Thoughts from the Gym

So I was at the gym tonight, watching silent close-captioned TV (which definitely changes the experience--you forget how much of TV is auditory till you start going to the gym regularly). I was also listening to the slightly-dull piped-in techno music, but I was missing my iPod, which I'd left at home.

So as I was pounding away at the elliptical machine and the treadmill, trying to keep myself diverted (it's always harder to think the sort of deep thoughts on a treadmill that you would think outside on a walk), I wondered: if your caloric usage is supposed to be lower than your normal levels when you're watching TV, and you're trying to burn as many calories as possible at the gym, is it counter-productive for them to have TVs at the gym? Or is the lower-than-normal thing only true if you're sitting in front of the TV without doing anything else?

Or is it only true if the audio is on?

Furthermore, does it say more about my need to be entertained or more about the gym environment that I need three different "entertainment" sources at once to keep myself working out for a full hour?