Posted on 10/07/2019 3:26:53 AM PDT by Repent and Believe
Till now our traditional Catholic household has always enjoyed life free of television except occasional DVD viewing.
With a new elderly member of the household, with reluctance we are considering setting up limited, low budget, low tech, due to privacy concerns (no Alexia nor two way TV with camera nor google for example) television platform for the member's viewing. The venue sought is very limited at most: news, sports, weather, nature, and occasional clean family-oriented made-for-tv series and movies and documentaries.
We wish to not pay for nor deal with bundles of shows that are objectionable or otherwise will not get used, however, and if needed wish to have parental controls to exclude particular usages, since we already have existed without the temptation-filled activity of television.
We wish to continue utmost discipline in this area so as not to waste a minute in preparing for the life hereafter.
What might be the simplest least invasive and encumbered method to introduce into our home the idea of television under the above criterion?
Not to be discouraging, but I have come to believe that the PURPOSE of television is to introduce filth into your home that could not enter any other way, that it is present in all forms of television programming, and that you are better off avoiding it as you have so far.
Honestly, the only way to achieve your honorable goal is to continue with your current practice of “occasional DVD viewing.” It allows you total control of the content you allow in your home.
>I have come to believe that the PURPOSE of television is to introduce filth into your home that could not enter any other way
Zappa pretty much figured that out 45+ years ago.
I am gross and perverted
I’m obsessed ‘n deranged
I have existed for years
But very little has changed
I’m the tool of the Government
And industry too
For I am destined to rule
And regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious
But you can’t look away
I make you think I’m delicious
With the stuff that I say
I’m the best you can get
Have you guessed me yet?
I’m the slime oozin’ out
From your TV set
I’m The Slime
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tdtGo2Ib9oI
AntennaWeb will show you what is available via over-the-air broadcast by hooking up an antenna to your TV. Yes, you can actually still do this.
Also gives you tips on how much antenna you might need for a given station.
I thought you’d enjoy this:
Catholics React to Trump Winning the Presidency
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3PEyOvaIgk
You'll get all or most of broadcast networks (depending on your and stations relative locations and geo-relief) in up to 4K resolution, uncompressed (unlike cable / satellite) so as clear as the station sends the signal, some with several substations that often have old shows, series, movies etc. Most (95+%) channels are very family-and-kids-friendly.
Check out TV Guide or ZapTV for local channels within 15-60 miles in your area. Some may have channel numbers like 4.1, 4.2, 7.1-7.3 etc.
Because it's broadcast and not cable, they have to keep programming "clean" and CC (close-caption) is available on most channels (at least for post-1965 programming content, by law), for people with hearing issues or when sound needs to be down or muted.
You can also buy just one antenna attached directly to the back of TV, it's slightly cheaper, but expect potential limitation in the distance and direction of the signal, so possible loss of number of stations. They often advertise these on broadcast TV.
A lot of cord-cutters are using digital antennas, and the number of stations channels has been steadily growing. Some specialize in movies, some in comedies, some in mysteries, old series, so the variety may be very good, depending on your location.
Hope it helps.
Thank you, that sounds like an excellent suggestion. I’d also like a way to limit hours.
I get internet with cable. Is that how you still get internet?
I’m not the original poster. I am jumping in because he had excellent questions.
Tell “new elderly member of the household” they can live with your rules or live somewhere else. If that’s not good enough, let them get their own service on their own device that can’t be seen or heard by anyone else.
Often it’s modern commercials/advertisements that air during television programs that deliver the most damaging insult to Catholics who still prize their faith and wish to see it spread rather than retreat. Catching a Major League Baseball game on a major network or sports cable channel might seem like a good way to pass the time with your son or daughter until a commercial comes on that blatantly glorifies one or another soul-destroying, immoral behavior that our increasingly secular society now seems bent on telling us is “normal”. And do you know what the worst part is? You often don’t have the chance to even mute or pause the commercial until after the debased, sin-promoting message has already been conveyed, quickly and stealthily, like the jab of a switchblade or a contaminated hypodermic needle. It could be within the first second or two of the ad, taking you totally by surprise. Or it could consist of a shocking phrase salted into otherwise morally innocuous ad copy that the voice-over actor or narrator is reading so smoothly. It could be as quick or simple as a sexually suggestive glance toward the camera that abruptly diverts the tenor of a scene and leaves you feeling as if you need to take a shower. Or the untoward message is delivered via a split-second image of a male-male or female-female romantic interaction blended in with other rapid-fire images that either leaves you wondering, what? Did I just see what I think I saw?, or if not, at least gets deposited into your subconscious. Either way, another “edgy” Madison Avenue ad exec ends up getting their bonus check and annual industry pats-on-the-back for successfully “pushing the envelope”, despite the obvious cost in human souls.
That looks like it was a fun night, especially with all the empty pizza boxes.
We’re all prudes in my family. TV was banned to protect the young.
I get my “tv” from youtube.
Consider supplying the elderly member of your household with a computer.
A companion might also be practical; anything devoid of interaction is just a pacifier, after all.
Unfiltered tv is also depressing and you shouldn’t have to pay for that.
If you live close to an urban area, just get an antenna. One of the flat, square ones that stick to the window is fine. I live near Atlanta and can get about 40 channels with an antenna. Some are in Spanish, and most are filled with intolerably vapid nonsense, but that’s television! You can at least get network sports games and such. If you have good internet, get a Roku or Amazon fire stick. Lots of free movies, etc.
I’m not assuming anything but they would likely be fine with Youtube (free) or Amazon Prime repeats of favorite past shows and movies. Hulu basic is ~$10/montha and has most of the same.
News they could get from local talk radio, youtube, etc
Just a thought. Ask what they want to watch before making much of an investment - nearly everything can be had on the net.
Free TV by antenna gives local broadcast networks (ABC, etc), oldies channels, religious channels, Spanish channels, and shopping networks.
Roku might be worth looking at. I am not too familiar with it.
If you go the internet/computer route, make sure to install an appropriate filter.
I think you should worry more about your secular, commie pope, than worrying about television. That may have more of an impact on your perpetual preparation for the hereafter.
I’m with you on that. A parents first responsibility is to the children. If a grandparent is bringing bad influences into their lives then it’s up to the adult to protect them. This happened to me. My father would put on raunchy DVDs when we came to visit and I put a stop to it. My brother actually pulled me aside and thanked me. I wondered why he stood there and let Dad do it.
To the OP. Keep the whole house TV off, the other poster is right about commercials. Get grandparent a laptop and a subscription to SlingTv or a digital antenna just attached to their TV.
Get a library card and borrow some books.
You might set on/off (wake-up/got-to-sleep) times on your TV set - it's a lo-tech and limited solution, but it might work for some households and doesn't require external or expensive and complicated devices. Most digital TVs have the timers built-in - make sure the time is set properly and maintained automatically from OTA signal or cable — usually from a certain set channel.
I get internet with cable. Is that how you still get internet?
Everyone gets internet access from their ISP (Intenet Service Provider). There are not many choices of ISPs in most areas, most ISPs are either local cable companies or AT&T Fiber or DSL or Verizon Fios (fiber-optic service) or DSL. Google Fiber had tryouts of their high-speed fiber-optic in few states but the deployment has stalled. Verizon is starting to deploy what they call "5G" wireless internet but it's relatively expensive option for now, though "fixed wireless" originally developed by Lucent and Nortel and provided by AT&T should be a great option in few places where available. Satellite internet service is very expensive and slower than land or wireless and only makes sense where landlines of WiFi or LTE are not available.
So most people get the Net through cable or phone companies, but usually you don't have to have it bundled with TV, even though they make it seem like it must be a bundle, usually by providing a nice "introductory" price which makes TV service look "free".
Hope I understood the question right and the answer makes sense.
I have on my TV a Roku box (smaller than a pack of cards) and it offers so many channels, most for free. You choose what you want. Many of the channels are vintage TV and classic movies. Religious channels are available, as are sports and news. More channels are added often.
I’ve completely dumped American TV for British shows. Via Roku I have the British streaming services Britbox and Acorn. My viewing these days is usually British mystery shows (Midsomer Murders, Father Brown, Morse, Lewis, Endeavour, etc.) and a few equally clean Canadian and New Zealand mysteries.
As a conservative writer recently said about British mysteries, it’s not like American TV, where the F word is in every scene except funerals or baptisms of babies.
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