Television Journal

Wide, flat-screen televisions make watching movies at home almost as pleasurable as seeing them in a theater. With surround sound too, the movie experience mimics that of cinemas. One of the luxuries of watching films at home is being able to put the film on pause for a bathroom or snack break or in case friends happened to be talking over one of the scenes. Watching a film at home, especially with more than one person, is also cheaper than going out.

However, watching movies at home will never be as pleasurable as watching them in the theater for several reasons. First, the theater offers a sensory experience that cannot be rivaled by anyone's home television set up. Sound and the sheer size of the screen make the cinema the ideal place to watch some films, especially the big-budget action films or ones with intensive graphics. Movies that were made for the big screen often don't translate that well even to LCD or plasma televisions. Second, there is something special about watching the movie in public; the whole theater-going experience is fun including people-watching and even buying overpriced popcorn and soft drinks.

The range of television programs that I watch includes HBO dramas like "Six Feet Under," animated comedies like "The Simpsons" and "South Park," and occasionally the news and "The Daily Show." I also enjoy watching professional sports on TV too. The shows I watch occasionally relate to my daily life but usually they do not. For example, "Six Feet Under" portrays relationships and family more realistically than any other show I know but for the most part the shows I watch, including "The Simpsons" are exaggerated, which is why they are funny. I enjoy shows that make me laugh, but some dramas like "CSI" are occasionally fun to watch, even if they have no bearing on my every day life. In generally I like shows that entertain me for whatever reason, whether they make me laugh or whether they simply distract me for an hour or two.