to megavideo, so I can only watch 72 minutes at a time before a non-member delay appears and tells me I have to wait an hour to keep watching.
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I find I have been able to track down almost any show through the internet, except HBO shows. I had to borrow shows like Sopranos and the Wire from a friend on DVD.
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When I visit my parents home and watch television on the ol' boob tube, I find I prefer a laptop with me. When a show - even an interesting show - slightly loses my interest - I surf the web.
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But I watch television on a computer now. And with megavideo, I only typically have to wait an hour or so after an episode premieres to watch it.