Tech4Blondes

If you are like me you often miss your favorite shows due to a social life or work and that’s no fun! So why pay a monthly fee for a DVR or a TiVo when you can just catch your favorite shows online?

Where do I watch it?

Many channels offer their shows on their own network sites for free. You can catch a lot of older movies and shows on YouTube in the movie section. There are also sites that offer a variety of shows from different networks such as Hulu and FanCast. You can also stream shows that are already out on DVD and movies through Netflix, but it has a monthly fee.

What are the best sites?

Lately I have been using Hulu and Netflix the most for streaming TV and movies.

Hulu: As far as I am concerned this site is the best for streaming free TV. It does not freeze mid show, the ads are short, and the shows are added rather quickly. The only con is it does not work with AppleTV if you have one.

Netflix: I love Netflix! The streaming and getting a DVD combo is amazing! The quality is good and it makes sure your show is loaded before it begins to play so there is no buffering every five minutes. The only cons are I wish there would be more seasons of current shows to stream instead of making you get them on DVD and also it is not free. It costs $8.99 a month for unlimited streaming and 1 DVD rental at a time.

YouTube: YouTube is great for old hard to find movies and TV shows (like the live action “The Tick!”) It is free and easy to navigate. The only con is load time can be a little slow.

Other places to catch TV on the web

CW TV – Remembers where you left off on a show, pretty good quality, ads, but freezes often and it takes them a while to post their shows.

ABC – Great quality, loads quickly, very little ads, they post episodes the following day, offers prime time, day time, and specials, but sometimes doesn’t load the first try.

Fox – Great quality, fast load times, very little ads,

Why shouldn’t I go to pirated TV sites?

These sites are often filled with links to sites that will spread viruses to your computer. Also if you strictly watch pirated TV you wont be supporting the show you are watching and it is more likely to get canceled. When you watch TV on a designated site your view is getting counted by the network. There are a ton of free sites to watch TV on that are legit. Don’t waste your time on these illegal ones.

What’s a bit torrent and why shouldn’t I use it to pirate media?

Bit torrents were created to help share open source programs (free programs for linux mostly) but have been misused to spread pirated materials. People often use bit torrents to spread malware (nasty viruses for your PC). You may have a virus scanner or a Mac but sooner or later you are going to get bit. Although the Mac operating system is much more stable than Windows, Macs aren’t bullet proof.

Happy online TV watching! If you have any questions or sites you like please feel free to comment!

Tags: movies, online, streaming, tv, tv online, website