Television: Then and Now

Growing up during the 20th Century was okay, I guess. It seemed then that either I was in the house doing something constructive or outside playing with family and friends. There was hardly ever time to just sit down and watch Television, at least not at my house. Television then was not important anyways. My great-grandmother used to always say, “Television ruins your life, you do not know what is true or false.” Television has changed in many ways; size/shape, color depiction, types of shows, and leisure time. I would prefer Television of today but with some of the perks of then.
Between the 20th century and the 21st Century a TVs appearance has changed dramatically, however the size range are pretty much the same. You can get a 19in, 22in, 27in, 32in, and so on. They are still heavy in size and shape pretty much the same. However, over the years it seems they are becoming flatter and flatter. Back then you could go pick up a big, bulky TV from the store with either knobs across the bottom or knobs in the top right-hand corner. Now TVs are still big, but are flatter with their knobs practically hidden along the sides of the TV or either on the back. Some people still prefer an older model TV over a newer TV, just because it is less complicated to deal with and they probably would know all the outs and ins better.
Black and white used to be the color of everything. Some people used to have TVs that only showed black and white and some had color TVs. Color clarity of TVs are still the same. You can always go through the menu of the TV and change the settings to what best fits your eyes. It just seems now that TVs come in HD, Better LCD, depending upon the brand. All those terms relating to a TV does not really matter to the average consumer or really to the big spenders, just as long as it the picture shows up and sound comes out.
Boy, haven’t the TV shows multiplied? It is so much to watch and so little time. Some of the same shows still come on, like the news, of course, Barney and friends, “Stories”, and etc. TV lands still try and produce the same educational shows as they did then, now. Also there are still mostly the same TV stations. Now with the new satellite connection, people had to have up to date TVs to receive the same channels they are used and more, but if they were not able they were giving the opportunity to have a converter box that kept them up to date. There are still the “Stories” that come on during the daytime, but much more reality shows now. TV ratings should be mostly at its highest because of the wide range of shows been produce now. Back then TV shows went off around 1 o’clock and did not come back on until like 5 o’clock, and then at that time it was either the news or something educational for the kids before school. Now it seems as if decent TV shows begin around 6 o’clock a.m. and ends around 4 o’clock a.m. This only leaves around 2 hours of infomercials and/or sleep for some people. There are more cartoons for the kids and cooking and housing shows for adults.
Back in the day and still in some homes today, leisure time was really not a topic of discussion. Either you were outside playing or in the house doing something constructive. It did not necessarily have to be school work, but it had/has to be something other than sitting down just watching TV. If there was educational reason for watching TV then you could/can forget about looking at TV. People had/has their way around TV. I guess depending upon the household you are in, that is what really qualifies your ability to watch TV. Some kids and even adults now sit and watch TV all day depending upon what say of the week it is or what is on the agenda. That is why we have more obese people and couch potatoes. People were more active back then because there was not all this technology going around and TV was not as interesting to the average person as it now.
Television has changed so much between the 20th Century and the 21st Century. Sometimes I wish it has not changed so drastically. I still remember the good ole times and all the extra handy work that had to be done trying to keep the TV running. Now working a TV is as easy as a touch of a button. There are still many kinks in it’s’ technology that never compare to the old days but at least there is still a line where the two meet in similarities.