Free To Air TV Is Rubbish.

[disco man]

TV sucks. That was the gist of feedback from viewers this week after a news.com report detailed the pet peeves of the viewing public. And as Australia is the country guilty of the most illegal downloads per capita in the world,you would think that TV networks might see the phenomenon as a cause and effect situation. We all know it is better in the long run to end a relationship that isn't working,and TV networks have become our outdated first love. The current gripes with free-to-air programming and advertising are exactly the same issues we faced in pre-remote control days,when parents used their kids as human channel changers. Back then,channel surfing during ad breaks required physical effort,as in getting up off the lounge,so we tended to sit through things we mightn't ordinarily tolerate. Post remote controls,everything changed. Or it should have,because who in their right minds would endure something annoying,or repetitive,in their own home,when at a touch of a button,it can be made to go away? But instead of adapting to this electronic revolution,the general consensus from TV networks appeared to be to forge on regardless.

Maintain the delayed programming,change timeslots mid-season,show episodes out of order,make sure to run overtime,and punctuate everything on offer with an overload of advertisements,including movies,which are designed to be viewed in one uninterrupted hit. Don't worry that thanks to something called the internet,viewers know exactly when new seasons of programs air overseas,just assume they'll be happy to avoid spoilers and updates for months until a network decides to screen its hoarded bounty. That'll work. Actually it doesn't,and in a society where customisation is king,viewers are still expected to be satisfied with a one-size-fits-all attitude. Pay TV created the concept of repeating their programming with a two hour delay on designated "+2" channels,but we've yet to see this on free-to-air. Sure,recording is an option,but who hasn't experienced the disappointment of settling in for an anticipated playback that despite factoring in delays of up to 30 minutes,ominously features the last 10 minutes of the preceding show,and ends minutes before the final,vital scenes?

Foxtel is scrambling to pick up free-to-air defectors with cheaper,more flexible packages,and has introduced a channel that features entire seasons of programs aired in a block,rather than the standard drip-feed. The same can't be said for free-to-air,which maintains a "La-la-la-la-la" fingers-in-the-ears attitude. Consider ratings provider OzTAM,which uses data from 3500 metropolitan homes and 2135 in regional areas,to calculate what 23 million of us like to watch. That's 0.02% speaking for everyone. Treated as an accurate representation of our viewing habits,it could be,maybe,if figures included downloads,and programs we watch on our phones,tablets and PCs. They don't. TV programmers continue to ignore those who have abandoned traditional TV,and cater solely to the tastes and viewing habits of a minuscule proportion of those who are left. Take for example Top Gear,when it was on SBS and BBC Knowledge it was an hour show,now when GO air the very same episodes,they can drag it out for an hour and a half,simply by showing many more ads. I can't be the only one who is dumbfounded by the amount of rubbish reality TV that is on every channel?

[Chucaro]

SBS news at 6.30 pm and soccer it is the only reason why a switch on the TV :D

[vnx205]

Surely people would only be dumbfounded by the amount of rubbish reality TV that is on every channel if they confined their viewing to the commercial channels.

Maybe they should try the ABC or SBS. :)

[Eevo]

People still watch fta?

Only time I watch it is when the footy or cricket is on.

[disco man]

Surely people would only be dumbfounded by the amount of rubbish reality TV that is on every channel if they confined their viewing to the commercial channels.

Maybe they should try the ABC or SBS. :)

I enjoy SBS and ABC very much,but when there is shows on those channels i don't like i am forced to watch the others,that's when i notice the reality TV illness.

[Slunnie]

I hardly watch TV now. It just doesn't grab me like it used to.

[JDNSW]

I rarely watch TV, except for the news and special programs. But then I grew up before it was common - was at high school before it existed in Australia.

John

[AndyG]

Fox tell is nothing to hold up as a shining light, am surprised they don't have an antique cooking show. 100 channels of crap.

Like most things, TV, road safety, etc , the lowest common denominator wins.

Here in png I get to choose the satellite channels, bbc, abc, sbs, cnn, al jazzers , fox movies and Nat geographic, oh and abc cartoons.
If you can't please everyone please yourself. :p

[discopete]

We use an Apple TV with a few tweaks. :cool: Gave up on FTA TV years ago.

Pete

[V8Ian]

I can't disagree with the title but, pay TV is no better. We recently canned it.

[clubagreenie]

We only watch FTA, about equally with D/l's. There's as much ads in PTV anyway, maybe structured differently but they're there.

I refuse to pay for TV when there's still a delay on the release dates (although it is improving) and FTA is about the same. But when I can, for example, find this years Bathurst in HD from a foreign capture that was also converted, have the English commentary overlaid and uploaded and then download it without ads (just blank periods during the ad breaks in English commentary) watch and after the 2nd hour be in sync with the live broadcast with the stream D/ling from the live conversion. There's something wrong here.

[clubagreenie]

And has anyone received a letter regarding D/ling? I never have, just read random people complaining about it and always regarding only one or two particular programs. Mine seem to go to random addresses overseas. I think there's a fault with my IP address allocation. It's never the same from hour to hour.

:angel:

[trog]

I recall hearing something about FTA wanting permission to increase the number of ads per hour. Makes me wonder then if cross promotions are considered as advertising as well. For both FTA and pay this is about as annoying as the fact that there is very little that actually interests me to turn on the box. Other than some sport , the occaissional movie , ussually from the World Movies channel , I would rather put some music on or read a real book. Maybe I am old fashioned in this respect , therefore my moniker , but I simply wont be buying or watching 99.9% 0f what is advertised.

[ATH]

Apart from the news which I watch on ABC, never on the commercials (too full of so called heart warming crap...cats up trees/lost budgie type stuff) I rarely watch anything which hasn't been recorded.
That way I can miss the advs. but have to ensure the Cook adds 5 mins or so to the recording time to allow for over runs....and that's not enough many times.
Bloke knocked on the door once offering a massive 10 BUCKS BACK if we signed up to Foxtel....."Do I look like I'm hard up for a few bucks?" I asked "Stick it up where the Sun don't shine on Murdoch".
Damn cheek.
Total crap most of what's on as if it's not canned rubbish from the US it's stupid so called "reality" shows.
AlanH.

[Mick_Marsh]

And has anyone received a letter regarding D/ling? I never have, just read random people complaining about it and always regarding only one or two particular programs. Mine seem to go to random addresses overseas. I think there's a fault with my IP address allocation. It's never the same from hour to hour.

:angel:
A fellow I worked with had received that email, twice.
He did have two terabytes of movies.

[austastar]

Hi,
Yep! Totally underwhelming.
With all these new channels, it just takes longer to realise there is nothing but crap being broadcast.
Cheers

[disco man]

I can't disagree with the title but, pay TV is no better. We recently canned it.

G'day Ian, Fully agree with what your saying. I got rid of Foxtel at the start of the year and in many respects it is not much better than free-to-air. But i have found myself wanting to have my sports,documentary,and the best of all the country music channel back. And with the V8 Supercars going to Foxtel next year it is going to happen anyway.

[d2dave]

Sure,recording is an option,but who hasn't experienced the disappointment of settling in for an anticipated playback that despite factoring in delays of up to 30 minutes,ominously features the last 10 minutes of the preceding show,and ends minutes before the final,vital scenes?


I have a DVD recorder with a 500 gig hard drive. I can record about a week of tv. So if there is a show I want to watch, and that is rare these days, I just hit the record button hours before it is due to start.

Yep Tv is so full of crap. Below is my list of shows that not only do I not like, a lot of them irritate me. People say if you don't like them don't watch them.

Here is my next gripe. When there is a show that I do like(Rare) I cop during an ad break a "sneak peek" of one of these shows that irritates me.

One that recently almost sent me out of the room was the recent promo's for dancing with the stars, for the preceding weeks before it started.

As for channel surfing. It is now too awkward with many channels now having two numbers and the ones that don't there is the big delay between changing stations, while the tv gives you time to select a second button.

My List.
Dancing with the stars
The biggest loser
The X factor
Farmer wants a wife
Beauty and the geek
Australian idol
Big brother
The big adventure

I am sure there are plenty more if I think hard enough.

The above is why my post count is rising here.

[disco man]

I have a DVD recorder with a 500 gig hard drive. I can record about a week of tv. So if there is a show I want to watch, and that is rare these days, I just hit the record button hours before it is due to start.

Yep Tv is so full of crap. Below is my list of shows that not only do I not like, a lot of them irritate me. People say if you don't like them don't watch them.

Here is my next gripe. When there is a show that I do like(Rare) I cop during an ad break a "sneak peek" of one of these shows that irritates me.

One that recently almost sent me out of the room was the recent promo's for dancing with the stars, for the preceding weeks before it started.

As for channel surfing. It is now too awkward with many channels now having two numbers and the ones that don't there is the big delay between changing stations, while the tv gives you time to select a second button.

My List.
Dancing with the stars
The biggest loser
The X factor
Farmer wants a wife
Beauty and the geek
Australian idol
Big brother
The big adventure

I am sure there are plenty more if I think hard enough.

The above is why my post count is rising here.

Well done mate, that is a list of utter rubbish. You have managed to come up with the same shows i would pick. A few more that could make that impressive list,

The Block
My Kitchen Rules
Master Chef
House Rules
The Great Race
The Project

[V8Ian]

Geez, you blokes do things the hard way. It'll be much easier to list the watchable programmes. ;)

[Mick_Marsh]

Geez, you blokes do things the hard way. It'll be much easier to list the watchable programmes. ;)
What!?
Megatruckers
Outback Truckers
Ice Road Truckers
Worlds Toughest Trucker
American Truckers
Extreme Trucking
Big Rig Bounty Hunters
Truck Stop USA
Shipping Wars

[V8Ian]

What!?
Megatruckers
Outback Truckers
Ice Road Truckers
Worlds Toughest Trucker
American Truckers
Extreme Trucking
Big Rig Bounty Hunters
Truck Stop USA
Shipping Wars

None of the above.

[Mick_Marsh]

Although my TV viewing time is reducing, I am watching movies and TV shows I buy on DVD and BluRay more. You can buy a half decent to good movie on BluRay for about $10 now. I watched "Big Jake" last night before going to the cinema to watch "Fury" for $10.
"Fury" must be watched at the cinema for the sound. The sound system there is so much better.
I think I'll watch another $10 BluRay this afternoon whilst I do my ironing.

[d2dave]

Well done mate, that is a list of utter rubbish. You have managed to come up with the same shows i would pick. A few more that could make that impressive list,

The Block
My Kitchen Rules
Master Chef
House Rules
The Great Race
The Project

Yep, definitely on the list. I knew there were heaps more, just couldn't think of them at the time.

[d2dave]

I think I'll watch another $10 BluRay this afternoon whilst I do my ironing.

Can't you get your mum to do it?:D

[d2dave]

Geez, you blokes do things the hard way. It'll be much easier to list the watchable programmes. ;)

Here's my list.

Highway patrol.
Air crash investigation.

I will have another one to add soon. Love thy neighbor is coming back soon.

[Mick_Marsh]

Can't you get your mum to do it?:D
Easily

but

she lives 800km drive from me. You're closer.

Back you the ironing, and watching a BluRay.

[LandyAndy]

Can't you get your mum to do it?:D

You ever watched Mother and Son, Dave??????
That is why Mick keeps 800km between him and Mumsy.They could film a new season at Micks place;);););););)
Andrew

[V8Ian]

Here's my list.

Highway patrol.
Air crash investigation.

I will have another one to add soon. Love thy neighbor is coming back soon.
And Judge John Deed.

[Mick_Marsh]

You ever watched Mother and Son, Dave??????
That is why Mick keeps 800km between him and Mumsy.They could film a new season at Micks place;);););););)
Andrew
Scary. You fail to appreciate how close to the truth you are.

[trog]

Maybe it is time to just enmasse boycott the tv. Go to and participate , not watch.

[Gary S11]

We use an Apple TV with a few tweaks. :cool: Gave up on FTA TV years ago.

Pete
How do I " tweek" my Apple TV?

[V8Ian]

What!?
Megatruckers Never seen it.
Outback Truckers :nazilock:
Ice Road Truckers I imagine it's as much BS as the above.
Worlds Toughest Trucker May impress some, but really just trucking 101.
American Truckers Never seen it.
Extreme Trucking Never seen it.
Big Rig Bounty Hunters Never seen it.
Truck Stop USA Never seen it.
Shipping Wars Never seen it.

Not good for my blood pressure, maybe it is for ratings amongst bogans.

[Eevo]

I have to agree with you Ian. some good stories but it definitely was targeting the bogan audience.
the Steve Grahame story was excellent!

[discopete]

How do I " tweek" my Apple TV?

What model do you have?

[LandyAndy]

Not good for my blood pressure, maybe it is for ratings amongst bogans.

Awe come on Ian,without truckies a nation stops.Whats wrong with them earning a bit of extra coin carting a camera around showing us how tough the job is;););)
Andrew

[V8Ian]

Awe come on Ian,without truckies a nation stops.Whats wrong with them earning a bit of extra coin carting a camera around showing us how tough the job is;););)
Andrew

Nothing if they're fair dinkum but the only one who resembled that was the guy going to Kalumburu.
Ice cream melted because he didn't know it had to be set >18* :confused: I'm not surprised the truck stopped, he flogged it to death.
Driving a 90 tonne hydro half way across the country to unload a couple of dongas :confused: a 3 tonne forlklift could have done it.
Do I need to go on?

[mikehzz]

There must be a very healthy supply of morons out there because every 2nd channel is a shopping channel advertising things I would never buy. Foxtel is just terrible with so many ads and so many repeats. Free to air is that bad that someone can win a Gold Logie and I have never heard of them nor recognize who they are from a picture. Thank goodness for the ABC and SBS. I find ABC Iview and SBS on demand suit me down to the ground because I can watch the programs at times that are convenient to me without having to record anything. I watch on my ipad and can throw it to the big screen through the Apple TV if I want. My kids are grown and none of them watch free 2 air or Foxtel.

[s7000]

I don't watch a lot of TV (on a television).

We have Foxtel, and that's only for the sports.

As for the rest. The internet wins... Series are in order, there are no ads, only shows you want to watch... Pause it... Stop it and pick up in the same place later... It's all win.

[debruiser]

I don't watch a lot of TV (on a television).

We have Foxtel, and that's only for the sports.

As for the rest. The internet wins... Series are in order, there are no ads, only shows you want to watch... Pause it... Stop it and pick up in the same place later... It's all win.

Call me illiterate but I can never find good places to watch anything on the net.

I also agree with the general gist of the thread - FTA for me is mostly rubbish and full of stupid ads. I have a basic package of Foxtel through my phone carrier and it's full of ads too! makes me angry that I pay for TV and still have to sit through hordes of money making drivel. The shows a more interesting, but you always have 30 channels you never watch and 2 you do. The on demand movies are good though. :D

[BMKal]

Nothing if they're fair dinkum but the only one who resembled that was the guy going to Kalumburu.
Ice cream melted because he didn't know it had to be set >18* :confused: I'm not surprised the truck stopped, he flogged it to death.
Driving a 90 tonne hydro half way across the country to unload a couple of dongas :confused: a 3 tonne forlklift could have done it.
Do I need to go on?

Ah so you watched that episode Ian. I saw it was on again over the weekend.

And they even showed "Clare" the ultimate truckie who believes that everyone else on the road but her is an idiot. Great example of driving through a level crossing with all the lights flashing - while abusing the driver of the car who stopped at the crossing - bloody muppet. It's morons like her who cause accidents - and get all the decent truckies out there a bad name. :censored:

The fact that this was even shown, together with her comments - with no disclaimer of any sort from the producers of the show - just goes to show that the show was put together by a bunch of idiots with no knowledge of the industry at all.

I did hear last time it was shown that she got the flick from GKR and was no longer driving trucks - bloody good move on somebody's part. ;)

[Eevo]

And they even showed "Clare" the ultimate truckie who believes that everyone else on the road but her is an idiot. Great example of driving through a level crossing with all the lights flashing - while abusing the driver of the car who stopped at the crossing - bloody muppet. It's morons like her who cause accidents - and get all the decent truckies out there a bad name. :censored:



from memory, one of the shows sponsors pulled their funding because of her.

link:

http://dieseltalk.co.nz/news/sponsors-pull-pin-on-nz-bound-aussie-trucking-tv-show

Key sponsors, CAT and BP, have withdrawn support for popular Australian TV show, Outback Truckers, which Perth based production company, Prospero Productions is hoping to bring to New Zealand TV screens.
both BP and CAT Trucks have been disappointed with the way drivers were portrayed, claiming that the series showed dangerous driving behaviour.

A statement from Cat reads: “The program does not meet the intent we believed it would and is not consistent with the core values of Cat Trucks or the positive image of the Australian truck industry that we and our Australian truck customers work so hard to portray.”
BP’s statement says: “We withdraw endorsement of the Outback Truckers TV Series because there have been scenes which show high-risk and potentially unsafe practices. We believe that the show is not in line with BP’s core values and as a result we have withdrawn our endorsement of the program.”
Julia Redwood from Prospero Productions told DIESELtalk that she was disappointed at the pulling of industry support. “BP and Cat decided it was prudent to withdraw as partners in the wake of one incident in the first episode that caused a huge reaction and a lot of political heat.”

[NavyDiver]

I can't disagree with the title but, pay TV is no better. We recently canned it.
Looked at Pay TV for a month and wondered that people pay to see advertising:eek:. SBS or ABC for me. When forced to look at commercial Free to air or pay tv I get a lot of tea breaks, take the kids to the shower, brush teeth...... and usually have more time due to the advertising making 30 minutes shows take 1.5 hours.

PVR works well. ABC and SBS Online work well. Stealing music or movies via Illegal downloads are not my cup of tea.

[s7000]

Call me illiterate but I can never find good places to watch anything on the net.

Sounds like you're not looking in the right places... :wasntme:

[Eevo]

Stealing music or movies via Illegal downloads are not my cup of tea.

i think you mean copyright infringement, not stealing.

[boa]

Same thing.

[muddymech]

crackle and sbs on demand have saved us several nights of bad tv.

[Corgie Carrier]

I just read through this thread and only recognised a couple of shows mentioned, doesn't sound like I'm missing much.

My TV crapped itself back in January (2 mths out of it's 5yr warranty) and I haven't bothered replacing it. I have thought about it a couple of times and had the money there to do it, but spent it on parts for my bush truck or DD instead. Much better value for money I think :-)

Neale

[boa]

The age tv site has some interesting stuff.

[mikehzz]

There are a stack of full movies and tv shows on youtube. I assume it's legal to watch them there?

[Gary S11]

What model do you have?
Hi it's a mod A1427 hope that helps

[discopete]

Hi it's a mod A1427 hope that helps

PM sent.

[Saitch]

Try reading a book & forming your own perception of a character from the authors words rather than from some producers idea of what they should be like, Hollywood style.

[DiscoMick]

I totally agree with everything in the original post. The arrogance of the commercial TV channels who treat viewers like pawns to be exploited has just made me totally fed up, so I rarely watch commercial TV now, unless there is a particular program in the guide that interest me. Then I record it so I can flick through the ads.
Other surveys have found that a majority of people are also on their smartphones or tablets while the TV is on, which just shows how underwhelming the TV experience is so much of the time.
Time will come when the internet will simply replace normal TV. Hooking up your internet to your TV and adding a hard drive is already common.
The TV channels, instead of trying to actually improve the viewing experience, are just trying to manipulate the viewers, which is exactly why the viewers are deserting them - the channels just don't get it. Its exactly the same process which is killing off the past dominance of print newspapers. Murdoch seems to think enough people will actually PAY for his newspapers to make them viable, but actually they're just going deeper into the red because their behavior is alienating the public.

[Tombie]

I enjoy SBS and ABC very much,but when there is shows on those channels i don't like i am forced to watch the others,that's when i notice the reality TV illness.

Forced to watch?

Really :angel:

[shanegtr]

I dont watch too much TV nowdays. The only thing I try to watch regually is the V8supercars. Most shows that are on in the evening are not really of much interest to me - A few of the shows on 7mate are watchable, but generally thats about it. The biggest factor for me not watching much TV is I dont have time to sit and watch something on a timeslot. I find it soooooooo much easier to watch something on my own time that I've either downloaded (illegally). I do use the main channel catch up stuff to watch their shows on my own timeslot as well - which I think is really the future for TV - a heap of shows that you watch on demand. Im too much of a cheapskate to pay for fox (plus I think its total bull**** that they put commercial ads on something you pay for!) so that wont happen.

[Dhickm]

FTA is only used for ABC news24. Otherwise Netflix or Amazon prime streaming movies and TV series. Netflix is around $10 per month, Amazon prime worked out cheaper with a year sub.
So easy to do, no wonder Murdoch is trying to get the government to screw down the ISP's.

[p38arover]

Netflix is around $10 per month, Amazon prime worked out cheaper with a year sub.

How much data are you downloading when you look at the figures from your ISP?

[incisor]

FTA is only used for ABC news24. Otherwise Netflix or Amazon prime streaming movies and TV series. Netflix is around $10 per month, Amazon prime worked out cheaper with a year sub.
So easy to do, no wonder Murdoch is trying to get the government to screw down the ISP's.
and why as soon as the nbn was started he switched sides...

the new service starting next year 'stan" should be good value by all accounts...

[Chenz]

I have Foxtel HD with IQ which I use to series link the programmes that I like to watch - mostly stuff on the Documentary channels, sport and movies.

By recording these shows and watching them later the fast forward gets a real workout going through the ads.

I can't for the life of me work out why Foxtel doesn't allow you to pay per channel that you want to watch. That way you could drop all the crap programmes and channels you never watch and that show rubbish like Keeping up with the Karcrapians, Jersey Bore etc.

They could have a minimum number of channels- say 10 and then you pay for only the ones you want on top of that. Instead they have these bundles where you can only get all of this crap to go with the few channels you want.

With the alternative FTA rubbish - even aside from Aunty and SBS, there is not much to choose from.

It is a sad indictment on society when programmes like Big Brother, The Block and Dancing with the Stars are top rating programmes. I would rather nail a mullet to my back fence and watch it rot.

[disco man]

I have Foxtel HD with IQ which I use to series link the programmes that I like to watch - mostly stuff on the Documentary channels, sport and movies.

By recording these shows and watching them later the fast forward gets a real workout going through the ads.

I can't for the life of me work out why Foxtel doesn't allow you to pay per channel that you want to watch. That way you could drop all the crap programmes and channels you never watch and that show rubbish like Keeping up with the Karcrapians, Jersey Bore etc.

They could have a minimum number of channels- say 10 and then you pay for only the ones you want on top of that. Instead they have these bundles where you can only get all of this crap to go with the few channels you want.

With the alternative FTA rubbish - even aside from Aunty and SBS, there is not much to choose from.

It is a sad indictment on society when programmes like Big Brother, The Block and Dancing with the Stars are top rating programmes. I would rather nail a mullet to my back fence and watch it rot.

I reckon watching the mullet rot would be far better entertainment than any reality tv show that pollutes aussie tv's.

[Dhickm]

Ron,
Data usage is surprisingly reasonable, didn't max out our 100GB/mth allowance in early days. You can choose quality to regulate usage; Low (0.3 GB per hour),Medium (SD: 0.7 GB per hour), High (best video quality, up to 3 GB per hour for HD, 7 GB per hour for Ultra HD).
I switched to unlimited once we decided to keep the service, and with 2 pre-teen boys in the house in addition to work web-conferences it seemed the logical choice