most of the is obvious, many TV shows are available available either on the Channels website the day after it is broadcast or On-Demand for x number of weeks
I guess our viewing habits don't always lend itself to that. For example, I've found that some of the shows we watch aren't available on On Demand or Hulu at all.
Because they're on CBS or some other network not carried by them. And if I miss "The Blacklist" for two months because life intervened, I hate that On Demand may not have it.
I've also noticed that popular networks and shows often have a back up of several recent episodes. Less popular ones, not carried OR carry JUST the most recent episode.
As an example, I couldn't find the pilot episode of Dirk Gently on On Demand at all - but the second one, the most recent one - was.
I had to go to Amazon Video to see the pilot. IF I'd remembered to record it, that wouldn't be necessary.
Something DVR allows that streaming doesn't always allow - being able to easily back up a few seconds or a minute to re-play something you missed because the phone rang or one of the kids burst into the room with something. With some streaming services, it means re-watching a commercial you can't skip over, and advancing the show ahead is also not permitted on some shows for some services. You can't fast forward. Of course, it TELLS you this when you start, but it can be exasperating if you want to pick up where you left off, and this particular means doesn't allow it.
Again, I watch a LOT of live news shows or ones that are broadcast as though they are live - news networks don't quickly upload their news segments, and news that is a day or two old - isn't known as news.
A LOT of times I will back up and say WHAT THE HELL? and flick back. Great to do.
Binge watching. I do like the trend among streaming services to release a season of shows rather than drip them out slowly over weeks - annoying of course, because most of them have been filmed already.
Can't always do this by other means. I can record just about anything easily - old Looney Tunes shows, kid's specials, old hard to find classics that sometimes air.
Some streaming devices are getting better at this - the search capability on Roku or Fire allows you to find what you want somewhat easily. I'm just annoyed that if I want to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" with my kids, I can PAY a few bucks to watch a movie I've seen a million times, or just record it around Christmas any one of the dozen times it's going to air for free.
We did something like that recently with "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" - paid a small fee to see a show with the kids that has aired for free on TV for fifty years.
There's a lot of stuff that airs for free on regular TV that the streaming channels simple won't give away.
I do think that as streaming channels start airing their own original shows and those shows are WORTH the price of admission - THAT is the pattern of the future AS LONG AS the cost is less.
I tell ya, if we had a REALLY good antenna, our costs would go WAY down - most of our shows we watch are still on the major networks.