Day 23: Television Substitutes

What to do when you have a cute little unconnected television complete with DVD player?  Why, watch DVDs, of course.  I have a collection of precisely 47, neatly categorised into Action/Thrillers, Quirky Comedies, Intelligent Dramas, Children's (sub-catgegory: Animation), and Far-Too-Violent-And-Nasty-But-Purchased-For-An-Academic-Paper-I-Had-To-Write.  (These last I watched out of the corner of my eye with the screams turned down and the subtitles on.)

Fearsome!

I admit that compared to some collections, it is not extensive.  However, I pride myself on the quality of each and every entrant.  With the exception of the final category, they are a delight to watch over and over.  But my problem with films is that they are a delight to watch over only in the company of some other person.  For films are meant to be sociable experiences.  You are meant to be able to pause, go get some more nachos, have a toilet break, laugh at your companion when you catch them dashing away a tear, or, as in the legendary 1998 viewing of Elizabeth, spend half the film hiding in the kitchen and asking, "Can I come out yet?" 

In  short, films are no good for those lonesome evenings when one is all on one's ownio.  For that, one needs the iPlayer.

I freely admit that the iPlayer is not quite the same as having the whole range of cable TV at the press of a button.  But it is not a bad substitute.  The Frugalist knows she has to compromise on quality and convenience, which is what we pay our money for.  The journey will take longer by bus.  The cheaper shampoo will not be as luxurious as the more expensive one.  It's how it goes, and one is rewarded instead by the warm glow of virtue.

Some people mistakenly believe that you need a TV licence to watch BBC iPlayer, but this only applies if you want to watch the programme as it is airing.  If you try to do that, a warning box comes up and asks if you have a licence.  But if there is no warning box, then go ahead and watch it: you are not going to be caught out accidentally, and you are entitled to watch it absolutely free.  See here for confirmation.  And there are no such issues at all with the other channels.

This won't help people outside the UK (at least, I don't think it will - I'm guessing other countries will have their own versions).  But for those within, the links you need are:
BBC
ITV
Channel 4
Channel 5

Now excuse me while I catch up with The Killing.