Besides satellite and cable...what other ways can watch tv..i have heard of some software programs?

Question

that allow youto watch tv on your pc...are they reliable or just a big gimmick?

Answer 1

You can watch tv online with TV on Your PC software.  Some programs give you thousands of channels that you can watch right on your desktop.  You can find reviews of TV on Your PC software here.. http://satellitetvguru.net/satellite-tv-...

Answer 2

http://www.webtvlist.com/

Stephen P, I didn't know there were so many websites.  Thanks for posting them.

Answer 3

What roadhunter is talking about is free over the air TV.  That was around long before cable or satellite.  If you TV or cable/satellite box does not also have an over the air tuner, you need a digital over the air set top box (if in the U.S.).  Since digital TV can have multiple subchannels on each frequency, there are quite a few channels in many areas, like Chicago.  I never had satellite and have not had cable since 1995 (I do have a Blockbuster subscription for DVD rentals).

"Live" high quality internet TV requires higher bandwidth than most people have and may not become popular until fiber optic internet is more widely available in homes.  Although, some places like Netflix rent or sell downloadable videos.

Answer 4

They are great.  All you need is an HDTV tuner and an antenna, and you can watch HDTV for free!  Not all of the channels, but all that are BROADCAST (not sent via cable or satellite).  There are more than you might think.

Answer 5

There are three ways to do that:

1.

In most areas you can just attach a  TV antenna to you TV and receive free over the air programs. The US is shutting down most of it's old analog broadcast system in 2/2009 but with a cheap converter box even the oldest TVs can receive the new free digital over the air broadcasts.  

2.

There are plenty of web sites where you can watch TV for free. I suggest starting with hulu.com.

You do need high speed Internet and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Internet TV is in it's infancy and is limited by how fast an Internet connection that people have. I imagine in 10 years it will be a lot better.

The software that some people sell is just redirecting you to sites that you can watch for free without paying anything.

3.

You can install a TV tuner card or USB tuner in your computer and attach it to an antenna. Whatever you can pick up over the air with a TV, you can also watch on your computer. If the computer is fast enough, you can even use it as a digital video recorder.