Watching Public TeeVee

[digitS']

Now that I have Chromecast, I'm curious about locally produced PBS shows and can watch them on the larger, tee hee screen.

You might be surprised by the number of these shows out there. Some have a large national audience, like Boston's "This Old House." Some, have several stations which broadcast the shows. I bet some have no more than the one local broadcast.

Here on the border, we have Washington Grown, Idaho Outdoors, and Oregon Field Guide. See, I bet folks on the East Coast have never seen those shows . You might enjoy seeing a full episode on the station websites. Some are uploaded to lbs.org. The picture quality of those shows seem first-rate!

Just curious, I decided to try three pbs affiliates on the East Coast and enjoyed seeing a cooking show through the Boston station and a tour of pizza restaurants in and near Washington D.C. As well, there was a show about Asian American food, I guess it was from the City University of New York but I learned about it on a Providence, RI station.

What local shows do you enjoy?

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

That's hard to say. A lot of what we tune into on PBS is the BBC stuff, which can in no way be described as "local"

It's sounds like the show you are referring to with the Asian american cooking is "Simply Ming". I don't watch it but my mom used to. If it really did come from the City university, I guess it was local to us (we get at least three PBS channels here even without the cable, WNET (NYC) WLIW (Long Island) and WNJU (Montclaire)

Back when he was alive, by Grandpa LOVED "The Victory Garden" . He'd actually tape episodes if he though the info would be useful, and I sat through a LOT of them, even today I can't hear Handel's Water Music" without thinking of plants (or "Rondo for the King's Supper" without expecting some sort of drama.)

He also watched a lot of McNiell/Lehr though whether it was always or just when my uncle was on I don't know (That's Boston as well, and since my uncle was head of the economics department at MIT, he got called on a LOT.)

We watch a lot of the WGBH (Boston) stuff since they are sort of PBS programming HQ. Mystery! (oh sorry Masterpiece Mystery, the combined the shows a few years ago.) comes out of there, I think and we watch a lot of that (as do a lot of other people which comes in handy when I need to tell someone who Edward Gorey is.)

I'll have to ask my parents, they current watch more than I do

 

[thistlebloom]

We get a lot of the WGBH programs as well. And Masterpiece, Simply Ming, and the assorted BBC programs.
Of the truly local, I'd say Outdoor Idaho is probably the only one I watch.

 

[digitS']

lbs.org ?

dang that autocorrect! PBS.org, of course!

Yes, Simply Ming and Yan Can Cook! Once in awhile, I get stir-fry ideas. After years of trying, mostly I get inspiration .

Ming, however, must have been the one who informed me of the possibility of smoking indoors! I'm gettin' that smoker! Yep.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

I was out checking on info for the home theater when I tripped over a great deal on a 55 inch (monster). I bought it for DH. He should be able to see it from his chair instead of only when standing directly in front of it when I'm watching (or trying to).

Since it has everything, I'll have to check out Chromecast, Steve. I fear this TV is going to be as overwhelming to me as the smart phone. I have no idea how to do more than turn it on and run through every channel looking for the one I knew I wanted.

Back to PBS. We get only one broadcaster -- out of Madison, Wisconsin -- but they run three channels 21.1 the straight PBS viewing, 21.3 focused on Wisconsin, but with other PBS shows, and 21.3 that is the Create Channel with the cooking, craft, woodworking, and travel shows.

With three channels to choose from, PBS is the main television we watch here. I did watch the end of the Denver game tonight. Strange to see everything so large and clear after years of a small screen with lines running through the upper quarter.

 

[baymule]

Red, a few years ago, our behemoth ancient TV, 42" in any direction you measured it, died. My poor DH went a whole week with no TV. I went to Sam's and bought him a super duper 60" flat screen, Bose speakers, Blu-ray DVD layer and a electric fireplace TV stand. It does tricks that we have no idea how to operate. But it comes on, it is huge, clear, the color is wonderful and he loves it. I know your husband will love the new TV because he can see everything.

 

[digitS']

I think I may have your 42" TV, Bay'. It's only been a few years but maybe they polished it up and sold it for new.

The new things have built-in casting. It's ALL new to me. We have one tablet and one smart phone that can control the process with our TV. I'm pretty sure that the new ones have that and a remote for control.

DD has a Roku TV. I don't know if it's a make or just the casting function on the thing. They bought it in December and I've only seen it once and was busy eating and playing cards ... . It's a little funny that I have been asking her for about 18 months about Roku. I think it's about the same as Apple TV and Google TV. Chromecast is something simpler than Google TV but made by that company. I'm pretty sure that Wikipedia has all sorts of information under "digital media player."

Wikipedia is where I nearly always go first when I have a question. I don't necessarily trust the answers but it gets me headed in the right direction. A CNet or other online electronics magazine can usually make things clearer and are often linked as a reference in a Wikipedia article. I begin sweating bullets if I have to get any further into weeds than this.

These "digital media players" allow us to stream movies and documentaries and fun things people put on YouTube - onto our big TV screens. If we aren't interested in sharing our own pictures and videos by uploading them to video sharing websites, we can also play that media out of our computer files onto the big screens and humor our guests ... oh, and some of the video games are useful this way but I don't know about them.

There is all this integration but jealous separation at the same time by the different companies. It just seems like this is the way most everything starts out and then there is this slow attrition as consolidation moves goods & services to near monopolies. I say "near" because the consumers begin to feel that large corporations are taking advantage of them after awhile. Those consumers begin asking the government to limit the big players as they squeeze off competitors. Right now, there seems to be a multitude of players but we are seeing the multi-billion dollar buy-outs, daily.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

We still have a smallish TV that is very old. Hard to see clearly, so I have been thinking about getting a larger new one. I think AT&T offers a service that I can use to get something like Netflix, plus the local channels. We are so fed up with dish network, I will be happy to kiss it goodbye.
However, the TV we have now is in a huge entertainment center with book shelves all crammed full. The space for the TV is too small for a larger TV. I need that big shelving unit down in the basement bedroom that I am going to use for a sewing room. If we move the shelving unit, I have to paint the wall. May as well paint the whole room.
While I have the room torn apart, I may as well get this horrid old carpet pulled up and put down wood. Throughout the living, dining and kitchen. The house is too wide for the supports down below, causing squeaky floors that have "give" in them, so more supports are needed.
If we put in new flooring, we definitely have to replace the back patio doors where the rain from the north leaks in under the door and makes the floor wet.
It's like that old song "There's a Hole in the Bucket, Dear Liza, Dear Liza"
This has been put off for years and years. First because we couldn't afford it, then because DH didn't trust anyone to do the work properly, now because he doesn't want strangers in the house. And doesn't want his life disrupted.

 

[journey11]

Almost all we watch is PBS, both on the tv and online. And now we have 2 more PBS channels with additional programming. The kids watch the educational cartoons in the morning. When I get time to sit down and watch, I enjoy most any of the documentaries, the series "Call the Midwife", Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour and Austin City Limits.

 

[Nyboy]

Lucky I call that the snowball remodel, been there. Was only going to put down hardwood floor in kitchen. Ended up whole room gutted !!