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blueflow

Not having an TV is also a viable option. Around 2016 my last TV broke down and i have adapted to live without it.

When i say 'TV' i also mean to include Netflix and Hulu and other services serving the same purpose.

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So, yes the alternative is not to use a device used by 95% homes in the US.

What next the old Slashdot meme - “I haven’t owned a TV in 10 years. Do people still watch TV?”

This is a non-argument - just because most people do it doesn't mean you have to do it, too.

Edit: The slippery slope: 95% of people are straight.

Your edit doesn’t help. That’s just like giving advice to a straight man who complains about not being able to find a woman - “just find a man. I haven’t slept with a woman in 10 years. You don’t have to date women.”

While I do see, and agree with your point, we're also at a time where it's honestly much much easier to not own a TV than say 20 years ago.

He said that he means no video content from anywhere - including streaming services.

Yes, I understand that. Going back to the 80' or 90' you'd frequently be in a position where everyone had seen the same news, show or movie the night before or during the weekend, leaving you out of the conversation. That's no longer the case, there is so much content that it's not really weird that haven't watch something. Sports is so expensive that it's no surprise that you didn't a particular event. It's almost surprising of two people in an office watched the same thing the night before.

Also there are so many other types of media available, like video games, audio-books, podcasts, online articles, e-books. You can be just as informed and entertained without a TV.

Why does it matter what devices most homes have?

I haven't had one since 2006. I haven't missed it, nor do I watch any streaming services apart from the occasional documentary that generally leaves me disappointed.

I agree that the quality is disappointingly bad, and this was the main driver behind my decision to not buy an replacement.

Maybe you're just not TV people. That's OK. But plenty of people on the other side would say the Golden Age of TV is still ongoing. There are more shows and productions being made than ever, maybe that's led to an abundance of mediocre content, but there have been many great shows made in the last 10 years.

Try Kingdom on Peacock.

We are doing that. We have a projector. In its case under the table in the living room.

Setting it up increases the transaction cost of watching a show/movie. The result is that we only put it up for the few cases when we deem it worth it.

And when we do, the experience is awesome.

I had this idea as an undergraduate. Unfortunately, I didn't consider the geometry and realized too late that a good viewing experience with a projector requires a screen, which I didn't have room (or money) for. As penance I watched most of Inuyasha on a popcorn wall.

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