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TV Time Machine: A Raspberry Pi That Plays Random 90s TV

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Re: TV Time Machine: A Raspberry Pi That Plays Random 90s TV

#3

Post by WarOnPrivacy » 

    Growing up in the 90s, television was a different experience.
    You turned on the TV, and whatever was playing at that moment
    would become your entertainment.

    Strangely enough, I miss that feeling of having something
    selected for me, something I cannot influence.
I grew up a few decades before and I lack the author's nostalgia. I think some of that is because my exposure to OTA TV was much longer. Some was because I missed TV's first Golden Age and TV trended toward awful afterward - with some exceptions (Taxi & 1980s NBC Thru night are 2). I never had cable so I can't factor that in.

Between having control over what I watch and some of the absolutely stellar content that's come out in the last generation, I've no nostalgia for OTA TV of yore. I really like what I have.

Re: TV Time Machine: A Raspberry Pi That Plays Random 90s TV

#4

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

In 2005 I came across of video stream (mp4? viewable in VLC) of early 20th c. cartoons. There were dozens and dozens of them and nothing else. I never worked out who was behind it, just that it's IP was in western Europe. It was up for at least a year.

My kids were often with me during adult hours (work, etc) and I'd put it on for them. But I was also half-captivated by the idea of anonymously delivered content.

It would be fantastic to find a modern equivalent except delivering an endless slate of novel, off-kilter and largely inexplicable content.

Re: TV Time Machine: A Raspberry Pi That Plays Random 90s TV

#6

Post by 0cf8612b2e1e »

I have long thought Netflix should offer such a service. Have a sitcom channel that plays constantly from a slowly evolving list. Even better if I could just pick say Seinfeld and get random episodes from an episodic show. I do not want to have to expend energy picking a season+episode, just trying to decompress.

Re: TV Time Machine: A Raspberry Pi That Plays Random 90s TV

#7

Post by joshmarinacci »

0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #6

I have long thought Netflix should offer such a service. Have a sitcom channel that plays constantly from a slowly evolving list. Even better if I could just pick say Seinfeld and get random episodes from an episodic show. I do not want to have to expend energy picking a season+episode, just trying to decompress.

Netflix wants you to watch their own shows, not TV from the 90s that they have to pay licensing fees for.

Re: TV Time Machine: A Raspberry Pi That Plays Random 90s TV

#8

Post by 5555624 »

>Growing up in the 90s, television was a different experience. > >You turned on the TV, and whatever was playing at that moment would become your entertainment. > >Nowadays you yourself are in control, you choose what you want to see, whenever you want.

You had some control back then, too -- you could change the channel. I don't know anywhere that had a single OTA channel in the 1990s.

(And "Stargate SG-1" was on cable.)

Re: TV Time Machine: A Raspberry Pi That Plays Random 90s TV

#10

Post by mingus88 »

0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #6

I have long thought Netflix should offer such a service. Have a sitcom channel that plays constantly from a slowly evolving list. Even better if I could just pick say Seinfeld and get random episodes from an episodic show. I do not want to have to expend energy picking a season+episode, just trying to decompress.

Plenty of other services do this. Plex has a whole cable-style directory of “live” shows
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