How to Watch TV Online

There are a lot of alternatives to cable television today with the advent of the Internet, and not all of them cost money or require you to register for viewing. As with any broadcast service, channel selection, picture quality, and the ability to pick and choose specific shows varies with what service you connect to.

Delivery Options

There are a few different methods to receive free online TV service:

In-line Browser Supported Video

In-line browser supported video requires only a browser to play the content, as long as you have the proper audio and video codecs installed to decode the video and audio streams. Most sites will tell you which codecs or plugins are required for proper video and audio playback.

Download and Play

A lot of TV content is provided online as downloadable files. These files are encoded in one video and audio format or another and require playback software to view the content. Keep in mind that different formats have different quality and storage characteristics, and you should target the types that suit your viewing preferences. Content that has a lower quality due to lossy compression or low bitrates require less bandwidth and time to download, but are not high-quality. Content that uses lossless compression and higher bitrates require more bandwidth and time to download, and also consumes more storage space.

Specialized Software Delivery Services

Some content providers require you to download specialized software to gain access to their TV content. This software is usually proprietary in nature, and may be funded through ad services, registration fees, or other mechanisms commonly used to provide free services and still have it be a financially self-sufficient business.

Selection Options

There are also a few different mindsets on how the TV shows are made available:

“Live Streaming”

Live streaming providers basically use content provided by broadband, over the air, or satellite providers and publish them for viewing with little delay from the original airtime. Most of these providers focus on the high profile and prolific TV station networks, news networks, and sports networks. With some patience, you can generally find most common networks available for pseudo-live viewing. There is generally a short delay between the actual broadcast and the online broadcast due to network latency, delays, caching and other factors.

Menu of Available Shows

A lot of the TV content providers record shows and make them available to the public through a menu of specific show offerings. You can search through the menu for a specific show, episode or movie from the content that have available, and basically play it on demand. Many providers tend to focus only on popular or niche shows in specific genres, and rotate their content on a regular basis. Others focus on only a single show and retain all the episodes for future viewing.

Specialized Content

Many free online TV services provide a live streaming experience, but choose what content is played at any given time. These tend to be shows that were recorded previously and are played at the whim of the source provider. Think of them as a pirate TV station online.

Technical Details

Bandwidth Requirements

Bandwidth requirements for TV over the Internet varies depending on video and audio quality, compression, video size, and streaming services. Dial-up users will probably not have a good experience watching TV over the Internet unless they cache much or most of the content before playback. Caching may not be reasonable if the TV content that is being viewed is very large, or otherwise remote. If you intend on watching online TV, expect to invest in a cable or DSL connection to the Interne. A discussion of the differences between cable and DSL connectivity can be found here.

Effects of Jitter

Jitter may cause your TV viewing to exhibit low frame rates, jumpy video, artifacts in the video image, stuttering audio, or other negative factors. Spyware or other malicious software packages on your personal computer may also cause jitter-like effects.

Effects of Reliability Issues

An unreliable Internet connection may cause your video and audio experience to halt, disconnect, restart, or otherwise disrupt viewing. This is specifically a problem if you have an improperly configured or designed wireless network, or if you have physical problems between your computer and your cable or DSL modem.

Computer Processing Power

Any new computer that has been purchased since 2003 should be able to properly decode and playback TV content online without much trouble. Things that effect playback quality are: CPU power, video card quality, audio card quality, available RAM, network connection, software used for playback, and method and particulars used during content encoding.

Streaming Video and Audio from Network Remote Locations

The geographic location of your TV content feed will have an effect on your viewing experience. Content provided through back-water networks, third world countries, home connections, throttled network feeds, and otherwise will cause video and audio issues that may make watching TV online unacceptable. If you find that the content you are viewing is not suitable to your viewing tasts, try a different provider. Unfortunately, many providers are in these locations due to the legal issues of providing this kind of content.

Legality of Providing TV Content Online

It is generally illegal in most companies for an individual or group to rebroadcast cable or satellite content over the web without getting express permission or broadcasting rights from the companies in question. Retransmitting over the air broadcasting is a grey area, as the content is broadcast over the air for anyone with the proper equipment to receive. If you intend to rebroadcast or otherwise provide TV content online, it is best for you to consult a legal authority or legal advice before doing so.

Online Providers

Here is a list of commonly used free online TV providers: