We are mainly using downloaded software to watch TV online but occasionally, there is a show we can't find or a sporting event or something we want to stream that you just have to use a browser for. This is the (current) list of what we're using and plan to use. To make our setup as easy as possible, I've bookmarked the main sites in Google Chrome so we can just click a button.
Clicker - This is the TV guide of the Internet. You just type in a show and it tells you where on the Internet you can watch it. Very useful.
ESPN360 - For sports; basically anything that ESPN is showing is on ESPN360. The quality is not always HD (I've read that it is HD but I've not seen it yet), but it works. As far as video quality, it's about 1 degree below regular cable, so pretty good considering its free. By the way, we get this free through Insight, our internet provider. I'm not sure if it requires a subscription if your provider doesn't offer it.
Hulu - Ad-supported videos, tv shows, movies. Good quality, good selection, and easy to use. They typically post the most recent 5 episodes of TV shows.
YouTube - So I can watch "chocolate rain" on loop
TVGorge.com - This was a great find- it has almost every show you can think of- from HBO to Showtime to NBC, Fox, etc. The quality is questionable, but this morning I watched Curb Your Enthusiasm and it was fine- a little blurry, but definitely not unwatchable or super distracting.
ChannelSurfing - Dan (a friend) recommended this site for watching sports online. When I've gotten it to work, it streams ESPN to the Internet- literally, what is showing on ESPN. I've yet to fully explore it, but it looks like it gives you access to quite a bit more.
Show/Network Specific Sites - Abc.com, Nbc.com, Cbs.com, fox.com, mylifetime.com (yes, mylifetime.com - not being able to watch Project Runway was a deal breaker for Amy). The point here is that if you can't find a show using the software you've downloaded or websites that compile video, then you might just check the producing-network's website. For instance, I couldn't find Project Runway anywhere until I went to mylifetime.com. This is also where to look for special events like the Olympics, NCAA tournament, etc. In fact, last year I watched the SEC basketball tournament games on SECsports.com so these sites can be really important to fill in the gaps created by quitting cable
Really, I don't plan on using my browser to watch a ton of TV. The software I've downloaded compiles most of our favorite shows and lets us watch them through that program making it really easy on us. It's really when I can't find something in those programs or when there's a special event that I will look for it online. The biggest question on the above sites and any time you are streaming video online is quality. Quality is going to have a lot to do with your setup. Since I am plugged directly into our big screen TV, bad quality is sort of amplified- if you have a large HD TV, you know what I'm talking about. A fast internet connection, good video card, and processor speed will all help improve quality. Considering the money we are saving, though, it is easy to live with some poor quality here and there.
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I'm liking the blog thus far. I think the whole process is only going to get better as more software options become available and you can consolidate everything even more. I think at first I would get frustrated trying to keep up with where everything is and where to find it, but that would obviously get easier as you do this longer.
ReplyDeleteI've used my ps3 to watch sports on channelsurfing.net that were not being shown on one of the channels in my dish package. Picture quality is lacking, but it's better to be able to watch it a bit grainy than not at all.
Do you have an additional monitor hooked up to the computer or do you just use your tv as the monitor? Also, are you running sound through your TV speakers via hdmi or are you using something else to run sound (i.e. surround sound)?