Canadian Picture Frame TV Channel Burns Up Screens
by Kristin Underwood, San Diego, CA on 07.30.08
We all miss those vacations where we did nothing but leave the windows open to the beach and gazed longingly into the lapping surf, or slept under the stars while camping and listening to the crickets, or sang Christmas carols in front of a crackling fire. Ahhh, vacation. But, having an entire channel of background ambiance just to try to recreate that 'on vacation' feeling sort of misses the mark.
Shaw Communication, a Canadian cable company, is launching an entire channel “The Frame,” devoted to background ambiance and picturesque scenes. While we support getting back to nature, we just can’t support all the energy wasted for what will essentially be a moving picture on your wall. Initially you can find “The Frame” in Toronto on Channel 225, and will launch nationwide in September 2008. The scenes will change ever 30 minutes, with individual images rotating every 30 seconds.
While we understand what they're getting at – creating a way for those city mice to feel more like country mice while hosting their fabulous parties in the city – we just can’t get behind the idea of leaving a tv on all the time just to have a background photo. We're already supposed to be turning out lights when we're not in the room and unplugging all appliances, so it seems a little ridiculous to encourage people to leave the tv on all the time to help create a mood.
A few better ways to create ambiance at your party might be to hang a few twinkle lights in your backyard and citronella tiki-torches and let everyone experience the ambiance of a backyard barbeque. Or use your crank radio to play tunes in the background of that party. Or, hang some really cool pictures up in your living room for ambiance and conversation starters. We’ve seen those digital picture frames that now adorn coffee tables with cute photos of fluffy and the kids, and while those aren’t great, at least its better than burning out the screen of you HDTV just to present the impression of a fake Thanksgiving Turkey on a fake Thanksgiving Table.
Thanks to tipster Brian for giving us the heads up.
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I don't see how this will be any worse than digital photo frames already on the market for home use. People would only use it for parties and things of that nature anyway.
Don't forget that most cable/satellite providers offer dozens of music channels which provide nothing but the artist/album/song title on the screen. Maybe they could combine the music channels with this photo channel?
who says you have to leave it on? I support the channel. I think it's the best idea for a channel ever. No blaring commercials, no dumb and stupid game show/reality programming, no death and destruction news coverage. This channel has it's benefits not rooted in what you pay out of your checking account every month but in it's value as an inspiration and educational tool. Some of the most beautiful and sought out moments in life are those just watching nature do it's thing.
Besides, if you're running on renewable energy what does it matter if you leave the thing on?
I agree with the other commenter to a degree. However, it is worse than digital LCD frames in that a TV uses a whole lot more energy than a small LCD frame. The biggest difference, though, is that a digital frame usually has pictures people want displayed and this is just random nature images, which, in my opinion, is kind of silly
That being said, it would be ideal if this were somehow able to be used in conjunction with the music channels. Most people I know have those music channels piped out through a sound system and leave the TV off. It uses less power since they'd likely have the sound system on for music anyway, but not the TV.
I agree we don't need another pointless channel and how do they get their revenue to pay for this one? No doubt there will be ads up there too.
That being said, I am sure there are lots of other channels that are *ahem* just as useless as this proposal in the eyes of some. Surely there are others that deserve this scrutiny as well.
(Of course I wouldn't really know as I don't even have cable myself.)
First off TreeHugger, how is this any different than Discovery's HD Theatre Channel's "Sunrise Earth" program? Its just available all the time.
Second, I think the environmental impact would be greater if all the viewers actually traveled to these destinations. We can't all have the luxury of viewing mother natures wonders first hand.
Third, as long as you don't leave the tv on when you're not in the room, how is it any different than any other tv channel?
The psychological effects of calming natural scenes looks better than car adds and stupidity spreading sitcoms. Maybe all television programing should be replaced with such none propagandic material. Anything without commercials sounds sweet to me. Especially CNN spin doctor programing. People might just stop listening to the machine and want to go out and experience nature first hand.
I have the onslaught of CNN or local news playing when I enter my primary care doctor's office. This is left on all day, apparently, without concern for children or ill people present. This Frame TV alternative would be much better, perhaps more healing, and definitely an improvement over the death and destruction of TV news!
hey that is sooo cool beats the news sports bla bla bla
but what do i know i ditched my tv because it's a"time vacuum" ...... but if you gotta zone,it's kinda like a yoga class for your mind.
I am a bit stunned at these comments. Are we really that addicted to TV that we cannot turn it off? To all of you who think this is okay because it shows us pictures of nature we may not be able to see, have you heard of such wonders as books? They're even free to borrow (and reuse!) at your nearest library!
Not to be a complete snot (which may have been inferred by my tone above), let's think about this seriously. We're not talking about what WE who are green enough and wise enough to be tapped into Treehugger would do. We're talking about what the mass populace, those same people who see nothing wrong with buying a TV for every room in their two person, 6,000 square foot "home" (compound more like!) would do. And that, my friends, is not shutting it off when they leave the room or enjoying it at parties only. It would be on non-stop, like a carbon crunching picture on the wall.
And if you think I'm wrong on that, you need to get out of your green shell and meet the average joes and janes out there!