If you have the setup to view online video content on your big screen television, you’re ready to watch Internet TV channels via free Internet TV software. How well does this approach work, anyway?
About Internet TV
Internet TV is becoming popular among those who seek video content over the Internet. The lure of Internet TV is you get to view content that’s not normally offered by the TV broadcast service you subscribe to. Another attraction is that you don’t have to be in your living room to enjoy a TV show. You can view Internet TV anywhere you can be connected to the Internet. That really means anywhere, what with mobile broadband services readily available nowadays.
With a broadband Internet connection at home, you can now stream shows from dozens of Internet TV channels to your television in the living room. All you would need is an Internet-ready television set and you can be viewing these shows in no time.
Yes, there are hundreds of Internet TV channels out there. However, locating them is not going to be child’s play. Doing an Internet search to locate an Internet TV station that caters to your taste, in most instances is time-consuming. If you don’t have the patience to do it, you can resort to free Internet TV software to help you locate suitable TV channels and help you play them back.
Really Free?
When we talk about free Internet TV software, do we mean that these software programs are offered for free? In other words, are they freeware? Free software for Internet TV comes in two forms. In the first instance, the software isn’t free, but once you buy it the developer claims that you get to watch Internet TV channels for free. A case in point is the program called “Free Internet TV.” You would have to fork out $19.95 after your 14-day free trial expires. The second is freeware Internet TV software. An example is KitePlayer Online TV which you can download at no cost from trusted download sites like CNET.
Does Free Internet TV Software Work?
Now that you have Internet TV software, can you say goodbye to your existing cable or satellite TV subscription? Not yet.
Some time back, I tried one of the free programs for watching TV over the Internet. Although many attractive channels were listed, only a few could be viewed. The majority of others were offline.
User reviews of free Internet television software point to dissatisfaction on the whole. Users have complained that the `juicier’ movie channels are not always available. Only a few channels work, especially news and music video channels. Another complaint is most of these channels are only accessible in the United States.
The verdict is using free software to stream Internet TV programs to your big screen is going to be a hit-and-miss affair. Your time will be wasted locating working channels and you may end up finding those you don’t really want to watch. So don’t discontinue your cable/satellite subscription yet.
Free Internet TV Software Risk
Whenever you discover Internet TV software offered for free, you should exercise caution installing it in your PC or launching it if it’s offered as an executable file. Always scan the software for virus and malware.
Even if you don’t detect any virus or malware, you should not get it into your system without doing a little homework first. Do a search in Google with the name of the software + virus spyware. Usually, malicious software programs are reported in forums.
Even if the Internet TV software you’ve found is malware free, you would still have to be cautious about adult TV channels the software may be promoting.
A reputable free internet TV software program you could try out is Miro . It’s an open source, non-profit HD video player that allows you access to thousands (more than 6000 at the time of writing) of Internet TV shows. You’ll welcome this program especially if you fear virus or malware attacks if you install little-known free software for watching TV over the Internet.
Safer Option
A safer way of watching Internet TV without installing software would be to visit reputable websites that provide free Internet TV viewing. One website that I found impressive was wwiTV.com. At the time of writing, the website acts as a gateway to 2,698 online TV stations from all over the world.
I tested a few stations at a cafeteria and they streamed well even via my 384k prepaid mobile broadband connection.
Among the categories available are business, kids, religious, sports and even webcam streams.
