Randomly.Variously: Top Places & Ways To Watch Streaming TV

...trolled through the noise to find solid recommendations for the best places to watch online. The first article lists primary sources. These sites are, for the most part, actually involved in producing the content you are watching. The exception in the group is the Internet Archive which is, by far, one of the best and must under-rated 'must' sites on the internet. The second article contains recommendations for the top aggregating sites offering free online viewing (not illegal links of where you can watch online). These sites are rolling-up content from a wide range of sources. The third article offers recommendations for the best medium to watch online - or more rightly said, the best tools you can use to make your online viewing more closely approximate the effortless watching of a TV set!

As always, randomly and variously fortunate and un...

ARTICLE #1 (Primary Sources)

List Of The Best TV SitesSATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012

With the cost of cable and satellite TV going up in this bad economy, many homeowners have switched to computer TV. I myself prefer to stay with watching cable on the 52 inch screen in my living room, but I can understand why many are now using their computers. As the owner of a movie/TV site I have learned where to go to find the best TV online. The sites that I am going to post below are 100% legal with high quality TV programs. You actually have a larger selection of shows online than you do on your cable or satellite hook-ups. Unfortunately many of the popular TV websites online now require your cable or dish provider to be partnered with them. In order for you to view their shows online you may have to log in using your cable/dish ID number. The sites in my list do not require a login or account.
The sites I have listed below are free, but like regular TV you'll have to put up with the commercials. Most shows will begin with one or two commercials and have a few more scattered throughout the show.
Most of the websites listed below are recommended by the MPAA (motion picture association of America).

CBS.com online - In my opinion CBS online is just as good as their channel on regular TV and perhaps even better. They have posted over 60 different shows. They are listed in five different categories, Primetime , daytime, latenight, classics, and web originals. Some of the shows that CBS offers online are: The Big Bang Theory, CSI Miami, How I met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The Price is Right, The Young and the Restless, The Talk, The Love Boat, The David Letterman Show, 60 Minutes, Family Ties, and many more. This website is totally free and logging in or an account is not necessary. New episodes are added regularly. Check it out.

NBC.com online - Has around 50 classic and new shows. They are organized into four categories, newest shows, most viewed shows, top rated shows, and alphabetically. Some of the programs are 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, The Cape, The Biggest Loser, The Voice, Saturday Night Live, The Event, Law and Order, The Office, and much more. Episodes are updated often. The site also includes news and sports and TV trivia games. It's not required to login but I think NBC includes some extras if you do.

Fox.com online - The fox.com site is probably one of the most popular of all the television sites online because of the high quality, highly rated, and the quantity of popular shows it offers. Just click on the watch full episodes in the menu and you will be given the choice of over 20 shows with hundreds of episodes you can watch. A new episode is added eight days after its original air date and sooner if you are logged in. Here is a list of some of the shows they offer. Alcatraz, American Dad, Bobs Burgers, Bones, The Cleveland Show, Cops, Family Guy, The Fringe, Glee, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Napolean Dynamite, The Simpsons, and Raising Hope.

SyFy Channel online - With close to 25 different series online the syfy channel site is my personal favorite. The shows they offer are Eureka (everybody's favorite brainiac town), Scare Tactics, Ghost Hunters, Sanctuary, Haven, Warehouse 13, StarGate Universe, Caprica, Face Off, Paranormal Witness, The Mercury Men, and more. No login is required and most episodes change every month. A 60 second commercial usually starts the show out.

ABC.go.com - I've been visiting this site quite a lot lately to watch episodes of TV's most popular show Modern Family. If you happen to miss an episode of your favorite program such as General Hospital.on cable or satellite TV you can watch it on ABC.com. Some shows can be viewed online within 24 hours of their original air time.
Some of the shows ABC.com offers are: General Hospital, The Middle, The Bachelor, Suburgatory, Cougar Town, Extreme Makeover, Grays Anatomy, The View, Wipeout and more. You can also watch news shows such as 20/20, and Nightline.

Hulu TV easily has the largest selection of shows on the internet with over 500 shows. They have just about any show you could want to watch from 3RD Rock From The Sun to--- 30 Rock. Each show starts with a commercial, but that's how they pay for the viewing rights. Login is not required but prefered. Be sure to check out Hulu Plus for your tv or device.

Dish-Online - Hundreds of shows are offered by Dish-Online. Some of the shows are locked and only available for dish customers (the word locked will be in the upper left corner of the show picture), but there are plenty for the general public to watch. Too many to list. Dish has made it easy to find the shows you want to watch using their alphabetical or genre menu
I wasn't aware of the dish online site until a reader of this blog mentioned it in the comments. Thanks for the comment and thanks to Dish Network.

TV Land.com - I usually visit this site every week to watch episodes of the King Of Queens. Most of the shows offered by TV Land are classics such as Leave it to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Roseanne, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Boston Legal, The Exes, and Murder She Wrote. This is a simple easy to navigate site that you should enjoy. Most episodes are usually updated every week. An account is not necessary.

The WB Online.com - This is another TV channel I visit quite regularly to watch two of my childhood favorites The Flintstones, and the Jetsons. The WB is a site that is very easy to navigate and doesn't require a sign in to watch their shows. Here's a few shows they offer -- Gilligans Island, Smurfs, Babylon 5, Smallville, Wonder Woman, Growing Pains and more. Episodes are updated on a regular basis. Check The WB out.

IMDB - ( Internet Movie Data Base) has one of the webs largest selections of links to TV shows online. The IMDB is famous for it's great reviews of TV shows and movies. Before watching any TV show you should enter the name of the show followed by IMDB into your search engine to see the review. Any score better than a 6 is show worth watching.

The Internet Archive - Has a very large collection of public domain, classic television programs. Most of the shows listed on this site can be legally downloaded to your computer or embed on websites, facebook, etc. A small sample of what they have are The Howdy Doody Show,Bonanza, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Gene Autry Show, Annie Oakley, Tales of Tomorrow, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, Andy Griffith Show, The Life of Riley, classic commercials, and many game shows and cartoons from the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

History.com Online - The history channel online offers over 50 of their most popular TV shows online. Just click on the arrows on their homepage. Most shows have around five different episodes that are updated regularly. Click on the arrow in their list and then click on watch video. Some of the shows they have are American Pickers, American Restoration, Axe Men, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars, Monster Quest, Swamp People, and Only In America With Larry The Cable Guy. Logging in is not required.

Nick.com online - Nick online has 129 episodes of their most popular shows available for your viewing pleasure. Some of these shows include icarly, House of Anubus, Power Rangers Samurai, Sponge Bob Square Pants, The Naked Brothers Band, Planet Sheen, Supah Ninjas, and The Troop. Their site also has plenty of games and free music to keep you entertained. Logging in is not necessary.

The CW - This is a site I usually visit every Friday night to watch Supernatural. Other shows you might want to check out at the CW are: 90210, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, America's Next Top Models, Hart Of Dixie, Ringer, The Secret Circle, and Remodeled. Most of the shows at the CW are updated every month.
Check out the CW for some really good online shows.

PBS Online - PBS has 13 shows you can watch online for free. Donations would be greatly appreciated since they are funded by the public.Some of the shows they have listed are: Masterpiece, This Old House, Nova, Nature, Austin City Limits, Motor Week, Antique Roadshow, Tavis Smiley, amd American Masters. Enjoy.

My Lifetime.com - They have a large selection of shows, games, sweepstakes, and much more on their website. Many of their best shows can be viewed online. Here is some of what they offer: America's Supernanny, America's most Wanted, Army Wives, Coming Home, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Will & Grace, Project Runway, Unsolved Mysteries, and Reba. You should also be able to find plenty of movies on their site.

National Geographic Channel - Has a large selection of full shows and episodes. You can watch episodes of Alaska State Troopers, Border Wars, End of the Earth, Explorers, Known Universe,Locked up Abroad, Monster Fish, And Taboo. The site also has plenty of activities for kids such as games, cartoons, cooking, giveaways, and contests. Take a look at this very entertaining site.

MTV.com online - Offers hundreds of their most popular shows and music videos. Here is a small sample of the shows you can watch. Jersey Shore, Beavis and Butt-Head, Teen Mom, The real World, Punk'd, Teen Wolf, I Used To Be Fat, Caged, Awkward, True Life, 16 And Pregnant, The Alli Show, America's Best Dance Crew, Busted, Scarred, and lots more. They also have plenty of music videos and games to keep you entertained.

Crackle.com TV - Has over 70 different shows. If you're a fan of anime shows they have a great selection such as LaMB, The Slayers, Blade, Blood, Macross, Star Divers, and The Big Windup. Crackle also has a good selection of classic programs such as Bewitched, All in The Family, The Three Stooges, Good Times, Sanford and Son, I dream of Jeannie, Barney Miller, and their most popular Seinfeld. Check out the great movies while you're there.
It's all free, so check it out.

Comedy Central.com - Has 8 free shows online with plenty of episodes that are updated regularly. Some of the shows they have are Strangers With Candy, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, SouthPark, Premium Blend, and more. Mouse-over full episodes in their menu to see a list of the shows.

Oxygen TV.com - Watch 4 of their best reality TV shows online. Shows included are: Jersey Couture, Love Games, Bad Girls Club, and Tori and Dean. The Oxygen website also has games, message board, and a shop. All shows start with a fairly long commercial and contain more during the show.

SouthPark Studios.com - If you're a fan of SouthPark, check this site out. With over 200 high quality episodes of south parks best. Rated mature. Plenty of fun games to play on the site. Logging in will allow you to participate in their forum. Check this site out.

Source: http://best-tv-sites.blogspot.com/
ARTICLE #2 (Aggregators)

Top 15 Most Popular Video Websites | February 2012

Here are the 15 Most Popular Video Sites as derived from our eBizMBA Rank which is a constantly updated average of each website's Alexa Global Traffic Rank, and U.S. Traffic Rank from both Compete and Quantcast."*#*" Denotes an estimate for sites with limited Compete or Quantcast data. If you know a website that should be included on this list based on its traffic rankings Please Let Us Know.

SOURCE: http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/video-websites

ARTICLE #3 (Mediums)

Five Best Ways to Stream Live TV
BY ALAN HENRY
FEB 5, 2012 8:00 AM
Whether you're looking for a way to catch the big game this weekend when you're away from your living room, or you just like to catch live television when you're trapped somewhere without either cable or a television, you have plenty of options to help you catch a broadcast on your mobile phone or your computer. Here's a look at five of the best ways to tune in when you're on the go.

Earlier in the week we asked how you tune into live television that you're subscribed to on your mobile device or when you're not in front of the big screen. You responded, and now we're back to take a look at the top five, based on your nominations.

Photo by IK's World Trip.

Orb/Orb Live

When you need to stream audio or video around the house, to your mobile device, or across the globe when you're away from home, Orb can certainly deliver. We mentioned Orb several times, and it's still a great way to stream your media from your computer to other devices in your home, or, if you're willing to pay for an Orb appliance to connect to your cable box or HTPC, stream live TV or recorded TV to any other device on or off of your home network. Orb supports video up to 720p, and gives you the flexibility to watch live sports, prime time TV shows, or anything else that's currently airing in your living room on your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop over Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G when you can't be in the living room to enjoy it. Pricing varies depending on whether you need hardware (between $79-$99 for the set-top box) to connect to your TV and home network, or you already have a TV tuner in your HTPC (the Orb Live and Orb Caster software are both free, but the mobile apps are $9.99.)

Slingbox

Where other live TV streaming solutions offer complexity, Slingbox offers elegant simplicity. The Slingbox from Sling Media is a set-top box that connects to your TV and your cable or satellite receiver that makes it easy for you to effectively log in to your TV at home and watch live TV on your computer or mobile device as though you were sitting in front of your TV. You can change channels, browse TV listings, and even set your home DVR to record TV that you won't make it home in time to watch. The Slingbox comes in two flavors, the Slingbox Solo and the Slingbox Pro-HD (which predictably supports HD and additional devices connected to it) and will set you back $179.99 to $299.99 (not including extended support options). You'll also need to drop $29.99 for the SlingPlayer app to control your Slingbox from your smartphone or tablet, but the price buys you one of the most feature-rich and hassle-free live TV streaming solutions on the market.

EyeTV

Elgato's EyeTV line of TV tuners and live TV software were, for a long time, the only option for Mac users who were looking for an easy way to use their Macs as TV tuners or HTPCs. They're not the only options anymore, but they're certainly one of the best, and if you plug a TV source in to an EyeTV and then the EyeTV into your Mac via USB, you want watch live TV right there on your computer screen. Combine an EyeTV tuner or DVR with the EyeTV app on your mobile device, and you can stream live or pre-recorded TV on your mobile device when you're out of the house. The EyeTV app will set you back $4.99 in the iTunes App Store for any iOS device, and the tuners vary in price from $99 to $199 depending on whether you need a DTV tuner, a DTV and HD tuner, a tuner with a DVR inside, or a Wi-Fi enabled tuner that can wirelessly stream TV to other devices in your home.

Vulkano Flow Box

The Vulkano Flow may not be one of the most well known set-top tuners on the market, but it's definitely one of the most powerful. For $99.99, the Vulkano Flow is an easy to install and set up device that connects to your cable or satellite tuner, supports HD video, and your home network to allow you to wirelessly watch live TV on your iOS or Android device on your home network or when you're away via 3G or 4G. You get complete control over your home TV, so you can switch channels, browse a built-in programming guide (that you don't have to pay extra to view), and even connect to other video inputs like a DVR or HTPC and control that as well. Vulkano offers desktop players for Mac OS and Windows (Free), and mobile players for iOS, Android, and BlackBerry ($12.99.)

Hauppage WinTV

Hauppage is an old name in TV tuners, and the company is still going strong by offering a range of products to HTPC enthusiasts who want to build their own devices to stream, save, and watch live and recorded television and to people who would rather buy a set-top box to handle the streaming for them. Those of you who nominated the WinTV mentioned that you can easily install a WinTV tuner in your HTPC and download the WinTV application on your HTPC and iOS or Android device to stream TV from your HTPC to your device. Pricing varies depending on which tuner you'd like, whether you want HD video, and whether you want an internal or USB tuner to install at all or you'd just prefer a set-top box like the Hauppage Broadway ($199), but the WinTV Extend app you'll need to stream from your Tuner will set you back $9.95, and the mobile apps are free (although they only support Wi-Fi.)

Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all out vote for the winner.

What's The Best Method to Stream Live TV? (Poll Closed)
Orb/Orb Live 14.36% (141 votes)

Slingbox 48.78% (479 votes)

EyeTV 12.02% (118 votes)

Vulkano Flow 5.6% (55 votes)

Hauppage WinTV 19.25% (189 votes)

Total Votes: 982
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Honorable mentions this week go out to streaming TV sites like Justin.tv, which many of you said you use to stream your own TV shows to the web so you can catch them when you're away from home, and toThe NFL's website, which many of you noted is indeed streaming the big game on their own. Finally, since we mentioned that the Department of Homeland Security had shut down FirstRowSports' primary domain, many of you made note of the fact that the site is still up and running on a different URL.

Have a favorite method that didn't get the nominations needed to make the top five? Want to make a case for it, or for your favorite of the nominees above? Sound off in the comments below.

SOURCE: http://lifehacker.com/5882209/five-best-ways-to-stream-live-tv

Randomly.Variously

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Top Places & Ways To Watch Streaming TV

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